How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 16

Perry’s eyes widened. Contrary to her assumption that a vacant room had already been assigned to him, it seemed that the mysterious child named Neil had been staying in the prince’s bedroom all along.

Naturally, both Perry’s and Paul’s gazes shifted toward Nihil.

Nihil thought for a moment.

He didn’t particularly care whether he had a room of his own or not. However, if word got around that Rianus had a pretty little friend living in his bedroom, it was bound to start some unsavory rumors. Even if he really did continue staying in Rianus’s bedroom, he needed to have a separate room officially.

“Rian, you’ll come visit me once I have my own room, right?”

Nihil didn’t bother trying to persuade Rianus. He had already figured out how to handle him.

Rianus mulled over Nihil’s words, then his eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.

Now that he thought about it, visiting a friend’s room sounded incredibly exciting!

Sharing his own bedroom with his friend was wonderful, but visiting his friend’s bedroom or even sleeping there would be a whole new experience.

The little seaweed-haired prince practically bounced with excitement.

“I will, I will! I’ll come visit! Can I come every single day?”

“Sure. I’ll come barging into your room, too.”

The butler and head maid, who had been watching their conversation, found their eyes trembling once again. They couldn’t hide their astonishment at Nihil’s audacity.

Only Evan, who had already gotten used to Nihil, calmly nodded as if it were nothing. He thought he really does know how to handle children.

“Neil, you can come over whenever you want! What kind of room do you like?”

Rianus murmured to himself, wondering which room was the largest, had the best view, and received the most sunlight. He wanted to give his dear friend the very best room.

“I don’t need a good room. Just give me the one closest to your bedroom.”

At Nihil’s nonchalant reply, Rianus’s eyes widened before he broke into a radiant smile.

The room closest to his own! Nihil must like him, too!

That unexpected answer lifted Rianus’s spirits even higher.

Nihil noticed Rianus’s eyes growing brighter and brighter. The answer seemed to have pleased him quite a bit. From Nihil’s perspective, he had simply said it because he preferred not to walk too far. But Rianus was undoubtedly already imagining all the fun he would have visiting his friend’s room, his little head working overtime.

However, the head maid spoke up with some hesitation.

“If you want the closest room, there is one directly below this floor that Sir Evan is currently using… Shall we move him?”

“?!”

Evan, who had been quietly minding his own business, flinched. It seemed he was about to have his room stolen right from under his nose.

Fortunately, Rianus apparently had other ideas, because his little head shook vigorously from side to side.

“That’s not close at all! We’d have to go up and down the stairs!”

“Pardon? But no one except members of the royal family is permitted to reside on the fifth floor. Whichever room we assign him, he’ll still have to use the stairs…”

“Give him the room opposite mine.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said to give him the room opposite mine.”

Perry refrained from pointing out that the room was reserved for royalty from their own or foreign kingdoms who might someday visit, or for exceptionally distinguished guests.

The prince surely knew that already.

The room was meant to accommodate visiting royals who came as envoys or to temporarily house the owner of a palace if it were destroyed in an accident. Since such circumstances were extremely unlikely, it was almost never used. Nevertheless, it was always kept immaculate, with luxurious furniture and bedding, in preparation for events that would probably never happen.

Giving Nihil that room was practically equivalent to treating him as royalty. If rumors spread that the prince had granted such a room to his friend, both the prince and his friend would undoubtedly become targets of criticism.

“Your Highness, that room won’t do. Your friend will undoubtedly attract unwanted attention as well. Young Master Neil, there are plenty of fine rooms on the fourth floor. Would one of those suit you?”

Nihil was fine with any room on any floor. The only inconvenience would be having to walk a little farther, so he was about to nod and leave the decision to them. But Rianus shook his head vigorously.

“I don’t want that. That room is always empty anyway. I want that one. Give him that room.”

Perry opened and closed her mouth several times before finally surrendering. The prince’s gaze was simply too resolute.

Their young master was usually unambitious, but when he set his mind on something, he had to have it. It was both the right and the instinct of someone born of noble blood.

“…We’ll prepare it accordingly. Is there anything else you require?”

“Gather all the palace staff. Every single one of them.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

When Rianus dismissed her, Perry bowed deeply before leaving.

The elderly butler continued wearing his usual genial smile as he waited for his prince to speak.

“Neil, Paul has been our butler since before my mother passed away. He’s also the only person in this palace who has watched me grow up from the very beginning.”

Nihil stared at the elderly butler. Despite the boy’s insolent attitude, the butler didn’t lose his smile and merely dipped his head again.

Then Nihil spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“He looks so frail he could collapse any second.”

“Huh? Oh, no… I have been getting on in years, but I’m not quite that bad…”

“Hohoho! Your Highness’s friend is truly delightful!”

Even though the child making such an impudent remark probably hadn’t lived even a quarter of his life, the elderly butler simply laughed heartily. He looked like a grandfather who was delighted that his grandchild had brought a friend home.

“Rian, he’s not joking. Make this old man rest a little.”

“Huh? Is the butler sick?”

“This butler is still in perfectly good health, Your Highness.”

Despite the butler’s assurances, Rianus’s expression grew increasingly gloomy.

Normally, a prince’s palace would have several butlers, but because Rianus was extremely wary of outsiders, the Second Prince’s Palace currently relied on a single butler to handle most of its affairs.

“Is he really… that unwell?”

“For his age, he’s actually quite sturdy. If he gets some rest, there shouldn’t be a problem. Still, he needs to cut back on his work. Fatigue builds up, after all.”

Rianus abruptly turned to look at the butler. He pressed his lips together, furrowed his brows, and stared at him in silence for a long while. Then, as though he had reached a decision, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Butler, you’re taking a week off. Just post a recruitment notice, then go rest.”

“But, Your Highness…”

“The palace won’t collapse just because you stop working for a few days. This is an order.”

“…A week is too long. I’ll take just two days off, today and tomorrow.”

The elderly butler offered an awkward smile, looking troubled.

He currently held the highest position among the staff of the Second Prince’s Palace.

Every task had to pass through his hands. In particular, he had to oversee the ingredients used for the prince’s meals and the comings and goings of the palace staff, even when those matters weren’t directly his responsibility.

If he took an entire week off instead of just a day or two, he would only become more anxious and be unable to rest properly.

But Rianus was adamant. If his friend had felt compelled to point it out, then from an outsider’s perspective, the butler’s accumulated fatigue must have been quite obvious.

The butler and the prince argued back and forth for quite some time.

When Rianus realized that Paul wasn’t going to give in, he took a firmer stance.

“Should I make it ten days?”

“A week is already too long. Ten days?”

“Two weeks.”

“…How about five days? I promise I won’t lift a finger for those five days.”

“Hmm, all right.”

Apparently satisfied with five days, Rianus smiled brightly.

He understood that the palace would suffer if the butler rested for too long, too.

Rianus beamed and said he was glad the butler had come to his senses. Then, almost casually, he added the frightening remark that he had been planning to fire him if he refused to obey.

He had absolutely no intention of dismissing the butler, but knowing Paul’s personality, he doubted the old man would rest properly otherwise.

If he put it that way, Paul would at least take it easy while keeping an eye on the prince’s mood.

The butler sighed inwardly, bowed, and was about to leave when Rianus called him back as though he had just remembered something.

“Do one more thing for me before you rest.”

“Please, Your Highness.”

“I’m going to have lessons separately from my older brother. I don’t care if my own schedule gets completely messed up, so make sure his lessons remain unchanged and adjust everything accordingly.”

“…So you intend to study separately from the First Prince and would like me to draw up a new timetable?”

“Yep! I’m going to study with Neil!”

The old man seemed startled by those words. Then the wrinkles around his eyes deepened into gentle arcs, and his lips spread into a smile as bright and innocent as a child’s.

“Excellent! An absolutely excellent decision! I’ll inform everyone and make the necessary arrangements right away!”

Overcome with joy, Paul unconsciously grabbed the prince’s hand and shook it up and down. He also bowed deeply to Nihil, thanking him.

How heartbreaking it had been to watch their small, fragile prince seem to shrink even further every time he attended lessons.

At an age when he should have been growing up seeing, hearing, and eating only the finest things, Rianus had been drowning in feelings of inferiority. Paul had spent countless nights worrying that the boy might develop dark thoughts or eventually break under the strain.

It felt like only yesterday that he had watched Rianus struggle yet stubbornly continue studying alongside the First Prince. Paul had even thought that he would rather the boy abandon his studies and forget about becoming the Crown Prince altogether. He had wished, more than anything, for their prince to grow up healthy and happy. He had even considered kidnapping him and raising him somewhere peaceful in the countryside.

He had resented His Majesty for his misguided consideration that all children should receive equal education, and had even been making a doll that resembled the king out of spite.

Now, there was no longer any need to make it.

Paul decided that, since today was such a happy occasion, he would order an especially lavish dinner. After bowing to the prince, he left the bedroom with a light heart.

He already felt as though he had enjoyed an entire week of rest.

For the first time in a very long while, all the staff gathered in the lobby on the first floor of the Second Prince’s Palace.

There weren’t very many of them. After the attempted poisoning two years ago, a large number of staff members had been dismissed. Aside from a few people sent over from the main palace, not a single additional employee had been hired since then.

The palace was barely being maintained with the minimum number of staff.

The head maid, Perry, bowed before speaking.

“Your Highness, everyone has gathered, except for the butler.”

Rianus nodded lightly and looked down at the staff assembled in the lobby.

Evan and Nihil stood quietly behind him.

The prince looked unusually serious, and the staff, who had been summoned without any explanation, couldn’t help feeling nervous. The best they could do was rack their brains trying to remember whether they had done anything wrong.

After quietly clearing his throat, Rianus introduced Nihil. His speech wasn’t very long. In essence, he told them to behave themselves, obey orders, and keep their mouths shut.

Having placed particular emphasis on keeping their mouths shut, Rianus was about to assign someone to attend to Nihil, but the boy shook his head and refused.

Even the prince, the master of the palace, didn’t have a personal attendant. It was unthinkable for Nihil, who was merely a guest, to have someone wait on him. More importantly, he didn’t particularly like having people around him.

Rianus told Nihil to let him know whenever he needed anything. Then he swept his gaze over the staff and nodded toward the head maid.

At the signal, Perry stepped forward, bowed, and introduced herself to Nihil once more. She then proceeded to recite the names of the staff members and their respective duties, one by one.

Whenever their names were called, the staff stepped forward and bowed deeply. Without exception, every one of them found it difficult to tear their eyes away from Nihil.

Nihil merely gave a slight nod as though acknowledging their greetings, while his mind wandered elsewhere. Rianus had already abandoned his solemn demeanor and was smiling happily again, for reasons known only to himself. Meanwhile, Evan watched Nihil in silence, his face growing tense with an inexplicable sense of unease.

The introductions of the small group of staff were soon over. In the ensuing silence, Nihil took a step forward and looked down at them.

His white eyelashes rested like crescent moons over eyes that resembled a night sky crossed by the Milky Way. In the quiet lobby, the sound of someone swallowing was especially loud.

One of the staff members took a step forward to get a better look at Nihil, only to freeze in surprise at the sound of their own footsteps.

Nihil didn’t say anything like Nice to meet you or I look forward to working with you, but no one found his silence strange.

His seemingly indifferent expression softened. The corners of his lips curved upward into a rosy smile, and he tilted his head slightly, his eyes curving into gentle crescents.

A collective intake of breath swept through the staff.

But that was the entirety of his greeting.

The staff had hoped the beautiful little boy would say something, but having finished what he needed to do, Nihil simply returned to Rianus’s side and slipped behind him, hiding himself from view.