How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 30

Flip, flip.

The sound of pages turning at regular intervals filled the room.

Worried that they were playing too much—or, more accurately, that they would soon run out of things to do—Nihil had suggested reading. So Rianus took out a book he had abandoned a while ago because it was too difficult for him.

Then he glanced at Nihil.

Truthfully, he wanted to read a fairy tale. However, he was already seven years old, and he would proudly turn eight when summer came. He wanted to look a little more mature in front of his friend, so he had chosen this book instead.

Surprisingly, the Second Prince’s Palace did not have many books. Part of the reason was that Rianus rarely found books he liked enough to keep, but another was that he had such a good memory that there was little need to collect them.

Of course, he read slowly because it took him time to understand what he was reading. Still, whenever he needed to learn something, he borrowed books from the Royal Library and promptly returned them as soon as he finished.

Rianus handed his friend one of the few books he owned. Unfortunately, it happened to be a thick, difficult history book—a common essential text for any noble household, the sort everyone had on their shelves.

Nihil accepted the book and began turning its pages without a word, his expression unchanged. However, he was flipping through it so quickly that he clearly wasn’t reading.

Looking at his friend’s white eyelashes, which rested delicately like a waning crescent moon, Rianus began to wonder.

What is Neil thinking about right now?

Come to think of it, I’ve heard that commoners rarely get to read because books are so expensive. Is he having trouble because the words are too difficult? No, wait. Did he even learn how to read?

Because nobles were particularly fond of showing off, their educational books tended to be full of difficult vocabulary and elaborate metaphors.

As Rianus’s thoughts multiplied, a sudden worry struck him.

What if he can’t read and is too embarrassed to tell me? What if I haven’t been considerate of Neil at all?

He had never considered the possibility before, partly because of his friend’s characteristically laid-back yet indifferent demeanor, which sometimes even seemed rather authoritative. And yet, wasn’t Nihil a wandering orphan who had been living without a home until quite recently?

Leaving his own book open on his lap, Rianus began thinking hard about how to get his proud friend to switch books without embarrassing him.

Meanwhile, Nihil had no idea that he was the reason Rianus was so deep in thought. Though he showed nothing on the outside, he was feeling somewhat bewildered himself, albeit for entirely different reasons.

He had expected Rianus to bring over a few fairy tales. Instead, Rianus himself had picked up a thick volume with a title that sounded like an academic paper written by some elderly professor at the academy: Humanity’s Reflections on Coexistence with Nonhuman Races and the Differences in Perspective Between Both Sides.

And the book he’d handed Nihil was Human Life and History After the War Against the Heavenly Demons, Volume I, a book of more than a thousand pages.

Nihil thought that royalty must be exposed to incredibly difficult books from a young age. He decided he ought to reflect a little on having underestimated Rianus’s age.

But how many minutes had passed?

As he skimmed through the history book, Nihil noticed that Rianus wasn’t concentrating on his reading at all. Instead, the little prince kept sneaking glances at him.

Suspecting that Rianus wanted to say something, Nihil decided to prompt him.

“Why?”

At the sudden, low sound of Nihil’s voice, Rianus flinched like a startled kitten.

“W-well, I was wondering if the w-well, the book might be too thick. I mean, isn’t it heavy…? If it’s too heavy, should I get you another one?”

Even as he spoke, Rianus couldn’t meet Nihil’s eyes. His mismatched pupils darted nervously from side to side.

Nihil briefly fell into thought, unsure what Rianus was getting at.

If the standard for a readable book was that it had to be thin and light, then the book in Nihil’s hands would never get read. To make matters worse, it was divided into three volumes—Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. There were still two more books after this one.

Unless Rianus had suddenly become interested in the War Against the Heavenly Demons and wanted to read about it, he was clearly trying to steer Nihil toward a thinner, lighter book.

After thinking it over, Nihil realized that Rianus was trying to be considerate of him, the so-called wandering orphan. Most commoners had little opportunity to learn to read, so Rianus apparently thought Nihil might be illiterate, too.

It was rather amusing that Rianus’s excuse for trying to spare his proud friend any embarrassment was to ask whether the book was too heavy. Still, Nihil felt his heart soften at the boy’s painfully obvious and clumsy attempt to be considerate.

The longer Nihil remained silent, the more Rianus’s differently colored eyes wandered about restlessly.

Just as Rianus began to grow anxious, wondering whether he had hurt his friend’s feelings, Nihil’s eyes curved gently.

“You’re right. It’s too heavy. Could you get me something lighter?”

“O-oh, sure! Wait here. I’ll get one right away!”

Rianus beamed, delighted at the thought of bringing back an easy, entertaining fairy tale, and hopped off the bed.

As he watched the small, fluffy, dark-green head scamper away, the corners of Nihil’s mouth unknowingly curved into a soft smile.

Rianus stood in front of the bookshelf for a long time, wondering which fairy tale Nihil might like. In the end, unable to choose just one, he gathered five or six books and headed back to his bed.

When he returned with an armful of fairy tales, he was startled to see Nihil smiling so beautifully. The smile disappeared almost immediately, but Rianus was still delighted, convinced that his judgment had been spot-on. He cheerfully handed the books to his friend.

Nihil had to suppress another laugh at the sight of the fairy tales Rianus had brought him. He had expected something a little easier, but he had never imagined the boy would bring him children’s stories. The books were clearly well-loved, their pages smudged from frequent handling and their corners thoroughly worn.

Barely a quarter of an hour after reflecting on how he had underestimated Rianus’s age, Nihil revised his opinion.

This child was still very young.

“Thin, light, and very… colorful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!”

Feeling much more at ease, Rianus clambered onto the bed and wriggled into the space beside Nihil.

The fairy tales he’d handed over were some of his absolute favorites, so surely Nihil would like them, too. Fairy tales were supposed to be for little children, but they were still incredibly entertaining if you read them once in a while.

Or, well… fairly often.

Just as Rianus had hoped, Nihil turned the pages very slowly this time, unlike when he’d been flipping through the history book. And this was despite each page containing only three or four lines of text, compared to the densely packed words in the history book.

In truth, Nihil wasn’t reading the words at all. He was simply admiring the illustrations. Completely unaware of this, Rianus felt quietly proud of himself and tried to focus on his own reading.

However, despite his resolve, Rianus eventually failed to concentrate. The fairy tale in Nihil’s hands kept stealing his attention as its pages fluttered past, displaying one bright color after another.

He already knew the entire story by heart from having read it so many times, but somehow, peeking at it like this made it even more exciting.

Nihil had just finished the first fairy tale and picked up the second. It was Rianus’s favorite story: the tale of a hero who rescued a princess captured by a witch.

Oblivious to the fact that Nihil was glancing sideways at him with an amused smile, Rianus eagerly waited for him to turn the next page.

“Rian.”

“H-huh? Yes?”

At Nihil’s low call, Rianus flinched. He felt a little embarrassed, as though he’d been caught peeking.

Nihil pretended not to notice his reaction and continued.

“Rian, I’m not very good at reading. Would you mind checking whether I make any mistakes if I read aloud?”

“Huh? O-of course! I’ll help you!”

Rianus beamed with delight. He could listen to his favorite fairy tale and help his friend at the same time. Wasn’t that killing two birds with one stone?

Nihil cleared his throat slightly and began reading aloud. His voice was as leisurely and soothing as he was.

It wasn’t as lively as the way his nursemaid used to read to him, but it eased the tension from his body and calmed his heart.

Rianus was supposed to check whether Nihil misread any words. However, he soon forgot all about that, too absorbed in the gentle, unhurried voice.

Before he realized it, his eyes were closing, and he was slowly drifting off to sleep. He thought he faintly heard someone say, “Good night.”

And that night, Rianus dreamed that he became a hero.

 

***

 

“Has he fallen asleep?”

The moment Rianus drifted off, Evan asked in a low voice. Nihil didn’t answer, merely nodding quietly.

“Shall I put out the lights?”

It was still relatively early for bed, so Evan asked Nihil what he thought.

Nihil seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking his head.

“Did you manage to get the books?”

“Yes. Should I bring them over now?”

Nihil nodded lightly and carefully climbed down from the bed. He then meticulously drew the bed curtains to ensure Rianus could sleep undisturbed. Suddenly remembering something, he spoke again.

“Pen and paper, too.”

“Understood.”

Evan rummaged through a drawer and handed him a pen and paper. Then, to retrieve the books Nihil had requested, he jumped down from the terrace into his room on the floor below and reappeared in no time.

“Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll get it for you.”

Nihil accepted the two very thick books and sat down at the small tea table near the bed. He could have returned to his own room, but it would be troublesome if Rianus woke up, noticed he wasn’t there, and felt hurt.

As Nihil lit a candle, he asked Evan, “The child is asleep. Why don’t you go back and get some rest, too?”

“It isn’t late enough for me to sleep yet, and I have nothing to do if I go back. I’ll stay until you fall asleep, then leave. Is that a problem?”

“I don’t particularly mind. But if you’re going to stay anyway, go wash up and change into something comfortable. Don’t waste your time for no reason.”

Evan hesitated briefly at Nihil’s suggestion, then nodded and returned to his bedroom.

By the time he had washed up and returned to check on Rianus’s bedroom, all the lights were already out, leaving the room dim. Only the flames in the fireplace seemed to flicker faintly.

Assuming Nihil had fallen asleep in the meantime, Evan planned to check on the prince before heading back. He pushed open the door and stepped inside. At his entrance, the light from the study connected to the bedroom flickered brightly for a moment.

Nihil, whom Evan had assumed was asleep, had moved into the study and was writing by candlelight.

For a little brat, he had managed to create an atmosphere that seemed almost sacred and solemn. Evan briefly wondered whether he ought to retreat, then quietly spoke up.

“Is there any need to sit in such darkness?”

At Evan’s low question, Nihil continued writing without even lifting his head and replied indifferently.

“Light interferes with sleep.”

“……”

Evan’s expression turned rather peculiar.