How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 34

Sedes glanced at the escort knight standing by the entrance to the reception room.

Sir Evan, the only escort knight who had remained by the Second Prince’s side for five years.

Not only was he a skilled knight who had become the youngest member of the Royal Knights Order, but he was also one of the few people Rianus trusted. Since Evan had been by the Second Prince’s side all this time, he must have observed the boy his son called a friend and learned quite a bit about him.

Sedes decided to summon Evan and casually question him once the princes’ lessons began, then continued the conversation.

“What have you been doing with that boy?”

“Yesterday, we played a game called blind man’s buff!”

“Blind man’s buff?”

Perhaps Rianus was delighted to finally have someone with whom he could speak freely about his friend, because he began chattering away excitedly.

“Yes! It’s similar to tag, except the person who’s it has their eyes covered and has to catch someone else to make them the next person who’s it. Your Majesty, my friend is amazing! Even with his eyes covered, he chased after me as though he could see everything! No matter how I ran around trying to escape! When I asked him how he could follow me so well, he said he could hear everything. I want to develop my senses quickly so I can become like my friend! Oh, and he also said I smell faintly of the forest. I was so, so surprised when he first realized I was half-blood, but when I asked if he was okay with that, he said he’d always be fine as long as he wasn’t hungry. So I’m going to make sure he always has enough to eat! Oh, and I was sick that night, and my friend and Sir Evan stayed up all night taking care of me. Whenever I got sick before, I’d always be ill for at least two days, but maybe it was because my friend was there to look after me, because when I woke up, I was completely better! And we also played a card game…”

Rianus chattered on and on, following the flow of his thoughts. His recollections jumped back and forth in time, he skipped over plenty of details, and before long, even his way of speaking had become that of a little child. Sedes simply listened in silence.

Has his son always been this talkative? Or was this change the result of that commoner boy’s influence? The more he listened, the less certain Sedes became about what sort of child the boy was. Still, seeing the Second Prince happily chattering away, he was relieved that they seemed to be getting along so well.

Eventually, Abel, the princes’ instructor and also the kingdom’s chief minister, arrived to deliver some documents. While he was there, he took Rianus along to the classroom, and the little boy’s chatter faded away, leaving the reception room silent.

For some reason, the Second Prince’s escort knight had stayed behind instead of following them. Since Sedes had intended to call Evan over anyway, he thought this was convenient and was about to summon him. But, for some reason, Evan approached him first and bowed respectfully.

“Your Majesty, I am Evan, the Second Prince’s escort knight.”

“Yes. Is there something you wish to say?”

“The prince’s friend left a message. He said that if Your Majesty happened to be curious about him… the prince’s explanation alone would probably be insufficient, so I should answer your questions on his behalf.”

In truth, the wildcat hadn’t put it so politely. What he had actually said was, ‘If the kid’s dad gets curious about me, you can explain things to the old man. Rian’s just going to brag about his friend anyway.’

When Evan had first heard those words, he hadn’t known who the kid’s dad was supposed to be. Only after thinking it over had he finally realized the truth and hurriedly tried to cover the wildcat’s mouth.

Sedes stiffened, feeling as though his intentions had been exposed. However, he decided it would be better to hear Evan out before making any judgments, so he led the knight into his office.

The table inside was crowded with documents that had yet to be processed.

Sedes sat down and asked, “So, how much can you tell me about that boy?”

“I know absolutely nothing about his past. However, I can tell you everything he’s said and done since arriving at the palace.”

“What is your impression of him?”

“He’s ill-mannered.”

“…?”

The answer came so quickly, without even the slightest hesitation, that Sedes was left speechless.

“From what the Second Prince has told me, he doesn’t sound all that ill-mannered…”

“That’s because His Highness puts up with everything he does. If he behaved like that in front of another noble, he’d be sent straight to prison.”

Evan decided to lay the groundwork first to protect the wildcat’s image. The worse the first impression, the more striking any unexpected good qualities would seem. Besides, there was absolutely no denying that the boy was ill-mannered.

“He’s proud and fearless. You could drag him in front of you right now and hold a sword to his throat, and he’d sooner die than correct his insolent behavior.”

“…Is he a particularly difficult child?”

Sedes frowned slightly as his worries returned.

What if his utterly innocent Second Prince had been deceived and was being used by some wicked child? Yet he couldn’t bring himself to make a firm judgment, especially when he remembered how brightly Rianus had smiled while chattering about his friend.

“Why does the Second Prince like that boy so much?”

“To be honest, that’s a little difficult for me to explain. His Highness was the one who rushed up to him and asked to be friends. I don’t know what was going through His Highness’s mind, but it certainly wasn’t an appropriate situation for making friends. From that boy’s perspective, he was covered in blood and badly injured, and then some child he’d never met suddenly came up to him and asked to be friends. He must have been rather… bewildered.”

Looking back on that incident, the wildcat had practically been a saint. From his perspective, it was as though an attempted murderer had suddenly held out a hand and asked to be friends with him. No, to be precise, Rianus had asked him to be his boyfriend.

Imagine bleeding profusely and barely clinging to life, only for some unfamiliar little boy to approach and shyly ask you to go out with him…

This was even stranger than Evan had initially thought.

Unaware of those circumstances, Sedes simply assumed his son had taken in an injured child out of sympathy and spoke up.

“So he took in an injured child?”

“…That’s not an incorrect summary, but for some reason, His Highness seems to have felt that he absolutely had to hold on to that boy.”

Sedes nodded.

Natura, the mother of his Second Prince, had also possessed remarkably good instincts. Every now and then, she would suddenly declare, ‘My intuition tells me I absolutely have to do this!’ And whenever she followed that intuition, something good would happen, or she would manage to avoid something bad.

“If the Second Prince, who is normally so wary, acted that way, there must have been something that moved him. What do you think? Is it all right to let that boy stay by his side?”

“From what I’ve observed, I think it would be best to keep him close.”

“You do, too? But didn’t you just say he was ill-mannered?”

“He simply doesn’t observe proper etiquette. His personality isn’t particularly strange or twisted. In fact, he’s remarkably mature and takes good care of His Highness. And… as you saw today, His Highness has changed considerably. He smiles more often and has regained some of his confidence. And this may be presumptuous of me to say, but I don’t think that boy will bring His Highness any harm.”

“The more I hear, the less I understand. You say he’s ill-mannered, yet he poses no danger? Just how ill-mannered is he?”

“…If you promise not to punish him for insulting the royal family, I’ll tell you.”

“…I promise.”

Evan’s solemn expression made Sedes tense up as well.

Even if the boy had cursed or mocked the royal family, Sedes resolved that he would not lose his temper and waited for Evan to continue.

“I should warn you beforehand that although the boy’s way of speaking is rather rude, he doesn’t have any malicious intentions.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t hold him responsible for anything.”

“…I mentioned that he left a message for you, didn’t I?”

“Yes. He said that the prince’s explanation would be insufficient and that I should explain things on his behalf.”

“Yes. I actually softened his wording a little. What he said was, ‘If the kid’s dad gets curious about me, you can explain things to the old man. Rian’s just going to brag about his friend anyway.’”

“……?”

Evan cleared his throat, folded his arms, and even imitated Nihil’s characteristically expressionless face as he delivered the line with considerable theatrical flair.

For a moment, Sedes sat there blankly, unable to grasp what the words meant. The fact that a commoner had casually referred to the prince by a nickname, or that he spoke so insolently to a knight of the Royal Knights Order, had already slipped to the back of his mind.

Rian… must be a nickname for Rianus. Then the kid’s dad would be…

“…Surely, by ‘the kid’s dad,’ he means me?”

“Yes.”

“……”

“I can guarantee that he’d speak exactly the same way even in Your Majesty’s presence.”

“……”

Silence fell over the office. Evan glanced nervously at Sedes and cautiously unfolded his arms, straightening his posture again.

Sedes remained dumbfounded. In all his years living as royalty, he had never imagined that someone would refer to him as the kid’s dad. It wasn’t technically an incorrect title. If one were to be precise, he was indeed the child’s father. He even had two children, didn’t he?

“Pfft… Kh-hahaha…”

“…Your Majesty?”

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Unexpected laughter suddenly rang out through the king’s office. Administrative aides working in the adjoining room rushed in, startled by the noise, but Sedes waved them away, assuring them that nothing was wrong.

“What an utterly insolent child. I’d very much like to meet him and have a conversation. Was there anything else?”

Even as he called the boy insolent, Sedes made no effort to hide his amusement.

Evan was relieved that the wildcat probably wouldn’t be punished too harshly, and continued.

“…He also told me to pass along something if Your Majesty seemed interested in meeting him.”

“Go on.”

“He said he would prefer not to appear publicly at the royal castle just yet…”

“Did he say exactly that?”

Under the king’s questioning gaze, Evan instinctively took a step back. After all, he was practically lying by omission.

“…You really won’t punish him?”

“He’s quite entertaining. You needn’t worry.”

At this point, Evan decided to throw caution to the wind and imitate Nihil once more.

“‘Even if you’re curious, don’t come looking for me. If you really want to know how the kid’s doing, I won’t tell Rian, so why not put on a disguise and come visit secretly?’”

“Pfft… Kh-hahahaha…”

Sedes covered his face with his palm and chuckled. The audacity of the commoner boy’s way of speaking was hilarious, and so was the young knight’s earnest attempt to imitate him while nervously watching for the king’s reaction.

Is it really that funny?

Evan’s feelings suddenly became rather complicated, but he hardly dared show it in front of His Majesty.

“…I’m glad you seem to find it amusing.”

“I find it extremely intriguing. Now, let’s go.”

“…Pardon? Where are we going?”

“I’m going to meet that boy.”

“Right now…?”

“As for a disguise, hmm. Wouldn’t a Royal Knight be sufficient?”

“Pardon…?”

“Sir Evan, can you think of a plausible excuse for my visit?”

“Y-You’re really going?”

Ignoring the young knight’s frantic attempts to dissuade him, Sedes finished speaking and rose from his chair.

Evan sensed several presences moving behind him. He couldn’t tell exactly how many, but the hidden escort knights were clearly preparing to follow.

“Your Majesty. If you intend to bring the Shadow Knights, it would be better not to conceal their presence.”

“Why?”

“That boy has exceptionally sharp senses. If he notices someone hiding nearby, I can’t predict what he might do.”

“Are his senses that sharp?”

Sedes furrowed his brow. No matter how he looked at it, the boy was anything but ordinary.

“Wasn’t he just a commoner child?”

“He was a wandering orphan with nowhere to go whom His Highness took in. He seems to possess considerable abilities, too, and judging by the harsh life he’s led, he never lets his guard down.”

“A wandering orphan, was he? Then make the necessary arrangements so that the sudden arrival of outsiders at the Second Prince’s palace doesn’t cause a stir. We must return before the princes’ lessons end, so hurry.”

“……”

Under Sedes’s urging, Evan, who was merely a knight, could do nothing but clutch his head in despair.

What excuse could he possibly come up with that wouldn’t seem suspicious to the palace staff—or to that wildcat?

“…Ah.”

Evan suddenly remembered the note folded neatly in his inner pocket. He had originally intended to obtain the herbs two or three at a time from outside apothecaries, but…

“Have you thought of something?”

“That boy made a separate request for me…”

Seizing the opportunity, Evan decided to report the wildcat to the kid’s dad.

“…Actually, the apothecary…”