How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 50

“…You should talk a little less.”

“Oh my, if that’s what my dear friend wants, then I shall! The marquess really did tell me to be obedient. But may I give you a hug?”

Without even waiting for Nihil’s answer, Bella lunged forward as though she intended to throw her arms around him immediately. Evan, who had been watching her as if she were a walking bundle of noise, hurriedly snatched Nihil up into his arms and growled at her.

“Don’t touch him without permission.”

“What’s with this knight? You’re so prickly! It’s not like he’ll wear out from one little hug!”

“How rude. We’ve only just met.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to hug the prince! I just want to hug something pretty!”

Evan glared at Bella with a deeply furrowed brow, then carefully set Nihil down beside Rianus. Meanwhile, Rianus seemed delighted to have his friend delivered right into his hands. He beamed and wrapped his arms tightly around Nihil as Evan passed him over.

Nihil was a little bewildered by Evan’s overprotectiveness, but he stroked Rianus’s soft hair and enjoyed the feeling of being turned into a teddy bear.

Evan glared at Bella before grumbling in displeasure.

“Your Highness, I’m all the escort you need.”

“Oh my, that’s rather harsh after I came all this way! I’m quite a valuable person, you know?”

“Quiet. Do something about that mouth of yours.”

“Don’t fight, you two. Since Neil called her here, let Neil decide.”

Unable to bear watching them any longer, Rianus stepped in to mediate.

Having been given the floor, Nihil casually jerked his chin toward Bella, inviting her to make her case.

“Hmm~ My dear young master, wouldn’t you like to spend time with a pretty big-sister knight?”

“…Do you really want to compliment your own looks while looking at that face?”

Evan looked thoroughly disgusted as Bella posed with her hands framing her face, showing off her beauty.

“Oh my, this knight loves to argue! Ahem. Of course, I’m not as pretty as you, young master, but surely I’m better than this gloomy knight? Anyway, could I have a hug?”

“If you’re trying to leave your scent on me, that would be a problem.”

“Hmm?”

“Still, if you were a cat, I could pretend not to notice and hug you.”

“Hmmm?”

“I don’t really like liars.”

“……”

Bella realized that this tiny young master was warning her and let out a hollow laugh.

She should have known from the moment he had suddenly swept open the curtains without making a sound.

“Hah. There was a reason the marquess warned me never to test you.”

Nihil smiled sweetly without saying a word. Beside him, Rianus tilted his head, completely unable to understand what was happening.

Evan, who was at least quick to catch on, mulled over Nihil’s words and figured it out.

“A cat beastkin?”

“Oh my, you’re much sharper than you look, Sir Knight! Correct!”

At that very moment, Bella suddenly vanished with a poof, and in her place appeared a black tuxedo cat, swishing its tail.

“A person turned into a cat!”

Having never seen a beastkin before, Rianus stared at the cat with eyes as round as saucers, utterly fascinated.

The cat meowed several times and wandered around Nihil’s feet as though asking to be picked up. Yet even after quite some time passed, Nihil still didn’t pick it up.

“I believe I told you.”

“Meooow~”

“That I don’t really like liars.”

“……”

The cat paused and looked up at Nihil.

Then it lunged at him.

“…! Neil!!!”

Rianus shouted in alarm, but a blade was already pressed against Nihil’s neck.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Evan had drawn his sword in an instant, his expression sharp and fierce. Golden aura rippled around the blade, and murderous intent filled the bedroom.

“So you finally show your claws, kitty. Didn’t your master warn you repeatedly?”

Nihil, who had a blade pointed at his throat, remained perfectly calm, as though he had expected all of this.

“Young master, you’d better watch what you say. What if that pretty face of yours gets scarred? Just how did you get hold of our marquess’s weakness?”

Bella had changed her attitude completely. She held a dagger against Nihil’s face, threatening him.

“If you offend me, your master might suffer for it.”

“Hmph. I’ve heard that you’re a commoner with no backing whatsoever.”

“And can you escape from my puppy?”

“The prince’s only escort knight can’t leave his post for long, can he?”

“If I die, your master might cry.”

“He’ll cry tears of joy at being moved by my actions.”

“Who knows? Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Nihil smiled sweetly and glanced toward the door. The moment everyone’s eyes turned in that direction—

Bang! Slam!

“Ta-da! Surprise… Bella?”

Carus had arrived.

 

***

 

Everyone except Nihil froze at Carus’s sudden appearance.

Carus himself was no exception. His dear friend was being threatened by the escort knight he had sent, the prince was staring at his friend in a state of complete shock, and his secret friend Evan was radiating murderous intent with his sword cloaked in aura.

“M-Master Nihil!”

The butler, who had escorted Carus to Rianus’s bedroom, finally caught sight of what was happening inside and cried out in alarm.

At the butler’s voice, Carus snapped out of his daze and roared furiously.

“Bella! What on earth are you doing?! Put him down this instant!”

Carus strode forward, took Nihil away from Bella, and lifted him into his arms.

“I should have known something was wrong when you stubbornly insisted on coming! Didn’t I warn you repeatedly? I told you not to test him or do anything that might offend him! And now you’re threatening him with a blade to his throat? What on earth did you think I meant?!”

Carus unleashed a rapid-fire tirade at Bella, who stood there dumbfounded. Only then did Evan return his sword to its sheath and move closer to protect Rianus first.

“M-My lord, how did you…”

“Is that what you’re worried about right now? What on earth were you thinking, threatening a child with a sword—?!”

“Teacher, that’s enough.”

“My dear friend!”

Before things could become any more serious, Nihil hurried to intervene. He thanked the butler for showing Carus in, assured him that nothing serious had happened, and asked him to bring tea for their guest.

Carus checked Nihil over from head to toe, making sure he hadn’t been hurt.

“My dear friend, are you injured anywhere? I’m truly sorry. This is entirely my fault.”

“I’m fine.”

“My dear friend, you must have been so frightened! My dear friend, I… I… my dear friend…”

“You seem more frightened than I am, Teacher. Why don’t you take a few deep breaths?”

Following Nihil’s advice, Carus took several deep breaths before carefully setting him down on the floor.

“My dear friend, did you know I was coming? The butler showed me right away.”

“I simply gave him a heads-up in case the person you sent tried to sneak in instead of entering through the door properly. I didn’t expect you to come yourself.”

“My dear friend, I brought cookies…”

“Teacher, I’m fine, so don’t worry about me. You should greet the prince first.”

“Ah!”

Only then did Carus realize that he hadn’t even greeted the prince yet.

“Your Highness, I apologize. I was so startled that I forgot my manners. Sir Evan, I owe you an apology as well. My escort knight forced you to draw your sword.”

“Carus, sit down first. Everyone was startled, after all. Though Neil… doesn’t seem to have been startled at all.”

Nihil smiled reassuringly at Rianus, but Rianus had genuinely thought his friend might be badly hurt, and his heart was still pounding.

The little kitten, with his fur practically standing on end, remained deeply wary of the adult cat, Bella. He grabbed Nihil’s hand and hurriedly led him over to Evan.

“Sir Evan! Keep him safe!”

“……”

Evan, the prince’s escort knight, wondered whether he was really supposed to protect the wildcat instead of his own prince. But after seeing the intense look in his master’s eyes, he had no choice but to pick Nihil up.

Then he decided that this arrangement was ridiculous after all, so he picked up Rianus, too. Before long, he found himself carrying one little boy in each arm.

Now that Rianus was at eye level with Nihil again, he clutched Nihil’s hand tightly. Seeing how anxious Rianus was, Nihil intertwined their fingers and gave a quiet chuckle.

“Rian, you don’t have to be so wary.”

“But she pointed a sword at you!”

“That alone isn’t enough to threaten me. And although she was hostile, she didn’t intend to kill me. She had no intention of taking my life.”

“But… but I can’t forgive her!”

“Teacher is caught in the middle, so let’s let her off this once. Besides, I’m partly responsible for encouraging her suspicions in the first place.”

Rianus glanced at Carus.

Carus flinched, then obediently knelt on the floor.

Bella, who had been standing stiffly, cried out in alarm when she saw her master kneel.

“My lord!”

“Quiet. Don’t you know that drawing a weapon in front of the prince is tantamount to attempting to assassinate royalty? Hurry up and apologize, too.”

“No, Teacher, get up. The butler is coming, so there’s no need for you to kneel. Kitty, you can spend some time reflecting on what you’ve done.”

Hearing the butler’s approaching footsteps, Nihil hurriedly helped Carus to his feet. After all, it wasn’t a good look to make someone standing kneel on the floor. Knowing his own position, Carus hesitated before obediently sitting on the sofa with his head bowed.

Bella, meanwhile, had completely wilted. She dropped to her knees with a thud. Then, after glancing nervously at the three people opposite her, she hurriedly transformed back into a cat and stood on her hind legs with both front paws raised in a gesture of punishment.

“How cunning.”

Nihil chuckled. The sight of a cat standing at attention as punishment was rather amusing and cute. Even Rianus, who had been so wary of Bella, stared at her with wide eyes.

Evan remained on guard against the cat as he sat opposite Carus. With one little boy on each thigh, he noticed Carus beginning to stare at him rather intensely, apparently envious of the arrangement.

Knock, knock.

There were two taps on the bedroom door before the butler entered. He stared in surprise at Evan, who was holding two little boys in his arms, but apparently decided it was best not to question it. He smiled kindly and poured the tea.

“Where did that woman go?”

“Busy reflecting on her actions.”

Nihil glanced at the cat as he answered the butler’s question. The quick-witted butler guessed that the cat standing in such a peculiar pose must be the woman in question. He placed a cup of tea in front of the cat as well, then withdrew.

The cat looked at the teacup in front of her and glanced nervously at Nihil.

“Kitty, you can join us. We need to talk.”

With Nihil’s permission, Bella transformed back into a human and bowed her head.

Seeing her behave so meekly, Rianus relaxed a little and picked up his teacup. Carus carefully slid the cookies he had brought toward them.

“It would be better to hear it from you directly. I’ll give you a chance, so explain yourself.”

At Nihil’s nod, Bella hesitantly began to speak.

“A-At first, I insisted on coming out of curiosity when my lord said he was sending an escort knight.”

“And then?”

“I-I didn’t come here intending to threaten you. But you appeared without making a sound, and your appearance… and the fact that you immediately recognized me as a beastkin… The more I thought about it, the more I felt you couldn’t possibly be an ordinary human. I started to suspect that my lord really had been forced into revealing a weakness. I tried to test you a little with my charm, but you simply wouldn’t fall for it, and before I knew it, I…”

“Charm?”

At the word charm, Evan furrowed his brows and tightened his arms around the two boys protectively. Rianus and Nihil’s faces were squashed against Evan’s solid chest.

However, Evan seemed to be the only one taking the situation seriously. When Nihil poked Rianus’s cheek, the little prince burst into delighted laughter.

Carus saw them and grinned foolishly for a moment, then hurriedly came to his senses and waved his hands, insisting that they shouldn’t misunderstand.

“Sir Evan, it’s not nearly impressive enough to be called a charm. In the first place… I’m not even sure it actually works. It barely affects young children, and calling it a charm is a little… questionable.”

At Carus’s explanation, Evan narrowed his eyes, glared at Bella, and muttered.

“Then it’s not a charm at all. She’s just putting on a little show to win children’s affection.”

“……”

Bella drooped at Evan’s merciless remark. She had genuinely believed her ability was a form of charm, but the truth was that it wasn’t much to boast about.

Just then, Nihil, who had been playing with Rianus’s hands, spoke in a low voice.

“Try it.”