How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 57

Rianus was imagining himself and Nihil hiding in an alley, coolly exchanging signals like seasoned spies, when he tilted his head in confusion.

“But Neil, don’t you need to use an alias, too?”

“I’m fine. Nobody’s curious about the name of a commoner friend of the prince, and besides, it’s not my real name anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

Rianus tilted his head, thinking that made sense, before raising an objection.

“But mine is a nickname, too.”

“Your name is a compound word made up of the ancient words ‘Rian’ and ‘us.’ And the name Rian carries the meaning of ‘king.’ It’s not particularly rare, but it would be better not to use it in public if possible.”

Everyone stared at Nihil in surprise.

Even the butler, who had been smiling kindly as he helped with Rianus’s disguise, opened his eyes so wide that the wrinkles around them smoothed out. He couldn’t hide his astonishment. Still, he soon resumed his proud smile, thinking that this was all for the best, and nodded.

“I’m telling you this while we’re at it, but never let on that you know anything in front of the First Prince. The name ‘Lawrence’ doesn’t mean king.”

“How do you know all that, Neil?”

“Because I learned to read incorrectly. I taught myself, so no one told me the language I was learning was ancient.”

Nihil lied without batting an eye.

The language Nihil had learned hadn’t been ancient from the beginning.

It had simply become ancient as time passed.

Strictly speaking, he had learned it before the modern language of this land, so his words weren’t entirely false. However, he couldn’t tell them the truth, and his companions, who knew nothing about it, studied him as though he were something rare.

Nihil gently tugged at Rianus’s cheek, which was practically glowing with excitement, and promised to teach him when he had time. Then he turned to the butler.

“If anything comes up, get help from the head maid or the head cook, but don’t forget what I told you.”

Nihil trusted the capable butler to handle things himself, so he didn’t give him many instructions.

The butler smiled reassuringly.

“Yes. Please take good care of our prince.”

“Then, shall we go, Neil?”

Nihil put on his robe and pulled the hood so far over his head that only the lower half of his face was barely visible. Then he carefully fastened Rianus’s robe.

“If you feel unwell, tell me right away.”

“Okay!”

Then Rianus was suddenly lifted into the air.

“…Huh? Wh-What?”

Rianus’s mind seemed to go blank as he stammered in confusion.

Nihil paid no attention to his strange noises. With Rianus clinging tightly to his head, his body curled up in embarrassment, Nihil carried him toward the terrace window and opened it.

The chilly dawn breeze cooled their cheeks. The sun was just about to rise, so the world was still dim.

Nihil held Rianus in his arms like a small child, supporting him beneath the bottom. He looked surprisingly comfortable carrying him, but the sight of one child carrying another struck both the watching knights and the butler as decidedly strange.

Rianus’s pupils trembled at Nihil’s inexplicable behavior.

Unable to watch any longer after meeting that bewildered gaze, Evan spoke up.

“…What are you doing?”

“I’m going down from the terrace.”

“Why?”

“We can’t let anyone know we’re gone, but we can’t exactly walk out through the front door with our heads held high, can we?”

Nihil glanced back at Evan and tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand what the problem was. Then he turned around again, grabbed the railing, and assumed a posture that suggested he was about to leap over it at any moment.

“AAAH! YOU CRAZY LITTLE—!!”

Only then did Evan understand what Nihil intended to do. He panicked and snatched Rianus out of Nihil’s arms.

Nihil lost his balance, landed hard on his backside, and glared at Evan.

“What was that for?”

He sounded deeply displeased. Losing Rianus bothered him far more than falling on his rear.

Evan pointed at him, stammering in disbelief.

“Y-You! Do you even realize we’re on the fifth floor?!”

“I’m aware.”

“And you were planning to jump down?!”

“There’s no problem if I go down one floor at a time.”

“Then why are you carrying the prince?!”

“Rian can’t jump down, can he?”

“No! I’m asking why you’re carrying him and jumping down when you have two perfectly good knights right here!”

“……”

Only then did Nihil seem to realize his mistake. He looked back and forth between Evan and Bella.

When Rianus, still in Evan’s arms, met Nihil’s eyes, he gave him an awkward smile.

“…Shall we go?”

As though nothing had happened, Nihil shamelessly stood up, turned around, and grabbed the railing again.

Evan was about to seize him by the scruff of his neck, but Bella intervened first and scooped Nihil into her arms.

“I’ll carry the pretty young master!”

“There’s no need to go that far.”

“I can’t let an opportunity like this pass me by!”

“…Suit yourself.”

With permission granted, Bella hugged Nihil tightly, indulging her own ulterior motives.

Rianus seemed relieved that his friend was safe now, too. He finally let out a sigh of relief and turned to the butler.

“Then I’m off, Butler Paul.”

“Please be careful, Your Highness.”

After their brief farewell, the two knights leaped over the terrace railing simultaneously.

Paul waved lightly until all four figures had disappeared from sight. Then he closed the terrace window and tidied the bedroom.

He was worried about the prince, who was embarking on such a dangerous outing for the first time. Still, with that friend of his by his side, Paul was certain that every little thing Rianus did would be watched over with meticulous care.

Paul had personally helped prepare the prince for his outing. He had seen just how thorough that little boy was and how dearly he treasured the prince.

With a proud smile, Paul neatly smoothed the bedcovers and gently tapped the black nose of Pupu, the teddy bear.

Today, the prince was supposed to sleep in late with his friend and have lunch at a leisurely hour.

 

***

 

The two knights and the two little boys in their arms slipped beyond the castle walls and climbed into an old carriage that looked as though it had been abandoned in a secluded spot.

Although the exterior was shabby, the inside was clean and warm. The seats, in particular, were exceptionally soft.

Evan naturally took the reins, while Bella stayed inside the carriage to guard the passengers.

“Neil, try to get a little more sleep while we’re on the way.”

Nihil spoke as he laid Rianus down across his lap.

Rianus obediently settled down, but perhaps because he had been exposed to the chilly wind on the way out, his eyes remained wide open.

“Hmm, but I’m not sleepy.”

“If you keep your eyes closed, you’ll fall asleep.”

Nihil gently brushed his fingers over Rianus’s eyes, which were brimming with nervous excitement, and closed them for him.

Rianus didn’t think he was going to fall asleep, but before he knew it, he had succumbed to the gentle warmth and drifted off.

“Aren’t you going to sleep, pretty young master?”

Bella asked as she watched Nihil pat the sleeping Rianus.

Nihil glanced at her and gestured toward the bag beside him with his chin.

“Open that.”

Bella opened the bag without complaint. She hadn’t packed it herself; Nihil had prepared everything and simply handed it over. As a result, she had no idea what was inside.

“There’s quite a lot in here.”

Bella rummaged through the bag. There were all sorts of things: light provisions, snacks, spare clothes, blankets, and more. But what stood out most were the little glass bottles.

“Their uses aren’t necessarily fixed, so use them as needed. From left to right, the bottles contain disinfectant, a blood-clotting agent, healing ointment, fever reducer, antibiotics, and holy water.”

“You’re so thorough! What are these dried leaves?”

Bella asked as she opened a small cloth pouch. Inside were things that looked like dried leaves.

“Those are herbs that help keep the body warm. I’m sure you’ll manage on your own, but when your body gets cold, your movements slow down. If the temperature drops, crush them finely and mix them into water before drinking. If you can’t be bothered, just chew them and spit them out.”

“Are these for us?”

“Rian has his own.”

As he spoke, Nihil took a small bottle of pills from his bag and showed it to her.

“Why does the prince get pills?”

“They taste terrible.”

“Oh…”

Bella nodded with a sigh, as though she understood.

“But I’m not good at eating things that taste bad, either.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“Hmph…”

Bella drooped her shoulders and carefully put everything back into the bag.

When she heard a snort of laughter from the driver’s seat, Bella bristled and tried to open the little window separating them. But Nihil scolded her for making a fuss while the child was asleep. She immediately backed down, then transformed into a cat and curled up in Rianus’s arms.

Some time passed.

When Bella cautiously opened her eyes again, Nihil was leaning comfortably against the backrest with his eyes closed. He was so still that he looked as though he were asleep.

“Hey, doggy.”

“What is it, kitty?”

Bella had returned to her human form and whispered toward the driver’s seat. Evan’s indifferent reply came back to her.

Glancing warily at Nihil as if she were about to share a secret, Bella continued in a hushed voice.

“What exactly is that pretty young master?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“I don’t think he’ll tell me. This is our chance while he’s asleep.”

“Like hell he’s asleep.”

“I’m serious! He even fell asleep with the prince using his lap as a pillow.”

Evan pictured the obvious scene inside the carriage and chuckled before calling out to Nihil.

“Wildcat.”

Since the driver’s seat was separated from the carriage interior, his voice wouldn’t carry very far. But there was no way Nihil, who could hear even a sigh from outside a door, would fail to hear him.

“What?”

“Eek!”

As expected, an answer came immediately.

Startled by Nihil’s low voice, Bella let out a strange squeak and jumped before clutching her chest.

Nihil remained perfectly motionless, his eyes still closed. Wondering if she had imagined his voice, Bella cautiously approached him and poked his cheek.

“Pretty young master?”

“……”

At her call, Nihil finally raised his eyelids, slowly.

Bella stared blankly for a moment at the mysterious eyes gradually revealed beneath them. Then, embarrassed, she cleared her throat and edged backward.

“You weren’t asleep?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Then why were you pretending to sleep?”

“You’re the one who jumped to conclusions, kitty.”

“So what exactly are you, pretty young master?”

“As you can see…”

“…?”

“Just an ordinary beggar whose fortunes turned around after he wandered the streets and happened to catch the prince’s eye.”

“What kind of answer is that…?”

Nihil chuckled softly and brushed Rianus’s hair back.

He had noticed that Rianus had woken up when Bella made a fuss earlier.

“The truth wouldn’t be difficult to tell you.”

Nihil lowered his head slightly, keeping his gaze fixed on Rianus, and continued in a quiet voice.

Bella’s eyes lit up, thinking he was finally going to tell her something.

“Then you’ll tell me?”

“But I’d have to leave afterward.”

“…What?”

“……”

“If you’re fine with that, I’ll tell you.”

“How is that fair?!”

“……”

Bella couldn’t hide her disappointment. She complained that he had ruined the mood, that he was stingy, and that he was using his pretty face to get away with being mean.

Nihil continued watching Rianus, who was still resting his head on his lap, his eyes tightly shut as he desperately pretended to sleep. He chuckled again and gently covered the boy’s trembling eyelids with his hand.

“So that’s your answer.”

“……”

“Y-Young master, saying you’re using your pretty face to get away with things isn’t really an insult! Please don’t misunderstand!”

Bella, worried that Nihil had taken offense, hastily offered an explanation that wasn’t quite an apology. But Nihil had little interest in the cat and ignored her completely.

The carriage continued rumbling toward its destination.

And Rianus kept his eyes tightly shut, refusing to open them even once, until the carriage stopped on a secluded forest road and Nihil personally shook him awake.