How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 125



Only Noblemtl

Episode 125

Evan cried as he saw his little master throw himself away as a toy to the lynx and become a toy himself.

But on the other hand, I was relieved to see that the prince was okay. I was so surprised when he had a nightmare in the morning and cried loudly.

The butler, unaware of the circumstances, smiled happily as if he liked the friendly atmosphere, tied the cravat nicely around Nihil’s neck, and nodded as if everything was done.

“It suits you very well, Young Master.”

“A change of clothes.”

“I’ve packed it as you said.”

“Rumor has it.”

“Are you satisfied with the rumor that Baedong didn’t want to go to lunch so he rolled around on the palace floor and the floor was cleaned?”

“Big.”

At those words, Evan pretended to hold back his laughter and began to openly laugh. Nihil glared at Evan and sighed as he looked at his hair that had become a magpie’s nest.

“Hey pup, come here and bow down.”

“……why.”

“Surely it won’t end up like that, right?

“…….”

Evan stopped laughing and came over to him, crouching down in front of him. He had come because he was told to, but he was worried that Nihil would ruin his hair even more.

“…Surely you’re not going to take revenge on me for laughing a little?”

“Even if I get revenge, it’ll be better than this magpie nest.”

“…Is it that serious?”

“You didn’t even look in the mirror?”

“It’s not because you burned incense, huh? Why are you hitting me?”

Nihil hit Evan’s head with the teeth of the comb while he was mumbling excuses, then pulled down the back of his hair.

“My arm hurts. Just sit down.”

Evan had no choice but to sit down on the rug. Still, Nihil took off his slippers and climbed up, stepping on Evan’s thighs.

Nihil ran his fingers through Evan’s hair a few times, then put some wax on his hand and rubbed it into his palm before roughly running Evan’s hair through. Judging by the way he tugged at it vigorously every now and then, it was clear that he felt regret.

But the result was pretty good. Evan looked at his hair in the mirror, neat and naturally styled, and opened his mouth sheepishly.

“Do you know how to do hair?”

“Short hair is just that.”

Nihil replied, roughly combing his hair and tying it with a ribbon.

“Why do you tie your hair so roughly?”

Evan looked at the crookedly tied ribbon, untied it, bit it naturally with his mouth, then pulled Nihil to sit between his legs and started combing it with his hand.

Nihil closed his eyes and slowly opened his mouth, surrendering himself to the familiar yet nostalgic sensation as Evan combed his hair.

“…There’s a difference between taking care of someone else’s hair and taking care of your own. It’s like you know how to tie my hair so well, but you live with a magpie’s nest on your own head.”

“…….”

There was a moment of silence after those words. Evan neatly tied the silk ribbon and opened his mouth a little late.

“…It’s done.”

The silence was short enough that it could hardly be awkward, but they both knew that they were projecting someone else onto the other. And neither of them wanted to mention that someone.

Lianus, who did not feel the current, asked brightly while patting Nihil’s tightly tied ponytail.

“Neil, why don’t you grow your hair out? It’ll be as white as silk.”

“Well, now…, I don’t have anyone to do my hair.”

“I’ll comb it nicely!”

“Then…, should I raise it?”

“huh!”

The boys, who had finished preparing, got on the carriage and sat side by side. Evan looked back and forth between Rianus in his training uniform and Nihil in his street clothes, then cautiously opened his mouth.

“……The wildcat guy looks more noble.”

Evan narrowed his eyes at the sight of Nihil, who was so extravagant. His clothes didn’t seem all that extravagant, but his appearance was just too extravagant. He kept his mouth shut and his eyes slightly downcast, so wherever he looked, he looked like a noble noble.

“It would be perfect if you just didn’t open that mouth.”

“Stop barking, puppy.”

“Oh my, that damn mouth.”

“joy.”

Nihil snorted and took out the black cotton cloth he had brought with him and covered his face. Originally, he had planned to just cover his eyes with a plain cotton cloth, but the butler had insisted on bringing him cotton cloth because he was worried that it would be a big problem if he couldn’t see.

“Why did you bring that?”

“You can’t wear a hood.”

“Just go around being naked. Your face is going to sell anyway.”

“I tend to open my eyes occasionally in unfamiliar places. I know I’ll be the center of attention, but it would be unnatural to keep my eyes closed, so it’s better to just cover them.”

“……I see.”

Evan groaned, completely forgetting that Nihil’s eyes changed color whenever he looked at Mana. Rianus stared at the cotton thread for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction, saying that he couldn’t see very well.

“Rian, let’s say I can’t speak because my throat hurts.”

“Uh… you’re not going to say anything?”

“huh.”

“Good idea, savage. If you open your mouth, lunch will be your last meal and you will rot in prison for the rest of your life.”

Evan agreed enthusiastically, saying it was a very good idea. Lianus was upset that he could not have a proper conversation with his close friend, but he knew that his tone was not appropriate for use in the palace, so he nodded in the end.

“Your reputation might suffer because of me today.”

“It’s okay. Your reputation won’t fall any further anyway. Oh, that building is the royal library.”

“Okay. I’ll be back.”

“Uh…, huh?”

Nihil jumped out through the carriage window. He heard the puppy and kitten startle, but he hid himself and made no sound because there would be no point in jumping if he was noticed.

There weren’t many people visiting the library since morning. Nihil went straight up the stairs, avoiding all the sounds he could sense. The information he was looking for today was about the Suin tribe.

More specifically, information about the Wolrang tribe, which is said to be among the ancestors of the Mongmongi.

A long time ago, even before the Heavenly Demon War, Nihil had been entangled with the Wolang tribe for a while after subduing them, who were running wild and attacking him due to an awakening ritual.

Although the wolf race is not a particularly warlike race, the Wolang race was particularly severe. A race that was literally made for battle.

Although their numbers were not that large, they were probably the strongest among those he had ever encountered.

‘If I had known I’d get involved like this again, I should have done something about it then.’

At the time, I was busy avoiding the wolves that kept challenging me and I wasn’t very curious, so I had little information about them.

First of all, Dia, that kid didn’t really like wolves.

Nihil had searched the entire second floor and only stopped when he reached the third floor.

‘Found it.’

‘Evolution of Species’, ‘All About the Beastmen’, ‘Are They Animals or Humans’, ‘A Fox-like Wife and a Rabbit-like Daughter’, ‘Beastmen and Divine Beasts’, ‘Animal Monster Encyclopedia’, ‘About My Husband Being a Wolf’, ‘Legendary Animals’, ‘The Relationship Between Beastmen and Animals’, ‘The Night of the Wolf’… … .

“…….”

There seemed to be something strange mixed in, but I definitely found a bookshelf full of books about the Suin tribe and their related subjects. The only problem is that there must be at least a few hundred books, so it would take a while to read them all.

Nihil sighed softly and took out the book at the front.

***

The training ground, where only heavy breathing could be heard, was now filled with the laughter of children that I had never heard before. One child, who was particularly small, was unable to join the group of children and was swinging a wooden sword alone.

“What greater honor could there be than to be able to observe the lessons of the Duke, the only master of the kingdom!”

“I am at a loss for words at the thoughtful consideration of the prince.”

“I heard that your two grandsons are also skilled in swordsmanship. I guess the bloodline of the Duke of Tesaurus, the greatest martial arts family in the kingdom, is different.”

“Prince, you seem to be in great physical shape. What kind of training do you usually do? I get out of breath after just one lap of the training ground.”

A group of children had formed around the prince and the two grandsons. It was time to swing their swords, even though it was the time to do so. Evan bit his lip, clearly not having received any notice that a swordsmanship class would be opened like this.

‘I should have just brought that lynx… … .’

Evan felt his heart burn as he watched the prince beating the scarecrow alone.

Then the first prince calmed the children down and approached Rianus.

“Rianus.”

“……Yes, brother.”

At the prince’s call, Lianus flinched and turned his head.

The prince looked down at his younger brother, who was much shorter than him despite being the same age, and smiled gently.

“It’s been a while. I heard your baby is coming today, so I invited some of your peers. I think it would be more fun if there were more peers.”

“…Is that so?”

Lianus met Lawrence’s eyes and then lowered his head again. He felt burdened by the gazes on him. However, he mustered up his courage again and opened his mouth.

“…But it would have been better if you had told me in advance. My friend is picky about people.”

Today, my friend was coming. If I showed my weakness, my friend might get bullied too. Even the strong and cool Evan couldn’t protect me from the sharp tongues of the noble children, so I had to do it myself.

When Lianus, who would normally just bow his head silently and not say a word, started muttering back, Lawrence’s eyebrows quirked slightly.

Lawrence quickly relaxed his expression and smiled as if he found his younger brother cute.

“Oh, you threw a tantrum and said you wouldn’t come to lunch?”

“Yes? Your Highness, is that true? Even though I am an uneducated person, how could I accept the invitation of the Queen Mother…?”

“That’s right. I heard that she had a very eccentric personality and slapped the maid who gave her a doll as a gift….”

“Oh my goodness, is that what happened? I heard that he was so gloomy and scared that he wore his hood down all the way around?”

“They say I’m stupid and have no sense of money.”

“How can a thousand things know the value of money?”

“Second Prince, even if you needed Baedong, how could you have picked up such a lowly thing……”

“Haha, everyone, please don’t do that. If you say that, the Second Prince… will be pitiful.”

“How pitiful! Shouldn’t we praise the prince for taking in this poor child and showing mercy to him?”

“That’s right! Ahahahaha-”

“…….”

As the children’s conversation continued, Rianus’ expression hardened.

How on earth do rumors about my best friend spread? The rumor that he threw a tantrum was something the butler spread on purpose, so it was okay. But the rumor that he slapped the maid in the face… … .

‘No, I expected this much.’

It was natural that there were one or two servants in the palace. Nihil must have known that. That must be why he avoided the servants.

Above all, my friend was neither eccentric nor gloomy, but he was smarter than anyone else and had a better sense of money than I did. It was clear that my friend had planned all this.

After thinking that far, Rianus slightly raised his head and looked straight at the children who were talking.

If this is my friend’s scheme, then I have no need to be more cautious.