How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 160



Only Noblemtl

Episode 160

My palace was bustling for the first time in a long time. It was my nanny’s birthday.

Rian wanted to throw a fancy birthday party for his nanny who was like a mother to him.

‘Prince, what do you think of these clothes? They suit you very well. Who would have left such pretty clothes in front of my door?’

She was spinning around in the clothes he had given her, smiling brightly. She was also wearing the paper flowers that had been attached to the wrapping paper on her head.

I was embarrassed because the paper flowers I made were a little wrinkled, but I pretended not to notice because I didn’t want anyone to find out that I had given them as a gift.

‘The nanny looks pretty no matter what she wears!’

But this was sincere.

‘Our prince, how can you be so beautiful?’

‘Oh my, it’s not me, it’s the nanny who’s pretty.’

‘Of course! It’s so pretty that I want to bite it.’

The nanny glared at me as if she was going to bite my cheek at any moment. But she didn’t actually bite me, she just kept kissing me.

The sloshing sound and the warm scent when rubbing the cheeks felt good.

‘Nanny! This is delicious too!’

‘Really? Should I bring you some more?’

‘Yeah, yeah!’

Even though it was her birthday, she was more excited than usual. Then, suddenly, it occurred to her that since her nanny always took care of her, she should take care of her this time.

‘Nanny, eat this too! Eat lots, lots!’

‘Yum, yum~ delicious!’

‘Nanny, nanny, this too!’

No, don’t do that.

‘Okay, Nanny!’

Don’t do that.

‘Share it with me!’

please……!

‘Nanny, one bite, me one bite!’

not……!!

“Rian.”

“……!”

My eyes shot open and I saw a familiar canopy.

It felt like my heart had sunk, no, like it had disappeared somewhere, as if my chest had become empty. My body didn’t move.

“Shh, it’s okay. Breathe slowly.”

I caught my breath, which had been groaning without me realizing it. Nihil lifted me up from where I was lying down and patted my back.

Drumroll, my chest pounded. It felt like the pounding was taking the place of my heart.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

A low voice, like the sound of a heartbeat, rang in my ear. Sir Evan was looking at me with concern.

“…I’m sorry for waking you up.”

I buried my face in embarrassment for no reason. I thought I had completely gotten over it, but I guess I haven’t yet.

I raised my head slightly and saw a colorful invitation placed on the table.

-Wanja, I’ll bake you a cake. Please come on Kara’s birthday.

I was happy to be invited, I thought the cookies would taste better this time, I wish Kara’s birthday would come soon… I just smiled like that.

‘What if I ruin Kara’s birthday too?’

Now… I can’t laugh anymore.

“It’s okay now. Neil, put me down.”

Nihil stared at him as he spoke, then laid him down on the bed without saying a word. Soon, a warm blanket was covered over him and patted him.

I felt sleepy again because of that affection.

Oh, what if I keep having that dream?

Suddenly, I had such worries,

“…Sleep well, baby. My beautiful little one.”

A lullaby was heard.

“Don’t be afraid of the darkness beneath your eyelids. It will always be there before you when you open your eyes….”

So that’s what the lyrics were.

“…Don’t be afraid of the moment.”

Lianus accepted Sumera with relief.

***

“You worked hard today too, Miss Barensha.”

“Um…, Prince, are you hurt?”

“Uh, uh? No, that’s not it. My muscles are a little sore, though.”

Lianus laughed awkwardly and stroked my body here and there.

This morning, I was swinging my sword while absentmindedly thinking about something else, and I ended up getting hit by Nihil more than usual.

My friend was good at controlling his strength, so he wasn’t hurt, but he felt a little sore every time he raised his arm.

And… , I think something is wrong, my front teeth seem a little loose… … .

Still, this may not be the cause of the poor sound.

As I was gently pushing my front teeth with my tongue, I suddenly felt worried. The quarterly evaluation was coming up soon. What if something went wrong?

“Is it not very good…?”

“Um… I think my confidence has dropped a little.”

“Is that so?”

Lianus became gloomy. How could he be so messed up just because he had a dream.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not that bad. I’m just a little sensitive.”

Olivia Barencia hesitated for a moment before opening her lips again.

“Are you attending Miss Francesca’s birthday party?”

At that question, Lianus couldn’t help but flinch.

“Why is that……”

“My younger brother was also invited. He is five years old, just like Miss Francesca… and he plays the piano very well. So I was thinking of having him play the piano as a congratulatory gift. If it’s okay with you, how about an ensemble?”

“Me…, playing an ensemble?”

‘I like the sound of our prince’s violin the best!’

My nanny told me that, even though I was only making a squeaking sound when I first started learning to play the violin.

“Yes, my younger brother also needs to gain some experience, but I think solo singing might be too much of a burden, and I think it would be a good experience for the prince as well.”

That day too… , I had decided to play for my nanny… … .

How is it? I’m sure Miss Francesca will like it too. Miss Varencia said with a smile, but Lianus couldn’t help but smile.

“…give me some time.”

In the end, Lianus sent Olivia back without giving a definitive answer.

“What should we do, Neil?”

“why?”

“I might… ruin Kara’s birthday party.”

It might bring back terrible memories on what should be a happy birthday.

“Rian.”

My body suddenly lifted. Now, I’ve become accustomed to hearing things like this suddenly. A soft pat followed immediately.

But now even this reminds me of her.

“Rian, your birthday party won’t be ruined if you make a mistake.”

“but…….”

“You still have time, so think about it slowly.”

“Hmm… Well, I’m glad that your quarterly evaluation won’t be too difficult.”

Rian changed the subject, feeling like he had caused unnecessary worry.

My best friend might be looking forward to Kara’s birthday party, but if I hesitate, I’m sure she won’t enjoy it.

“Hmm, I heard that the finance major will take a simple math test, so it won’t be a problem.”

“huh.”

Nihil decided to let it go for now, seeing as Lianus was trying to change the subject.

Spring has arrived in full swing, and the few trees in the garden are in full bloom.

The slightly empty lawn, which was in search of greenery, was covered in layers of flower petals flying in from the mountain behind.

‘The child doesn’t seem to be in a good mood. Should we go on a picnic?’

Or maybe just a simple flower viewing… … .

As I was thinking that and looking out the window, I turned my head and saw that Rian had already come with a book and was studying.

“…….”

It seemed like enough to Nihil, but the little prince, who was always being chased, could not hide his impatience as the quarterly evaluation drew near.

Whenever I had time, I would open a book, and at night, I couldn’t fall asleep easily, so I would wake up and light a candle.

Even today I had a nightmare.

When I asked the puppy, he said that it had always been like this, but it was very rare for him to have nightmares, and he expressed his concern.

Nihil stared at Lianus for a long time and then opened his mouth.

“…Rian, there are a lot of flowers in bloom, do you want to go on a picnic?”

“Huh, huh?”

At those words, Rianus raised his head and looked out the window. Just then, a gentle breeze blew, fluttering flower petals.

“Wow, really…….”

Lianus was genuinely impressed. It would be really fun to go on a picnic with a friend, he thought, but the fountain pen in his hand fell out.

“…….”

The ink that had splattered from the dropped fountain pen looked like red blood for a moment. I reflexively wiped it away with my hand, and black ink came off.

“…….”

“Rian?”

“…Ah. Um…, I’m sorry, Neil. The flowers will still be blooming. Don’t you want to go after the quarterly evaluations? If your grades drop, people will probably say bad things about you too.”

“…okay.”

I felt sorry for Nihil, but I didn’t feel like I could enjoy anything right now. No, I didn’t feel like I had the right to enjoy anything.

‘Are you having fun playing with your friends since you survived alone?’

A longing yet cruel voice echoes in my head.

Lianus squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again, and focused solely on the letters.

How long had I been concentrating on my studies? When I raised my head because it seemed like my surroundings had gotten a little dark, the sun was already setting.

At the entrance, only Sir Evan stood silently guarding.

‘Neil… where did he go…?’

No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see Nihil.

I suddenly got scared. I wondered if I had just kept studying and ended up going somewhere else. But I never thought I would go without saying anything…

“Sir Evan, where is Neil….”

“I’m here.”

Anxiety rose to my throat and my voice trembled slightly, but a voice came from behind me, as if to reassure me.

“…Neil?”

But all I could hear was his voice, and no figure. Instead, I saw Robert lying face down on the table, his nose buried in his plate, eating.

Clap clap clap clap-

Has Neil turned into a puppy…?

I didn’t want to disturb the puppy who was busy eating, but I approached Robert cautiously, just in case.

“huh.”

Fortunately, the answer came from behind the sofa and not from the dog.

Behind the sofa, white ears and a head suddenly popped out from a pile of blankets.

“Huh, huh?”

“You, you, what’s with those ears!”

I was startled and froze for a moment when I saw the familiar yet unfamiliar cat ears, and Evan Sir also came over in surprise and panicked.

“Neil, what happened? Did you use the wrong magic tool again?”

Nihil, who was covering himself with a blanket, climbed over the back of the sofa. Rianus unconsciously looked at his wagging tail and grabbed it.

“……?”

But it wasn’t caught.

Evan, who was about to nag her, saying that she was trying to give him a cat ear as a gift, put his hand on Nihil’s head when he saw her.

The ears were also out of reach.

“…what’s this?”

Rianus waved his hand to try to catch the tail that was passing through his hand. When he did, he noticed that it wasn’t just his hand that was passing through, but the blanket as well.

“Rian, this is an illusion made with magic tools, so I can’t catch it. My child wanted cat ears for her birthday present, so I made them. Do you want to try them?”

“Huh, huh?”

Nihil then put something on my head. And then Evan Sir covered his face with both hands and started screaming.

“Eww!”

“What, what is it! Sir Evan, why are you doing this!”

“Ah, the kitten has come to life…!”

“……?”

Sir Evan fidgeted and waved his hands in the air, then finally slumped down on the floor.

Nihil clicked his tongue as he looked at Evan like that and fiddled with the magic tool he had placed on his head.

“I don’t know what kids these days like, so I tried putting in a variety of things…….”

Soon something like a feeler appeared on my head. I tried to touch it without realizing it, but it just passed through.

“What is this?”

“It was a butterfly… but I think I adjusted the wing position incorrectly.”

Nihil looked at the butterfly wings attached to his waist instead of his shoulder blades, then retrieved his magic tool and fiddled with it again.

“But why were you standing behind the sofa like that?”

“I did that because I was worried that little puppy would make a lot of noise. It would distract you from studying.”

“…….”

At those words, Rianus felt embarrassed and fidgeted with his hands for no reason. He could have gone back to his room and quietly worked on his magic tools, but he felt both grateful and sorry that he had stayed by his side.

“Um… I’m sorry for bothering you, Neil.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? Lian, try writing this again.”

The magic tool was placed on my head again. I thought there were only cats and butterflies, but there were also rabbits, fairies, and angels.

“I think it contains everything that kids would like…….”

Nihil looked at the ring spinning around his head and thought seriously. Rianus laughed without realizing it.

“I’m sure Kara will like it too. Isn’t this enough?”

“Well, this will be a prototype, so the more variety the better.”

“Prototype?”

“If the response is good, we will deliver it to the top of Ali.”

The magic tool itself is rare, so it might be expensive for a children’s toy, but if you just add one function to it, you can probably make it fit the price range.

“They say it’s a child’s birthday party, but since it’s a marquis’ house, a lot of children from noble families will be there. It’s not like it’s something that can be used as a child’s toy in the first place. I feel uneasy because it seems like they’re taking advantage of something so young…”

The more money the better. Rianus’s eyes widened at the words he muttered.

“Neil, do you need money?”

“It’s not something I need right now.”

“Uh…, uh, should I give you some extra money?”

When I asked that, my friend smiled faintly and patted my head.

“Thank you. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

“huh!”

***

Nihil patted the sleeping Rianus’ head. He had barely managed to coax the boy who was trying to study late into the night again today, saying he couldn’t sleep.

If you continue to suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder like this, it will be difficult to maintain good condition during the quarterly evaluation.

In reality, the quarterly evaluation scores that Lianus had received were not as high as expected.

Nihil called out to the person who had just arrived in the bedroom.

“inspiration.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Come find a festival that ends before the quarterly evaluation.”

In that case, there is no choice but to completely prevent them from thinking about anything else.