How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 216



Only Noblemtl

Episode 216

“Neil, a week seems too long. Well, well, no matter how smart you are, missing a week of class would be hard.”

Rianus made excuses to Nihil even though he knew from the beginning that the lessons were meaningless.

“I missed a few days of class because I was sick before, and it was hard to catch up. Seriously.”

“Yeah. Then what should I do?”

“Umm…, do I really have to go?”

Lianus wanted to tell the Archduke not to go there because he would give him all the allowance he received. The Archduke was completely neutral, given his position.

If my close friend were to belong to the Grand Duke, there would certainly be talk, and then it might become difficult for me to live in the palace.

“Neil, I think we should reconsider the succession….”

Suddenly, without speaking, the image of the black insect corpses stuck to the teaspoon came to mind.

“…No, no. It would be better for the Archduke to go there.”

“……?”

“I think it’ll be safe there…, since you’re the successor to the Grand Duke, no one will dare touch you because they’re scared…”

If you think about it, Nihil didn’t need to ask me for permission for this. He didn’t have the right to refuse.

Still, the reason he asks my opinion is probably because he relies a lot on Nihil. If Nihil isn’t there, he immediately looks for him.

“Neil, am I bothering you?”

“Rian, you have a habit of thinking and coming to conclusions on your own. It’s cute how eccentric you are, but be careful because it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“…huh?”

“Not everyone can reason like me, okay?”

“Uh…, yeah.”

Lianus nodded absentmindedly. Nihil smirked and stroked the seaweed.

“And if you think I’m too busy taking care of you to mind my own business, then no.”

“…no?”

Lianus glanced at Nihil and then lowered his eyes. He felt shameless and couldn’t look straight at his close friend.

Nihil, seeing Lianus like that, turned his head towards Dios, thinking that it couldn’t be helped.

“Dia, no matter how much I think about it, I feel uneasy!”

“Don’t be so harsh! You’re not even a baby!”

“but……!”

“The way I see it, it’s you who has separation anxiety, not that little blob!”

“Blood, gore…?”

Lianus’ pupils fluttered slightly as he looked at the small finger pointing precisely at him when he said ‘blood clot’. By the time Dios realized his slip of the tongue and closed his mouth, it was already too late.

“Evan, the baby is calling me a blood clot!”

“…The baby is bad.”

“That’s right! Something much smaller than me is cocky…,”

“Coolook, coolook coolook! Whoosh, coolook!”

“Sir Evan! Do you have a cold?!”

“No, it’s not. It’s all better.”

In the end, only Evan, who was stuck in the middle, was in trouble. Nihil watched the struggling puppy and laughed quietly before gently comforting Rianus.

“Rian, I think there’s something wrong. I’m doing what I want to do.”

“But…, all of your work is related to me.”

“That’s not wrong. My dream is to raise you diligently so that you can spend your whole life enjoying yourself. You’ll take responsibility for my old age, right?”

“of course!”

“good.”

“…….”

The puppy looked at him as if he was dumbfounded, but Nihil, whose old age was guaranteed, smiled with satisfaction.

As a result, it seemed like a long-term outing would be difficult for both Nihil and Rianus, so they decided to split the trip up into two days each.

“I’d better take care of my business. The full moon has risen.”

“I really have a habit of interfering here and there.”

“Dia, it’s too late, go to sleep.”

Nihil neatly ignored the nagging and put the little boy in his arms and onto the bed.

“What nonsense…….”

“Is that okay, Lian?”

“Yes! Baby, the bed is wide!”

“…….”

“And the baby is very, very tiny, so it’s okay if the bed is small.”

“…….”

Lianus, who was called a bloody lump, smiled proudly after taking his small revenge.

Since it was already late at night, I skipped the storybook and just had Nihil sing me a lullaby.

“Ugh……”

The tired Lianus soon fell asleep. After sending the puppy away, only the occasional crickets could be heard.

Nihil stared blankly at the rabbit doll next to him, then placed it in the little boy’s arms and carefully opened his mouth.

“[Dia, first of all, I think it would be best to correct the rumors.]”

“[I told Rex about it. It got a little messed up because of my father’s accident.]”

“[…okay.]”

Nihil smiled bitterly. Now that I think about it, the kid’s father must have been quite confused because of me too…

“[By the way, what did the child’s father do?]”

“[ah…….]”

At that question, the little boy averted his gaze, buried his face in the rabbit doll, and mumbled.

“[…I touched the memory a little.]”

“[…….]”

“[I know you are very reluctant to touch the memories, but… I couldn’t help it. It would be very dangerous to make you understand the situation.]”

“[That’s true.]”

I know Nihil couldn’t help it, but I feel a little sorry for having done something so terrible to the child’s father.

Dios remained silent for a moment and then continued hesitantly.

“[Honestly…, I admit it was hasty.]”

In fact, if I had just taken it off quickly and brought it back to its senses, it might have been something I could have simply said, ‘I was mistaken.’

But I didn’t have time to think about that, because I thought my father might become completely assimilated into the lump of flesh.

I’m so scared of being left alone in the world again…

“[Dia.]”

“[…yes.]”

“[I am grateful.]”

“[…….]”

“[If you hadn’t been there…, honestly, I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened.]”

Nihil was sincere. If he hadn’t been a kid, he would have simply consumed Lianus’s existence and taken his place. And he himself would have been slowly consumed by that existence without even remembering who he was.

That’s how you become part of the world. As someone other than yourself.

“[Dia, what you said before…, I thought about it seriously…….]”

“[…Didn’t I tell you to forget it?]”

Dios pretended not to hear what was being said, and felt ashamed of himself for it.

When I asked you to save me, you said it was too hard and now you asked me to kill you. I know everything you gave me when you saved my life.

“[I made a mistake. Just… think of it as me being childish.]”

Dios couldn’t commit another heinous crime, so he lightly replied that it was really nothing.

However, Nihil, who saw Dios’ sincerity, continued speaking with the corners of his lips raised.

“I promise, Dia.

I will take responsibility for your rest.

* * *

“Rianus, why didn’t you bring Baedong?”

During the Emperor’s class, Lawrence pretended not to know anything while guessing why Baedong hadn’t come, and sneakily checked on Lianus.

Lianus glanced at Aiden, who was looking down at him from beside Lawrence, and lowered his head in frustration.

“My close friend didn’t come because he had something to do.”

“Hey, where does it hurt?”

“No! My friend is not sick at all!”

Lawrence raised the corners of his lips at Lianus’s intense reaction and then glanced at Evan.

From what I saw and heard, there was no change in Baedong after he drank the poison, so at first I thought the knight had switched the desserts in the meantime.

But soon, rumors began to spread that Baedong had come back from the dead.

Since the poison wasn’t that strong, I was a little skeptical about the exaggerated rumors, but I thought it could be because they were commoners who didn’t eat well and were weak.

“It seems that Baedong’s body is weak.”

“…….”

Lianus didn’t respond, but lowered his head further. Nihil had told him to be especially careful because his expression revealed his thoughts.

“You have to take good care of yourself. The people around you are already…….”

“I decided to take responsibility for it until I’m old!”

“……?”

“So don’t worry my friend!”

“…Is that so?”

‘Should I have just killed him?’

I didn’t kill him because I thought I could bring Baedong to my side, but seeing Lianus alive and well made me think that my judgment was wrong.

But if you take away Baedong, it will definitely collapse.

Luckily, the opportunity came quickly.

On my way back after finishing my imperial studies class, I found a white head squatting in front of the flower bed in the main palace garden.

For some reason, this time he was with a tall servant, and when the servant saw him, he was surprised and lowered his upper body.

Lawrence smiled with satisfaction at the sight of his servant’s nervous expression.

“It’s been a while. How come you’re here alone?”

Lawrence asked, but he didn’t really expect an answer. He was mute anyway. It seemed like he had come out to meet Lianus like last time.

Unfortunately, it seems like our paths have diverged.

“What the heck, why are you looking at that?”

Aiden, who was standing next to him, frowned when he saw what Baedong was looking at. It was an ant.

The ants strangely continued to circle around in that spot.

Lawrence was curious because it was a sight he had never seen before, but he couldn’t let the prince sit in the middle of the garden and watch the ants, so he looked away.

“Eight!”

Soon the ant colony was trampled by Aiden.

“…Ugh!”

“…….”

The servant gasped in surprise, but Baedong quietly looked down at the flattened ant corpse, then straightened up and looked up at himself as if it was nothing.

“…Have you been sick a lot lately?”

Dori dori.

“Did Rianus tell you not to talk?”

“…….”

“You can talk to me. I’m Rianus’ older brother.”

“…….”

…nod.

Baedong hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. Lawrence liked that very much, smiled faintly, then opened his mouth to face the servant who was watching him with a tense expression.

“You may go.”

“Yes, yes?”

At the words that it was okay to go, the servant who had followed Baedong stammered and asked a question.

“I, I, I have to, I have to, I have to train you, Master.”

“Why do you stutter so much? You don’t have to be so nervous.”

“I’m, I’m sorry. Ha, but, uh, I have a speech impediment so, so, please, uh, don’t be offended.”

“What, you stuttered?”

Aiden frowned at Jane’s response.

“Ha, a mute and a stutterer are a perfect match. Does the Second Prince have a hobby of collecting idiots?”

“…….”

Jane lowered her head even further. She wanted to yell at him to stop swearing at the second prince, but she couldn’t. Even if she stuttered and got angry, all she got in return was ridicule.

‘… If it were Yvonne, she wouldn’t have been scared and would have responded properly.’

But Jane thought that way, and she was glad Yvonne wasn’t there. If Yvonne had responded, she might have felt better, but things would have gotten worse.

1 The servants behind the prince were seen whispering and giggling among themselves. Jane quickly looked at the young master’s expression.

‘zein.’

‘Yes, yes?’

‘Look carefully.’

The young master, who was heading to the main palace, suddenly crouched down in front of a group of ants passing by and placed a rock in front of them. He then blocked the path here and there to prevent the ants from passing.

The ants wandering along the road seemed to have found their way, but at some point they started circling around in their place.

The sight was so strange that Jane found it fascinating, but also felt a strange sense of unease.

‘Do you know why these ants are doing this?’

‘Well, I don’t know.’

‘This is called the Entmill phenomenon.’

The master continued his explanation in a whisper, looking at the ants that were spinning endlessly.

‘… In a word, it’s like a death whirlpool.’

The master raised the corners of his lips slightly as he watched the growing whirlpool of ants.

‘Jane, this is what happens when you don’t realize that you’re on the wrong path.’

‘… … .’

‘Very slowly… , driving yourself to death.’

‘… … .’

‘But… wouldn’t it be right to cut off that path for the sake of the ants that will follow?’

We can’t just trample on humans and kill them, so we have to slowly change them from the ground up.

“…Hani, how is it to stay in my palace?”

“…….”

Jane glanced at the first prince who was trying to persuade the young master with a smiling face, then lowered her head again.