How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 298
Only Noblemtl
Episode 298
Kwaang-! Gurrrrung… … .
The servants of the Grand Duke’s household stopped being startled by the loud noise that shook the air and the slight tremors that could be felt from under their feet.
“…! What is this….”
“Is it an earthquake?”
“What’s the earthquake on Sky Island?”
“Then it’s falling?”
“Hey, hey, don’t be so scary.”
“I wonder if something happened to the Grand Duke….”
“If something happens to the Grand Duke, we won’t be safe soon either, so lie down and pray.”
“To whom?”
“…Um…, sir?”
“That’s a good idea. But what if I pray while lying down and they say I’m presumptuous and turn me into a baby?”
“Then it would be nice to be liked by the elders.”
“Stop talking nonsense and get to work, you punks.”
As the servants gradually regained stability in their own way.
“Phew…….”
Dios, unable to contain his shame and anger, finally let out his anger. He looked around at his smashed desk and his messy office, then roughly wiped his face.
‘If you read someone else’s diary, you should pretend not to know… … !’
“Kyuu……”
“What did you do without stopping me!”
“Kkuiik?”
I felt angry when I thought of my father who would have been happy to find my diary and tease me. It was time for me to stop being influenced, so why was I reacting like this?
At that moment, I felt a flow of magical power through my communication port. It was Aspel.
“…….”
Dios thought for a moment. Isn’t the timing too exquisite? If he heard his father’s laughter as soon as he connected the communication, he might die of humiliation.
But that worry was short-lived, and Dios eventually connected the communication. Something could have happened to his father. He also had faith that his father, who was watching his mood, would not have already tried to seduce Aspel.
-Yes, Your Majesty.
“…….”
Dios’ face hardened without him knowing it. It was because Aspel’s voice coming from the other end of the communication port was shaking a little.
“…Say it.”
-Hey, are you okay?
“……?”
Dios was puzzled. Why was he suddenly asking about my well-being?
-The elder said that His Majesty’s spirits are not normal… … .
“…….”
-He said he was so worried he thought he was going to die… … .
“…Just tell him to die.”
-Huh?
Stop.
Dios immediately cut off the communication and threw the communication port aside. He had no idea that his father would sense the energy he was spreading here.
‘You didn’t read my emotions, did you? … ?’
“Ugh……”
The more Dios thought about it, the more humiliated he became, and he tore his hair wildly.
I would like to destroy them all, but I can’t do that because I feel like if I spread my energy too much, my father will break his promise to me and come running here.
“dream!”
Abiyah!
Then Anima called to me again, jumping on the remains of the broken desk.
“Kkuikku!”
Put this away!
“What now!”
Dios looked back at his Anima with annoyance. He wanted to ignore it, but since anything that Anima would react to was something that he would react to, he had no choice but to search through the rubble.
And then I found a book that wasn’t mine, apparently in a desk drawer.
“……?”
Knock, knock. Dios picked up the book with a puzzled look and shook it lightly.
The book was clearly not a recent creation, judging from the cover design and the paper used, but it was surprisingly clean for its age.
“Kkuu……?”
Anima, sensing my emotional change, slowly climbed onto my shoulder and looked down at the book with me.
Dios carefully swept the luxurious book cover, looking a little rustic.
There was no trace of dangerous magic or seals in the book, but somehow I felt a little nervous and couldn’t easily open it.
There was nothing written on the cover, but I had an idea what it was.
Falak.
As I turned the page, I saw neat, printed letters.
-Rune calendar 00 year 0 month 0 day.
“…….”
-The little one’s fever is going down. He’s not crying today.
That was my father’s diary.
* * *
Shudder.
“…? Neil, what’s wrong?”
“Uh, it’s nothing.”
Nihil looked up at the sky again, despite saying no. He had clearly felt the child’s energy strongly from the direction of the Sky Island just now… … .
‘I hope nothing’s wrong… … ?’
Of course, the chances of anything happening to my little one were extremely low, but I couldn’t help but worry.
Nihil hesitated for a moment and then called his little aide who was watching him from hiding.
“Aspel.”
“…….”
There was no answer. It seemed as though the little boy had warned me in advance not to talk to him.
But Nihil was not disappointed. The little aide would surely be paying attention to every word he said.
“…Somehow, the Archduke’s aura is ominous.”
“…….”
“I’m so worried I think I’m going to die.”
“…….”
Aspel still didn’t react. Judging from the flow of mana, it seemed like he was contemplating whether or not he should react.
Normally, he would have cooked it slowly, but Nihil was worried about the little one, so he decided to go a little harder.
“It feels a little cold, maybe because my arms are empty…….”
“…?! Neil, are you cold?”
It’s summer? Aspel didn’t react when asked to react, and the innocent kitten jumped up and touched its forehead.
Nihil suppressed the urge to hug the child and continued speaking.
“It would be nice to carry a child around…….”
At those words, Aspel began to move urgently.
It seems that the Grand Duke is concerned about the rumor going around that ‘if you go against the Grand Duke’s will, he will turn you into a baby and carry you around’, but since he only carries small and cute things, Aspel doesn’t really have to worry.
“Neil, are you really cold? If you’re sick, shouldn’t you take some medicine?”
“No, I don’t think it’s cold anymore.”
“?!”
Although Rianus had a look of betrayal on his face, Nihil calmed him down and turned his head to where Aspel was.
The soundproofing magic prevented any voices from being heard, but judging by Aspel’s reaction, fortunately it seemed like nothing had happened to the child.
“Yes, Lian. If you had an argument with your father over a difference of opinion, what would he do to make you feel better?”
“Do you want to make up with the baby?”
“huh.”
“Can I ask what the situation is?”
“hmm…….”
Nihil chose his words carefully. After all, he couldn’t tell Ariel anything.
“So you’re saying that you had a fight because of a difference of opinion, and the baby had no choice but to take a step back, but you’re still angry?”
“huh.”
At those words, the children stopped doing their homework and started putting their heads together to think about it.
“Um… In times like this, wouldn’t it be better for Neil to take a step back?”
“…I can’t back down any longer.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do about it. There are things in this world that we have to accept even if we don’t like them. It’s time for the baby to learn that too.”
“Hmm…….”
Nihil spat out a sigh. It wasn’t wrong, but if you really look at it, it was more my fault for trying to twist cause and effect.
“Neil, why don’t you write a heartfelt letter?”
“…A letter of apology?”
“No, Neil. This is when you should write a thank you letter.”
“……!”
Nihil was surprised. Now that I think about it, it seems like he’s been apologizing all the time lately.
“The baby has already taken a step back. I don’t think he’s angry because he hates you. I’m sure the baby will understand you.”
“How about giving her a gift as well? A doll would be nice too. Oh, it’s not that I like dolls, it’s just that she’s still a baby……”
“How about giving them something delicious as well? Eating something delicious makes you feel good!”
“Then I have to write letters, make dolls, and prepare delicious food.
Nihil thought it was a good idea to ask and wrote down the children’s opinions.
It seems that children know their own minds better than anyone else.
* * *
Flap, flap.
Dios turned the pages of his diary. The first few pages were more like notes of information he had gathered from time to time rather than a diary.
– Decided to grow herbs in case my little one gets sick again. Also bought parenting books.
– I made baby food as written in the book and fed it to him. He eats it, but he doesn’t like it very much.
-After giving him the same baby food for several days, he started refusing it. When I made it again with different ingredients, he ate it, but he still didn’t seem to like it.
-The kid wasn’t as young as I thought. The old man said that he was past the age to eat baby food. He ate well when I gave him cooked meat and fruit like before. However, he was scolded by the old man. Buy a cookbook.
… Yes, if I had to find something similar, this was closer to an observation journal written about animals or insects.
The days he was sick were written in such detail that it seemed excessive, and Dios sensed his father’s desperation in those dense letters.
Falak.
The human observation journal gradually changed over time. Small details of daily life and personal feelings began to be added.
– The little boy who went to buy potatoes as his first errand came back crying. He seemed to be in trouble because the speech he had learned from me was not appropriate for young children. I was a little upset, but since it was my fault for not properly understanding the social structure of humans, I decided to change my speech for the sake of the little boy’s future. I hope my little boy gets along well with humans.
‘… From this point on, my father started speaking to me politely.’
Dios felt a little strange because he couldn’t remember much of his childhood. Was it because of his father’s efforts that he was able to adapt to humans?
-Oh no! The kid pulled out all the neighborhood kids’ hair.
“…….”
I guess I just couldn’t adapt.
Dios quickly moved on to the next chapter. But after that, there were several more cases of children with their hair pulled out, and the father was always busy taking care of his own affairs.
Then finally the subject changed.
– The little boy wanted a name, so I gave him a name. Dios. As far as I know, it is the noblest name in the world. I was happy to see Dios happy that he had a name. Dios ran around all day as if trying to remember his name… … .
Dios turned the page without reading to the end. He vaguely remembered this time.
‘I’m sure it wasn’t long before I asked my father’s name… … .’
Dios quickly looked up the information, wondering what his father thought when he received his name.
– Dios misunderstood because I didn’t tell him my name, so he made a hideout out of a blanket and locked himself in there…
‘… This isn’t it.’
-I had no choice but to give them my name, but I was rejected… … .
‘Neither this nor this… … .’
Flap, flap, flap.
-Dia gave me a name.
Stop.
Dios, who was quickly flipping through the diary, stopped when he saw a short sentence taking up one page alone.
There was no great sentimentality or anything like that. That was it.
“…….”
However, the blank spaces and the ink marks that were like dots told of my father’s confusion. Traces of several attempts to write something. But in the end, the pages were left blank without anything written on them.
‘… Did you find it burdensome?’
Rune Calendar 4xxx October 09. Dios checked the date and quickly flipped through the diary again. He couldn’t tell the exact date because it didn’t match the current calendar, but he could figure it out if he did the math.
Flap, flap… . Clang, clang, clang-
As I went on, the letters became denser and more useless comments appeared. If I tried to read it carefully, it would take several days.
‘… There’s no need to rush it.’
Anyway, this is mine now.
Dia is…, Dia is…, Dia is… ….
The beginning and the end of the diary were always similar. It started with me and ended with me. It was to the point where I felt like it was my diary, not my father’s.
Dios suddenly wondered how this diary ended, so he opened the last page.
– Dia got angry.
“…….”
I felt like I had seen a bad ending.