SWDYHTITYDHMP Chapter 206

Characters in this chapter:

1. Sapphiras Perfectio, former 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge
2. Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

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“Ya, I’m glad you two came.”

In the royal garden where Percival and I were guided, the Crown Prince was waiting alone in a gazebo where a tea table had been set up, with a refreshing smile on his face.

I thought Aurora would be there too, but it seemed like it was just the Crown Prince and us at the tea party. It wasn’t at all glamorous, but thanks to the young lion and the Knight of the Sun, it was pretty dazzling!

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“No need for a formal greeting. Come, sit down.”

The crown prince brushed off my greeting and urged me to sit down. Come to think of it, I think I’ve been interrupted in the middle of a greeting before. I’m not good at being formal, so it’s fine with me as long as it’s not considered disrespectful.

The letter I received from the Crown Prince was an invitation to tea.

The letter, written in a very light and elegant style, said that there would be some delicious sweets and that Percival and I should come to the castle, and that since it was a casual tea party, we could wear our uniforms.

I was finally able to live a peaceful academy life, and even though I felt it was incredibly troublesome, I couldn’t just turn down the Crown Prince’s invitation.

“Oya? Sapphiras-kun, your demeanor has changed quite a bit since I last saw you.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes widen slightly as soon as he sees me sitting down. Aurora said the same thing, but I had no idea what she meant.

Anyway, I’ve grown taller recently. Compared to Percival, I still have a long way to go, but my uniform was a little too short and I had to get it adjusted. Despite that, no one except Percival has said that I’ve grown taller. Why is that?

“I see. This is what it means to have a good companion.”

Maybe I had made a really strange face, but the Crown Prince laughed with amusement.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a bad change. Being cherished by your partner has only enhanced Sapphiras-kun ‘s beauty.”

“Ha? Eh? Beauty?”

“Yes. In other words, it means that you are loved by your partner.”

“Lo-love?”

My voice cracked without me realizing. My face grew hot when I heard something unfamiliar like love.

I was aware that Percival cherished me, but it was extremely embarrassing to have a third party tell me that to my face!

No, wait a minute. So what you’re saying is that I was unconsciously giving off the impression that Percival cherished me? So that’s what the embarrassed smile Aurora gave me when I told her about our marriage meant. I’m a very embarrassing guy, aren’t I?……

“It’s great that the two of you get along so well. I’m truly happy that a talented magician like Sapphiras-kun has joined forces with Vanderwall, who is the key to our country’s defense. After all, I made a mistake at the first move. Your trust in our royal family is only hanging on by a thread. And it’s all thanks to the Duke and Aurora.”

I can understand the desire to recruit talented people into the royal family, but being the second prince’s spouse is a bad joke. Well, no matter what conditions are offered, I have no intention of serving anyone.

“I had some thoughts about that, but it’s all in the past now. I have a lot of respect for you as a ruler. I love this country more than anything, so if you need my help, I’ll rush to you wherever you are.”

“Those are truly kind words. Then I must do my best to make this country that you love better, Sapphiras-kun.”

I’m sure His Highness the Crown Prince will be a good king. After all, he’s been able to deepen ties with the beastmen, who are still strongly shunned by the nobility, and push forward with the alliance with the Worstitters, and when the royal capital was in danger, he personally led his knights to defeat the magical beasts.

Besides, if you don’t have the capacity to accept both good and bad things, you can’t be the king of a country.

“However, even though Sapphiras-kun is not what he seems, aren’t you a little too defenseless? There are more people than you think who would like to have a good-looking magician as their attendant. I would like to think that there are no such people in our country, but there are some who would think of something foolish to obtain the Spirit of Twilight.”

Has His Royal Highness the Crown Prince heard of that nickname? Will someone, somewhere, stop them?

“Perhaps so. But I will always be by his side. I will never let anything that is not Sappiras’s wishes happen.”

“Oya, this is a surprise. I never thought that the third son of the Belisario family, who was even described by the Margravine as a simpleton, would say such a thing. It’s true that people change when they change.”

Simpleness probably depends on the person. Even the kindest Percival would become simpleton if a quirky young lady was courting him. But from now on, I’ll be his shield, so rest assured. I won’t flinch, even if they pull out my hair a little or say mean things to me.

After we finished talking, the castle’s excellent maids came briskly over and set before us fruit-scented tea and cakes the size of rocks covered in white powder.

What’s this? It looks a bit odd for a cake served in a castle……

“This is a chocolate cake. It has a very rich flavor, but the red berry sauce inside makes it lighter than I expected. It’s my latest favorite. It may not look flashy, but I can guarantee it tastes good.”

The Crown Prince gracefully puts the pitch black cake into his mouth. Chocolate is a lump that looks like a piece of earth that Percival gave me some time ago. That thing can be made into a cake too.

The mud-like cake looks like it requires courage, but I’ve tried chocolate once and know how delicious it is, so I don’t hesitate to take a bite. I cut it open with a fork, and an oozing ruby-like sauce oozed out.

……Though it looks like burnt flesh of a magical beast.

“Uuu, this is……!”

It looks a little strange, but as soon as you put it in your mouth, the bitter and sweet taste spreads. Moreover, the sourness of the berries goes surprisingly well with it. As you’d expect, the castle chefs are good at coming up with unexpected combinations.

“Chocolate is made from a fruit bigger than the palm of a hand. The many seeds inside the fruit are processed through a number of complicated processes, but there aren’t that many craftsmen who can do it.”

Heh, chocolates are made from the seeds of a tree. I can’t imagine……but what on earth am I being told?

“I’ve prepared other sweets using chocolate, so feel free to eat as much as you like.”

Of course, I had no intention of holding back. In fact, I knew I’d be told something complicated, so I was determined to at least get my money’s worth.

The sweets from the Duke’s family and the Margrave’s family are delicious, of course, but the sweets from the castle should be the best in the country, from the ingredients to the makers. Moreover, they are sweets that use a generous amount of precious chocolate.

Afterwards, chocolate sweets were served, and the Crown Prince, who had been talking about chocolate so much that I wondered if he was planning to cultivate chocolate within the country, quietly put his cup down. Following his example, Percival and I straightened up.

“……Now then, it’s time to get down to business.”

I can only think of one reason why I was called today. It’s most likely something to do with Sternkurst. Needless to say, that country is a curse for me. I don’t want to go near it ever again.

But generally, when I find something I don’t like or want to avoid, the other side is the one who proactively comes to me.

“I know it’s not something you want to hear, Sapphiras-kun, but I think Aurora has told you that the current Crown Prince of Sternkurst is only a representative.

Here it comes. It’s something to do with that country after all. Is it the story of the older brother and the younger brother?

“So, you see, the second prince of the country, who is a representative, wants to visit our country.”

“No, why?”

I accidentally blurted out what I was thinking and quickly shut my mouth. I thought I’d messed up, but the Crown Prince didn’t seem to mind and nodded in agreement.

That’s right. In the first place, the second prince is only a representative, so why would he go out of his way to visit this country at this time when there are no particular events happening?

“Apparently he wishes to greet us on behalf of his brother. As our country had no particular reason to refuse, we have decided to welcome him on friendly terms.”

“What kind of person is this second prince?”

Percival began. I was also curious about that. From what I had researched in the library, all I knew was that he was the son of a concubine and his name was Erich.

“To be honest, I don’t know much about him either, as he’s a prince who’s never been in the public eye. I met him once when I visited his country some years ago, but we only exchanged greetings, so I didn’t know much about his personality.”

That outrageous crown prince was the kind of guy who would not be satisfied unless he was the center of attention, so it’s possible that he would not let his concubine do anything that would draw attention.

Such an outrageous guy would put the second prince in the spotlight, even if only as a representative, so it’s best to suspect that there’s something shady going on.

I don’t know what happened to that man after the collapse of the underground ruins, but he has lost at least one arm. Still, if he is a truly talented prince, he would be able to steer the country even without one of his arms.

“In any case, I can’t say for sure that their goal isn’t Sapphiras-kun. I will make sure that you, as students, do not get involved, but if anything should happen to Sapphiras-kun, they would make enemies of our country’s Vanderwall Margrave family.”

His Highness the Crown Prince said something that couldn’t even be considered  joke with a serious face.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it, Percival?”

Laughing, I looked next to me, where Percival was directing a menacing gaze at the Crown Prince. Huh? You’re joking, right?

“As long as we don’t know that country’s objective, I want you to be careful not to do anything too fancy while the Second Prince is visiting. Got that, Sapphiras-kun?”

The Crown Prince looked me straight in the eye and warned me.

No, I do like to do flashy things sometimes too, but I always know the time and place. All the commotions up until now have been things I couldn’t do anything about.

Incomprehensible.

 

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melon: Hi guys, I know it’s been a while, but I find it more convenient to translate a few chapters tgh at one go (also cos the author takes quite a while to update now), so the next 2 chapters will be posted shortly and we will be caught up with the raws again. 😀