TGBAP 24

While the servants bustled about, there was one place that was somewhat quiet, yet filled with a child’s cheerful laughter.

A child with snow-white hair fiddled with the bow tie around his neck and turned back.

“Mother! How is it? Do I suit it?”

“Of course. Our Crown Prince has nothing that doesn’t suit him.”

A fair face and snow-white hair, and golden eyes gleaming even brighter than gold.

He had a face identical to Lucian’s, yet he was far more confident, lively, and even about half a span taller than Lucian.

His name was Leopold Odelion. He is the Crown Prince of the Odrian Empire.

He was so excited for his birthday tomorrow that he couldn’t calm down.

Serena Odelion, his mother and the most precious woman in the Odrian Empire, watched Leopold with a pleased look.

As the woman who received the Emperor’s sole love, she was such a beautiful beauty that it was hard to believe she had an eight-year-old child.

“You look splendid, my son.”

“Father!”

Just then, the door opened and the Emperor, Ruber Odelion, appeared. He had the same golden eyes and white hair as Leopold. It felt as if that would be exactly what Leopold would look like when he grew up.

When Leopold ran over, Ruber lifted him up at once. When he kissed his cheek, Leopold burst into giggles.

“Are you looking forward to tomorrow’s birth banquet?”

“Of course! It’s a birthday that comes only once a year!”

“If there’s anything you want, just say the word. I did prepare various surprise gifts this time too, but no matter what, the best gift is the one you truly want, isn’t it?”

“Mm, then I want…… a little brother!”

For an instant, Ruber’s hand twitched. Leopold, unaware of anything, smiled brightly.

“I want a little brother! This time Harry bragged so much that he got a little sister!”

Ruber’s expression hardened, but when Leopold looked up at him with sparkling eyes, he forced a smile and set him down.

“Then this father will have to put in some effort.”

“Why does Father have to put in effort to make a little brother?”

“There are things like that. Now, shouldn’t you go try on the rest of your accessories?”

“Ah, right. You can’t leave while I’m trying on my shoes and accessories!”

Leopold trotted over to the maids. Ruber had been smiling with a pleased face, but the moment Leopold moved away, his face went cold.

“……Who brought up the little brother topic to Leo?”

“It is not something Your Majesty needs to worry about. It seems there are children among his playmates who have younger siblings.”

“It wasn’t about that child?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Seeing Serena’s pale expression, Ruber withdrew his suspicion. His face loosened, and he stroked Serena’s cheek.

“Recently, more people have seen that child, so I’ve been worried. I wonder if I frightened you for nothing.”

“……No. It is something Your Majesty has every reason to worry about.”

She worried that someone might have let slip something about Lucian to Leopold.

Until now, they had raised him in secret where no one’s eyes could reach, but three months ago he had been exposed to many people.

Of course, to prepare for any possible situation, they created the story that ‘we had no choice but to dress an orphan as royalty and offer him as a sacrifice.’

And even though he had been exposed, they erased from the world every single person who had been taking care of Lucian before, and everyone who had attended him then, so they couldn’t open their mouths even once.

But when they sent him to the ghost mansion, there had been some commotion, so it was highly possible someone had seen that scene.

“Dain, are you still continuing to send supplies to the ghost mansion?”

The chief attendant, Dain, flinched and bowed his head.

“A servant named James is sending supplies once a month.”

“Is he someone we can trust?”

“Yes. He is tight-lipped, and someone who is not afraid of the ghost mansion. Up to now, he has not spoken about him or the ghost mansion to other people. I will continue to keep watch.”

“Hm…… then that will do. It would be more convenient for one person to be in charge than for it to keep changing. Still, if he shows suspicious behavior, report it immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“No one must ever learn about that child. Especially not Leopold.”

The Empress and Dain bowed their heads.

With his hands behind his back, Ruber looked at Leopold in the distance with a meaningful gaze as he chose accessories.

He was wrinkling the bridge of his nose and thinking hard, but when his eyes met Ruber’s, he broke into a bright smile. Ruber returned it with a faint smile and a wave.

Then, suddenly, his hand twitched.

Because he recalled his second son from four years ago, whom he had met for the first time.

Golden eyes filled with curiosity even as he had been terrified. Perhaps because they were identical twins, he looked exactly like Leopold, but their atmospheres were completely different, so you could clearly tell them apart.

The last time he had seen the child was the sight of Lucian climbing into the carriage that would take him to the ghost mansion.

Since he had been born as the younger twin, he thought he had been quite considerate just by letting him live instead of killing him, and yet blood is still blood, is it?

‘……He really won’t disappear from my mind.’

That was why he hadn’t seen the child all this time. Empress Serena, upon hearing that twins were born, hadn’t even looked at the later-born Lucian.

Because if she looked, she would surely grow attached.

Her choice was right. Even now, hadn’t she made a face like she might cry just from hearing Lucian mentioned?

Quietly, Ruber wrapped an arm around Serena’s shoulders.

Telling himself that he had done all he could, he forced himself to erase Lucian from his mind.

* * *

Lucian’s birthday D-day.

As planned, Ria and Kaiser acted as usual and sent Lucian on an errand.

“This time I’m going alone, right?”

[Yeah, you said you memorized the whole way, right?]

“Yes!”

“I’m not going with you, so don’t follow any weird bastards, and don’t fall for it even if they offer you food. If they try to drag you away by force, kick ’em right in the—!”

She wanted to say he was teaching him something great, but since the worry in his heart was the same, Ria stayed silent.

With magic, Kaiser changed Lucian’s appearance just like last time.

While putting a hat on Lucian firmly, Kaiser fell silent for a moment, then elbowed Ria in the side.

“……See? It was good we spent money, right?”

[For this time, I agree.]

Lucian was wearing the new clothes they bought last time. Clothes really do make the man; it was worth every coin. He was so cute and refined you could believe he was a noble child.

[Shouldn’t you be following him even now?]

Kaiser glared at Ria as if telling her to say something that made sense.

[Still, I feel uneasy sending him off like this. Lucian is too pretty.]

“Heesh, Lucian. What are you going to do, with your bride doting on you like this? At this rate, aren’t you going to end up completely wrapped around her finger?”

[Shut up.]

Kaiser swatted Ria’s hand that had been holding onto Lucian and took him to the front gate. Ria shot Kaiser a murderous glare, but with no choice, she saw Lucian off.

“Here, what you’re going to buy. I put it in the pocket-space pouch, so put the items in there. After you use it, put it in your inner pocket and keep it there.”

“Yeah. Someone might steal it, so I’ll keep it safe.”

Lucian snorted like he was saying he wasn’t a baby.

[Lucian, you don’t have to buy everything there. If it gets hard or you get scared on the way, you can come back anytime, okay?]

“I understand. Then, I’ll be back!”

Lucian spoke confidently and stepped outside the fence, brave and steady. Ria stared at his retreating back for a long while. Beside her, Kaiser clicked his tongue.

“So pathetic, so pathetic. Hey, he’s eight—he’s not that young. He’ll handle it just fine. You know we have a mountain of work to do today, right?”

[……Do you think I don’t know? I’m just worried, that’s all.]

Kaiser told her to come in already and headed for the mansion first. Ria still couldn’t bring herself to leave, worrying about Lucian. Before long, Lucian had become a tiny dot far away.

Ria! Hurry up and come!

[That lizard bastard. He’s rushing me like crazy.]

Grumbling, Ria had no choice but to head for the mansion.

* * *

When Lucian arrived at the village, he swallowed hard. He had boasted confidently to Ria and Kaiser, but honestly, he was nervous.

Before, Kaiser was there, so his heart was much more at ease, but now…….

Come on, come on! Fresh apples picked this morning!

This chance doesn’t come every day! If you buy now, we’ll give it to you half off!

It’s an item that’s been sold out everywhere lately! If you miss this chance, I can’t promise when you’ll be able to buy it again!

Seeing the vendors calling out, the people moving busily, and the crowd filling the square, his breath felt tight in his chest.

But Lucian steadied his heart and checked the errand list Kaiser gave him.

“Sugar and almonds, seasonal fruit, a mortar…… mortar?”

He didn’t know what a mortar was, but he decided to buy what he knew first. As he prowled around the market, if he saw something on the list, he bought it right away, and if he couldn’t find it at all, he asked people and found the shop.

“Um, excuse me…….”

Lucian peered at a spice stall in a crawling voice. The owner, who had been dozing, startled awake, then, seeing Lucian, let his eyes droop again.

“Hwaaam. What are you looking for, kid?”

“I came to buy sugar.”

“……Sugar? An errand for your mom?”

“Huh? Yes…….”

Since sugar is pricey even among spices, most commoners can’t even afford to think about buying it. But he came to buy sugar on an errand?

“Are you mistaking honey for sugar?”

“It says sugar right here.”

“Hm…… fine, then. How much do you need?”

“Uh. It doesn’t say.”

Lucian groaned for a while, then held up both fists, roughly measuring. The shop owner, judging by sight, wrapped sugar in a cloth bundle.

As he weighed it, the owner glanced at Lucian, then named the price.

“2 gold.”

“2 gold? Just a moment.”

He had raised it by 50 silver, but is he really going to pay without complaint? Feeling like he’d stumbled onto a gift from heaven, the owner cheered inwardly.

Just as Lucian, naive, was about to pay the 2 gold, someone blocked his hand.

“There’s no one else to scam, so you scam a little kid, sir?”

“S-scam? Who are you?!”

“Huh? Dio?”

The one who helped Lucian was none other than Dio, the weapon shop owner’s son. He didn’t even glance at Lucian, only snorting.

“Just looking at it, it doesn’t even look worth 2 gold. This is 1 gold 30 silver, right?”

“30 silver? It’s 1 gold 50 sil— hup.”

The owner clamped a hand over his mouth. But after hearing it all, Dio glared at him.

“See! You really were trying to rip him off!”

“Y-you little brat……! What do you know, you’re just a kid……!”

“Hey! Folks, come look over here! A grown man is scamming a little kid who doesn’t know anything!”

Dio didn’t yield even to an adult’s threats; instead, he raised his voice even louder and drew attention. Passersby peered over, wondering what was going on.

“Look here! This man is right n—!”

“Ah! Ah! Fine! Just shut up already!”

“Sir, I’m a local. If you want to keep doing business, you should stop scamming people.”

“……This little punk is getting too big for his britches. Fine, I get it! Do whatever you want!”

“You heard him? Not 2 gold—”

Dio took 1 gold 30 silver from Lucian’s money pouch and set it on the stall.

“You little—! I said 1 gold 50 silver! You have to pay the other 20 silver!”

“If you tried to scam him by 50 silver, shouldn’t you obviously lose 20 silver for that? If you don’t like it, fine. Everyoooone—!”

“Alright! Fine! Take it and get lost!”

In the end, the owner raised both hands and feet and chased the two of them away from the stall.

At what had happened in an instant, Lucian blinked. Dio stuck his tongue out at the sputtering owner and handed Lucian the sugar bundle.

“Here.”

“……Thanks.”

“In the market, you have to bargain. Usually they call higher than the base price. You’ve never even run an errand before, have you?”

“Yeah…….”

“I figured. ……Are you some kind of noble?”

Dio looked Lucian up and down at his far more refined look than before.

Remembering Ria’s words that he must never reveal his identity, Lucian shook his head.

“……Fine, then.”

Lucian stared at Dio as he kicked at the ground, pouting. When Lucian stared so intensely it was burdensome, Dio rolled his eyes and scratched his head.

“……I’m going.”

Dio left Lucian behind and walked away. And inwardly, he grumbled.

‘Tch, maybe I shouldn’t have helped.’

On the way back after finishing an errand for his dad, he happened to spot Lucian. Since Lucian had a face that stood out so much, he recognized him at once.

He didn’t help expecting anything, but he thought they’d at least become friendly—yet with Lucian so quiet, how could they?

“Geez, what am I expecting…….”

“Why are you sighing?”

“Waaah!”

At the voice right beside him, Dio screamed on the spot. Lucian flinched and stepped back.