ARTS 10

Posted by zahid, Released on May 30, 2026

CHAPTER 10 Tea Party with the Queen

My phone battery is about to die.

I have to update this quickly!

That day, I was summoned by the Queen.

“Welcome. Come in.”

The room I was led into turned out to be the Queen’s private chamber.

“I’ve wanted to sit down and have a proper conversation with you. Please, take a seat.”

Someone was already seated there.

Looking closer, I realized it was Lady Vanessa.

“Lady Vanessa?”

“Welcome. I originally served as the Queen’s lady-in-waiting and was also a member of the intelligence division.”

“Is it really alright to tell me something like that?”

“With Captain Kagerou assigned to you, it isn’t much of a secret anymore!”

I smiled.

“Kagerou isn’t the kind of person who would leak confidential information without permission.”

“I can completely understand why the Captain wanted to serve you.”

Lady Vanessa gave a wry smile.

“Honestly, Cardinal, you’re so mature for your age. I wish that foolish prince sulking over there would learn from you!”

I looked toward the corner of the room.

The prince was sitting there with his knees pulled to his chest.

What was wrong with him?

“Your brother ignored him, so he’s feeling depressed.”

Well, my brother was a bit of a siscon.

He was probably still angry about the prince’s behavior at the engagement ceremony.

“It’s your fault.”

“No, no. This is entirely the prince’s fault.”

“Because of you, Barthemic glares at me and Mother calls me an idiot!”

“Putting my brother aside for the moment, I’m sorry for calling you the Idiot Prince.”

He glared at me fiercely.

Then he suddenly stood up and walked toward me.

What?

Do you want to fight?

“Here…”

The prince opened his small hand and held it out toward me.

Resting in his palm was a bright red rose-shaped barrette.

It was actually quite cute.

“It won’t stand out much in your hair… but you can have it.”

“…”

“I didn’t realize your hair color would be different from Barthemic’s. Just deal with it.”

I clipped the barrette onto one of my twin tails.

“How does it look?”

“…Yeah… It suits you better than I expected.”

Ah!

I finally understood.

He had expected a girl with the same hair color as my brother and bought the barrette accordingly.

Then I showed up with a hair color that made the accessory barely noticeable, and he got upset.

You’re a tsundere, aren’t you?

“Would you like to come apologize to my brother with me?”

“Huh? I’m a prince, you know.”

“When you’ve done something wrong, you apologize. That’s normal in our family.”

“…”

“Can even my little brother do something that you can’t?”

“…”

“I’ll apologize alongside you. Let’s go.”

“…Fine.”

And so the prince and I headed for the Royal Library, where my brother was likely spending his time.

“Sorry.”

The prince spoke to my brother.

I grabbed the prince’s head and pushed it down.

“Hey!”

“Not ‘sorry.’ Say ‘I’m sorry.'”

“…I’m sorry.”

Perhaps because the prince had bowed his head, my brother finally smiled.

“You should be apologizing to Cardinal, not me.”

“That’s…”

“It’s alright,” I interrupted. “The prince even gave me a present! I love red roses, so I was really happy. Look!”

I stepped closer so my brother could see the barrette.

“Oh, that’s adorable. It’s almost the same color as your hair, Cardi.”

“Yes! That’s why, Your Highness, thank you very much.”

“…Cardinal, I’m sorry.”

The prince bowed his head to me.

Good.

He might be an idiot, but he was the kind of idiot who could change.

At that moment, I felt like a purebred Persian cat had finally decided to trust me.

“Thank you for apologizing.”

I smiled happily.

For some reason, my brother suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

“Ah, Cardi is so cute. Don’t make that face outside.”

“W-what face? …Brother, I can’t breathe.”

Only then did he let me go.

“Why did you come to the palace today, Cardi?”

“The Queen invited me for tea…”

Then I suddenly remembered.

“Oh no! I shouldn’t have been distracted by the prince!”

“I’ll come apologize to the Queen with you.”

“Thank you, Brother!”

My brother took my hand and led the way.

When we returned to the Queen’s room, Lord Braud had joined the tea party and was drinking tea with everyone.

“Welcome back, Cardinal. Would it be alright if Braud joins us?”

“Of course. And I’m sorry for leaving without permission.”

“It’s perfectly fine. Now, let’s continue our tea party. Barthemic, you too.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As we took our seats, I felt like something was missing.

I turned around.

The prince was gone.

I immediately stood up again.

“May I go look for the prince? He’s not here.”

The one who answered was Lord Braud.

“Jace probably hid himself because he’s uncomfortable around me.”

That idiot needed another lecture.

I bowed to everyone and left the room to search for him.

The prince was standing right outside the door.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean? …My uncle is in there… and he’s cursed…”

Without hesitation, I kicked him in the side.

The prince looked at me in shock.

“That’s not a curse! It’s genetics! Just genetics! Lord Braud’s mother has black hair and black eyes, so there’s nothing strange about it! Are you stupid? Are you an idiot on top of being stupid? How can someone like that ever become king?!

“Lord Braud has suffered because of those ridiculous rumors! And despite that, he’s worked hard and earned recognition through his contributions to medicine. He’s an admirable person! If even his own blood relative refuses to see who he really is, then what’s the point? If you ask me, the one whose mind is cursed is you for blindly following everyone else!”

I could have lectured him for another hour.

“You don’t call Lady Vanessa cursed, do you?”

“…No.”

“Then there’s no reason for you to be afraid of Lord Braud either, right?”

“…Right.”

“Then can you apologize to him too?”

“…Will you hold my hand?”

This tsundere…

“It can’t be helped. Give me your hand.”

“…”

The tsundere prince hesitantly held out his hand.

I gently took it and led him back to Lord Braud.