Chapter 25
“Y-you, what are you!”
“……Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Seeing the innocent face, Dio rubbed his dry face.
“Did you get lost?”
“Not exactly…….”
The paper Lucian was fiddling with caught his eye.
“You don’t know where to go, do you?”
Lucian nodded. Dio looked back and forth between Lucian and the paper, then let out a long sigh and jerked his chin.
“I’ll guide you. Follow me.”
“Really? Thank you!”
Dio’s eyebrow twitched. He cleared his throat for no reason and strode ahead. When Lucian trailed after him patter-patter, Dio halted.
“Don’t walk behind me—come to my side! Do I really have to teach you even that?!”
“Ah.”
At first Lucian watched his mood, then went straight to Dio’s side. When Lucian gave a bashful smile, Dio stuck his lips out.
The two boys walked side by side again for the next errand. After a brief silence, Dio spoke first.
“……You moved here recently, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. Not long ago.”
“Where do you live?”
“Uh…… o-over there.”
“If you don’t want to tell me, just say you don’t want to tell me.”
“It’s not that…….”
“Why is this kid so frustrating. You don’t have any friends?”
“…….”
“……Hey. If you make that face, people misunderstand!”
“……But I don’t have friends.”
“Why.”
“……I just don’t.”
“…….”
“…….”
“Do you want me to be your friend?”
“Really?”
“It’d be good to have a friend who knows swordsmanship…… i-if you don’t want it, fine!”
“N-no! I like it! Hehe…….”
“Good grief, you really look like you’d get taken advantage of anywhere.”
“……But I taste bad.”
“Who actually eats you? It’s just an expression. Seriously, you don’t even get jokes.”
“Then do you hate me……?”
“W-who said I hate you? I told you not to make that face!”
Even as they bickered, the two boys soon wandered the square with blooming smiles. It was the first friend Lucian had ever had his own age.
* * *
“This is the last one!”
With Dio’s help, after even picking up the shoes at the shoe shop, Lucian slipped the boxes into the pocket-space pouch one by one.
Seeing that, Dio gaped and looked around nervously. Sure enough, a few adults who noticed the rare pocket-space pouch were peering their way.
“What are you looking at! Didn’t you come just to gawk?!”
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Only after confirming the onlookers had backed off did Dio look at Lucian with an utterly fed-up gaze.
“You really don’t know anything about the world. No one taught you that you have to be careful using that?”
Lucian flinched. He really did pull it out in too crowded a place.
‘See, I told you to be careful! Do you know how many nasty bastards there are among humans!’
He pictured Kaiser, spitting fire and fuming. Lucian’s hands suddenly moved faster, and Dio tilted his head.
“Why are you suddenly like that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I bought everything.”
“Hm, yeah?”
Seeing the money left after the errands, Lucian hesitated, then looked at Dio.
“Thanks for helping me! I’ll buy you something tasty!”
“What? No, it’s fine.”
“Ria said that if you receive help, you have to repay it no matter what. So let’s go!”
Without even waiting for consent, he dragged him along. Dio was dumbfounded, then soon let out a snort of laughter and followed behind Lucian.
When Lucian, who was leading at first, got lost, Dio guided him here and there. Thanks to that, Lucian learned the best snack spots.
“Mmm, it’s good.”
“Right? It’s super good!”
The two boys took a brief rest, skewers in hand. Maybe because they were against a wall, the busy-moving people stood out even more.
“It feels like there are way more people than last time I came.”
“Yeah. Everyone’s trying to go to the capital.”
“Why the capital?”
“Why else? It’s the Crown Prince’s birthday today.”
“Birthday?”
“It’s been noisy since the day before yesterday, talking about festivals and stuff. Especially inside the capital, it’ll be louder than here. I heard a circus troupe came, and other kids said they’re going to go see it.”
He spoke like it was someone else’s business, as if he didn’t care much himself.
“What day is it today?”
“Today? July 17.”
“…….”
“Why are you suddenly asking the date? Huh? What’s with your face.”
Only then did Dio look at Lucian’s face and panic. Lucian wore an expression like he’d been shocked, and yet sad.
“It’s my birthday today too…….”
“What? Hey! You should’ve said so sooner!”
Dio started rummaging through his pockets. All he found was a single fairy tale, and he looked awkward.
“I-I don’t have money right now, so I can’t buy you something…….”
“No, it’s not because I want a present. It’s just…….”
He was only surprised that he hadn’t even realized his birthday was coming.
For Lucian, his birthday was the most special day, one he counted down to eagerly.
People didn’t suddenly become kind, nor did new changes begin in his daily life, but at least that day, he ate delicious food he usually couldn’t, and in the small garden attached to the palace, he watched fireworks color the sky.
Even last year, once summer began, he waited only for his birthday to come, but this year he hadn’t thought about it even once.
If there was a reason, it would be because he met Ria.
Thinking of Ria and Kaiser lifted his mood again. He became curious what kind of reaction they would have if he told them it was his birthday today.
‘H-heh, will they be surprised?’
Imagining the two of them flustered made him want to hurry back to the mansion.
Meanwhile, Dio couldn’t understand Lucian, who had been gloomy alone and then suddenly started grinning again.
“But did no one in your family notice it was your birthday? Not a single person?”
“Huh? Yeah. I didn’t tell anyone.”
“How can they not know just because you didn’t tell them? Your family is really awful. And that hyung you came with last time, he has so much money—he didn’t even buy you a present?”
Is that something to get this angry about? If he didn’t tell them it was his birthday, isn’t it natural they wouldn’t know?
But Dio, not knowing the circumstances, got even angrier, saying his family was too indifferent.
“Let’s go to my house!”
“Huh?”
“I’ll give you a present.”
Dio dragged Lucian to the weapon shop. Dio’s dad, Bill, who was serving customers, noticed Lucian.
“Oh? Aren’t you the kid from last time.”
“Dad, it’s his birthday today!”
“Hm? Is that so?”
“So give me one present for him instead of my allowance this month.”
Bill blinked at his son. He wondered if they’d gotten close without him knowing, but then thought that even so, it couldn’t have been that many times—yet if his son, who calculates his allowance strictly, was asking for a gift in its place, it seems he must really like Lucian.
Bill chuckled and patted Dio’s head.
“Ack! You’ll make my hair dirty!”
“You punk, what kind of mouth is that to your dad. Alright, so it’s your birthday today?”
“Yes…… ah, but you don’t have to give me anything. It’s really okay, but Dio—”
“What do you mean it’s okay! If your family won’t take care of you, then I have to, at least!”
Dio’s words caught a little, but Bill first looked around to see what might be good to give Lucian.
“Let’s see. You said you were learning swordsmanship last time?”
“Ah, yes!”
“How long have you been learning swordsmanship?”
“Only a few days.”
“Is that so?”
Bill glanced at Lucian from the side. Then he went to the storage and brought back a box.
“This is a shoulder guard. For now, since you’re young, it’ll be fine, but as you keep swinging a sword, your body will take a lot of strain here and there. It’s good to wear protective gear from a young age. That way you won’t get hurt.”
“Nice! How is it? Do you like it?”
Lucian mouthed at his lips, feeling shy. It was the first present he had ever received in his life. And one meant purely for him.
“I haven’t done anything for you…….”
“What do you mean, you haven’t. You bought me a ton of delicious stuff today. If you really feel bad about it, then duel with me once next time! There aren’t any kids around here who know swordsmanship.”
“Yeah! I will, for sure! Thank you, Dio!”
“K-khmm! It’s nothing…….”
Bill watched his son, who was grumbling while his earlobes turned red, with warm eyes. He was glad his son had found a good friend.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
“Good. And if you really want to thank me, next time you buy something, make sure you come to our shop. Since you’re this punk’s friend, I’ll give you a special low price.”
“……Yes!”
Lucian smiled brightly, hugging the gift the two gave him with care.
* * *
“I have to brag to Ria and hyung!”
From making a new friend to receiving a birthday present, there were mountains of things to tell them.
Humming and bouncing along, he didn’t notice.
The shadow cast behind him.
That shadow reached a hand toward Lucian.
Grab—
“Aaah!”
Lucian jolted and jumped. Then, instinctively, he clenched the glass marble Kaiser had given him tight.
Clutching his pounding heart, he turned around and saw James, looking clearly flustered.
“J-James?”
“I-I’m sorry for startling you, Lucian! I saw you and, without realizing it, I just…….”
“Haa, you startled me…….”
Relieved, Lucian slid the glass marble into his pocket.
“Looks like you went to the village.”
“Yeah! Just for a little er— no, I had something to buy!”
Lucian hurriedly glossed over it, but thankfully James didn’t find it strange.
“But why are you suddenly using honorifics?”
At Lucian’s confusion over James’s suddenly changed manner of speaking, James realized it too late.
“Ah, well, since I’m a servant, even if you’re young, I thought speaking politely—”
Under the staring gaze, James squeezed his eyes shut.
“……Is it weird?”
“Yeah, really weird. I like the usual James.”
He had thought it would be better to speak politely even if he was an unrevealed royal, but it seems it was a little too late to change it now.
James let out a helpless laugh and returned to his usual tone.
“Fine, then. I’ll go back to normal. Anyway, looks like you didn’t wander around and get lost. Even if the road is simple, there’s a forest in the middle, so I was worried what you’d do if you lost your way.”
“That won’t happen! This is my second time!”
“Really? That’s impressive.”
“Ahem! But what brings you here, James? It hasn’t been long since you delivered supplies last time, right?”
“Ah, well…….”
James hesitated, then handed over something he’d been hiding behind his back.
It was a neatly wrapped gift box. James scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Today is your birthday…… no, I mean, your birthday, right? I wanted to at least bring you a gift…….”
When Lucian stared blankly at the gift, James let out a groan.
“I don’t have that much money, so it’s better not to expect much. I just thought, since you’re alone in the mansion, it’d be good if you had at least a toy…….”
“No! I’m really happy! Thank you! It’s my first time getting a toy!”
“R-really? Haa, that’s a relief…….”
James let out a huge sigh of relief and looked at the delighted Lucian.
‘It really was good that I came.’
Honestly, on the way here, he had agonized over whether he was sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. But seeing that pure joy, he knew his choice had been right.
“I wanted to buy you cake too, but I didn’t have enough money…… next year, I’ll buy you a delicious cake.”
“Hehe, you’re coming to see me until next year?”
Lucian said it without much thought, but it landed differently to James.
“……Of course. Where would I go? I have to come every month for your sake too.”
To be honest, after realizing he was a prince, he had thought that if he treated him well now, maybe it would be good for him later. But looking at that pure expression, all those idle thoughts flew away.
“You were on your way to the mansion, right? I’ll take you to the mansion.”
“Okay!”
James walked by Lucian’s side, matching his stride. As always, looking at him made him feel sorry.
By now, his twin brother would be having a splendid birthday in the palace, but Lucian…….
“But, James.”
“Yeah, why?”
“How did you know it was my birthday? I’ve never told anyone.”
James flinched and hurriedly worked his brain.
“I-I heard it somewhere! You know me, I know everything!”
“Mm…….”
When Lucian stared at him, James felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“I see! It’s James, after all!”
But seeing Lucian believe him without any suspicion, James could finally breathe again.
Soon the two chatted nonstop, not even noticing time passing as they walked.
When he saw the mansion in the distance, Lucian smiled brightly.
“We’re here! I’m going now! Thank you so much for the present!”
“Yeah. See you next month, Prince.”
Accepting James’s present and running toward the mansion, Lucian suddenly realized something strange in what James had said.
“……Did I ever tell James I’m a prince?”
In the middle of their conversation, James had occasionally called him a prince. Since he’d been chatting excitedly, he hadn’t noticed it right away.
Tilting his head, Lucian recalled something.
“Ah! Everyone called me a fake prince.”
After orphan, the word he heard the most was fake prince. James must have heard that too.
Thinking it wasn’t a big deal, Lucian quickly shook off the question and continued on his way.
