Chapter . 134
-They just think I’m fun, and even if they chat with a little, it doesn’t really damage their reputation any more than listening to a jester’s jokes.
Yolande said with a smile.
-But I really am having fun. Breaking into court society and paving the road ahead for Nanette and the mages who will co after . And I have my husband and friends already, so I don’t need to seek love and friendship in a social world where betrayal runs rampant.
The sight of my teacher looking happy, and Vincent watching his wife chattering excitedly while surrounded by noblewon with a pleased expression, helped calm down a little. Then, all of a sudden, I asked Rolf,
“Don’t you want to go and enjoy social life alongside those three as well? You could even take turns with Michelon sotis.”
And I could seat Michelon beside and make him study politics that he hated.
“It’s fine, Your Highness. I like being by your side. Lord Michelon is curious, but I’m not that kind of person.”
“My most loyal vassal, if you change your mind, tell anyti.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. But I really am fine. Besides, people tend to avoid .”
“That can’t be. Why would they avoid soone as pleasant-looking and gentle as you?”
Vincent hiccupped beside us, but I was too curious about Rolf’s answer to even ask if he was all right.
“They call by the nickna Cerberus of the Second Prince.”
“Cerberus!”
I was furious.
“How could anyone look at you and compare you to a three-headed hellhound? Have I ever seen such outrageous idiots!”
“It’s fine. I like this nickna.”
“Stop saying everything is fine. Next ti soone calls you by that nickna, don’t endure it. Duel them. No, bring them to . I will teach those rude bastards who bully my loyal vassal a lesson.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. It is truly an honor.”
Gentle Sir Rolf only smiled. He was clearly swallowing it down inside like I used to. A person could be too kind for his own good.
“Ku, cough! Cough, cough!”
Vincent started coughing beside , and I was about to ask if he was all right when—
“You have no intention of greeting , and what are you staring at sowhere else so intently?”
In the middle of this, Reinhard returned with my brother. I knew through detection magic, but I ignored it, and when I turned back I was horrified.
“No, is that not my brother? Why are you standing on your own two legs for once?”
“You barked so loudly even when I was only leaning, and now you’re making a fuss even when I’m standing?”
“I can tell what you’re thinking without even looking. You plan to make everyone lie down and be the only one standing.”
“Since you know, why don’t you cooperate like a proper younger brother? Was it not only you who failed to notice?”
“Since you’re my brother, can’t you dress properly and be presentable when eting your younger brother? Why is it always either lying down or naked, or one of the two, or both?”
I couldn’t live from embarrassnt. Maximilian was bare-chested.
“Shut up. Today I dressed up as Balaska.”
“Was it a masquerade ball?”
I asked in a daze. Dressing up would be possible if it were a masquerade, but there had been no ntion, and now, at this late mont? My three banquet-crazed ones stared at my brother with fire in their eyes.
“It is my birthday, so it is enough if only I dress up. Why would people whose birthday it isn’t dress up?”
“…If it’s a costu, why aren’t you wearing a mask?”
Hide that shaless face.
“If I hid my face, Mother in Heaven would be angered. Should I make the one who gave birth to this face sad?”
“Mother gave a revelation that she would not be angered by such a thing.”
“Don’t lie with that shaless face.”
“Because Mother wants to fix your vanity, brother.”
“With this face, how am I supposed to be humble? Those who don’t have this face would be offended by such hypocrisy. In the first place, Mother loved my face, saying it was art she created.”
“That’s only because she can’t see my face right now.”
“Who exactly is the vain one right now?”
“Does that matter? What matters is that Balaska the Great didn’t go around bare-chested like you!”
Balaska wasn’t an idiot. He fought a dragon wearing full armor and wielding a sword. But so painters depicted him as a muscular man saving a beautiful woman against a dragon, and in order to show off the muscles, they boldly omitted details like armor and such.
As those paintings beca hugely popular, Balaska ended up with a descendant who was an arrogant moron like my brother today. A leech clinging to his glory!
“Just watch.”
My brother said that and climbed onto the bed I hadn’t even set foot on. The music changed into a solemn, majestic lody. And then my brother began to dance the hero’s dance honoring Balaska.
There had been rulers who called themselves the sun, dressed as the sun, and danced the sun’s dance. But at least they danced with dignity.
They wore proper clothes and dressed splendidly; they didn’t throw off their upper garnts, let their hair loose, and stomp around barefoot without a shred of decorum like my brother.
“Calamitia, I will not forgive you!”
If he was going to shout dramatically anyway, it would have been fitting for a lunatic act if he did it toward empty air. My brother’s loyal knights, also bare-chested barefoot n, surrounded him. And so my brother fought them one against many.
Expectation rose that he might actually get beaten to death by so many, but they went flying down like falling leaves with a single swing of his sword. It was combat description so pathetic that even kicking a trunk of a tree with autumn leaves would have been better. That must be why it was a bed. The falling and tumbling movents had pointless intensity, and if it hadn’t been on a bed, there might have been injuries everywhere.
“Ohhh, brave Balaska protects us!”
Regardless, the noblewon chanted fervently. Every last one of them was Calamitia’s hostage, and my brother carried them out and rescued them.
So noblewon even slipped back in to be rescued twice. It completely shattered the flutter I had felt when they were carried out looking as beautiful and tragic as dying swans.
“Balaska! I cannot forgive you! My strongest foe! I will kill you!”
Just as the noblewon weren’t satisfied with being rescued once, the knights couldn’t die just once either. They revived, shouting battle cries, then climbed up by lifting each other onto shoulders, forming a kind of sculpture.
At so point, noblewon trapped inside again scread. But my brother bravely advanced, killed them all, and rescued them all. I no longer felt it was worth saying more.
“Valaskaion! Descendant of the hero! You founded Armatia!”
My brother raised a sword resembling Juratio and answered the people’s cheers.
“It’s so childish it’s embarrassing to watch.”
I turned to Michelon and complained. If I had co tomorrow, I wouldn’t have seen this, so it was all his fault.
Michelon glared.
“Don’t insult him. Have you ever been a hot-blooded man like Maximilian even once?”
“…You’re enjoying this Balaska play where he kills Calamitia, whatever it is, so kind of musical drama?”
“Of course not. What I’m saying is that Maximilian does things like that because he likes it, and you hate things like that. And that is exactly what people like!”
“That childish, embarrassing thing?”
“That’s exactly why they like it. Today I finally understand why Maximilian is more popular than you. He is pure sensuality. He practices inciting politics! No matter how much you sneer and call it childish, people go wild for him. Because he likes what they like, and he shows them what they want to see. Compared to him, you seem cold!”
“I’m rational and composed.”
“So what. People think Maximilian is bold and hearty, so he’s emperor material, but they think you’re pri minister material! You don’t have enough popularity!”
“Have I ever seen such ungrateful bastards! How many incidents have I caused! I entertained them so much!”
“Sure, you did a lot. But if Maximilian cos out and pulls sothing like that once, the only thing people talk about is how gallant he looked, how good it felt to be saved in his arms, and things like that! Even the guys who got knocked down by him are happy, saying that thanks to the First Prince they showed off their valor and drew everyone’s eyes!”
Michelon was clearly exaggerating the situation. But he was a banquet-crazed one, and in that regard, you could say he knew high society better than I did.
“Lord Michelon is right.”
Yolande nodded heavily.
“Among noblewon, the most popular person as the next Emperor is the First Prince. I’m sorry, but Leontes—”
“That’s obvious. It’s natural that I’m next in rank. He has always been the most likely successor since he was born the First Prince, and I’ve only recently made a na for myself.”
“…That is… fourth place.”
“What, fourth? That can’t be. If that’s true, doesn’t that an I’m last?”
I thought Yolande was joking. But she looked grim.
“Are you saying I’m really last?”
I was so dumbfounded that I ended up snapping at my teacher, but my teacher didn’t get angry. She looked at like she felt terribly, terribly sorry.
“…No one disagrees that Your Highness is very great, remarkable, and outstanding. They even say you are the best in the qualities of a wise ruler.”
“And even knowing that? What on earth is the problem!”
“…It’s that you look a bit rigid, so they worry you might forbid fun banquets like this one the First Prince gives. Even just your unapproachable atmosphere makes you look strict and demanding, so they worry you might raise taxes on luxury and pleasure if you ascend the throne… The incidents you stirred up as a prince in politics were truly fun, but they think that once you actually take the throne, you’ll be a bit boring, that’s the impression they seem to have.”
“Even more than Desmond?”
“This isn’t about likelihood, it’s only about popularity. Prince Desmond is from the Lauderdale family, which is famous for extravagance, and he himself is extravagant too. He has held many luxurious banquets. But as for you, aside from the outfits Lord Michelon chooses for you, you sohow feel like you as a person would be frugal, strict, and that kind of impression.”
These rotten people wanted a ruler who would guarantee their extravagant court life even if it ant squeezing the people dry!
“Of course, that’s a mistaken impression. So, to erase that misunderstanding—”
“But it’s right.”
“Huh? Your Highness?”
“What misunderstanding? No, that’s fortunate. Tell them to know that when I ascend the throne, banquets like this are finished. I’ll slap them with a pile of fines. If Nanette is going to be able to attend before she turns forty, it has to be a wholeso banquet. What? If I beco Emperor, it’ll be boring? Hmph, it’ll be more boring than they can imagine! If I look boring, then making it truly boring to match their predictions would be rcy I grant them!”
Yolande only widened her eyes and couldn’t say a word. Beside , Michelon snapped at instead.
“Wow, stop saying things like a tyrant!”
“What did you say, are you done talking!”
“No, it just sounds like that, so what do you want to do!”
“Y-Your Highness, Lord Michelon has a point too. According to what we investigated, in high society, among both knights and noblewon, the First Prince’s popularity is trendous. We have to sohow break that dominance.”
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