0&1 Ch 19.1

Return

The streets were festive.

Edward was scheduled to return the next day, and the people of the royal palace had been excited for weeks. The border dispute was completely over. We had won, and peace would continue.

People acted as if they had just met Prince Edward for the first time. The time he had spent in the royal castle was forgotten, and he moved among the people as if he were a completely new person.

“They say that Prince Edward was intelligent and noble from a young age, right?”
“Of course he was.”
“When he was born, the star of Conqueror Edward appeared above the royal palace, and he was given the name ‘Edward,’ right?”
“That’s right.”

As I was walking down the hallway, I overheard the servants talking.

It was only natural that Edward’s reputation was skyrocketing. He was the strong prince that the people of this powerless country had always dreamed of.

It seemed that the only people unaffected by the excited atmosphere were myself and the Queen. The Queen was engrossed in something.

It was a hobby of the Queen’s that had begun a year ago, just before Edward left for battle. At that time, it was considered a strange foreign pastime, but now it was extremely popular among the young nobility.

It could be called the latest trend in the capital. It wasn’t about tea, dresses, or foreign silk.

The nobles of a certain age and status called it ‘free love.’ It was as if it were some kind of unidentified creature.

The Queen was unexpectedly fond of this practice. I knew this because of her frequent tea parties.

She would invite the daughters of nobles to drink tea and chat with her. It would have been fine if it had stopped there, but she happened to call me over and introduced me to them.

At first, I didn’t know what the Queen wanted, so I just sat there and tried to fit in. The next day, Dot came running over, looking shocked, and asked me what was going on.

”I heard the Prince is courting someone.”
“What? With whom?”
“With which noblewoman…?”
“I’m dating someone?”

We looked at each other and realized what had happened. After that, I attended the Queen’s gatherings with a sense of tension.

I appreciate that the Queen respected my wishes and thought seriously about my future, but it was really difficult for me.

Whether it was free love or whatever, I wasn’t in a position to meet anyone; I was about to enter the academy, and I was at a crossroads in my life, wondering if I even had a future.

I couldn’t convince the Queen, though.

Not long ago, the Queen asked me seriously, “Prince, do you dislike Lady Pie?”

“No.”

Lady Pie, the youngest daughter of Duke Pie, was a scary young lady who looked just like her father. It wasn’t that I disliked her, but liking her was another matter entirely.

When I stood in front of her, I felt like I hadn’t done my homework and was attending the Duke’s class. It meant that I had nothing to say, cold sweat was pouring down my back, and I could only manage an ambiguous smile.

“Or do young ladies in general make you uncomfortable?”
“Actually, yes.”

“My dear Prince, you’re still so young. What shall we do?” The Queen smiled. I couldn’t tell if she was doting on me or scolding me.

“I still prefer spending time alone with my mother.” 

When I obediently replied, the Queen laughed out loud.

“I see. Was I being too impatient? But you will soon fall in love and leave your mother’s side.”
“I won’t.”

“Truly? Then I will believe you.” The Queen touched my cheek. “If I don’t believe in the Prince, who else can I believe in?”

The Queen was impatient. She wanted to rally support for me.

The reason for that was returning to the royal palace. I was also impatient, but for a different reason than the Queen.

“What are you thinking about, Your Highness?” Lowell Montblanc asked.

He was the fifth target in the game. The son of an accomplished merchant. Raised in a liberal household, this man was rich in both material and emotional wealth, and he always brought me gifts whenever he visited the royal capital.

“Nothing.”
“I guess I’m boring you, Your Highness. I’ll try harder.”

“How?” I asked absentmindedly, and Lowell smiled. His bright face looked as if flowers were about to bloom.

This character was supposed to be a womanizer. In the game, the heroine witnesses him meeting several lovers at five-minute intervals.

I thought anyone who saw him would think he was a womanizer, but rather than that, he had a face that made people feel giddy.

“How about something like this?”

Lowell gestured. An upper-level employee walked over, holding onto reins.

I saw a horse approaching behind the employee. It was a black horse with shiny fur and smooth muscles. Its thick mane hung down like a banner, making it look so majestic that I was startled.

I couldn’t breathe as I stared at the horse. Lowell smiled as if he had expected this reaction.

“Can I ride it?”

“What? That’s a little…” Lowell smiled awkwardly. “He’s more temperamental than he looks.”

“Will it be a problem if I ride him?” 

Does he throw off riders who lack skill?

Lowell nodded without hesitation. “Yes. It’s already thrown off several people. It’s the kind of horse that would cause an accident no matter where it was, so I brought it to the Prince. At least it’s nice to look at, right?”

“Yes. I’ll take it. I won’t ride him, though.”
“That’s a wise decision.”

Lowell showed me a few more horses. I rode the one he said was the gentlest and circled the field a few times. That alone was enough to make my legs feel weak.

Joffrey was timid. 

Joffrey was a coward. In a world with no tall buildings, it wasn’t obvious, but he had a fear of heights. Being off the ground and moving at a height higher than usual, like when riding a horse, was torture for Joffrey.

Still, I didn’t dislike horses. Collecting horses I couldn’t ride well was my hobby.

One of them might save my life someday.

There was no other means of transportation in this world. In the end, the only thing I could rely on was Joffrey’s fearful body.

“Did you bring anything else?”

When I didn’t want to think about complicated things, Lowell was a good person to talk to. The things he brought were interesting and sometimes useful.

“Would you like to see something that’s popular in the capital these days?” Lowell asked.

The word popular reminded me of that thing called ‘free love.’

“Show me.” I sat down on the table.

Lowell rubbed his hands together as if he had thought of something good. He looked more like a merchant.

In the game, Lowell seemed like the spoiled son of a rich family, but the Lowell I met was more like a businessman. He was good at business and made people feel good.

An employee brought a box. Inside the red box was a sword in a rough scabbard. It didn’t look like it was worth much.

“This is the sword His Highness Edward used on the battlefield…” Lowell said excitedly.

Edward’s sword? I looked at Lowell in disbelief.

Why do you have that?

“…It’s an identical replica of a famous sword! A knight who appreciates the finer things in life should have one, don’t you think?”
“…”
”And this is a saddle made by the same manufacturer as the one His Highness Edward used on the battlefield… It’s a replica with the same shape and performance…”
“…”

No, is this the latest trend in the capital?

I’ve never been good at following trends, but… I really don’t understand fashion. Do I have no sense of style?

In any case, Edward seems to be an object of admiration.

“This is the last item,” Lowell said.

The clerk brought over something that looked like a small jewelry box. As soon as I saw the locket inside, I knew what Lowell was going to say.

“It’s the same design as the lucky locket that His Highness Edward always carries with him.”

“Is this available now?”

Lowell looked flustered when I asked him that.

“No. It’s not well known yet, so our company is preparing to distribute it for the first time.“

”Sell it all to me. Everything you have and everything you’re producing. And don’t distribute the lockets on the market. I’ll cover your losses.“

Lowell replied with wide eyes, “I will. Do you have any further instructions?“

“No.”
“Should I inform the other trading companies?”
“No.”

Lowell carefully gauged my mood. He was wondering if I was upset.

I smiled at him and told him I would buy some of the trinkets that were popular in the capital.

They were useless items, but they helped lighten the mood.

“Are you going to attend the ceremony?” Grey asked. 

He had come by unannounced and asked for a cup of tea. There were no extra classes today, and it wasn’t a special day. But I was used to seeing him in my study.

“No.”

I didn’t know what answer he wanted when he asked me so abruptly, so I just answered his question.

Edward deserved a good day without running into me.

“What about the welcome banquet tonight?”
“I’m not going.”
“His Majesty will be disappointed.”
“When was he ever happy? It’s been a million years since I’ve seen him smile.”

“You’re saying it’s okay to let things be. His Highness Edward will be disappointed,“ Grey said jokingly.

“Are you serious?” It didn’t sound like a joke to me.

Grey stopped pretending to read and closed the book. He rested his chin on the book and stared at me.

“I’ll be honest with you. I received a letter from His Highness Edward. He asked about your well-being and how you’ve been doing.”

“Really?” I didn’t know what to say. Edward asked about me? Why? “What did you write back?”

“What I knew. That you’ve been busy with your duties.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I don’t know much about what you do, though.”
“If you don’t know me, who does?”

Grey raised an eyebrow. 

“Well, unless you’re the son of that merchant, you wouldn’t know. I was really surprised when His Highness successfully pioneered the sea route. You never showed any interest in such things before.”

“Oh, that.” 

My mood sank in an instant. Even without Grey saying anything, I had heard the praise of being a genius investor so many times that my ears were sore.

Even Lowell had mentioned it briefly before we parted.

What on earth is wrong with me?

They say that out of a hundred people who invest in a ship, ninety-nine will fail.

I couldn’t understand where Lowell’s statistics were wrong. I thought it was a failed investment anyway, so I introduced a survival payout.

Don’t sailors usually slack off when there’s a survival payout for a failed venture? Who would go out to the open sea and suffer?

But the people in this world were different from me. They were kind and diligent. They kept their promises.

The adventurers and sailors successfully charted the new route. I, who had invested in that venture, apparently gained the reputation of a Prince with foresight.

Joffrey sure had a supernatural knack for making things go in the worst way possible.