0&1 Ch 8.2

I dismissed the young attendants and called for Dot. As soon as he entered, he grumbled, “You shouldn’t be so lenient with those kids, Your Highness. I could hear the servants talking in the hallway. If the servants from other palaces hear them, they will think that Prince Joffrey’s palace is full of servants with no manners.”

I don’t think they were particularly well-mannered to begin with. I recalled various rumors I had overheard while walking back and forth in the hallway.

“Yes, yes. Would you run an errand for me?”
“Where should I go?”
“To Sir Baumkuchen’s estate.”

Dot’s face scrunched up. He didn’t like Sir Baumkuchen. Even though he knew the Count was doing something on my behalf, he still couldn’t bring himself to like the man.

“I’ll be right back.”
“Be careful.”

Once Dot had left, I sat at my desk. 

A public execution? That was quite the event. The servants were enjoying themselves, making noises like they were cutting throats. I didn’t know how I should feel about this being one of the attractions of this world.

Human trafficking. A slave market. I hope Alex is safe.

Sir Baumkuchen was indeed a valuable person. He got a prince to act first. 

But I didn’t care about that. I just wanted to make sure Alex was safe.

Queen Milane called for me late at night. It seemed she had given me enough time to eat dinner and finish my studies before questioning me.

I had a few things on my mind. There was Duke Pie’s test, Edward, and Alex, but the latter two were relatively unlikely to be discovered.

The last one was even more so. Sir Baumkuchen had suddenly decided to wipe out the bad guys, but what did Prince Joffrey have to do with that?

It had to be the test. The attendant hadn’t said much, but I brought the answer sheet with me just in case.

My legs felt heavy, and I sighed. I followed the attendant like a prisoner being dragged away. Anyone seeing me might have mistaken me for a criminal being escorted. In fact, one of the servants walking toward me from the opposite direction was startled when he saw me, but then he recognized my face and tilted his head in confusion.

I sighed again. I could only hope that the Queen would not read the test papers and decide to summon all the doctors in the kingdom.

Let me think positively. If I lower her expectations of me now, she may be pleased when I show her how much I have improved later.

It’s better to fail a hundred times and succeed once than to succeed a hundred times and fail once. 

But is that appropriate in this situation?

I entered the Queen’s chambers with my own expectations. She might be in a bad mood.

In fact, the atmosphere was gloomy. The candle on the table illuminated the Queen’s profile, casting shadows on the side of her nose and the corners of her eyes.

“Joffrey, my prince.”

But the moment she saw me, the shadow disappeared from the Queen’s face. She hugged me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe, and kissed me so passionately that I couldn’t speak. Only after my face became slightly damp did the Queen let me go.

I was dazed. What was going on? Had I done something praiseworthy without realizing it?

The Queen sat down on the chair with a face that couldn’t hide her pride in Joffrey. The Queen’s maid brought me my share of sweets and warm milk.

I drank the milk while looking around cautiously. What was going on? I had to find out so I could respond appropriately.

The Queen chuckled and tapped her lips with her finger. “Prince, there’s milk on your lips.”

I licked the milk off my lips and realized my mistake. It wasn’t a very dignified thing to do. I could almost hear Dot’s nagging voice in my head.

The Queen covered her mouth and laughed. “My prince, is that a gift for me?”

She was pointing at the test paper I was holding. It seemed like she was going to pretend she didn’t know. She seemed to be in such a good mood that it didn’t matter.

I shouldn’t have brought the test paper. I brought something that would ruin the mood.

I placed the test paper on the table.

“Yes. I took a test, and my teacher praised me. This is the answer sheet.” I decided to be bold. It wasn’t a lie, as I had heard something similar to praise.

The Queen’s face lit up even more. It seemed as if she could illuminate the entire room. “Oh my. Duke Pie praised you? May I take a look?”

“Of course, Mother. I brought it to show you.”

Smooth talker, aren’t I? 

I handed over the answer sheet and turned away from the Queen. Her drawing room was decorated with flower pots, paintings of plants, and a piano. The black piano gleamed, and a long-stemmed fresh flower brushed against the lid.

The Queen was silent for a long time.

“Oh my, Prince. Your writing has improved. The flow is good, and there are no mistakes. Well done.” The Queen finally praised me. She skipped over the flimsy content and seemed to find only things to compliment.

In any case, it was praise. I was surprised and looked up. The Queen was smiling.

Was there a hidden meaning behind that smile? It didn’t seem like she was saying, ‘I didn’t say it, but I know your shortcomings.’ The Queen seemed genuinely happy.

Although the Queen was lenient with Joffrey, I thought she was the type to put academic pressure on him for his own good.

Perhaps the Queen’s expectations weren’t that high after all. Of course, she puts pressure on Joffrey to become king, but he is still young. I think she tries not to say too much about his studies…

“So, how did Edward do? Did he get praise from Duke Pie?”She asked with a smile.

Edward? Why was he being mentioned now? 

“Edward slept during the exam.” I answered truthfully.

“Oh no, didn’t anyone wake him up?”
“No. He doesn’t pay attention in class anyway…”
“His academic attitude is poor. He is the Crown Prince of the kingdom. This is troublesome.”
“Yes…”

She spoke with concern. “Make sure my Prince doesn’t get influenced. Prince Joffrey has a future. It is enough for him to see only good things and think only good thoughts.”

“Yes, Mother.”

It felt like I had heard something significant. Prince Joffrey has a future? 

Does that mean Prince Edward has no future?

The Queen stroked my hair. Even though her touch was gentle, my chest felt tight. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Prince Joffrey would not be happy to receive such praise.

The Queen praised Prince Joffrey profusely and then brought up the matter she had originally come to discuss.

“Yes, Prince. You are of sufficient age now, so would you like to participate in the affairs of the kingdom? You have never attended a charity party, have you? I think it would be good for you to gain some experience.”
“A charity party?”

I asked because I was concerned about the orphanage, but the Queen seemed to think I was interested.

The Queen said happily, “Yes, I knew you would be interested. It’s a gathering of cultured and knowledgeable people who are suitable companions for a prince. It would be good for the Prince to make some acquaintances. What do you say, my Prince? Will you escort your mother at the party?”

“Yes, Mother. It would be an honor.”
“Oh my.”

I kissed the Queen and left. I gave her my test paper as a gift, and my hands felt light.

She said she would keep it as a memento.I had just handed it to her because she was touching it with her hands as if she wanted it, but I was surprised that she was so happy. I wondered how Joffrey had dealt with his exam papers until now. It didn’t seem like he had given them to the Queen.

Anyway, a charity party is really something a Prince would do. I had let my guard down because he was only eleven, but it seemed like Joffrey might have more things to do besides studying from now on.

When I returned to the palace, Dot was waiting for me. Baumkuchen Mansion wasn’t far from the royal palace. The trip took longer than expected. Did something happen on the way?

Dot looked strange.

“Your Highness, I went to see Sir Baumkuchen.”
“How did it go?”
“Classes will resume tomorrow.”
“What about the boy?”
“He’ll be brought tomorrow.”
“Good.”

I sat down on a chair. One cause of my headache was gone. 

Joffrey might be busy from now on, but for now, I could stretch out my legs and sleep.