0&1 Ch 9.1

Charity Event 

“Not done yet?”
“Not yet, Your Highness. Please don’t open your eyes.”
“Can’t you just do it quickly?”

“I’m doing it quickly enough. I’m the only one here to do it, so of course it’s taking time! Oh, wait, don’t move!” Dot warned me.

With my eyes closed, I felt my hair tickling my forehead. The hair, stiffened with mousse, was touching my skin somewhere.

“Your Highness, are you sure I’m okay? Shouldn’t we call a more skilled attendant?”
“It’s fine. It’s a charity event. Why bother dressing up anymore?”

“But Your Highness, this is an event attended by nobles. It’s your first public appearance…” Dot tugged on my hair. The muscles around my eyebrows were being pulled backward.

I didn’t need another attendant, but Dot made me uneasy. It felt like he had been touching my hair for almost an hour. What was Dot trying to do? Was he trying to create a work of art with my hair?

“It’s a charity event. Aren’t we gathering to make donations? Was I supposed to be the main character?”
“Wherever Prince is, Prince is always the main character!”
“Yeah, I guess.”

“To be honest, I’ve never attended a charity event before, so I don’t really know.” Dot confessed. My facial muscles were pulled back so hard that I couldn’t respond.

Apparently, it was happening at some noble’s mansion. I hadn’t even eaten lunch properly, spending all this time getting ready.

Dot spread out several sets of clothes and struggled to find something appropriate. The Queen’s maid told him that the Queen would be wearing a calm blue dress.

Dot laid out several dark blue garments to match the dress color. The final outfit was chosen about two hours later. During that time, I had been soaking in the bath until my skin was smooth and shiny.

Joffrey’s face resembled the Queen’s and was handsome. He had dark eyes and clear skin, and overall he looked well-groomed.

Among the kids I’d seen in my life, the one who looked most like a young noble was Grey. Of course, Grey really was a noble. But it was more about his attitude than his looks. 

In terms of appearance, Joffrey wasn’t far behind.

If I walked around with my face uncovered, I would be pickpocketed and lose all my money in a matter of minutes. An hour later, I would be locked up in a kidnapper’s hideout. There was a reason Grey told me to change my appearance.

By the time it was tea time, the preparations were complete.

“All finished, Your Highness!”

Dot let go of my hand. I couldn’t tell what had changed about Joffrey, but I could see his reflection in the mirror.

The most noticeable change was that his hair was combed back. His forehead felt cool, but there was no hair covering it. It was completely bald. I never thought I’d have hair like this in my life.

The second change was the tie. It wasn’t a modern one, but a lace-like tie that looked like something out of a Western painting.

Dot had spent ages frowning as he adjusted the folds in it. 

But this world also had modern-style ties. Wasn’t it okay to just wear one of those? 

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if this looked good, but I couldn’t say anything in front of Dot, who had gone to so much trouble to take care of my appearance.

I couldn’t trust my sense of aesthetics.

“Thank you.” When I thanked Dot, he smiled brightly.
“Have a good time, Your Highness.”

The Queen, who had started preparing much earlier than me, finished around the same time that I did. 

“You look really handsome today, Prince Joffrey,” the Queen praised me.

“You look dazzlingly beautiful, Your Majesty,” I replied in kind, and the atmosphere warmed. 

The maids covered their mouths and laughed, and the Queen hugged me without caring that her clothes were wrinkling.

Even if The Queen is a bad person, there is no denying that she loves Joffrey. It is easy to make her happy.

The carriage departed.

Come to think of it, this was only my second time leaving the palace. Even though the palace was large, it felt cramped somehow.

I leaned toward the window, wanting to see outside. I wanted to see the market. Even the square would have been fine.

“Prince, it’s dangerous. Don’t stick your head out too far.”
“Yes, Mother.”

The Queen who said that was no different from me. She narrowed her eyes and looked out the carriage window. Her eyes looked at the streets as if she were looking at foreign jewels.

“It’s been ten years since I last left the palace.”

Ten years? 

That was like being imprisoned in the palace.

“Mother, shall we visit the market on the way back? I’ll protect you. They might be selling something unusual.”

The Queen smiled gently. “It’s all right. You are the most precious jewel to me.”

The remark felt odd, but I simply nodded.

An awkward silence fell. The Queen was looking at me.

She leaned toward me slightly.

“Prince, you know that everything I do is for your sake, don’t you?”
“Yes.”

“Good. Just remember that, and I will rest easy.” The Queen smiled.

I felt like I had missed something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Was eleven-year-old Joffrey more perceptive than me? I hoped not.

The carriage stopped in front of a large estate. I stepped out first and escorted the Queen.

We were led inside. People were already gathered in the salon where the event would be held.

The hostess of the charity event came to greet us. She looked to be in her forties, with a sharp, intelligent air.

“Thank you for coming. It is an honor to have you both here. We received your invitation on short notice, so the preparations may be lacking. Please forgive us.”
“Not at all. I am the one who is grateful for being invited to such a wonderful event.”

The woman also greeted me. The conversation dragged on, and I couldn’t leave. The people who had already arrived were murmuring and looking in our direction.

Finally, the woman stepped back, satisfied that she had fulfilled her duties. People swarmed around the Queen.

One by one, they began to introduce themselves:
“I am Count Mamon, Your Highness. We met before. Do you remember me…?”
“I’m Viscount Olga. I greeted you at the New Year’s celebration…”

I took a step back and found myself surrounded by people. The Queen was not the only target. People were very curious to know if Joffrey remembered them.

Of course, I wasn’t actually Joffrey, and I didn’t remember any of them. Frankly, even if I were the real Joffrey, I doubted he would have remembered them either.

There weren’t that many people participating in the charity event, but it seemed like half of them had gathered around us.

I tried not to stumble over my words, but every time someone new joined the crowd, my tongue got tied. I kept saying things like, “Nice to meet you,” “You look great,” and “Take care,” while trying to remember their names.

Then, someone pushed through the crowd and approached me. It was a woman with round, curious eyes. The crowd made way for her. She came closer to the Queen and I and lifted her skirt slightly. “Your Majesty, Your Highness, I didn’t expect to see you here. Please forgive me for my late greeting.”

“Duchess. There is no need to apologize. I am delighted to see you,” the Queen responded.

“Thank you. You are out with His Highness? Your Highness, I have not introduced myself before. I hope my son is treating you well…”

Son? I was about to greet the Duchess, but I faltered.

Someone walked up behind her. The boy who bowed his head to her and called her “Mother” was someone I knew well.

“Grey?” 

Grey bowed his head. 

“Your Highness, Prince Joffrey. If I had known you were coming, I would have come out to greet you.”

I didn’t know you would be here either. So, why don’t you cheer up a little?

The woman with the round eyes was the Duchess Cracker. Grey’s face seemed to have inherited 100 percent of the Prime Minister’s genes. The Duchess had a round face, but Grey did not have that at all.

The Duchess brought her hands together. 

“You’re just in time, Grey. His Highness the Prince is here. It’s wonderful that His Highness is attending his first charity event with you, Grey.”

“Yes, it truly is.” Grey glanced at me. It was a look that asked if it was really a coincidence.

“My lady, I’m sorry, but may I borrow Grey for a moment? We have something to discuss that we didn’t get to earlier. Of course, we can talk tomorrow during class, but we have to pay attention during class time.”

“Ah, Your Highness. Please do! I am delighted that my son can be of service to you.”
“Thank you, Madam.”

I motioned to Grey to follow me away. It was a good excuse. My head was about to explode from hearing so many names. I walked quickly on purpose, and people made way for me.

I made it.

Was Grey following? I only wondered once I neared a table. I looked back. 

Grey was behind me. He looked upset. 

He’s going to say something when we get to the table.

There were small tables scattered around the salon. They were set with finger food, but one table had few people.

There were only two children standing there, a girl and a boy. Were they in the same situation as Joffrey and Grey? They looked even younger.

“Hello.” When I greeted them, they looked at me in surprise. 

They whispered something to each other, as if they had planned a secret mission.

“It’s okay. I didn’t hear what you said. Why are you trying to get away?”

I took off my gloves and put a piece of carrot cake in my mouth. Looking at the arrangement of the finger foods, it seemed like I was the first to touch them. They were arranged in two rows on a rectangular plate, and only the spot where I had eaten was empty.

Why weren’t they eating?

The two children stepped back. They looked wary of me.

“It’s alright. I want to escape too.”
“You mustn’t do that.” Grey cut in, his tone sharp.

“I know. That’s why I’m staying put.”
“You just ran away. Why are you using me as an excuse?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t run away from the mansion, did I? Give me a break.”

Grey shook his head. It seemed like he was done talking.

Only then did he notice the children’s attire. The two children were smaller than Joffrey, and when they were leaning against the table, their bodies were hidden behind it.

Both had cute faces. They were good-looking, but thin, and their clothes were too big for them.

They reminded me of Edward’s first impression. Except their clothes weren’t noble attire.

The children’s vests were made of rough material, and their shirts looked the same. Their white socks were slightly yellowish, and their shoes were small for their height.

“They are sponsored children. How can they answer when the Prince speaks to them so abruptly?” Grey was right.

Grey disliked Joffrey, but he always spoke the truth.

The reason he disliked Joffrey was because Joffrey bullied Edward. He saw that and grew to dislike Joffrey. Surprisingly, Grey was a good guy, and Joffrey was a bad guy.

Edward was kind and accepted Joffrey, while Grey was just an ordinary good person who lacked that level of self-control.

I don’t know the details of how much he bullied Edward, but Joffrey was the perpetrator.

After learning this from Grey, I understood why he disliked me even more. He must have wondered why I was suddenly acting friendly toward Edward.

His hostility didn’t bother me anymore. I just wondered how I could win his favor.

Grey may not be able to help me in the future, but he could get in my way.

If he keeps telling Edward what a bad person Joffrey was, Edward will never forget his grudge.

It would be better to soften Grey’s animosity.