Chapter 95
*Nabel’s Second Prince, Johan von Wervard’s point of view .
The elaborate garden sprawled around like a labyrinth, shaping my path into a maze . Though the intricacy of the pattern was beautiful from a bird’s-eye view, it was harder to admire from the ground .
While pondering about how the gardeners would get mad at me if they had heard my thoughts, I began to walk .
“It’s so difficult to walk here . I don’t know much about art, but why not just make a straight path and be done with it? Honestly, you should be able to enjoy a garden with simple walkways on the ground . There’s no need to be able to fly just to appreciate a pretty sight . It’s just a hindrance like this . ”
The words I had in my head were spat out by the boy next to me with great ire .
“I truly mean it when I say that from the bottom of my heart, I cannot even begin to understand those who call themselves artists . Don’t you think so too, Johan?”
The young boy beside me smirked and urged me to agree .
He was a head shorter than me and his body could be described as too thin for his own good . But for a boy of his size, his attitude was wild beyond belief . Although his looks weren’t bad by any standards, you could still notice the sober air he gave off . His hair and eyes were both a bright brown colour, common in the country of Vint . So common that if he was to be lost in a crowd, I wouldn’t be able to find him again . His haughty attitude did stick out like a sore thumb, however .
He was only twelve, but contrary to his age and attitude, he acted more like a bitter old man .
His name was Nacht . Nacht von Elster, Vint’s second prince .
“Personally I do agree, but I’m afraid we’re the minority in this . Your brother and His Majesty seem to enjoy it very much . ”
I gave a wry smile as I looked back at him . Further beyond the twisted trails, we saw two people—a man and a woman—flirting .
The man was tall and had a sturdy body . His two eyebrows were shaped sharply and coupled with various other charming facial features . The hair and eyes were the same shade as Nacht’s, but what made him so different from his brother was the friendly atmosphere he gave off .
Nicknamed the ‘Prince of Light,’ Vint’s ever popular first prince: Licht von Elster .
“His ladies’ face shows no sign of fatigue . I guess he still isn’t satisfied with all the girls who already wait upon him hand and foot . One day, his love of women is going to lead to his downfall . ”
By the way, the guy who spat a long sigh next to me was called the ‘Prince of Darkness’…well, not really . I’ve heard his brother call him ‘The Weird Prince,’ and I can see why .
“It’s not entirely his personality’s fault . With those good looks, girls would’ve never left him alone in the first place anyway . ”
Though I secretly agreed with his words, as rude as they were, I instead decided to keep the atmosphere light and relaxed by replying vaguely .
Nacht then slightly widened his eyes, and every so often he would glance at me . After a few seconds, his facial expression shifted minutely as he began to speak blunt words once more .
“Give yourself some more credit . ”
“Should I?”
“You bet . My older brother have might have good looks, but when compared to you, you’re by no means any less qualified . The castle maids and those noble ladies are all heads over heels for you, you know?”
I received praise from the usually cynical Nacht, something that definitely didn’t happen every day . But there’s no point in being modest right now, so I just smiled without saying anything further . I finally looked away after our staring contest became boring .
“Well, even with your good looks, you still haven’t captured the heart of your special someone yet . ”
“…My special someone?”
Was he talking about Sister?
The first thing that came into my mind was a figure of my sister, who I hadn’t seen in four years .
She had clear blue eyes and wavy blonde hair . Her soft cheeks took on a light colour and were complemented by her petal-like lips . She resembled a girl in a priceless painting, and her smile was as lovely as a blooming flower .
She seemed like an angel then, so I wonder how beautiful had she become? On one hand I was excited to meet her, but on the other I felt scared . It’s a complicated feeling .
“Didn’t Princess Julia take a liking to you before?”
I realised my mistake with his words .
That’s right . Normally you wouldn’t consider your sister as your ‘special someone . ’
“Yes, but unfortunately, I couldn’t win against your brother after all . ”
I acted indifferent as to cover up my thoughts .
But Nacht still sniffed me out in no time .
“There really wasn’t any innocent love story playing out between you two, hm? Not that my fool of an older brother would have a clue . Your exchanges with the princess were like two sly foxes trying to outwit each other . ”
“I don’t mind what you call me, but to call the cute princess a sly fox is just ridiculous . ”
“‘Cute princess,’ huh . ” Nacht scoffed at the girl who was cuddling with Prince Licht .
She had a delicate body that only came up to the prince’s chest, complete with straight black hair and her matching crystal-like eyes that were adorned with long eyelashes . Her skin was pale white, almost as if she was ill . She was like a fragile princess that sat alone behind a castle window . Her name was Princess Julia von Merquell, Laptah Kingdom’s First Princess .
Prince Licht conversed with her in a soft tone, occasionally striking a gentle smile . She currently looked like a perfect, beautiful, and obedient girl .
But that’s a lie . As long as Prince Licht was nearby, she would behave . But whenever he looked away, she would turn cold eyes towards me .
Although she was young and gave a fragile impression, she was good as a princess .
She probably understood her position in society very well .
“How nice would it be if she was only just a pretty princess? Really, she’s such a handful . ” Nacht pinched his brows as he lamented .
The Kingdom of Vint was currently Nabel’s ally, but they also had a neutral relationship with Laptah . But that’s only because Nabel and Laptah weren’t publicly confronting each other . If a war was to break out, Vint would stand on Nabel’s side .
But if a prince of Vint and princess of Laptah happened to be in a relationship during that time, it would definitely spell trouble .
“From my point of view, it would be best if your older sister became my brother’s queen . I reckon that she would be able to handle him well . ”
“Nice joke . ” I promptly answered . Nacht just gave his usual mocking smile .
But this wasn’t a laughing matter . Why would my precious sister have to be some skirt-chasing musclehead’s wife?
“My brother may love women, but he’s not a bad person . Also, having your sister become the queen of a neighbouring country wouldn’t be such a bad idea . ”
“It’s just as you say . ”
When not bringing my personal feelings into play, I think it certainly would be a good match .
But that was only until a couple of years ago, when there was no connection between Vint and Laptah .
Currently, with Laptah’s princess trying to court Vint’s first prince, things would get ugly if Nabel pushed for a marriage alliance .
If someone was deemed to be intruding, then assassination attempts wouldn’t be out of the question .
“Even so, I’m just a little brother who couldn’t survive being so far away from her . If at all possible, I want her to stay as my elder sister in our home country .
“…Well, let’s put such things aside for now, shall we?”
Towards me who struck a dubious smile, Nacht obnoxiously raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t chase the matter any further .
“Nacht! Johan!”
We were called out in a loud voice from afar . Through the maze garden, Prince Licht was waving his hand in our direction .
“Come on! Let’s have some tea!”
So you came all the way out here to have some tea?
Looking at his cheery, untroubled smile, I was reminded of something . Once you wave back at the first prince, he’ll just wave at you even more . He was similar to a friendly dog . Really, he’s not a bad guy . He just had problems when it came to women and was a bit lacking in the brain department; nothing wrong at all .
“Look at that carefree face . I suppose he’s already forgotten that I said anything about inspecting the western regions . ” Seemingly exhausted, Nacht held his head while muttering next to me .
“About the western regions, are you referring to the southern forest near the border with Sckellz?”
“…Stop being so darn perceptive, would you . ”
“Recently, wood exports to Flamme have been steadily increasing, right? And no matter how big the southwestern forest is, those resources are still limited . ”
Actually, restrictions on logging and cutting down trees should be put in place . Not to mention the fact that there are tribes living in those forests . It was crucial that we also take them into consideration . However, I knew that I had no place to order around the royalty of another country, so I’ll try a different approach .
But I’ll put my own spin on it and add on a story from one of the rumours I came across .
“By the way, it seems that there’s been reports of a disease spreading in a town by the western border . ”
“What!? I’ve never heard of anything like that . Where did you hear that from?” Nacht widened his eyes and raised his voice .
“From one of the travelling merchants . He told me that he found it strange a disease would break out in the west rather than the south . ”
“Is it a fever? There’s no reports of such a thing, but I guess it’s better to be careful . ”
“Nacht?”
Nacht’s expression became irritated after Prince Licht called out to him in a lively voice once more .
“Hey, you idiotic brother . Is this really the time to be drinking tea?!” As Nacht cursed under his breath, I answered Prince Licht, saying that we were on our way . Beside me, the prince sighed and briefly spoke .
“Johan, tell me the details later . If possible, I’d like to hear from the merchant directly . ”
“I understand . ”
I raised my face after nodding . In the direction of Prince Licht and Princess Julia, dark clouds were forming in the sky .
The wind stroking my cheek was humid .
‘It’s going to rain soon . ’ Thinking so, I started walking away from the garden .
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