精品久久

Editor: Sam

Prince Albert was already gone by the time I woke up from my nap. The only impression I had of him was that he was an Onii-san with short hair, but come to think of it, I feel like Ojii-sama said something about Prince Albert.

“Lei, did you forget? Well, it’s fine to forget something like that.”

Was it fine to forget it? I tilted my head a little inside the Rug Dragon basket. The next day is a day off, so I’ve been riding the Rug Dragons with Ojii-sama since morning. Of course, Nii-sama is with us.

“Ojii-sama came here for, you know, Lei’s debut as well, but I have also been waiting for Prince Albert to come back from Frontier.”

“Mawwage intherbiew!”

Isn’t it no good to forget that? I only forgot because I was having too much fun.

“So, you do remember it. Lei is a smart girl.” Ojii-sama smiled happily on the dragon next to mine. However, cold wind blew straight into my chest. Prince Albert being back means...

“Ojii-sama, going bacw.”

“Lei, I’m sorry.”

My small mutter didn’t ride in the wind and echoed around the pasture. Ojii-sama also looked sad.

“I really want to stay in the Albans mansion and spend time with Lei and Luke, but work is work. I have to go back to my fief soon.”

“Lei and I can visit you at your fief.”

“Ai.”

Nii-sama suggested for the future and made me feel happy. That’s right. We might be able to go to the fief in the north for Nii-sama’s spring or summer holidays.

“Lothsh of dragonsh.”

“That’s right. There are big and small dragons, and there’s a lot of grassland.”

I’ll ride my Minnie in those grasslands.

“Minnie? What’s that?”

“Hmm, shmaww one.”

“You’re calling her Minnie because she’s small? Lei chose a strange name for her Rug Dragon,” Nii-sama said, but it was troublesome to call my dragon small all the time. The problem is, “Minnie!”

“Kyee.”

“Kyee.”

“Kyee.”

When I call Minnie, a lot of dragons gather like this. They leave when they find out that I only need the small dragon, but I think it was pointless to give her a name.

I thought that the only thing that involved me with that short-haired Prince was Ojii-sama... until the second day of the holidays when His Highnesses visited our house.

“You should really be aware that you’re a member of the royal family. You shouldn’t visit other people’s mansions like this.”

“Albans, I said this before, but don’t the royal family and the Four Marquises have a relationship? Don’t worry about it.”

Sparks were flying between the adults, but I was overjoyed that Nico had come over to play on a holiday. His Highnesses referred to Prince Lambert, Prince Albert and Prince Nicholas.

“Nico!”

“Lei! I came to play!”

I also smiled at the smiling Nico.

“Why do I feel like that baby didn’t inherit the cleverness of the Albans’s gold and purple?” Prince Albert blurted out. I don’t mind being told that, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that Prince Albert has turned all the Albans into his enemy. He shouldn’t have said it even if he had thought it. Nico looked at Prince Albert in amazement.

“Uncle, you shouldn’t say this and that about how a person is. What will you do if they get stuck with it? Isn’t she cute?”

“Hish highneshsh Aw gethsh zero pointhsh, you geth 50 pointhsh, Nico.” (His Highness Al gets zero points, you get 50 points)

“Uncle has etiquette, but isn’t my 50 points low?” Nico seemed dissatisfied.

“You awsho shay a woth.” (You also say a lot)

“Really? Sorry about that.”

Nico seems the most royal. It’s fine if he apologises.

“Your Highness Al, are you talking about me?”

“I’m also called Lam-ojisama. Shall we change you to Al-ojisama?”

“No, you don’t have to. Brother.”

It seemed like they were having fun, but an adult is an adult, and a child is a child. Nii-sama invited us outside without getting in the way of the adults. His face said that he wanted to get away from something annoying.

“Then, Lei and Your Highness Nico, let’s go see the Rug Dragons.”

“That sounds fun!”

“Lei wanthsh tho shhow you her minnie!”

“Minnie? What’s that?”

I put my hands on my waist and puffed my chest out.

“She’sh Lei’sh excwushive dragon!”

“What?! I have to see her!”

Nii-sama turned around.

“His Highness Nico wants to ride in Lei’s basket, but what do you think Otou-sama?”

“Hmm, Your Highness, are you alright with this?”

“It doesn’t matter what I say.”

Otou-sama was talking to Prince Lambert. Nico’s Otou-sama smiled wryly.

“If Lei’s alright with it, then Nico will be fine with it. I’ll get the guards to go with you, so don’t overdo it. Take care of them.”

“Understood.”

Us, children, happily headed towards the pasture.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊ Troublesome (Dean’s Perspective)

My father-in-law honestly wanted to follow Luke and Lei, but he had to entertain the royals who had come to my mansion. Furthermore, he had stayed here so that he could meet Prince Albert, so ignoring him would be mistaking the cause for the end.

I also work at the centre of this kingdom, so I know that the request from Farland is a dangerous one.

The cause of this was Lei being kidnapped, so I can’t say that I wasn’t involved as an Albans.

However, what would Kingdom have done if Lei hadn’t been kidnapped and only the lost child of the Lisburns was in Wester?

I guided them to the room facing the greenhouse at the request of His Highness while thinking over this repeatedly.

I don’t think Stan would have gone to pick him up. He might have sent someone to check up on the boy and then provide aid to Wester. However, he wouldn’t have tried to bring the boy back to Kingdom.

What about the supervision department? They probably would insist that Stan should go pick up the boy and not let him support Wester. Since they don’t understand that the world doesn’t move conveniently for Kingdom.

And, how about the royal family?

I think they would have had a round-table conference about this. And just like what happened last time, people will agree, disagree or be neutral on the matter. What stance would I have taken if Lei wasn’t involved? I probably would insist that the Lisburns didn’t need to pick him up nor provide aid to Wester.

However, the round-table conference isn’t a place where majority rules. It is a place where everyone who governs a fief shares their opinions and effects.

The current royal family values our relations with Frontier more than the past monarchs. So, I think they would provide aid to Wester even if a lot of people approved or disapproved of it.

In other words, it didn’t matter if Lei was involved in this or not, the result wouldn’t have changed.

I thought that much and relaxed.

The problem is Farland isn’t the only place who wants to talk about engagements, Wester is too.

There’s nothing more annoying than this.