Chapter 15. The Banquet

My butt was in an uproar. The running carriage kindly informed me of the road conditions. A carriage for a prince should normally be high-class, but this one was no different from a post-chaise.

“The moment we enter together, they will think I have become Your Highness' guardian.”

Chris, sitting across from me, boasted a sullen expression.

“That’s the intention.”

“Do you not ask for my opinion?”

Chris expressed his discomfort by wrinkling his face.

“You’re ugly.”

“…Why does that come up now?”

“Because you’re ugly.”

“No! Hmm!”

He blew hot air through his nose.

“I am not ugly.”

Did that bother him so much? Good grief.

“Fine, let’s say you’re not.”

“It’s not ‘let’s say’… Hmph! In any case, you should have asked for my opinion.”

“It’s not like you didn’t have any thoughts about it, right?”

If he hadn’t had even a speck of a thought about it, he wouldn’t have gotten on the carriage.

If he hadn’t thought about it at all, he’d be an idiot. I was telling him that if he knew what was going on, he should just grumble a little and go quietly.

“I do not wish to dip my feet in politics.”

“Is that why you went to the border?”

“That is correct.”

“But you know, can you really avoid politics by going to the border?”

I made it clear that Chris' words were a feeble echo.

‘I’m also suspicious if he really has no interest in politics.’

If he had absolutely no thought for politics, he wouldn’t have come all the way from the distant border to where I was. Of course, he could have had other objectives. But the moment the Margrave leaves the border, everything about him becomes political. Who he meets, what he does, where he goes, what he eats, what he sees—all of it will be reported to the king, passed on to the queen, and known by the nobles.

“You’re not at the border now, either.”

I reminded him of that fact.

“I am merely on leave because I have business in the capital.”

“Lord Dorléans.”

“…What is it? Why are you calling me that all of a sudden?”

“Why is someone who knows everything grumbling like that?”

I told him to stop the meaningless complaints. Chris' face turned cold. But he said no more.

He let out a sigh as he looked out the window. It seemed he really hated attending banquets.

Then he should have refused when Rodrigo and Elliot asked. Why is he whining like a child after failing to do so? Tsk, tsk.

“What are you planning to do there?”

Chris asked a question of a different nature.

“Family sightseeing.”

“……”

Chris furrowed his brow.

“Why?”

“Because what Your Highness says does not sound like its literal meaning.”

“You’re too suspicious. I’m really going to see my family. I lost my memory. I don’t even remember my family’s faces.”

“…You must not cause trouble.”

“Oh my? What trouble would I cause?”

“I sincerely mean you must not cause trouble.”

“I said I won’t cause any trouble, didn't I?”

I was serious. I had no intention of causing trouble yet. Not yet.

“His Highness, the 5th Prince.”

The carriage stopped. The coachman announced that we had arrived at our destination. I opened the carriage window and looked outside. A magnificent palace came into view. It was so grand that the place I was staying felt like a beggar’s hovel.

“Your Highness!”

The Royal Guards protecting the entrance to the banquet hall knelt in a formal manner.

“Good work. Let’s open the doors.”

I dangled the invitation to show that I had been invited. They would probably let me in without an invitation since they knew I was a prince, but just in case.

Creeak.

The Royal Guards opened the massive doors. The shabby carriage, which did not suit the palace in the slightest, moved with a clatter. Those inside the palace whispered as they saw the carriage I was in. I already felt like an uninvited guest. No. Maybe I had been an uninvited guest since I received the invitation.

“His Highness, the 5th Prince of the Poinus Kingdom, Prince Maximilian Caesar, is entering!”

I stood before the banquet hall. The cry of the Royal Guard announcing my arrival echoed.

The gazes of the people inside the banquet hall turned to me. A rumor that I had died must have circulated once, as they looked at me as if they were seeing a ghost.

“The one responsible for the North of the Poinus Kingdom, Count Edan Chris de Dorléans, is entering!”

Following that, the sound announcing Chris echoed very thunderously. It was louder and more spirited than the voice that announced my arrival. The gazes that had been on me all fixated on Chris. The sound of murmuring also grew louder. Seeing their reactions, it seemed today’s issue would be Chris, not me.

‘I made the right choice bringing him.’

It’s not time for me to be in the spotlight yet.

“Let’s go.”

I said to Chris, who was standing blankly. Then I moved my feet into the banquet hall. The nobles bowed their heads as they saw me. Among them, some were examining Chris and me out of the corner of their eyes. It seemed they were trying to deduce the reason why we had come together.

“Welcome. You must be tired from the long journey, especially since you weren’t well.”

A woman with a round face, long, slender eyes, a pleasant smile, and dressed in splendid attire approached me and took both my hands.

‘The 3rd Queen?’

Her impression didn’t match what I had imagined in the slightest. So I had my doubts. But the atmosphere she exuded told me. That the host of this banquet was none other than

herself.

I put on a smiling mask. I don’t know the 3rd Queen’s temperament accurately. So I need to take a step back and observe. And since Chris repeatedly said that I absolutely must not cause trouble, I plan to be careful for now.

“You’re not trembling like you used to… it’s good to see. Right?”

The 3rd Queen said as if she found my attitude strange. While looking at Chris next to me.

“Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen.”

Chris bowed his head to the 3rd Queen, trying hard to hide his reluctant expression.

“It’s been a while, Lord Dorléans. I never dreamed I would see you here. It’s quite a strange thing.”

“Ha, ha, ha. It just happened that way.”

Chris forced a smile. The 3rd Queen also gave him an artificial smile.

‘This is so awkward.’

There was definitely something between the two of them. It was clear they wouldn’t answer if I asked right now, so I’ll have to find out slowly.

“How did Lord Dorléans end up coming with the 5th Prince? Did you meet in front?”

“We came together.”

“Is that so? How surprising. For what reason would a person who should be in the North be with the 5th Prince?”

“I was in the capital because I had a message to deliver to His Majesty the King. Just then, there was a request to check on the 5th Prince’s health, so I checked on him myself.”

“Oh my. What a coincidence, isn’t it? That you had a message for His Majesty the King, and just then the 5th Prince’s health became an issue, so you personally took care of him.”

The 3rd Queen covered her mouth and let out an eye-smile. Her round features gave a gentle impression. But within it was ridicule.

Chris' lips were firmly shut. His face was smiling, but the mood was not. He was tightly clenching the hand he had placed on his back.

‘He’s pissed.’

He has a message for the king, but it seems he’s unable to deliver it. The 3rd Queen is probably blocking him.

‘So that’s why she said it was a coincidence.’

He had a message for the king but couldn’t deliver it. But now he’s next to me. He wasn't even invited to the banquet, but he came with me. She was mocking him, asking if he was using me to meet the king, if that was the best plan he could come up with.

“His Majesty is said to be coming today. I hope His Majesty can hear what Lord Dorléans has to say.”

“……”

Even the faint smile that remained on Chris' face disappeared. In contrast, a smile more brilliant than before settled on the 3rd Queen’s face.

The 3rd Queen, a snake wearing the mask of a gentle bear.

“His Highness, the 4th Prince of the Poinus Kingdom, Prince Hans Caesar, is entering!”

In the midst of the uncomfortable and unpleasant time, one person I wanted to see appeared in the banquet hall.

“Is that person my brother? His eyes are mismatched, aren’t they?”

Oh dear, I decided not to cause trouble. But the words just slipped out so lightly?

“5th Prince.”

The 3rd Queen looked at me with a strange expression that was neither smiling nor frowning. It felt like I had touched something I shouldn't have. If so, it means I touched it properly.

“I heard that having mismatched eyes is a sign of becoming a great mage, did we have someone like that among our ancestors?”

“5th Prince. You seem to need to watch your mouth.”

The 3rd Queen, who had been filled with only joy just a moment ago, reacted sharply. And so, I smelled something suspicious.

“His Highness, the 3rd Prince of the Poinus Kingdom, Prince Dwight Caesar, is entering!”

Just in time, another person I wanted to see entered.

“This brother’s eyes aren’t mismatched, are they?”

“5th Prince. Your remarks are very rude.”

“Ah… I lost my memory, so I seem to have forgotten some of my manners too. I apologize. I shouldn’t say everything I see, but I just found it so fascinating…”

“5th Prince.”

The 3rd Queen’s voice grew heavy. Her gaze was also murderous. This was a clear warning.

“Ahem, ahem. I am sorry about that. Um… Your Majesty the Queen. Something has made me curious. May I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

Perhaps because there were eyes watching and ears listening, she did not refuse.

“You said His Majesty the King is coming, didn’t you?”

“Yes, he is coming.”

“Is it alright for me to greet him then?”

The 3rd Queen frowned. The question seemed absurd.

“No, I ask because Your Majesty the Queen seems sensitive about words. Especially words addressed to His Majesty the King.”

“5th Prince!”

The 3rd Queen’s voice rose. The nobles’ gazes turned to me and the 3rd Queen.

“Aigoo, I seem to have made another mistake. I really need to find my memory quickly. To be invited like this and only make mistakes, I am so embarrassed. Oh my, my brothers are coming this way. Since the two brothers who will become this nation’s Irises! are coming, I will take my leave.”

I deliberately put emphasis on the word Iris. The 3rd Queen’s face turned bright red. In addition, a mix of relief and bewilderment bloomed colorfully on Chris' face.

“What are you doing? We should move out of the way.”

I said to Chris, who was staring at the 3rd Queen and me, waving my hand. Chris let out a hollow laugh and moved his feet.

“I told you not to cause trouble, didn’t I?”

Once we were far enough that the 3rd Queen’s glare felt like it was stabbing my back, Chris opened his mouth.

“What did I do?”

“The 4th Prince’s eyes. And the Iris.”

The Iris is the symbol of the Poinus royal family. Therefore, it is also a flower that signifies the king.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“His Majesty will have something to say if he finds out.”

“Let him.”

“He might punish you.”

“If he does, he does. He’s not going to kill me, is he?”

“……”

“It felt good, didn’t it? Then that’s enough. And don’t think too hard about it. Punishing me isn’t an easy task.”

Chris let out a hollow laugh. It seemed he understood what my words meant.

The 5th Prince entered the banquet hall with the Margrave of the border. He even went to greet the 3rd Queen with him. The nobles in this place will think. ‘The King has attached the Margrave to the 5th Prince.’, ‘He hasn’t cast out the 5th Prince.’, ‘He is taking care of the 5th Prince.’ But to punish him for a slip of the tongue? And to a prince whom he is taking care of, who has just recovered from near death? Word would get out that the king is a person who acts on his whims, who handles matters without clear standards. I came with Chris so they would see it that way.

“Still, the Iris was too much.”

“Too much? He might even like it, you know? They’re guys who are dying to become king.

Anyway, about the 4th Prince.”

I stood in a corner of the banquet hall to ask the question that had bloomed in my mind.

Then I looked at the 3rd and 4th Princes standing side by side.

“Is he really my blood relative?”

Chris, who received the question, also looked at the same place.

Just then, my eyes met with the 4th Prince.