Chapter 72
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Chapter 72
Crown Prince Kiaros couldn't believe what lay before his eyes.
Jayden was shy by nature and never approached me with familiarity, yet I had always treated him with utmost respect and courtesy.
But now... Jayden's gaze itself had transformed.
"Where is the Minister of Scrolls?"
Jayden had done nothing wrong, yet I always felt apologetic toward him.
It somehow embarrassed me that I, born without love, was the Crown Prince instead of the adorable and brilliant Jayden.
[Brother, you've arrived? Please, sit.]
[You needn't be so formal. Treat me comfortably.]
[No, I must observe proper etiquette. Are you working too hard? Your complexion doesn't look well. Please rest at intervals.]
[I'm fine. By the way, what are all these stacked books? Have you read them all?]
[Yes. Well, when I'm alone, it gets tedious... Reading makes time pass the quickest.]
Even though I myself had struggled to fit in with ordinary people at that age, Jayden always weighed on my mind.
Those eyes—sorrowful yet bearing a maturity beyond his years...
'That disrespectful letter sent to the Empress... wasn't it written under Riedan's coercion?'
In the meantime, Namia Loapi hurriedly exited the Minister's Office.
Standing before Jayden, she offered a proper bow.
"I pay my respects to the Young Prince. I am Namia Loapi, Minister of Scrolls."
"Hmph."
Jayden regarded Namia Loapi with an arrogant expression.
Crown Prince Kiaros felt dizzy at the sight of Jayden's unfamiliar demeanor.
Jayden rolled his eyes for a moment, then spoke with apparent embarrassment.
"I heard Riedan came by earlier. Yes, to harm you."
"Ah, yes."
Namia Loapi answered respectfully, then added with a bright smile.
"But the Team Leader here took care of it for me, so everything was fine."
Anastasia blinked blankly while holding her coffee cup. Namia Loapi continued with exaggerated gestures.
"He blocked my vision with that harmful powder he always carries, and when I still resisted, he mercilessly subjected me to ten forms of torture."
Well, since Jayden himself had referred to the coffee grounds as 'harmful powder,' it wasn't entirely inaccurate...
In any case, Jayden flinched and took a step backward.
Jayden glanced at Anastasia with newfound respect and cleared his throat.
"Ahem, a hidden master, it seems. I'm relieved you're unharmed. I was concerned and came to check. And..."
Then he turned to Namia Loapi again and spoke.
"Let's talk for a moment."
"Yes. Shall we enter the Minister's Office?"
Crown Prince Kiaros had not followed Namia Loapi out, so he remained in the Minister's Office.
He watched with a bewildered expression as Jayden and Namia Loapi entered.
Jayden glanced at Kiaros, who wore Kibon's appearance, and asked.
"Who is this?"
"Ah, he is my secretary. An intern from abroad."
"Is that so?"
Crown Prince Kiaros steadied himself, gazing at Jayden's adorable cheeks and round eyes.
He was his usual endearing little self.
'Right, I suppose he was startled when I asked a child to drink coffee.'
Naturally, he was a cute and well-mannered boy.
Hearing that Riedan had rushed at Namia Loapi made him hurry over to check—such a tender-hearted and sensitive soul....
That was when it happened.
"What are you staring at?"
Jayden picked a fight.
"You greenhorn intern—don't you know how to stand and greet? Even if you're a foreigner, the Empire has its own laws and customs, doesn't it? Your Minister is stammering right now, so how dare an intern like you gawk at the Young Prince with eyes wide open like that? Are you going to behave properly or not? Tsk, you...."
It was the moment Crown Prince Kiaros's entire world shattered.
* * *
Kibon appeared deeply shaken by the child's biting words.
I forced Kibon to his feet and made him bow.
"My sincerest apologies, Young Prince. Please allow me to apologize on his behalf. Even though I, as Minister, stood up, he sat there gawking—he simply hasn't yet adapted to the Empire's customs."
"So he's incompetent in Imperial culture? Then he's dead weight? And why is there so much stuff on the intern's desk?"
Jayden clicked his tongue suspiciously.
I quickly answered, worried sparks might fly toward Kibon.
"Well, I've been... rolling him around quite a bit. Since he hasn't adjusted to the Empire yet, I've been piling work on him excessively. It's unavoidable due to staffing shortages...."
"Looking at that fresh face, I'd say you could work him even harder. As the saying goes, youth thrives through hardship—work him harder."
This child even possessed the temperament of a curmudgeon.
Kibon trembled as he looked at Jayden.
He seemed indifferent to most things, but this ill-mannered little brat apparently got under his skin?
"The thing is."
Jayden sat down arrogantly, crossing his arms.
"Thanks to you, I had a good talk with the Empress. Better late than never—we've decided to stop hiding our feelings from each other and get along going forward."
"How fortunate, Young Prince. Truly fortunate indeed."
I smiled brightly, and Jayden stared at me intently.
Soon after, he looked away and let out a soft cough.
"Well, it's thanks to you."
"I'm honored by your praise. I shall pass it down through the generations as the glory of my house."
"Good. Well, to the Empress... I actually confessed honestly that I'm rather ill-mannered. It seemed the letters I've been sending have hurt her feelings quite a bit."
"Ah...."
Jayden continued with a somber expression.
"So I simply admitted that I'm actually a foul-mouthed brat with no redeeming qualities."
"My, is that so...? What did the Empress say in response to such an objective confession about yourself?"
"She was delighted."
Hmm?
"She said that if my reputation is already so terrible while I'm still young, those wretched schemers won't come crawling to me with talk of seizing the Crown Prince's position."
Ah....
Well, in any case, it's a happy ending.
"That's why I don't hide my true self in front of the Empress. The Empress also decided to do whatever she pleases."
"I see...."
"Of course... for now, I'd like to remain a well-mannered child in front of the Emperor and Crown Prince Kiaros. They don't know my true nature."
Jayden laughed shyly, fidgeting with his fingers.
It was quite adorable, but Kibon regarded Jayden with cold, narrowed eyes. He seemed to genuinely dislike ill-mannered children.
A brief silence fell, and then Jayden spoke again.
"Ahem, you said you were the first to suspect something was off after checking the soundproofing scroll inventory."
"Yes. It was only natural."
"It wasn't natural. It was something to be grateful for. So here's the thing."
Jayden grinned at me.
"I'd like to hold that Saint Kairo Banquet event you planned after all."
Ah, finally this moment arrives. I broke into a radiant smile.
Perfect. Everything had gone according to plan.
Our relationship had been restored, so naturally he'd want to share that event together.
"The Empress also wants to do it. She said she wants to make memories with me right now."
"Yes. It would be an honor for our Scroll Department."
I suppressed the urge to shout with joy. Instead, I smiled gently and nodded.
The Royal Family holding an event with the Scroll Department at the Saint Kairo Banquet.
'Let's raise the Scroll Department's reputation this time!'
By any means necessary, I'll give this showcase my absolute best effort!
The budget I'd secured was generous. My heart raced at the thought of preparing an event that would astound everyone.
I made a silent vow and spoke kindly.
"I'll prepare it soon and guide you through it. It won't be difficult. Once I provide you with the scroll, you both just need to activate it together. It should become a wonderful memory for you both."
Of course, I'd have to pull all-nighters preparing for it.
"Ahem, ahem."
The event discussion ended, but Jayden didn't leave, clearing his throat instead.
It seemed he had something else to say.
I waited patiently without rushing the embarrassed child.
"Um, well."
After a long pause, Jayden spoke while avoiding eye contact.
"You kicked my brother."
What, that's what this was about? I nodded kindly.
At the same time, Kibon coughed in surprise.
"Cough, cough!"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org