6.
While Richt ate slowly, Theodore quickly finished a bowl of soup.
âItâs delicious because itâs warm.â
Theodoreâs cheeks turned red. Seeing that scene made him look back at himself, who was grumbling with his food. Richt corrected his posture and ate with more sincerity.
âWould you like some more?â
âIs that okay?â
âIs there anything that cannot be done if His Majesty the Crown Prince wishes?â
Richt called the maid again. However, the person who came in this time had a different face from the first maid. The outfit was a bit more extravagant for a maid. Because of that, she got stuck at the door and argued for a while. Eventually one of the knights came in and told Richt about him.
âWho?â
âI am said to be the tutor of His Highness the Crown Prince.â
When I saw him making a fuss outside, he seemed like he had an annoying personality. Or fearless.
âBut you probably know the crown prince well, right?â
I didnât know if there was anything I could hear. Therefore, Richt allowed the tutor to enter. As soon as she came in, she held her head stiffly and introduced herself. If she were Licht in the past, she would have been slapped in the face for not knowing the topic.
âHello, Lord Devine. âI am Alione, the tutor of His Highness the Crown Prince.â
For some reason, I have a bad feeling. Did I invite you here for no reason? She opened her mouth with belated regret.
âSo, whatâs going on with His Highness the Crown Princeâs tutor during mealtime?â
âI stopped by to discuss a meal. His Royal Highness usually ate only this much. âOvereating can be bad for your body.â
surfeit? Richt frowned when he saw Theodoreâs wrist, which was as bony as a dry twig.
âTheodore is too thin.â
âYou are average. And you need to check for poison, but you just ate it. âItâs dangerous.â
âOkay. âI have a tool that can check for poison.â
âBut that doesnât work. There are countless dangers in the world that we are unaware of. I must protect His Highness the Crown Prince from that. âPlease do as I say.â
It was a strict face.
âNope.â
Richt smiled coldly and looked at Alione. The sight was so brutal that Alione trembled without even realizing it. And he felt it. This person doesnât understand words. As soon as she realized that, Alione changed the target.
âHis Royal Highness the Crown Prince.â
To an easier target. Theodore, who was shaking his feet at the thought of eating another plate of warm soup, looked embarrassed. For the first time in a while, food tasted delicious.
Theodore looked at Alione, then at Richt. And I answered.
âI will follow Richtâs advice.â
âyes?â
Alione looked embarrassed. I thought he would be able to judge who his enemy was, no matter how young he was. The one Theodore chose was not him. Surprise flashed across her face. Then she gritted her teeth.
âMaia wouldnât want this.â
Theodore, who had been trying to satisfy his small greed for a long time, stopped.
Richt, looking at that scene, sighed softly. Even though he is the crown prince, he is very intimidated by his tutor. Looking at a childâs attitude, you can tell the adultâs attitude toward that child. Richt raised his head and spoke to Alione.
âItâs too bad, the Empress has already passed away. âIsnât that right?â
Alione closed her mouth at Richtâs words. What he said wasnât long, but it was enough to understand the meaning behind it. Beginning with the armed occupation, the imperial family was being replaced by Lichtâs people. In this situation, extending further was not the answer.
Alione decided to step down first.
âItâs a shame. But I believe that His Majesty the Crown Prince will always remember Maia.â
With those words, Alione retreated. Then her maid brought her more warm soup. But Theodore seemed to have already lost his appetite for her. He stirred the soup a few times with his spoon and then lowered his hand.
âIâm full.â
lie. I only ate one plate of soup, so thereâs no way I was full.
âPlease eat more.â
âI donât want to eat it.â
Theodore got down from the chair. Then she pulled her leash and called her maid again.
âIâm going to change my clothes.â
Theodore took off his pajamas and changed into his everyday clothes.
âWhat, youâre skinny after all.â
Even compared to when Richt was young, he was small and thin. My body is also quite sensitive, so I tend not to gain weight compared to others.
Since Theodore wasnât eating, Richt didnât feel like eating any more, so he told him to clean up the remaining food. Then he looked at Theodore, who was wiggling around. The little boy changed his clothes and opened the bedroom door.
Beyond that, I could see a desk sitting in what appeared to be a study room.
âWhat are you going to do now?â
âCan I do what I normally do?â
âOf course it will.â
âThen you have to work.â
Theodore answered calmly.
âWork?â
Now that I think about it, I see a pile of documents in a corner of the room. Theodore lifted it up with both arms and took it to his desk. Then he sat down in a large chair and began to look through the documents. Out of curiosity, I went to the side and saw letters filled with letters.
Waterway improvement plan for Western Aluro Province
Report on the Northern Barbarian Invasion
About the quality and quantity of military supplies
None of this was content that a child would see.
âHow long will I do this?â
âI usually watch until noon and then have lunch.â
âWhat next?â
âI have to take classes.â
Then, I point out my fingers one by one.
Horseback riding, swordsmanship, kingship, geography, literature, foreign languages, mathematics, etc. Two fingers werenât enough.
âIs it Gosam!â
The amount of studying I had to do each day was enormous.
Of course I donât think so, but I asked just in case.
âAre you happy?â
Theodore made an ambiguous expression at those words. It seemed like he wasnât doing it because it was fun. Because it is the crown princeâs duty, I have to do it. That seemed to be why I did it.
Richtâs expression suddenly darkened. And Theodore, who saw that, was embarrassed and quickly spoke out.
âStill, swordsmanship and horseback riding are fun.â
Cute and tiny Theodore seemed to like moving his body differently than he looked.
âIt feels good to move until youâre drenched in sweat.â@@novelbin@@
It was the opposite of Richtâs. I hate sweating. He was the happiest person when he was at home.
âokay.â
Still, I was glad there was something I liked. Thinking like that, she mindlessly flipped through some documents and saw a familiar name in one of them.
I slowly went back and looked at the cover, and it was worth it. This was a document for the Empressâs state funeral. Even though she had been dead not long, she came back quickly. Richt pretended to be calm and tried to hide the document, but Theodore discovered it before he could. He hesitated several times before opening his mouth.
âWhen can I give my mother a state funeral?â
For the time being, this was not possible. The state funeral was like a national event. It can be seen that information flows to Archduke Graham from the moment he takes it. I was already barely able to keep the information in, but it was difficult. Iâm not even ready to run away yet!
At least decide on a country to escape to and organize your assets. There was a lot to do.
âPlease wait a little longer.â
âIs it okay to wait a little while?â
Not originally, but it is possible now. This was because it was much easier to escape than to take power in oneâs hands.
âYes, just wait a moment.â
ââ¦Â â¦Â âI will believe it.â
Theodore spoke quietly and turned his attention back to the documents.
âIf itâs okay, Iâll help you too.â
I felt like I was abusing a child by leaving him to work alone.
âItâs okay.â
âIâm fine too.â
Richt placed another chair and reviewed the documents next to him. Perhaps because the crown prince was still young, there were often documents containing absurd demands. I threw that thing aside without mercy. And around lunch time, I got up first.
âI will leave for a moment.â
âhuh.â
Theodore answered calmly.
As soon as I came out of the room, I saw Ban. He was giving instructions to the other knights, and as soon as he spotted Richt, he approached him and bowed his head politely. Still, he seemed to humble himself too much, even though he was the leader of the Dukeâs knights.
âRaise your head.â
Van steadily followed Richtâs words. Her expressionless face looked at Licht. But Richt knew what his back was like now. This body must be a mess because the skin was torn with a whip a few days ago. Although it was treated, it is actually not enough. It would be better to take a break, but I know that even if I tell him to rest, he wonât rest.
âDo you have time now?â
âyes.â
Ban answered without a momentâs hesitation.
âThen guide me.â
âWhere should I lead you?â
âTo the nearest kitchen.â
There was no hesitation in response. Ban walked forward without hesitation. It seemed like he had already figured out the structure of the imperial palace. As I followed behind, my eyes kept fixating on my back without me even realizing it. I wanted to take the wound off and see what it looked like.