Chapter 108
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 108 – Difficult Feeling
“Krone, I would like an explanation as to why I was summoned…”
“…Hey Ain, would you like another drink?”
It had been a few minutes since Graff had been escorted into Krone’s office. At first glance, he seemed calm, but inside, he was anything but that. He did not know why he was summoned; on the contrary, he was summoned in the name of Ain. And if the place was inside the castle, even Graff could not remain calm.
“Um, Krone? I think it’s time we talked about this.”
Graff had been standing at the door since his arrival. He was not allowed to sit down and just kept looking at Ain and Krone.
“Is that so? If Ain says so… then it’s about time.”
Krone coughed cutely and stood up quickly. Then, her expression became more dignified than when she was talking to Ain. In other words, she put on the face of an a.s.sistant, and she looked at Graff from the front and opened her mouth.
“There are three rights that are granted to a person in a higher position. They are the right to take the other person’s time, the right to choose the place… and finally, the right to make the other person wait. Grandfather, this is what my grandfather taught me.”
“…I certainly taught you that. So that means I have done all those things in this place.”
“I am sure you understand that I did it on purpose. I know you will tell me honestly, but I don’t want to make any mistakes, so… I am giving you this as a warning from me to you, Grandfather, just in case.”
She deliberately made Graff wait and then chose this place to waste time. It may be uncharacteristic of her to say what she was doing, but this was one of the negotiating tips Graff taught her. It was a way to make it clear to the other side who had the upper hand in the negotiation and to get what you want out of it.
“What are you going to ask me? Did you think I would lie to the Crown Prince?”
“No. It’s just a precaution, that’s all. Please sit down, Grandfather.”
Graff, who was finally allowed to sit down, slowly approached and sat down in front of Ain and Krone. The old but st.u.r.dily built Graff always walked with crisp, pleasant movements.
“This is outrageous, Krone. Do you think I would speak falsely against the royal family to whom I owe so much?”
“Grandfather appreciates your employees very much. I thought about the possibility that you might be protecting them. It’s a big deal for me too, so I’m sorry, but I had to push things a little.”
“Employee…? What are you talking about, Krone? What does that have to do with the Crown Prince?”
“Well, let me get to the point. You remember the name Roddy, don’t you?”
Krone could also hear Ain swallowing fresh saliva next to her. If he was so nervous, she wished he’d show a little more att.i.tude than usual. Despite her desire, she was unable to make such a request herself, which only maked her more impatient.
“He is a silver-haired boy from the Royal Kingsland Academy. I’m a little fuzzy on some things, which is why I called you, Grandfather.”
“Roddy… silver-haired… oh! I know who he is, but what happened to him?”
“Can you tell me more about him? I’ve lost track of who he is.”
“Why do you need an explanation? Can you not tell me?”
“That’s up to you, Grandfather.”
Krone had a reason for her stubbornness and persistence. She did not want this to get complicated and cause Ain unnecessary worry. She didn’t want to think about the trouble that could come from this. So she wanted to get this over with quickly and explain exactly what was going on to Ain, who looked worried next to her.
“He is the only son of the man who is the manager of the trade district. He seems to be an excellent child, and I hear he’s one of the best students at the Royal Kingsland Academy.”
“I knew it. So that’s what this is all about.”
“Well, Krone, what do you mean…?”
“Maybe we’ve met before. Even if we have met, it wasn’t just the two of us, you know. We met at a meeting of the August Trading Company.”
The August Trading Company had grown into a large trading company that was well known in the Royal Capital and was gradually spreading throughout the continent.
It had set up departments in each city and further divided them into sections to manage many regions. There had been several meetings of its executives, and Krone had attended a few times, accompanied by her grandfather, Graff.
“That must have been the time… Because I can’t think of any other reason.”
“You mean… You don’t remember much about this Roddy?”
“Y-yes. I don’t remember much, I don’t even remember his face, so it’s almost like I don’t remember him at all…”
Maybe Krone was nice to him, and he fell in love with her. He thought, “She was so good to me, so she must like me!” She was certainly attractive enough to make that mistake.
On the other hand, Krone herself could not even remember Roddy’s face, let alone his name, which was a sad story.
“And Grandfather? You said you’d turned them all down, but maybe that Roddy had offered an engagement or something, right?”
“You’re very perceptive, Krone. Yes, that’s right.”
“What did he say? How did you write the rejection?”
“As usual. I replied, “I cannot accept such an offer because I have been treated well by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.” I’ll tell you first that I decided to write this letter after consulting with Warren-dono!”
Hearing these words, Ain was convinced.
He wanted Krone to be free; in other words, he thought that Ain was tying Krone up. And even though he knew that it was disrespectful, he suggested such a thing to Ain.
“Krone. I could guess pretty well, and I know why. …So, in other words, you think that, uh, Roddy is getting out of control?”
“I’m sorry. This has caused you trouble.”
“No problem, don’t worry about it. But I think it’s time to make it clear.”
The last word was a small murmur, and he thought about what to do. If he was out of control after getting carried away, there was no need to deal with him, but it was certain that he would come back when he was at the school again.
——What should I do now? Ain thought to himself.
“Grandfather.”
“Hmm? What is it, Krone?”
“I will not show my face at any of the meetings of the trading company any longer. And one more thing, of course, you will tell his father, won’t you?”
“Oh, no problem. That would be appropriate.”
“I’m sorry, Ain. I will speak firmly to the boy’s father, so if it happens again at school… you will let me know right away.”
If the chairman protested personally, he would make sure that his son Roddy was informed. It would not be surprising to see Roddy arrested for disrespect when the matter became public.
“Your Royal Highness. I am very sorry for the trouble caused by the members of my trading company. I will inform him as strongly as I can, and I hope you will wait for my report.”
“No… I have my share of faults. So you don’t have to bow down so much…”
“Hmm? Your Highness is not at fault, it is our fault…”
“That’s right, Ain. So… I’m really sorry.”
There was no need to apologize! The two of them continued to apologize several times after that.
The line that Ain just said, “But it’s time to make it clear, isn’t it? The reason for this was the current situation, which was not clear to a large extent. Since the day they first met, they had grown a lot together.
Krone came from home to this Ishtar across the land and across the sea. Thinking of Krone, it was only natural that she should not continue like this.
She would soon graduate from high school, and even if it was too early to call her an adult, at least she was not a child. If that was the case, there were things that needed to be seriously considered with Krone more than ever before. This was something Graff felt very strongly about.
After that, Graff returned to the trading company, and the incident seemed to have been resolved. As Graff had promised, the story would be told to Roddy’s father today. If that happened, the story would be told to Roddy later today.
＊＊＊
“Nya, nya! Lese majeste-nya? You mean lese majeste-nya!”
“Will you please be quiet, my ears hurt?”
An adult dryad. And the problem of compatibility with one’s own nature. …Ain came to discuss this with Katima.
It was decided to wait a few minutes with the magic stone as an experiment. Then, bored with doing nothing, Ain ended up telling Katima about the incident that happened at school that day.
For some reason, Katima laughed out loud at the word lese majeste, and Ain regretted talking about it.
“…L-lese majeste-nya! Nyahahahahahaha!”
“I have no idea what’s so funny…”
“Nya? Aren’t you funny, Ain? Words like lese majeste are already funny-nya. Isn’t Ain different-nya?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m just glad I don’t have the same sensibilities as Katima-san.”
A useless cat that didn’t care about Ain’s sarcasm and just laughed at him. If this appearance, which was too much as usual, could be shown, Ain could somehow regain his mental composure.
“Huh, that’s strange-nya… But it’s also Ain’s fault-nya, because you’ve been in a half-a.s.sed situation for so long and this is what you get-nya.”
“…I know.”
“Really-nya? Well, either way, I’m not going to interfere with my nephew’s situation-nya.”
Katima picked up a custom-made claw board and began to care for her claws. Even today, Ain hated her useless fur and paw pads.
“But if I may give you some advice, I think you should wait a few more years-nya.”
“What do you mean?”
“As soon as the Crown Prince turns 16, he gets one right-nya. It is the right to give orders to the royals who do not have the royal right, do you think it is a good time?”
“Oh, I see… I mean, it is just a period.”
That means this cat has the right to give orders; let’s make sure to remember that, Ain thought to himself. And it’s also important to think about what to order.
“Oh, that’s right-nya. By the way, there are not many royalty in Ishtalika these days-nya. So I would like to see the number of royalty increase in Ain’s generation-nya.”
“I don’t know how to increase the number, but it’s hard for the partner to give birth to many children…”
“This is also the duty of a woman who becomes a royal-nya. I think Krone is prepared for that much-nya.”
“I see… But wait a minute. You don’t have to say Krone so casually.”
Ain said this with an embarra.s.sed look on his face, but Katima looked stunned and waved her hand in an exaggerated manner as if to say, “Good grief.”
“Hah… You call me a useless cat, but Ain is a pretty useless crown prince, too-nya.”
Katima sighed heavily, but since he could not be strong in this matter, Ain closed his mouth and quietly turned away.
“Well, it’s all right-nya. If it comes to it, you can even impregnate Chris-nya, I’ll give you permission-nya.”
“I feel sorry for Chris who will have that happen to her without her consent…”
When talking to Ain, Katima occasionally mentions Chris’ name, but it was a bit of concern and support for Chris.
She had no desire to interfere in other people’s circ.u.mstances, but she secretly thought that she would not be punished for doing so.
“It’s also a problem to raise too much unnecessarily, though-nya. The use of the Ishtalika name in completely unknown places and the mysterious welcome… are a bit frightening-nya.”
There may be power struggles, but the lack of royalty was also a problem. If the bloodline were to be cut, the country would immediately descend into chaos.
“Now that I think about it, why was I welcomed into the territory of the former demon king? By that living armor, Marco-san.”
“Nya? So it’s not because Ain is the crown prince, is it-nya?”
“No, it is true that I am the crown prince, but… why would it be necessary to welcome the crown prince of another country, a human one at that?”
“Is it the spirit of chivalry-nya?”
“I’m beginning to think it’s a bit unreasonable.”
Ain understood that such a welcome was a matter of course when the king was alive and well and the countries were in contact with each other. However, since the two countries were not only of the same race but also enemies, it became difficult to put all that aside with a single chivalrous spirit.
“What did that Marco say to you-nya?”
“Let’s see, as I recall, he said, ‘Isn’t it a matter of course to serve the royal family of Ishtalika? I think that’s it.”
“He had respect for us because we were the royal family that defeated the demon king. I think it’s something like that-nya?”
“Is that how it is?”
“A strong monster is naturally very proud-nya. That is why they follow the strong… it is not surprising that they have such a nature-nya.”
It was a little different when the sea dragon twins obediently obeyed him. After all, they listened to what the servants said because they had been friends since they were eggs.
But let’s remember the case of the Ist monster arena: the monster Viscount Sage had with him was afraid of Ain. Since such feelings were possible, he did not think that Katima was wrong in what she said.
“But this is an opponent that Lloyd-san said he couldn’t defeat, right? Why would he be so polite to me?”
“Nya… Then you have the bloodline of the first king-nya. In any case, it was the first king who defeated the demon king, so there’s no mistake-nya!”
I see; that makes sense, Ain thought. Katima put her hands on her hips and said, “Fufu,” as she told the story that convinced Ain.
“Hmm. I hate to admit it, but I’m beginning to think you’re right.”
“Why don’t you admit it honestly?”
While they talked about many topics in this way, 30 minutes had pa.s.sed since they started talking. He brought the magic stone he was holding in both hands in front of him and checked the situation.
“It seems to be okay, do you want to see it?”
“Oh, yes, yes, let me have a look at it-nya, now, give it to me-nya.”
After a light toss, Katima deftly caught the magic stone with her paw. Turning it around, she examined the magic stone, looking at the color and the darkness inside.
“If you are in a normal state of mind, there is no problem-nya.”
“Hmm? Normal?”
“I don’t know if it’s when you’re angry-nya. Even monsters become more powerful when they are excited-nya, and Ain can’t dismiss that possibility… you know-nya?”
“I think that’s what you mean. But I think it’s safe to say that I’m not absorbing it as much as I used to.”
The experiment was over for now.
He also considered experimenting with roots but decided to leave it at that for today. Katima also agreed with this idea.
“By the way, Ain. Olivia looked so happy to have Ain’s root, do you have any idea what it is-nya?”
“…I will exercise my right to remain silent.”