NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: Definitely Not An Affair
The group returned to the Rosewood summer manor, with Count Aegean taking Rian back to his rooms immediately before the Rosewood carriage had even pulled to a stop behind them.
Count Aegean marched the prince to his suite and closed the door behind them with a slam.
“—Are you trying to ruin your reputation, Prince Rian? Walking around the town is acceptable, but yet I heard you visited those kinds of areas too? Earl Rosewood should have politely refused to let you come along, that would have been proper!” Count Aegean had hours of pent-up unhappiness that hadn’t been soothed by tea and books. “This entire trip to the Rosewood summer manor was a bad idea,” he muttered. Oh, how he regretted telling the prince about the Rosewood murders!
“Do we not own the entire kingdom? Why are there places I cannot go?” Rian asked innocently. It amused him to see how the Count thought Earl Rosewood was a bad influence.
Count Aegean spluttered. “You—Your Highness, take a seat and open that book right now. You have a lot of work to catch up on!”
“Yes, Count Aegean.”
Rian put on a chagrined-prince image, but unlike the days previous, it was starting to feel suffocating.
Eventually, after Rian answered a sufficient number of questions correctly—and a sufficient number of questions incorrectly—Count Aegean relented and allowed both of them to have lunch.
Then, finally, Count Aegean left to have his rest in the afternoon.
The smile on Rian’s face became genuine as he prepared to go meet with the Earl.
He was glad to return to the past, with years to prevent future crisis. He had thought that he’d be able to deal with the unique pressures of being in a child’s body again, but he clearly hadn’t remembered the extent of Count Aegean’s overbearingness. It was particularly bothersome when the Count continually tried to stop him and berate him. There was only so much smiling Rian could do while being scolded.
In retrospect, why did his meetings with Earl Rosewood feel like a secret affair? He was the eldest prince and he was meeting with Earl Rosewood and there was nothing shameful about it.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t simply dismiss the Count. Count Aegean controlled an important sea-side fief in Sedaveria, host to the main seaports.
Just as he was about to leave his suite, one of his Royal Guards came up to him.
“Your Highness, if I can say a small comment?”
Rian looked up at the tall guard, putting on a guileless expression. “Be at ease.”
The guard unconsciously relaxed. “Your Highness, my perception may be wrong. However, Earl Rosewood does not seem enthusiastic and polite with you…”
Rian smiled, his eyes curving. “If you were twelve and had such strength, would you be polite too? It’s enough that he hasn’t attacked me outside the realm of a duelling field. As two twelve year old boys, we have a lot of talk about. Adults like you don’t understand.” The words flowed so smoothly out of Rian’s mouth that he was impressed with himself.
The guard’s lips twitched. “…I understand, your Highness.”
Rian hummed affirmatively.
Then, he walked familiarly over to Earl Rosewood’s rooms. Once again, the door opened before Rian could knock.
Rian nodded to his Royal Guards and entered Ayden Rosewood’s rooms. Once again, he cast the sound-blocking spell. His posture changed, from refined young prince to casual adult.
“Opening the door before I can knock, are you so eager?” Rian asked with a smirk.
Ren Xiyang’s face was deadpan as usual. “If his Highness prefers to wait, then I will let him wait next time.”
“Why so stiff? You’re never going to pass for a twelve-year-old acting like that.” Rian took a seat at what was becoming his sofa.
Ren Xiyang also took a seat. “Twelve-year-olds aren’t monolithic. Also, thank you for your generosity today,” Ren Xiyang added, in a tone that didn’t sound like he was overflowing with gratitude. “You needn’t buy so many clothes for me.”
“The amount will pale in the money used for those generous bereavement payments,” Rian countered.
“When the murderers are found, I assume I will receive a payout for damages to the estate,” Ren Xiyang said calmly.
They both knew who the perpetrators were.
“On that matter, the Investigators have already found evidence leading to Baron Cordovan. However, the matter of who is behind the Cordovans’ is still being investigated. The King is personally overlooking the matter. The Cordovans’ role will be revealed to the public once it’s convenient, unless you have a particular deadline.”
“No deadline.”
Rian contemplated. “Aside from a payout, did you have any other punishments in mind?”
Ren Xiyang blinked. He fundamentally didn’t care. He personally had no feelings for the Rosewoods, and no feelings for the Cordovans. He rather not waste time thinking about face-slapping little villains. “What is typical in this kingdom?”
“Exile,” Rian answered. “Execution and jailing are typically only for the commoners.”
Ren Xiyang wanted to rub his temples. He hadn’t signed up for fief management, let alone to criminal justice. “Determine whether their children played a role. If not, one of them can become the Baron Cordovan.”
“If it’s like this, maybe I should ask my Imperial Father to give me a little fief so that I can become little Lord Rian myself,” Rian said.
Ren Xiyang gave him a look. “If his Highness so wishes, you can be Earl Rosewood, and I’ll go farm.”
Rian’s mouth twitched. “How scandalous.”
“Take it as a payment for future favours.”
Ren Xiyang had been half serious, but unfortunately, Rian didn’t agree.
Rian snickered. “If you really want to return the favour, then you should come to the Capital. If you accompany me, my Imperial Mother can’t berate me for not socialising with the other children.”
Ren Xiyang: “…”
“If we duel in front of them, do you think they’ll be too scared to play with us?”
“…”
“Count Aegean’s daughter is not too bad, though she’s older than the rest. She and Lady Kelly Fern prefer each other’s company….” Rian started mentioning various names that went in one ear and dissipated a moment later in Ren Xiyang’s brain.
“Your Highness, I won’t be attending social functions,” Ren Xiyang finally interrupted.
Rian smiled. “Not even if I bribe you?” When Ayden Rosewood looked like that, Rian felt like he needed to cajole him a little. “There are so many upcoming social events at the Capital, from the mid-summer evening soiree, the late-summer afternoon tea and the autumn lunch, to the winter ball. As the Earl, it would be remiss to avoid them all. Not to mention, my Imperial Mother has already begun the process of inviting Angio chefs to the Capital. I’ll have my personal tailor design your clothes and have my personal etiquette teacher give you some lessons.”
Ren Xiyang glanced at him. “If I’m forced to attend, then I will rely on your Highness.”
Rian smiled, his eyes half-lidded. “Are my motives so obvious?”
Ren Xiyang didn’t deign to answer such a question. “There is one matter you can help me with.”
Rian quickly straightened up, very alert. “Yes?”
“I need to hire a magical tutor to teach me basic spells.”
“The Earl is having some trouble?”
“Mm.”
Rian smiled in amusement. “If others knew that normal spells caused you such trouble, they’d think your father had enacted some kind of experimental training on you, forcing you to learn nonverbal spells from the very beginning.”
Ren Xiyang raised an eyebrow.
“I see the Earl doesn’t care what others think,” Rian interpreted.
“Mm.”
“Very well.” Rian glanced at the silver-gold watch on his wrist and leaned back on the sofa. “What kind of spells did you want to learn in particular? I have time to teach you. Of course, you’ll owe me a favour.”
Ren Xiyang paused. Did the prince want another duel with him in the future?
“You won’t lose out owing me a favour,” Rian said with a sparkly-eyed smile. “Earl Rosewood, I believe I’m a great teacher, and I won’t ask you to do anything illegal.”
“…”
Mentioning illegality made it even more suspicious. Ren Xiyang closed his eyes briefly and stood up. He retrieved the magic books from his desk and placed them on the coffee table between the sofas, which was silent agreement.
Rian felt nostalgic seeing these familiar books. He moved over and sat on the sofa with the Earl. “Let’s begin~”
Rian was a good teacher and Ren Xiyang was a fast learner. They quickly went through a few general spells, a few fire-specific spells, and a few healing spells over the course of the afternoon.
“—Count Aegean is stirring,” Ren Xiyang abruptly warned.
Rian stiffened, then casually relaxed. “Let him be then. Before I leave, let me test you again, and see whether you can cast any of them nonverbally.”
Ren Xiyang nodded. From what he understood, nonverbal magic required ‘saying’ the spell in his mind. However, after trying a few times and failing, Ren Xiyang silently disparaged magic’s prescriptiveness once more.
Rian narrowed his eyes upon seeing Ayden’s struggle. “You don’t cast nonverbal spells, do you?” He had initially believed, like the others, that the young Earl was an adept elite mage who could cast spells nonverbally, but in retrospect, Ayden didn’t know any verbal spells, so how could he cast spells he didn’t know nonverbally?
“Show me your usual magic.”
Ren Xiyang blinked. A moment later, a fireball appeared between them.
“And what’s the spell?”
“There is none. Only energy control.”
Rian’s eyes widened. He smiled in exasperation. “Earl Rosewood, I hope you realise that powering your magic by sheer willpower makes you either the most primitive of mages, or the most powerful of mages.”
“Mm,” Ren Xiyang hummed in agreement. He already knew that in this world, he was both a learning scum and a tyrant mage.
Rian glanced at his watch and said reluctantly, “Next time. I should get going.”
“Your Highness is welcome to come again at any reasonable time,” Ren Xiyang said.
Rian smiled slightly. He farewelled the Earl and returned to his own suite.
Count Aegean was waiting for him with a reprimanding expression at the ready.
“Again, your Highness?”
“It was twelve-year-old things, you wouldn’t understand,” Rian said with a light smile. He refused to act guilty about it anymore.
“You came here as a member of the Imperial family, not to play.”
“The Earl and I studied magic,” Rian said truthfully. He gave the Count a sly look. “Do you want to see?”
“—You studied magic without an experienced mage present?!”
Rian held his hands behind his back and started to cast a number of complex, advanced spells that he had learned only once he went to the Imperial Magical Academy.
Count Aegean’s eyes were wide in shock. When did the prince learn these spells? He couldn’t have learned from Ayden Rosewood, did he? Was Ayden Rosewood that powerful?!
“Why are you so shocked, Count Aegean?” Rian asked innocently. “Earl Rosewood is a very adept mage.” He’d let the Count make false conclusions. He was a little petty, so what?
Rian: Pfft, this isn’t an affair! We’re friends! Partners in crime!
Readers: hehehehe
Also, Ezra drew Ren Xiyang! If Rian saw, he’d want to kiss those lips~~~~
