My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 146
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 146
"...Pay you?"
"Yes, pay me." The Crown Prince emphasises each syllable. Under normal circumstances, that word would make anyone shudder, but on the contrary, I breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank God this is a problem that can be solved with money. Money is something I have plenty of anyway. Besides, I'm gaining a lot from Lady Aronia. Even if he demands an astronomical sum, it would be no problem.
"Of course, you're not going to try to make up for ruining my plans with mere monetary compensation," he says, as if reading my thoughts. if the Crown Prince can read my thoughts.
F*ck, what?
A shiver runs down my spine immediately. Then what does he want?
He doesn't mean to use his imperial status to bring me and Lancer down… does he?
From what I've seen so far, the Crown Prince is a confident man who thinks more highly of himself than anyone else. It's unlikely he'd let me go so easily for foiling his plans.
As if he read my guess correctly, the Crown Prince glares at me. "How dare you choose another man over me for your fiancé."
Oh, what a nasty threat, with a lot of narcissism attached.
Am I really going to have to exile myself to the Hebnia Kingdom? I shudder as I ponder that. I don't know what he's going to demand from me, and in that short time all sorts of unnecessary thoughts go by in my head.
But, instead, his voice isn't full of curses, resentment, or insults.
"Kayla, the price you pay for breaking our contract is to live happier than anyone else with Lord Lancer," he proclaims.
"Your Highness...." I'm speechless. No words come out of my gaping mouth. I can do nothing but call out to him in a faint voice.
He glances at me and shakes his head. "Of course I won't be at the wedding. I have my pride too."
Ah, right. I see….
"And don't ask me to be your friend. I'm very selective about who I make friends with. You are too valuable to be my friend."
The Crown Prince shrugs. Though the words are spoken with perverse self-importance, I can vaguely sense what he means. Interesting.
Even though I can no longer hear his thoughts, it feels like I can still guess them. It's both amusing and gratifying.
"...Thank you, Crown Prince."
"You have nothing to thank me for. Thank your impeccable lover."
With those words, he folds his arms and turns his gaze to the snow, his back against me.
"Ah!" Then he miraculously loses his balance and staggers.
"Crown Prince!" I exclaim, and stretch out my arms to support him. Fortunately, I'm able to catch him before he falls completely onto the snow.
"Come to think of it, you seem to fall a lot, Crown Prince," I mutter, smirking.
"Guess I'll tell you the truth, Kayla." He clears his throat as he smooths his coat. "I often fall when I'm nervous."
Huh?
I blink.
Wait, so the first time he met me he….
"There he is, His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"And Princess Kaerun is with him!"
Just in time, the search party arrives. In the distance, I see the pensive Grand Duke Sybeta and them.
And at their lead was Lancer, smiling brightly at me.
* * *
Back at the mansion, there's a commotion.
"My lady!" As soon as I open the door and step inside, Phoebe runs to me and engulfs me in her arms. "My lady, are you all right? I was worried sick!"
"Yes, I'm fine." I pat her on the back. She looks exhausted, probably having been up all night worrying about me.
After watching us for a while, Viscount Artisina runs to the Crown Prince. "My God, my God, our Crown Prince, Dan—!"
"What's the matter with you?" The Crown Prince pushes his embrace away. But the Viscount ignores the rejection, clinging even closer to him.
"Thank goodness you're safe, I was so worried about you!"
"Really? I heard from Lancer that you slept well while resting in the manor?"
"Uh… I'm sorry to hear that. I was merely stocking up on stamina to better serve Your Highness.”
"You're still as annoying as ever. I brought you here to be an escort knight, so what are you doing?"
The Viscount sticks out his tongue at him. "And you, Your Highness? It's all over the North, and you're going to be the face of a tourist attraction. ‘The Northern speciality that His Highness coveted so much that he almost died getting, the Ice Flower!’ You've made a great contribution to the economy."
"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
It's refreshing to see them teasing each other, not as a lord and his subject, but as friends.
"Did Viscount Artisina really sleep well last night?" I nudge Lancer.
He nods. "Yeah. He slept like a log."
Then again, male friendships are hard to understand.
"I'm glad you all made it back safely."
As the group of us shared the excitement of the reunion in the foyer of the mansion, Grand Duke Sybeta interrupts with a heavy sigh. He must have been distressed yesterday when the Crown Prince disappeared in the mountains.
Let's put it another way.
Not just anyone, but a Crown Prince went missing in the mountains. And I, the only princess of the prestigious Duke of Kaerun family, and also the next Duke, am included in the set.
If the two of us had been injured in the accident, or worse, killed, what a mess he would have been in.
"I'm sorry, Grand Duke. I will compensate you somehow for the damage I have caused." The Crown Prince sincerely apologises.
Grand Duke Sybeta turns to face him, eyes wide. "I would be very much offended, Your Highness, if you were to compensate me with a mere sum of money."
"Then what do you want?"
"That you rest safely in the mansion until you return to the capital." We all nod at his words. We're all pretty much fed up with the cold anyway.
We spend the rest of the day exploring every corner of the manor. Even though we didn't get to go out to the waterfall or the village, both of which are said to be among the most spectacular sights in the North, we still had a great time.
Later on, Phoebe came over and taught us how to play cards.
"It's more fun when you put money on the line."
"You mean I have to pay to play cards?" The Crown Prince, not understanding the concept of gambling, asks.
"No, Your Highness, the five of us play cards, and the losers give their money to the one who wins."
At the explanation, he nods. "Aha, so it's like collecting taxes."
"Not quite, but… let me give you a demonstration. Viscount, how much do you want to bet? I'll put my jewelled brooch on the line.”
"You only live once, so I'll bet everything I've got— the Viscount of Artisina!" He reveals his hand as if he's been waiting for it.
"Cough, cough!" I choke on my water. Has he finally gone mad? Even if he was a prince at birth, how could he bet his title of viscount!
But as soon as I see his hand, I understand why he made such a reckless bet.
"Look, everybody, my beautiful full house!"
"Oh, no wonder." I give him a small round of applause for his rarely seen good hand.
"Spectacular. A good hand." The Crown Prince agrees, clapping. Even Lancer joins in the applause.
"Hoho, thank you. I must have saved the country in my previous life."
"Royal straight flush." Phoebe reveals her hand. It was a much better combination than the Viscount's hand.
In an instant, the Viscount's face pales. "No, wait a minute! Was that a possible combination?"
"Oh, Viscount Artisina. You're going to be banished to the Hebnia Kingdom as a beggar." The Crown Prince looks at him as if he finds the situation amusing.
Phoebe holds out her hand. "I've won, Viscount, give me your title."
"No, no! That was just a practice game, my lady!"
"Whatever, I didn't want a viscountcy anyway, I want to remain my lady's handmaiden forever."
Lancer brightens. "I want to be by Skyla's side forever, too."
My cheeks flush. It's the first time he ever expressed his feelings so openly in front of others.
The Viscount glares at Lancer and clicks his tongue. "Yes, we heard that, dearest Lord. Now let's get back to the real game. Lord Lancer, why don't you bet me a share of Duke Soli’s estate? You're rich."
"I have no money to give you." Laughter takes over the room.
And so the days in the North passed in a leisurely fashion. It's a peaceful time, with nothing happening. And that makes it all the more precious.
And finally, it's time we go home.
On the carriage ride back to the capital, I climbed aboard, hand in hand with Lancer. No one stops us from climbing into the same carriage.
It's a perfect ending, one that neither of us could have predicted just a week ago.