My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 71
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 71
I never thought I'd run into the Crown Prince and Viscount Artisina at a tea party hosted by Lady Aronia.
"What's wrong, Princess Skyla?"
"Ah… nothing."
I stand as still as an angel statue built in the centre of a fountain, but the sound of Aronia's voice brings me to my senses.
She smiles gracefully at me. "Are you nervous because it's been a while since you've been here?"
‘Fufufu, you didn't know I was good enough to invite the Crown Prince, did you?
Of course, I didn't. It seems like just yesterday you were running around trying to flirt with the Crown Prince.
'Of course, the Crown Prince sent someone to me first to express his interest in attending, but… Princess Skyla doesn't need to know that.'
What? The Crown Prince contacted you first about coming to the tea party?
When I hear her thoughts, my eyes widen in surprise. But on second thought, I shouldn't have been.
Of course, it's strange that Aronia, who has a much lower status, would fearlessly hand the Crown Prince an invitation to a tea party…
But why did he wish to join the tea party, when they have no relation whatsoever….
I'll ask His Highness what happened later.
With that resolve, I lift my head again and glance at the tea party table.
The crown prince was seated at the head of the tea party table by his status. The seats on either side of him were empty. Presumably, Lancer and I, the next highest in rank, would fill those two seats.
Beside them, Lady Artberry was seated in advance, and to her right, in the lowest seat, was Viscount Artisina.
A prince of another country sitting in the lowest seat….
What a terrifying lowdown! If the King of the Hebnia Kingdom were to see it, he would have no choice but to declare war immediately.
Though, only the Crown Prince and I know the true identity of Viscount Artisina, so it's inevitable.
"Princess Skyla's seat is next to Lady Artberry," Aronia whispers in my ear.
I turn my head towards the seat she points to, and there sits a pale-faced, pink-haired young lady.
The organisers of tea parties usually determine the seating arrangements in advance. This was to prevent one of the participants from taking a high seat without realising that someone with a higher status than them was coming, which would be awkward later.
So it was customary for the organiser to recite the seats, and the participants would make their way to them without a word.
But I don't move. Because,
"Lady Aronia."
"What is it?"
"I need you to do me a favour." I didn't invite her to this tea party for nothing. "Do you mind if Lancer sits next to Lady Artberry instead?"
After all, Lancer and I are equally descended from dukes. So technically, it didn't matter who sat next to the Crown Prince between us.
I'll use this to my advantage and have Lancer seated next to Lady Artberry.
Aronia looks a little surprised at my sudden suggestion, but it's only for a moment. And then she asks me in a voice so low that only I can hear it, almost a whisper. "Princess, are you deliberately switching places with Lord Lancer because you want him to have a relationship with Lady Artberry?"
Ever the perceptive Aronia, but she's half right and half wrong.
"Lady Artberry is bright and friendly. I believe she'll be able to guide the conversations so that Lancer doesn't get nervous."
"Aha."
Aronia nods in understanding. And just like that, Lancer is seated next to Lady Artberry by a ploy.
I, on the other hand, am seated to the left of the Crown Prince and next to Lady Aronia.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules. I hope this tea party will be enjoyable and beneficial to us all." Once all the invitees have gathered, Aronia announces the beginning of the party in a cheerful voice. "To start, there are probably a few unfamiliar faces among us, so if you don't mind, Lady Artberry, why don't you introduce yourself to everyone here?"
Aronia's words drew everyone's gaze to Artberry.
"Yes!" Even though she answers triumphantly, it's obvious that Artberry is nervous.
Her shoulders immediately tense and stiffen, and the smile she has forced onto her face is frozen into a pitiful grimace.
"M-My name is Artberry from Count Vrans, and it is an honour to meet you all!" Her voice is almost trembling, it makes me proud that she's able to say it loud and clear.
"If you're from Count Vrans, then you're the family that rules the western territories, right?" Aronia asks.
She nods. "Yes, that's right, and I'm going to stay at Count Vrans' villa in the capital for a few years."
"I see, so you're here on your own?"
"No, my brother is with me. He's actually in the Imperial Knights."
"The Imperial Knights, " the Crown Prince mutters to himself. "By chance, is your brother's name Carberry?"
"That's right, Your Highness! It's Carberry, do you know my brother?" Her eyes begin to sparkle.
The Crown Prince speaks slowly, a little embarrassed. "Yes, I do. Carberry is quite… famous."
Artberry's face lights up with joy. "I knew it! My brother is very skilled with a sword, and Your Highness thinks so too, right?"
Oh dear, asking a crown prince a question with a predetermined answer. She'll have to brush up on her royal etiquette.
Curious about the Crown Prince's reaction, I sneak a glance towards him, and I see his pupils shaking unsteadily.
…?
What kind of reaction is that?
His uncharacteristically trembling response piques my curiosity.
"...You seem to have a good relationship with Lord Carberry," he says after pondering for a while like a proverb.
"Yes, that's right, in fact, the reason I came to the capital this time was because I missed my brother."
"I see.”
The crown prince seems to be eager to change the subject from Carberry. However, Artberry doesn't seem to notice and continues to ramble on.
"My brother will definitely become the head of the Imperial Knights one day, Your Highness! You know what an outstanding knight my brother is, right? So please remember him the next time there's an official transfer!"
Look at you, asking for a favour at a tea party?
I stare at her, wide-eyed.
If I'm this embarrassed just sitting here listening, how much more so is the Crown Prince?
His thoughts are wavering.
‘If it's Lord Carberry, I thought he was the one who was always quitting after an hour of training because his back was hurting, and he didn't like it when his skin tanned from the sun….’
Ah, so Carberry is famous for something else.
Just hearing it sounds really bad.
And again, Artberry seems to be completely unaware of this.
"As Your Highness may already know, my brother is a very skilled swordsman! There's no other knight in all of Count Vrans who can surpass him!"
Well, that's a pretty good way of saying that Count Vrans has a lousy knightship.
A cloud of worry begins to creep over the Crown Prince's face.
"Ah, yes."
Artberry, who's been chirping like a sparrow, suddenly speaks unhappily. "There's someone in the Imperial Knights that His Highness needs to be wary of."
What is she saying?
I know it's supposed to be a tea party to socialise for one's own benefit, but isn't this a little too blatant?
I cast a bewildered glance at Artberry as she continues her increasingly inappropriate language. This must be the same with the others at the table.
But she doesn't stop talking, either because she's inexperienced or because she's oblivious.
"My brother told me that there's a man in the Imperial Knights who, every morning, rushes out to the training grounds loudly!" She goes on, to tell a story that no one has asked for. "Because of him, my brother wakes up every morning startled. How can someone be so rude? They don't even care about other people's sleep!"
…Hmm?
This is some kind of miracle logic.
What's wrong with a knight rushing to the training grounds in the morning to practice his swordsmanship?
"I don't think it's bad for a knight to be passionate about his training." Dumbfounded, I snap at her.
She seemed to be bothered that I disagreed with her.
‘What, are you gonna say that I accidentally gossiped about you at the ball?’
No, I don't particularly want to remember how you were talking about me behind my back. The reminder wounds me.
I sigh inside when she speaks to me in a rather coy voice. "Of course, I think like you, Princess," she says, "but you have to be respectful of others, no matter what, and my brother says that person is really tactless."
It's a little weird to hear a tactless person call someone else tactless.
"This is a story my brother told me, and he said that whenever the Templar says, 'That's enough training for today,' the man would be like, 'Please let me train more!' And I don't really understand why."
"You can say that when you want to train more."
"But you're making everyone else look bad! Just think about it, Princess. How do you think you'd feel if you went to a party you really didn't want to attend, but couldn't because everyone else is going?"
"Isn't the person who went to that party an idiot?"
Artberry is fuming. "Are you saying my brother is stupid?"
I simply shrug before lifting my teacup lazily. "Why are you upset? It seems that Lady Artberry's brother didn't want to go to the Imperial Knights, didn't he?"
"Pfft!"
Laughter erupts from the head of the table. The wall that's been building between me and Artberry collapses at once.
I turn my head to the source of the sound, and see the Crown Prince.
“It's nothing. I accidentally wheezed when drinking my tea.”
‘So Kayla won't give up a single word. I like that.’
Artberry blushes, suddenly aware of the Crown Prince's presence.
"...What's his name?" Lancer, who's listening to the conversation between us, asks in a small voice.
"Well, he had a fairly ridiculous name, so I can't really remember… but I think it was something like Hubert or something."
Well, that sounds familiar.
