Chapter 170
I was shocked.
This meant that Grandfather held the upper hand in the relationship between Crown Prince Beleyn and himself.
He wasn’t even an imperial citizen but the crown prince of a powerful kingdom.
‘As expected of Grandfather.’
Grandfather seemed even more imposing.
I felt a surge of determination to raise my father well so he could follow in Grandfather’s footsteps.
Beleyn smiled awkwardly and asked,
“Is it alright?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. I’m such a doting father that I can’t refuse my child’s requests.”
“I understand.”
‘Huh?’
For some reason, it felt like Grandfather’s gaze briefly landed on me.
Was it just my imagination?
“Take the royal grandson to the garden.”
Grandfather instructed the third-generation direct descendants to escort Abeno to the garden.
“Your Highness, this way, please.”
“I will escort you to the garden.”
The theme of this year’s evaluation was hosting distinguished guests.
It was clear to everyone that the guests to be hosted were Crown Prince Beleyn and Prince Abeno of Aligiosa.
Escorting them meant entertaining and hosting them properly.
‘Well, it’s not appropriate to discuss politics in front of children. Although I’d love to listen.’
But Conrad would listen and relay the information to me, so I wasn’t worried.
The third-generation kids took Prince Abeno to the west garden.
Specifically, to the area where the new Teresa roses were planted.
“Prince, what is your garment made of? It looks different in texture from what we wear in the Empire. It seems very special.”
“The clothes are special, but perhaps they seem even more so because you are special, Prince.”
“Prince, the patterns on your turban are truly splendid. I…”
“I also…!”
The third-generation members were desperate to gain Abeno’s favor.
‘Of course, the evaluation will be decided based on Abeno’s words.’
Seeing how even his father, Crown Prince Beleyn, couldn’t move an inch without him, it was clear that Abeno held the key.
“Hmm…”
But Abeno seemed indifferent.
The third-generation kids, although exhausted, were in a frenzy.
“You must be very tired from the long journey on the ship.”
“Crossing such a vast sea! You are so brave. Did you encounter any sea monsters on the way? Surely the knights of Aligiosa cut them down with a single strike?”
“Hey, what are you doing? Bring something for the prince to eat!”
‘They’re like puppies.’
The third-generation kids were like puppies even on normal days.
Very fierce, and they would bark aggressively like chihuahuas if things didn’t go their way.
But right now, they seemed like country dogs, overly affectionate and wagging their tails energetically because they loved people.
‘Well, it’s understandable. They must be nervous.’
I smiled leisurely.
None of the other third-generation kids could have figured out that the distinguished guests were the royal family of Aligiosa.
Even for me, it would have taken a long time to guess without Blitzen’s hint.
I would have figured it out eventually from Balzac mentioning the unflagged ship that entered while he was on guard duty.
But without Blitzen’s help, it would have been hard to know in time.
‘If it took me that long, these kids wouldn’t have prepared anything.’
They would have assumed the distinguished guests were high-ranking nobles or royalty from the Empire.
They must be anxious since they haven’t prepared anything Aligiosa people would prefer, like drinks, scents, or food.
‘So, they’re trying to use Prince Abeno, who’s right in front of them.’
Since he looked young, they were trying to win his favor and get a good evaluation.
But.
Despite the efforts of the Astra chihuahuas, Abeno looked incredibly bored.
“Haahm…”
He even visibly yawned.
“Haa…”
No matter what the kids said, he remained expressionless.
“Prince! Prince! We brought various types of warm tea and cold tea. Which would you prefer?”
“Huu…”
“If you don’t like tea, we can bring juice…! We’ll squeeze fresh fruit juice right away!”
It was almost as if Geoffrey’s tail was wagging like a propeller.
Geoffrey was foolish but very proud, yet here he was, doing all this, and Abeno didn’t even blink an eye.
‘This is entertaining.’
I watched, feeling a sense of vicarious satisfaction, as Geoffrey’s older sister, Loreina, stepped forward.
‘Will Loreina fare better than Geoffrey?’
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