The adults around Daux had manipulated him so much that he didn’t know many things he should’ve learned by now. It was still forgivable, given his young age, but at the end of the day, he was still a member of the imperial family. The responsibilities he would have to shoulder in the future would be different from those of us who were mere aristocrats. I was certain that Daux would become a kind and just imperial prince no matter what, but even so, it would be a shame to let any opportunities to learn and grow pass him by.
“Certainly, we are not the only ones, but we are His Highness’s most loyal supporters.”
“In that case, act like it,” I said. “What Daux will study and what choices he’ll make in the future are things for him to decide, not the adults around him. If you are his loyal supporters, as you claim, should you not be encouraging his growth and keeping bad people away from him?”
“There’s every possibility you are one of those ‘bad people’…”
Yeesh, he’s like a stubborn, overbearing parent. If only he would open his eyes and be more flexible, he would be a strong ally for Daux.
“I see. In that case, please observe closely and determine my intentions for yourself. There will be plenty of time for you to do so today.”
If I don’t end this conversation soon, I’m not sure how much longer Paul and Spica will be able to contain their killing auras! Don’t worry! I’m Mama’s daughter, so I won’t be bested at verbal sparring!
Paul was joining us today, which meant I couldn’t be quite as reckless as I might otherwise. Paul was coming along because Marie hadn’t brought any attendants. We’d had to be very picky when choosing our chaperones because the emperor had said to keep this outing a secret. All of Daux’s private guards had vowed upon their names in front of the emperor not to tell anyone where we went today or what we did there.
“All right, let’s get a move on, everyone!”
Despite my exuberance, our “journey” was short—the training arena was only a short walk away.
“We’re here, Mr. Perry!”
Perry was the name of the lieutenant I’d met last time I was here. He was a burly old soldier but had a cute name. It reminded me of a certain commodore who’d captained a famous fleet of black ships.
“Thank you for gracing us with a visit, Prince Dauxrouge. Oh, and you seem energetic as usual, little lady.”
Hold on, Perry! Why am I just an afterthought?!
I’d thought I’d gotten on pretty good terms with the soldiers guarding the imperial palace. The bribe—no, I mean gift—I’d asked Louis to help me with seemed to have worked.
The soldiers had taken to calling me “little lady,” but somehow, the nickname, coupled with the incongruency between their fierce appearances and kind manner, made me feel a bit like the daughter of a mafia family.
“Sir Perry, isn’t that a bit rude to our state guest?” Surprisingly, Daux’s unit leader frowned at Perry’s lack of decorum towards me.
But you know, there sure are a lot of “unit leaders” here! There’s the unit leader of the emperor’s private guard, the unit leader of Louis’s private guard, and so on… And I actually see them all pretty regularly.
I should probably work on learning all of their names…
“I told them it was fine to speak casually to me when we’re not in a formal setting,” I explained.
Not only Perry but the other soldiers also looked so uncomfortable trying to force themselves to adopt formal language and manners that they weren’t accustomed to that I’d been the one to finally all but beg them just to act normally.
I often got exhausted from always having to use polite language all the time, so I knew how hard it was.
“Forgive me, the little lady is such an unusual noble that I unintentionally forgot her station. I will take more care in the future.”
“I’m the one intruding on your time, so I wish you wouldn’t stand at attention for my sake…”
My cheeks were puffed out in frustration when Paul whispered to me, “There’s a time and place for everything.”
I know that! But the training arena is their territory, and having them behave informally makes me feel more at ease because it gives the impression that they’ve accepted me.
“Please follow me. My subordinates are all excited to show off their skills in today’s demonstration after hearing that Your Highness will be observing.”
When we stepped out into the arena, the soldiers were lined up in orderly lines. Someone called out a command, and they all bowed to Daux in perfect unison.
“Daux, say something to the soldiers,” I urged in a whisper.
“…What should I say?”
“Hmm, how about something like ‘Thank you for all of your hard work on behalf of our empire’ or ‘Keep working hard on your training’?”
I’d never given a proper speech before myself, so I wasn’t sure exactly what it should consist of, but I tried to recall the kinds of things I’d heard Will say in the past.
Daux’s unit leader cast a spell using wind magic to project Daux’s voice for all the soldiers to hear. Fidgeting uncomfortably, Daux nevertheless took a step forward and opened his mouth, a look of determination coming over his face.
“Um… I think that for most of you, this is probably our first time meeting. My name is Dauxrouge. Today, I’m visiting because Neema invited me, but I would very much like to get to know all of you… Please continue to work hard for the sake of the Linus Empire!”
Whoa! Nice job, Daux!
The soldiers, too, applauded Daux’s bravery in delivering this speech despite his obvious nervousness.
He’s adorable and amusing, right? And you all saw for yourselves how hard he’s trying, right?! I felt something akin to parental pride bloom in my chest.