A Friendly Gathering in the Carriage

Once we got into the carriage, Martine spoke to me first.

"Leon, it's been a while since we last saw each other!"

"Yes. It's been a while."

"Oh, why are you being so formal? You don't need to use polite speech here. You can talk to me the same way you do when we're alone."

But Stephan-sama and Lucien were here too...

"But..."

"Leon, you speak casually with Martine and Lucien, don't you? They told me about it. You don't need to use polite speech with me either, and please call me Stephan without the honorific."

Stephan-sama too!? And why had they told him about that?

"Leon, the three of us became friends after hitting it off while talking about you. I also got permission to call them Stephan and Martine and speak casually with them. It should be fine when no one else is around. When it's just the four of us, let's dispense with the formalities."

"Leon, my brother feels lonely because he thinks he's the only one who's still distant from you."

"Martine!"

Stephan-sama tried to stop Martine in a panic, but he was a little too late. We'd heard every word.

"You don't have to panic that much, do you? My brother is far too serious. He should relax a little."

When Martine said that, Stephan-sama lowered his head bashfully. I'd only ever seen him as a dignified prince, so this side of him was refreshing.

Still, it was kind of cute that he felt lonely about being left out. I'd assumed he was already a fully polished prince. But when I thought about it, he was only ten.

I'd be happy if talking with us could help him relax, even a little.

As I thought that, Stephan-sama seemed to recover. His expression seemed a little softer than before.

"That's true. Being the only one addressed formally does make me feel distant and lonely. Would you talk to me more familiarly too?"

How could I refuse after he said that?

Well, I did speak casually with Martine and Lucien, so leaving only Stephan-sama out would feel awkward.

It should be fine as long as no one else was around. I just had to make sure I switched between formal and casual speech properly. Hang in there, me.

"Okay. Then I'll call you Stephan. I look forward to getting along with you."

"Yes, thank you, Leon."

Stephan said that and smiled happily. Why did all three of them look so happy whenever I stopped using polite speech? Wasn't it usually the other way around?

"By the way, Leon, what happened earlier? It sounded like you were arguing with someone, and I've never seen you angry before."

Lucien asked me that. The argument from earlier... How much had he heard?

"How much did you hear?"

"I could hear from the moment the person you were arguing with shouted, 'Are you running away?' You got pretty angry after that, didn't you? That was the first time I'd ever seen you talk like that."

He heard that part!? I'd been pretty irritated, and I felt like I'd used some really foul language... So much for the good-kid image I'd maintained until now!

Well, I didn't even know if I'd had such an image.

"I was irritated at the time... Please forget what you heard. I'm asking you."

"There's no way I can forget that."

Lucien said that with a slight laugh. He was enjoying teasing me, wasn't he!? He sometimes did childish things like this.

"Lucien!"

"Ha-ha... All right, all right. I'll try to forget. More importantly, what led to that argument?"

"Well... Apparently, the other person had heard that I was under the patronage of the Townsend ducal family, and said it had to be a lie. That's how we ended up arguing."

Looking back, I should have stayed calmer. All the irritation I'd built up since the entrance ceremony had finally exploded. But even now, remembering it made me angry.

"That's true. A ducal family has never supported a commoner before, so it might be a good idea to spread the word that you're a commoner under the Townsend ducal family's protection."

Of course they wanted to spread it. Well, it would mean less troublesome bullying for me, while the ducal family would gain a boost to its influence, so spreading the word was probably best.

"That might be best. But I doubt anyone will believe me if I tell them."

"Hmm... What should we do? They'll probably find out eventually since you're using the ducal family's carriage, but sooner would be better if possible."

While Lucien and I were worrying over it, Stephan offered us a solution.

"In that case, why don't we have lunch together? If Leon eats in the ducal family's special dining hall, word will spread immediately."

"That sounds like a good idea! Leon, would that be all right with you?"

Um... First of all, I didn't really understand what the special dining hall was.

"Wait a second. I don't really know what the special dining hall is..."

"They didn't explain it to you?"

"No. They made it sound like it didn't concern me because it's for high-ranking nobles, so they left out the explanation."

"I see. The special dining hall has about twenty rooms, if I remember correctly. Each room has a small kitchen and dining room, and they can be rented by the year. High-ranking nobles rent one, then bring cooks and attendants from home to have lunch there."

So that's how it worked! I'd been wondering how they handled tasting the food for poison at lunchtime, but this solved the problem.

"So that's how it works."

"Yes. Since the ducal family rents one of the special dining rooms, you can eat there with us too, Leon."

This was a huge relief! I'd probably need to be careful not to be poisoned too, so I'd been wondering what I was going to do about lunch.

"Thank you. I'd be happy to eat with you."

That settled the lunch problem. Or so I thought—but things were about to get difficult...

"Brother, why don't we have lunch with Lucien and Leon too?"

Martine suddenly suggested that. What? The two of them would eat with us too?

"Martine, that's a good idea."

"Right, Brother?"

"It might be a good idea for the royal family and the ducal family to rent the special dining hall together."

"That would be wonderful!"

The two of them were getting carried away together, just the two of them. But wait!!

If I ate lunch with both of them every day, I'd stand out far too much. Besides, was it really okay for the royal family to openly favor a particular ducal family? I thought it was fine for them to have friends, but jointly renting one would be going too far, wouldn't it?

"Stephan, Martine, wouldn't renting one jointly with the ducal family make it look like the royal family was favoring the Townsend ducal family too much?"

When I said that, they both looked as if they'd suddenly realized it.

"You're right... I must have gotten carried away because I was happy to become friends with you two. Jointly renting one would be going too far."

"You're right..."

Both of them looked terribly dejected. If they got that depressed, it made me feel like I was the one at fault.

What should I do? Was there some good alternative?

"Um... Jointly renting one would be too much, but maybe you could invite us to lunch occasionally and eat together that way?"

When I suggested that, Stephan and Martine's faces lit up.

"That's it! Everyone invites friends to the special dining hall, so there would be nothing wrong with that."

"That should work. However, we can't invite only Lucien and Leon, so we should invite some other high-ranking nobles too."

"I'm not very enthusiastic about that."

Martine's mood suddenly plummeted. Did she really dislike the other nobles' children that much? I thought making more friends would be a good thing.

Perhaps Stephan realized I was wondering, because he explained with a slight wry smile.

"Whenever the sons of high-ranking nobles meet Martine, they make their interest in her painfully obvious, and she's sick of it."

"Yes. Those people see me as nothing more than a tool for raising their own status. I could never become friends with someone like that."

I see... This country was apparently the greatest power in the world, so Martine was more likely to marry a nobleman here than be married off to royalty in another country. If so, the sons of high-ranking nobles with a chance of marrying her would naturally try to win her over.

Having to think about marriage at that age... That would be exhausting.

"That's why I'm grateful that you and Lucien speak to me so naturally! I feel that you see me as a person, not as a pawn in a political marriage. Thank you both."

Martine said that and smiled like a flower blooming. It was the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen from her.

I was spellbound for a while and couldn't come up with a smooth reply.

I really wasn't used to talking to girls! I'd lived for over twenty years in Japan, and I was still this hopeless.

"Martine is very cheerful and intelligent. Today was the first time I've spoken with you this freely, but I've had a wonderful time, and I'd like us to remain friends. I look forward to getting along with you."

While I was floundering, Lucien replied smoothly. I was losing to a ten-year-old!

I couldn't make words like that come out so easily! Was it noble education, was Lucien just amazing, or was there something seriously wrong with me? I had no idea!

"Thank you, Lucien. I'm glad to know there are high-ranking nobles like you."

The two of them smiled at each other. There was a nice atmosphere between them. Lucien was a perfect match in terms of status, so perhaps the two of them might even get married someday.

"Leon? Why do you have such a frightening expression?"

While I was lost in thought, their conversation seemed to have ended at some point. Martine was peering into my face.

Had I really been making such a frightening expression? I'd only been thinking a little too deeply.

"Was I making a frightening expression? I was just lost in thought for a moment."

"Really? Then that's all right..."

"Yeah. More importantly, I'm the one who's really happy to have become friends with you, Martine. Thank you."

When I said that, Martine immediately broke into a smile.

"Yes! I'm having a wonderful time too."

I hoped nothing would ever happen to dim that smile.