Chapter 31

George and William enter the library.

Compared to the library in the Stuarts’ mansion, the library is more spacious, has more collections, and covers a wide range of topics.

They find the prince instantly, then bow.

“Your Highness Edward is very studious, I see.”

The basically-hate-studying George says with a respectful gaze.

Just looking at the title, George can tell that the pile of thick books in front of the prince has difficult subjects.

Edward takes his gaze off the book to the brothers and sighs.

“Did you come here to play today too?”

Their visits every week after the tea party seem to have sung praises for my mother, won over Jadwiga, and even made the servants like them.

For mother, princess, and even the servants to be pleased with that sort of obvious favor-currying, to be honest, “Are they stupid?” is what I thought.

What we should be worrying about is our future position in the royal capital.

We have managed to get by until now with the King’s favor, but after my mother passed 30, she became frantic to keep her youth.

She polishes herself every day so much like there aren’t other things to do that I became fed up.

As to what such my mother is called in the royal capital, my head hurts.

I, myself, have no intention to become King, and I don’t think I can either. The five years older first prince has no flaw in his personality, and he also has talent. As the second prince myself, now, I have to learn for this kingdom, even if it’s just a little.

My position is different from the rich count of borderland in front of me.

“Today we came to give the dresses we made for Rose-sama. She is trying it on right now, so would you like to go see it together when it’s done? She will surely look splendid. The dress my older sister makes has a good reputation.”

William makes an appeal for their gift and his older sister with a grinning soft smile. He is definitely planning to make the Stuart family’s Emma my fiancee somehow. The blatant flattery is very unpleasant.

“Sorry but I’m busy studying. I don’t have free time to play and the like.”

It may sound a little sarcastic, but like this, I can tell them that I won’t be fooled like the other guys.

I have to finish the problems my tutor gave me before the day is over, but I can’t find the book I’m looking for, and I’m feeling irritated.

“If Your Highness doesn’t mind, should I help you?”

“It’s not a problem you can solve.”

I deny William’s words right away. I don’t know his actual age, but he is younger than me no matter how I look at him.

“Your Highness, even though William looks like this, he is smarter than me. Why don’t Your Highness try to ask him?”

The older brother George gives a helping hand, but there is no pride in it.

I simply toss the question sheet to William. If you can, better you do it. In the first place, why would the tutor give a problem about ancient laws? I can’t even find the materials.

William, who looks it over briefly… thinks for a short while.

There’s no way he can understand.

“This problem, I think it’s mistaken. The materials couldn’t be found, right?”

William looks at me with pity.

He points at the problem I stuck in,

“This law didn’t exist in year 256 of royal history. It was made during the time a local barrier hazard occurred in year 326 of royal history.”

“Barrier hazard is frightening indeed.”

George suddenly makes a serious face.

A local barrier hazard is a phenomenon where a hole appears not in the edge of the barrier but in the local area that happens when a person that mutates into a magician does not appear for a long time.

The territories on the edge of the barrier all have skillful hunters, but at that time, it was not uncommon that there weren’t even any hunters in other territories.

The year 326 local barrier hazard is when a hole suddenly appeared in a territory near the barrier’s center, where no hazard had ever occurred and has no hunters. It is a historical tragedy that caused enormous damage.

In the first place, there were only people who don’t know how to fight in territories that weren’t allowed to have an army. It took three days to get to the hole from the nearest territory with hunters, during which the citizens continued to be attacked.

The hole was pinpointed by the hunters and the operation of annihilating monsters and encircling the hole advanced at the same time.

At that time, around 10 hunters were mobilized to get rid of the monsters. Because there were only 10, the territories suffer more than 1200 casualties.

The monsters exploded when the defeating method is wrong, called out their companions, or cursed the hunters, making it difficult to deal with. The second, third damage happened in succession, increasing the number of victims.

What was made that time was the 6 Articles of Feudal Lord Monster Control.

Feudal lords must have the minimum knowledge of monsters.

Feudal lords must draw up a manual for when a hazard occurs, submit it to the royal government, and obtain permission.

All young men from the feudal lords’ families must take at least three years of hunter education in the royal capital’s academy and acquire the knowledge and ability needed to be a hunter.

On the occasion of a hazard occurring in the borderland, feudal lords must proactively cooperate and give aids.

Feudal lords of a borderland must periodically receive and train hunters from territories where monsters do not appear.

Territories with high monster appearance rates receive tax reductions.

“Because the person who can mutate into a magician does not appear in recent years, I think the person who set this question wants the Prince to be aware of how to handle it when a local barrier hazard happens.”

While saying that, William hands a thick book to the prince that can be an accurate material of the problem. Feeling surprised, the prince scans over the book and become even more surprised.

The minimum knowledge of monsters that a feudal lord must memorize is written in succession.

The scary thing is that this thick book is filled with all that information. Furthermore, there is a “Volume 1” in the title.

“The minimum knowledge scopes Volume 1 until Volume 6. Since the monsters that appear during the hazard are limited to a certain extent.”

William smilingly explains to the prince. George further says something outrageous with a fed-up look.

“There are a wide variety of monsters that appear in territories like us that is on the edge of the barrier, so it became a tacit agreement to memorize Volume 1 to Volume 32. Even so, everything cannot be recorded in the book, so around every 5-10 years, a new volume will be published.”

With all this effort, the borderland lords only get tax reductions. Since the enactment of this law, the downfall of borderland lords never cease. The replacement lord cannot be prepared immediately, so generally, the near feudal lord will hold an additional post. For that reason, the territories in the vicinity of the border are large.

The Stuart family has been educated to consciously choose smart people or people good at martial arts as their companions since the enactment of this law for generations. The mother, Melsa, is also the most talented woman in the royal capital’s university. The story of the father Leonard prostrating to have her as his wife has been told in the Stuart clan as a heroic tale.

“I didn’t know…”

The prince mutters.

I have always thought that the one who had it the hardest in the country is us, the royal family. But, learning how to negotiate with other countries, how to grasp people’s sentiments, how to be a good king, and the study I do every day put no danger to my life.

I have heard the rumor that George is already going to hunt monsters. He has been confronting terrifying monsters like the ones shown in this book every day.

There are almost no monsters in the royal capital and the Valerie territory. Every time I turn the pages, the horror of monsters is conveyed.

“Confronting this kind of terrible monsters… are you not scared?”

Prince Edward throws a straightforward question to George.

“No, it’s because I’m better at moving my body… On the contrary, it’s scarier to shut myself in the library for hours and read books like the prince.”

George answers with a bitter smile. It’s not about being better at it or not. William is smart, but he has no strength. Emma has the drive and creativity, but she has no common sense.

“What I think I’m lucky about is my younger sister and brother make up the things I’m bad at. There are limits to what a person can do after all.”

Even that father said that he had a hard time memorizing the knowledge of monsters. When George was about to be crushed by all the studies, his father told him that it was impossible without his mother’s support.

“Big brother…”

The youngest child William that’s often hated normally is being praised in front of the prince, and he is feeling moved that his brother needs him.

Edward only looks at the surface, and he realized that he has misunderstood the Stuart family.

George is a reliable oldest son that acknowledges his younger siblings, admits his own weakness, and knows his strength. William supports his older siblings from the beginning and does his duty modestly without showing off his smartness. Then, what about Emma?

“Then, what kind of duty does your younger sister do? What kind of child is she?”

It’s the first time for the prince to hold an interest in others.

‘Eh?’ George being at a loss in a moment, answers.

“Emma is… umm… cute. Especially her smile is cute.”

Even from her brothers’ view, Emma has changed. Her weird way of viewing the world has taken a left turn. After all her incomprehensible behaviors, she has arrived at the right path in a shortcut for some reason. Is it okay to tell as it is to the prince… no way it’s okay. The answer becomes confusing, but Emma is indeed cute. The Stuart family’s men are caught in such a curse. George asks help to William with his eyes.

“I-I have noticed this recently from the tea party, but my older sister is popular! When my sister smiles, everyone totally has a lovestruck face.”

It’s hard to say my older sister’s praiseworthy points to other people. I could say that she has extensive knowledge of insects, but is it okay as a noble young lady? Her being a glutton is not a good point, and because she has a sharp tongue towards William, I can’t say she is kind either.

The prince who misunderstands the brothers’ frantic worry throws a bombshell.

“In other words, she is suitable to be my fiancee?”

” “There’s no way!!!!” “

The brothers cry out in a large voice together.

“Emma will not leave my side as much as possible! (It’s bad for my heart because I don’t know what she will do!) I won’t let her marry into the royal family! (Are you okay with whatever this country becomes?)”

“That’s right! There’s no way older sister will leave our family! (It will become a lawless insects-only zone, you know?)”

” “She won’t marry the prince no matter what! (We can’t have more victims!)” “

The prince is startled at the two’s sudden threatening attitude, and at the same time, an interest in Emma, that’s completely non-existent before, is born. The brothers protect Emma like knights. It’s just like I have become an enemy that wants to snatch away their precious princess.

At that,

“My, my, Emma-chan is really loved.”

I heard mother’s voice from the library’s entrance.

When I turn my face, there’s my mother wearing a graceful navy dress. Different from revealing dresses that she has worn until now, even though it keeps the exposure low to the limit, the dress that’s made to fit the body line, strangely, looks the sexiest. It’s the first time I genuinely think that mother is beautiful.

Did William say earlier that it was designed by Emma?

Jadwiga pulls my sleeve.

“Onii-shama*, isn’t okaa-shama super beautiful?”

(T/N: The childish way of saying onii-sama [brother])

I nod without thinking, but I am attacked by the earlier embarrassment and close my mouth.

“Jeez, onii-shama! You have to say what you are thinking, you know? You have to say it properly~”

Jadwiga imitates what Emma said and complains to the prince.

Admonished by the small Jadwiga, for some reason today, Edward honestly thinks, “Maybe that’s right.”

“That… Mother, it very much suits you. You are so beautiful that I got fascinated.”

I was so embarrassed that I said it without looking at her face, but when I look up curiously because there’s no answer… my mother is crying. Then, very, very happily, she comes to hug me.

In my mother’s hug for the first time in how many years, I reflect on what has made me so stubborn. How much did I look at this innocent person that become this happy just because I said she is beautiful coldly?

Let’s become a knight.

That’s what I thought at that time.

Just like George and William, let’s become mother’s and Jadwiga’s knight.

If my father’s favor is gone, the only one who can protect these two is me.

Over my mother’s shoulder, there’s Emma smiling figure.

The hearty smile of the Stuart family’s princess.

This is foul play.

What, what a cute smile.

It is always the role of the prince to snatch the princess. Such thought flashes across my mind.

I know that blood rushes to my face instantly. What to do. Even though there are two formidable knights in front of Emma. I ended up wanting to make that smile mine.

．．．

George and William look at how Prince Edward has a fall-in-love look after seeing Emma’s smile and hold their heads.

(Just why? Older sister? You haven’t spoken even one word to the prince yet, right?)

(Emma… You, don’t come searching for the insect encyclopedia in the library in this situation! Hurry end that smile! The victims increase!)