-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Green Mustache Man
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“A day off?”
The green-haired man repeated, clearing his throat and glancing around.
He then spoke to Ruspe in a cautionary tone.
“A boy who might one day become the Crown Prince, taking such personal time? Shouldn't you be reading another book or practicing your swordsmanship right now to avoid criticism? So weak-willed.”
Zenda, Gerard, the imperial servants standing near us, and even Ruspe's escort bowed their heads to the man.
Who was he?
I stared, my eyes wide.
Dark green hair and blue eyes.
And the crest embroidered on his uniform was a vine.
A vine?
A crest with a vine wrapping around a shield belonged to the ducal House of Notium.
Did that mean this man was Duke Notium?
But I heard he wasn't a bad person.
Just as the Valliats followed His Majesty the Emperor, the Notiums were said to be on his side as well.
I think they were from the Emperor's maternal side.
In any case, they were related to the imperial family by blood.
They naturally shared the same goals as the ducal House of Valliat, which had succeeded in placing the previous emperor on the throne, but their influence hadn't been as strong before then.
But they were a much older family than the Valliats, and the duke was said to be a wise man.
I remembered Mom telling me, while teaching me about crests, that Duke Notium was a man with many admirable qualities.
He didn't seem like it at all.
Even so, why was he picking on Ruspe?
I could see Ruspe shrink back in fear.
Ruspe hadn't done anything wrong, yet he hung his head as if he had.
My friend was scared.
I spread my arms wide and stood in front of Ruspe.
“Stop bothering Ruspe, mister!”
At that, the man with the vine crest and a mustache raised an eyebrow.
“And who are you?”
“I'm Aika. Aika de Valliat! So who are you, mustache mister?”
“Valliat? You're Aika de Valliat?”
“Yes!”
I kept myself in front of Ruspe, chin held high.
I couldn't see what anyone else was doing.
They say if you lose a staring contest, you lose the fight.
So I stared only at the green-haired mustache man and saw nothing else.
“Hmph. I see they've given up on raising you in secret. How bold of you, little one. My name is Gale. Didn't your grandfather teach you to be polite to your elders?”
“He did.”
“But you don't seem to be doing a very good job of it right now.”
“But he also said people who bully children are bad people.”
Actually, Mom said that. But Grandfather is Mom's dad!
That's what I decided to think.
“This man hasn't bullied anyone.”
“You just scared Ruspe. You said he wasn't allowed to play.”
“I was merely stating the obvious. He is to become a great man, so I was offering advice that he should not have the slightest flaw. He may be named Crown Prince, after all.”
Hmph, I snorted.
So what if he's the Crown Prince? Is that such a big deal?
Ruspe was trembling in fear with his head bowed.
“My grandfather said that children just need to play and be healthy. Right, Zenda?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
The man flicked his head to the side, his mustache twitching.
“Be sure to tell the Marquis not to neglect his education.”
Ruspe's escort bowed his head and said.
Come to think of it, when we all met and introduced ourselves earlier, his name was Kamaye, right?
“Yes, Young Duke. The young master has been diligent in his studies without missing a single day. He took one day off for a special appointment today; he has not been neglecting his studies. I will be sure to pass on your words.”
At that, the man, whose mustache bristled like a gloomy green vine, wore a displeased expression.
“Little Valliat, you should also work hard. And learn that just because you're friends, you shouldn't play around thoughtlessly together.”
“Ruspe is seven years old, just like me! And I was told studying can wait until we're older. If not, I'll go ask His Majesty the Emperor!”
“What?”
“His Majesty the Emperor!”
I'm friends with His Majesty the Emperor, too.
His Majesty is the most powerful person in Wofford, so if I ask him, he'll scold this mustache man for me.
I puffed out my chest, thinking to myself.
Mom said the Notium family was all right, but she was completely wrong.
Who bullies a little kid!
“And we're going to have lots of fun, and when we grow up, we'll become much greater and cooler people than you!”
“Well, no need to go that far. Just like a Valliat, same temper and all...”
“Your words are out of line, Young Duke. Please retract them. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to report this to my master.”
Gerard interjected.
The green-haired mustache man looked troubled.
“Hah, fine. I'll take back what I said. Tsk, if only His Majesty were married, there wouldn't be any of these problems. In any case, don't waste this precious time doing nothing.”
Overwhelmed by our combined force, the man muttered something and left.
“Ruspe is my friend! What a mean man.”
I put my hands on my hips and huffed.
But then, someone suddenly wrapped their arms tightly around my waist from behind.
“Ruspe?”
Startled, I looked back to see Ruspe hugging me.
“Aika, thank you.”
I didn't know why Ruspe was acting like this.
But apparently, this wasn't the first time that mustache man had nagged him.
And he wasn't the Duke Notium that Mom had told me about!
He was the Young Duke, acting as if he were already the Duke of Notium, since the current duke was planning to step down and pass on the title soon.
So, he hadn't actually received the title of Duke Notium yet.
Ever since he was set to inherit the title, he had taken a great interest in Ruspe.
He would often visit and nag him as if monitoring him, which was why Ruspe was afraid of him.
I learned all this from listening to Kamaye and Zenda talk.
Hmph, some nobody mister picking on my friend.
He's so dead!
I spun around and grabbed Ruspe's hand.
“Let's go to the old archives. We'll have fun there and become even cooler people than that mustache man.”
Ruspe nodded so hard it looked like his head would fall off.
I took Ruspe to the old archives.
Thanks to my uncle telling them in advance, the moment I said I wanted to go to the archives, Kamaye led us there as if it had been planned all along.
I fumbled in my pocket and took out the key.
‘The place Mom wanted to show me.’
A place you could only enter with His Majesty the Emperor's permission.
I stared at the heavy lock and swallowed hard.
Then, with Gerard's help, I stood on my tiptoes, lifted slightly off the ground, and unlocked the padlock with the key.
Then, with a push from Gerard, the large door swung open with a deep, heavy groan.
Gerard stood guard outside while Kamaye and Zenda decided to join us in exploring the archives.
“My lady, as the young master also knows, you must handle the books with care. If there's a book you'd like to see, we will get it for you.”
Kamaye said, kneeling to meet my eyes.
I nodded and began to explore the archives with Ruspe.
Inside, the archives didn't have large windows, but lanterns were lit at regular intervals.
The path split into eight directions, and the bookshelves stood tall like massive walls.
And instead of stretching all the way to the opposite wall, the shelves broke in the middle, leaving a wide-open central area.
A beam of light streamed down in a straight line from a small window high above, giving it a mystical feel.
“...Let's go over there.”
I pointed toward the center as if enchanted.
Listening to Ruspe's footsteps behind me, I made my way to the center, examining the old books on the shelves one by one.
Some had letters I could read, but most were filled with characters I didn't recognize.
This was different from what I'd imagined.
I don't understand any of this. How am I supposed to find what Mom left for me in here?
“Ruspe, I'm going to look here first. You can go look at whatever you want!”
“I want to look at what you're looking at.”
“Huh? Okay. Then I'll go pick a book!”
“Okay.”
