By Zephyria 
Sitting side-by-side on the bench, I gazed into the distance.
The clear sky and the green garden helped calm my mind. When I enhanced my Eye Force slightly, I could see the delicate flower petals swaying. The chirping of birds intertwined in the air like a spiderweb.
With Logan sitting beside me, no longer needing to meet my eyes, his tone became more relaxed. I preferred it that way, so I didn’t point it out.
“So, what are you curious about?”
“How Shayden and I met, why he keeps trying to look after me, and whether the children who attended my birthday banquet have their own separate groups.”
“Hmm… Actually, it feels like Young Master Rose has always been looking after you…”
“There were too many children at the birthday banquet; I don’t remember them.”
He pondered for a moment, then instead of answering my question, he asked something trivial.
“Um… May I ask why you call a party a banquet?”
“No.”
“…Right. Well, some things really haven’t changed. It’s a bit awkward to talk about it now since everyone knows, but… when you were four or five, we were all playing in the room for your birthday, and Danbi insisted on playing outside, so we went out. Do you remember?”
I was momentarily taken aback that Logan Servel also called Damian Philoi Danbi, but I brushed it off, assuming the children who attended my birthday banquet would all call him that.
I nodded at his question of whether I remembered.
The garden was beautifully maintained, so it was natural to show it off. It seemed odd to keep the children, who had all gathered, confined to the room. Going out to the pleasant garden to play hide-and-seek, which would tire them out, was an annual event.
“On that day, Young Master Shayden Rose tried to hide behind a tree and fell into the pond. You, only five years old, jumped in and saved him. While the older Young Masters were scrambling to find branches and debating whether to go into the water…”
“…Did that happen?”
I didn’t remember this.
If a child fell into the water, it was natural to save them. It was as certain as the sun rising and setting each day. There was no reason for it to be memorable.
“At that time, Young Master Rose was crying his eyes out and thanked you, and you said…”
“Hmm?”
“‘Friends don’t need to say things like that.’ After that, Young Master Rose went around telling everyone that you were his closest friend.”
“…”
I couldn’t recall Shayden Rose’s name or face until I enrolled in Shierun Academy.
There were many reasons. There were so many boys with red hair among the children who attended my birthday banquet, and children grew so quickly year by year that their faces changed constantly.
Moreover, they wore different colored clothes and different accessories each time, so I couldn’t distinguish them by their attire. Their facial features were different from those in the Central Plains, making it difficult to tell them apart…
Despite that, I felt a pang of guilt and ran my hands over my face.
I recalled his trembling green eyes, shocked to realize I didn’t remember him on the day of the Shierun Academy entrance ceremony.
Now that I’ve become friends with him, it only feels pathetic.
Seeing me trying to calm my heavy heart with a dry wipe of my face, Logan Servel hesitated before patting my shoulder. It was clearly meant as comfort, so I didn’t shake him off.
“You were really cool then. You were such a tiny child, not even reaching my waist, but you jumped into the pond without a moment’s hesitation. You grabbed Young Master Rose, who was struggling, and held him over your shoulder like this, and then you swam forward…”
“…”
“Young Master Rose kept clinging to you, crying, and you sank a few times, but you didn’t cry or get angry. You came out of the water and said, ‘That’s enough. Call a servant to change your clothes.’ It was completely commanding.”
“…That’s enough. Did anything else happen?”
“Um… A lot.”
“…Only with Shayden?”
“How could that be? The next year, there were even Young Ladies who deliberately jumped into the pond, hoping you would save them. Fortunately, there were no major incidents because servants were waiting and rescued them immediately…”
As Logan Servel recounted these past anecdotes as if they were heroic tales, I felt an awkward and strange sensation, similar to listening to Marianne’s nonsensical ramblings.
Rescuing someone who fell in the water, getting someone down from a tree, comforting someone who fell, mediating fights between children… Most of the stories were like that. Truly nothing special.
If I gathered a bunch of children in one place, it was only natural and proper for me, an adult, to look after them, regardless of what was inside them.
I had simply done what I was supposed to do, yet it was truly surprising and embarrassing that so many children had come to see me as friendly because of it.
“Did Damian Christopher and Benjamin Claudian also visit for my birthday every year?”
“Ah, Young Master Claudian probably not. His territory is quite far away, so it would have been difficult to visit easily. Damian, however, attended every time except for one…”
“…I see. Are Shayden and Damian very close?”
“Perhaps because their territories are close? It’s about the same distance as House Ernhardt and House Cervelle. Their territories border each other, and it’s only a four or five-day carriage ride.”
“I see…”
It was strange that there were so many stories they remembered among themselves, even though I was present at the time.
Seeing me lost in thought, Logan, who had been quietly beside me, changed the subject with a gentle tone.
“Still, I’m glad you seem to have adapted well to life at Shierun Academy. You seem to remember people’s names well now. Have you made any other friends?”
“Well…”
I paused to think. Many faces came to mind.
I realized anew that I had met, recognized, and spent time with so many children.
Among them, I suddenly remembered a boy whose pale face had turned bright red, muttering that he would miss me even during the break.
He was quite cute. I wondered if he had found a partner properly this year.
“Prince Rubel… I think we’ve become somewhat close.”
“…The Second Prince? No, wait… The Second Prince is already in his second year? How?”
“Hmm?”
I was puzzled, wondering if it was that surprising. I pondered how to explain to the flustered Logan that my closeness with Rubel wasn’t strange.
I needed to explain that if Logan Servel was afraid of being entangled in the succession struggle because of me, I would firmly tell him that it wouldn’t escalate into a family matter, so he shouldn’t worry.
“I have a martial arts level of Upper-to-Master Sword Expert, so I’ve been taking Professor Maelo Sanson’s swordsmanship class early on. We got to know each other in that class, and he’s a kind, simple, and generous person, so we somehow became friends.”
“…”
When no answer came, I turned to look at him.
Logan was staring at me with his jaw practically on the floor. I gently pushed his chin up to close his mouth.
He widened his already large eyes, froze for a moment, and then shouted loudly into my ear.
“Whaaat?”
“No, it’s not that surprising that I started training so early and am at Upper Sword Expert level.”
“Do you think that’s what I’m surprised about? No, who is kind and simple? Are you talking about the Second Prince, Rubel Anti Searon?”
“Yes. They say he’s the only one with black hair and black eyes.”
Logan’s mouth opened for the second time. I helped him close it in the same way.
Logan Servel looked so surprised that I wondered if I was misunderstanding something, so I asked about Rubel’s true nature.
Logan hesitated to answer several times, saying he didn’t want to speak as it might feel like he was sowing discord.
After I reassured him several times that I didn’t mind, I was finally able to hear his story.
According to Logan Servel, Prince Rubel was known for his cold demeanor.
His black hair and black eyes made his pale face appear even fairer, his superior swordsmanship skills for his age, and his cold, commanding voice all made people look up to him.
It was then that I learned Logan’s exact age.
Logan was seventeen, four years older than me. I also learned that he, whom I thought had graduated long ago, was currently in his third year at the academy.
It was natural for him to know more about Rubel, who had entered last year, than I did, but it felt unbelievable. I was filled with the thought that perhaps he had mistaken Rubel’s shy nature for a cold personality because they had never spoken closely.
“No. He acted quite cute, more than you’d expect. He’s very shy and doesn’t talk much, so he doesn’t seem to have many friends. I don’t know how he plans to become Emperor with that kind of personality, but well, he’ll manage.”
“…”
Logan stared at me for a long time before changing the subject.
“Any other friends? Have you made any other close friends?”
“I also get along well with Marianne Philodendore from the Department of Magic. There’s also her friend Jenny, and both of them are bright, so I learn a lot when I spend time with them.”
“Ah, the Department of Magic. I heard you sparred with Edwin Kiadris this time.”
“Ah. Yes, I’ve decided to become friends with Edwin too.”
“…What?”
“He asked me to introduce him to someone to befriend as a stake for our bet, and he offered himself.”
“…Wait, wait. I’m not following the flow of this conversation right now. Offered himself? You just accepted?”
“The child apologized sincerely.”
Logan Servel wiped his face with both hands, just as I had done earlier.
Not understanding why he was suddenly struggling while talking about friends, I left him be. He muttered to himself and fussed, wiping his face.
As I watched him endure something for a while, the boy suddenly stood up. Thinking he was going to move, I stood up to follow him.
“No, I won’t ask any more questions. Just… No, um… I’ll show you to the training grounds, let’s go. You don’t have any more questions, right?”
“Mm.”
I wanted to hear more about the children’s personalities and families that Logan knew, but since he seemed extremely averse to it, I stopped and shook my head.
I planned to stay at this villa for about a month, so there would be plenty of opportunities.
The place he guided me to was a wide, flat lawn, which was quite good.
Here, it would be better to practice footwork techniques than swordsmanship. I thanked Logan for guiding me.
A warm breeze ruffled Logan Servel’s shiny golden hair, obscuring his blue eyes and hiding his expression.
Logan, in a tired voice, wished me well, hoping I would train hard and reach the realm I desired soon. Even since I was young, I’d felt it, he was truly a good-natured boy.