By Zephyria 
“You are, aren’t you? You’re my uncle, aren’t you?”
Kyle, who had been silently looking down at Nasser repeating the same words like a parrot, moved his lips and answered.
“Yeah.”
Kyle hadn’t looked this flustered in years.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
We decided to go to the Greenhouse later and came to the drawing room first. Even though it had been a while, Kyle treated Nasser with the ease of someone who had been here yesterday.
At Kyle’s command, the Servants moved with precision, and tea and refreshments were quickly set on the table.
“When did you arrive? Did you come without any notice? My father didn’t say anything, so I didn’t even know you were coming, Uncle. Did you just arrive? And how is the Prince Consort so tall? I exercise every day, but I’m worried because I’m not getting any taller. Do you have any secrets?”
“……”
“……”
They had exchanged simple greetings, but Nasser was being excessively informal for a first meeting. Kyle and I were also a bit much in that regard, but Nasser was far worse than us.
“I told my mother my worries, and she stretches my legs and arms every evening and morning. But why am I not growing taller? And can I call you Aunt?”
“Nasser.”
Eventually, Kyle called him in a low voice. Nasser, who had been chattering away, looked at Kyle and smiled.
“Yes?”
“Height comes with time. You’re still young, so it’s natural to be small.”
“I’m already ten years old. What if I don’t grow taller?”
Nasser sighed deeply with a face full of worry. He looked so serious that I had nothing more to say. Kyle seemed troubled too, so I opened my mouth.
“Why do you want to be tall?”
“You don’t have to use honorifics, Aunt. And the reason I want to grow taller quickly is so I can help my father. Right now, I’m too small, so he doesn’t answer me properly even when I ask him something. He doesn’t take me anywhere either. He always says, ‘Let’s go together when you’re bigger’… My mother always tells me to do things when I’m bigger too.”
Nasser’s words flowed out quickly without any room to interject. Kyle stared silently at Nasser, who was pouting with a sulky expression, and said.
“Since you were born a Prince, it’s already decided that you have to take care of state affairs.”
“That’s right. That’s why I want to grow taller quickly.”
Height and age have nothing to do with each other, do they? Does he think you have to be tall to be an adult? It was a very childish idea.
“So there’s no need to start so early. You still have a lot to learn, so study and play in moderation. When you grow up, you’ll only have to do things you don’t want to do, and you won’t be able to do what you want.”
Nasser’s eyes widened at Kyle’s words. Then he smiled brightly and said in amazement.
“My father said the exact same thing to me.”
“Then why don’t you listen?”
“I just thought he was saying it to get rid of me because I was annoying. There wasn’t a single passage in any book that said you should play when you want to. But hearing you say the same thing, Uncle, suddenly makes me believe it.”
As if his worries had been resolved, Nasser grabbed the teacup with both hands and began to gulp it down. The way he ate the refreshments and picked up the fruit with his hands was childlike, but he didn’t look like a Prince.
Nasser, who had suddenly poured out all his worries to his uncle whom he had just met for the first time, ate the fruit with a comfortable expression, as if he felt relieved.
“When did you see me that you suddenly have faith in me?”
Kyle, who had been silent for a while, asked a beat later. There was no intention to scold, just a purely curious expression.
I was a little curious too. I wondered if he was just not shy, since he was acting as if they had met yesterday.
“I’ve heard a lot about you since I was little, Uncle. And I’ve seen video stones too. You were this small when you were little…”
Nasser wiggled his small hands, making a size about the size of an apple. I almost burst out laughing, so I quickly bit my lip and turned my head.
“You were even smaller than me. I think I was four or five years old then.”
“……”
Kyle didn’t say anything, looking displeased as if he didn’t like something.
“That’s why I was so happy to see you for the first time earlier. I always wanted to see you whenever I heard stories from my father and mother. I’ve heard a lot about you too, Aunt. You’re very talented in swordsmanship, so your skill was amazing even though you hadn’t been learning for a year.”
Could that be called talent? It was just possible because I was mindlessly strong without any technique. If we’re talking about talent, Kyle was much more amazing than me.
He was able to fight people several times his size with weak strength and was skilled at using the terrain. He had an excellent ability to assess the situation and was quick to judge, knowing exactly when to retreat and when to push forward.
But because his fighting style was more violent than his personality, I didn’t really like Kyle fighting. If we had to fight, it was better to run away as much as possible or for me to handle it.
“I went on a Stealth mission with my mother and the three of us, and she told me stories about you then too, Uncle. She said you often went outside and had fun playing around.”
“You went on a Stealth mission?”
Kyle asked in surprise, looking at Nasser, who was speaking with a chuckle.
“Yes, sometimes. Only when my father isn’t busy.”
“What do you do when you go out?”
“We just look around and buy delicious things to eat. The last time we went out, he bought me a wooden soldier doll. Seeing that suddenly made me want to try carving wood too. Have you and Aunt had that kind of experience? Anyway, I slightly cut my finger while carving. It’s all healed now. Do you want to see?”
Nasser held out his finger. Of course, there wasn’t even a scar left. Nasser’s cheeks, which had calmed down, turned red again as if he was excited and thrilled.
Kyle seemed interested but also somewhat puzzled. How should I put it? As if he didn’t know what to do. There wasn’t a hint of it on his face, but I could tell.
So the conversation was often interrupted awkwardly. Nevertheless, Nasser kept talking without a break, so it was at least not getting too awkward.
“When I was seven, I asked for a sword as a birthday present, but he said no to that too. Isn’t it okay to carry one for self-defense?”
“Well… carrying a sword that you can’t handle is counterproductive.”
“But if something happens, isn’t it better to have one than not to have one?”
At some point, Kyle stopped saying much, and only Nasser and I were talking. I handed Kyle a green jujube and said.
“Since you always have bodyguards with you anyway, nothing can happen in the first place.”
“But there’s always a chance of something happening.”
There couldn’t be a chance of something happening. Nasser didn’t seem to know, but there were already several more knights hiding around us since the first time we met.
I glanced at Kyle, thinking he probably already knew that fact. Kyle was already eating his fifth jujube that I had given him, as if he wasn’t going to say anything about that.
“Could it be because I haven’t learned swordsmanship?”
“It could be. Like Kyle said earlier, you’ll learn it naturally over time anyway. Don’t think about it too hastily.”
“I’m already ten years old. And I do basic training every day. When did you start learning swordsmanship, Aunt?”
I was speechless at that question. How old was I? I thought for a moment and opened my mouth.
“Was it fourteen?”
“Three.”
Kyle added, tilting his head. Then Nasser widened his eyes in surprise.
“That’s about the same age as me now?”
“It’s not the same at all? There’s a three-year difference.”
“Could you teach me swordsmanship in secret from my father, Aunt? I’ll keep it a secret until I die.”
As if this was his purpose, Nasser pleaded with a pitiful expression.
“Since it’s just us here right now, I’m acting like a child, but I’m actually quite mature when I’m with my retainers. I keep my promises well, and many people around me say I’m very grown-up. So there’s no way I won’t keep the secret. Please believe me.”