“Brother, I have a gift for you.”
It is not unusual for the former Third Prince, Archbishop Gittice, to be in the Crown Prince’s castle.
It is even secretly rumored that since his appointment as Archbishop Gittice, he has been spending more time in the royal palace than in the cathedral, and it was disconcerting to see that neither he nor the people around him felt particularly comfortable with that, which was the current situation.
“……Shion?”
“Phil-Lynn informed me that you were irritated because you have not been able to meet with Her Royal Highness…”
He reverently offers it to him, saying he has a gift for him.
Nigel opens the proffered envelope with a slightly curious look on his face.
A beautifully colored miniature painting was inlaid on one side of the folded card.
“…Luthia?”
She was a beautiful girl. A young girl who everyone would admire for her beauty, even if it wasn’t to their liking.
Her golden hair, which flashed in the light, rippled gently, and her translucent skin was tinged with a slight rose color. Her bright blue eyes were narrowed dreamily, and a slight smile appeared on her mouth.
It was his wife, who was still very young, depicted there. Crown Princess Arthirea…
The painter must be quite good at his craft. His brushstrokes beautifully depicted the soft texture of her skin and the delicate lace of her gown.
“It’s a special card from a reputable souvenir shop in the castle. It’s by an artist whose work I highly recommend. Doesn’t it resemble her well?”
It certainly reflected the features very well.
Although it is far inferior to the real thing…
But they are similar enough that he, the husband, would be reminded of her.
“A souvenir…? Is this…?”
“It’s a special edition series, so there aren’t many copies.”
“……………”
It’s impossible to tell what Nigel is thinking from his profile as he stares in silence.
Oh…I wonder if he knew…
Shion raises his eyebrows lightly.
“Well…I got the prettiest card for you privately…”
“…………Why the feathers?”
Is that where you’re stuck…?
“I didn’t ask for it, brother. It’s because Her Highness is an angel.”
She is dressed in a white dress with just a tiny tinge of pale red in parts…There are small white wings peeking out of her back.
“Luthia is certainly lovely as an angel…”
“………..Right.”
…S-surprised—I was surprised. I had heard about my brother’s love affairs, but it’s too much. My heart is beating so fast.
For a moment, Shion felt like he had arrhythmia.
“But what is this ring of light? Isn’t it ominous like a dead person?”
“…No, no, it’s an angel. The ring of light is an angel’s halo, brother.”
But Nigel frowned somewhat unhappily.
Ah…what’s what are you so dissatisfied with, older brother…?
“It’s annoying to see Luthia’s figure being sold as some cheap souvenir.”
“…What?”
“Why aren’t there restrictions on royal family cards…”
He spun the words with an extremely serious face.
“Well, brother, is that some kind of a joke…?”
Nigel, the crown prince, sometimes jokes with a serious face.
…Though most people don’t realize that he is joking.
“No, I’m serious.”
“Oh, brother, this is a special card, so it’s not sold at a discount.”
“But it’s probably still something you can buy as a souvenir.”
“It has a special binding! It’s a limited edition, and it’s expensive. Besides, it’s really special in its own right!”
“I’ve always thought that it was not a good idea for anyone to know what a person in the royal family looked like…In the case of Luthia, the risk of kidnapping is high.”
“No…It’s too late now.”
“If we don’t regulate it, the situation will never change, will it?”
Ah…brother, no matter how cute the princess is, you’re being too domineering.
What’s more, it’s cunning in how he used such a plausible reason.
“Err…”
“Shion, don’t you think it’s only natural for a husband to retaliate against someone who has unscrupulous thoughts about his wife?”
His tone was unassuming and quiet.
“……You know, that’s a case of real flesh and blood…It’s a bit of a stretch to include people who are in love with a similar figure.”
Shion couldn’t help but want to escape reality, wondering if he was thinking too much of himself to feel the awesomeness there because he was so nonchalant.
“Shion, Luthia is my wife.”
Nigel laughs with a smile.
“It is an important duty of a husband to prevent danger to his wife.”
The words that tell me that he is ‘willing to do it’ are gentle for all intents and purposes.
It sounds quite decent if you simply listen to the words, but that’s just an illusion.
Brother, does that mean you want to get rid of all the unspecified people who have purchased the Princess’ cards…?
There’s a horror in Nigel that makes it impossible to say such a thing.
“……………I feel murderous when I think that such a similarly adorable figure could be in the hands of another man.”
Shion felt a horrifying shiver run down his spine.
It felt like a drawn sword was being held to his throat…It must have been a literal killing intent.
“…Brother, the common cards on the market are not this elaborate.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is. It’s a really special item that I had the painter make for you, and I had him tailor it to a card.”
“Are they usually not this similar?
“Yes…There’s no way a figure this similar could be portrayed by someone they’ve never met.
Shion nods his head in affirmation.
“I see.”
“So, the card regulation is a bit of a stretch…”
“But how can we be sure that there won’t be something special like this in the future?”
Nigel says it with a very serious face.
“It’s okay. I’ll make sure to monitor it on my end…”
“You must be busy, though.”
“No way. It’s not that much, and…”
Shion was desperate.
If there was such a thing as a card regulation, there would inevitably be an uproar.
“I’m somewhat acquainted with the Blackberry representative. I’ll make sure he’s well warned.”
“Self-regulation…”
“Yes…That’s right. I’ll make sure to have any future issued items to you every month as well. If you look at them, you’ll see that there’s nothing funny or crazy in them.”
‘Hmm,’ Nigel said with a small nod,
“I’ll try to stop them from being issued if they’re unavoidable, or even make sure they’re collected!”
Shion said as he folded up.
“…All right. If you’re so sure, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Yes. I’ll take care of it.”
Shion was relieved that he got through it successfully.
…By the way, how did we even get into this conversation?
Shion, who was craning his neck, did not notice that Nigel had a slightly differentl smile than usual.
Bonus
“Ah, His Eminence Shion is being rounded up again.”
“If he’s just messing with him to get him to do something, he can’t do anything about it.”
The entourage of the Crown Prince Nigel are all young. However, they are all well known for their abilities.
Nigel hates incompetence. He is even a man who even says that stupidity is worthy of death. He can’t handle it if his aide is stupid.
“…It can’t be helped. Like His Highness Al, all the younger siblings are too fooled by Nigel. It’s about time for them to learn that he is the Great Demon King.”
“Phil-Lynn, that’s out of line.”
Rada, the secretary, urges him to be careful. He doesn’t realize that he’s only calling attention to it and not denying it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m the only one who can tell you the truth. With this, now he can get the princess’s cards for free every month without much trouble. I swear, that’s definitely what he just calculated!”
“You should thank His Highness for his generosity for once.”
“Yes, yes.”
“No, one time isn’t enough in Phil-Lynn’s case.”
“Uh, like a hundred times?”
“Banishment.”
“Well, His Eminence Shion will never be a match for him…As far as I’m concerned, the only person I know who can beat Nigel is Her Royal Highness the Princess.”
“What’s with that?”
“She’s not a free woman, that Princess.”
“You’re the one who refers to her as ‘Princess,’ right?”
At the teasing words, Phil-Lynn shrugs.
“She’s scaring me, Lana Hartley.”
“Did she give you a lecture?”
“Uh, something similar.”
“What a beautiful woman.”
“Idiot~, beautiful women are scary when they get angry. That’s the truth of the world.”
“…His Highness gets scared too.”
“You know, you were finished the moment you said Nigel’s name there.”
“If Phil says it’s a bad idea, then it’s a disaster!”
They do not know.
Behind them, their beloved Lord is standing with a quiet smile, accompanied by his brother with a drawn-out smile.
And no one knows what happened after that.
—End—
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T/N: Lmao, gotta love possessive Nigel. We all know he’d have a Luthia dakimakura if they existed :p
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