Chapter 5

**How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 5 (5/324)**

"Hi, I'm Lianus de Harpens. I'm the second prince of the Harpens Kingdom and I'll be eight this summer. You can call me Lian. What about you? What's your name? How old are you?"

Lianus reintroduced himself, but the boy seemed uninterested and gave a casual reply.

"…I'm older than you. And you can call me whatever you want."

"Is your name missing?"

"I have one, but I don't like it."

The boy glanced at the knight standing nearby and slowly answered. Lianus was worried that the boy might be scared because Sir Evan had shouted earlier.

Sir Evan is my only bodyguard, and we'll be spending a lot of time together. What if he keeps acting like this? He's a bit big and gruff, but he's a really good person.

Lianus thought the boy might be uncomfortable with his knight and subtly turned his body to block the knight from the boy's view. Although he couldn't completely hide the much larger Sir Evan, he felt satisfied when the boy's gaze turned to him.

"It's okay! No matter how strange your name is, I won't laugh at you."

The boy remained silent for a moment, then very quietly muttered the word "Nihil." It was so soft that even Lianus, with his good hearing, could barely catch it.

"Nihil?"

"Yeah."

Lianus tilted his head and blinked, puzzled.

It was an unfamiliar name, but not at all strange. Why did he hesitate? On the contrary...

"I don't know what it means, but it seems to suit you well."

"...You have good instincts."

Nihil's face stiffened for a moment at the compliment, then he chuckled.

He muttered to himself that nothing suited him as well as this word, and looked out the window with a resigned expression, which made him look very lonely.

It must be a name he really dislikes. The meaning must be really bad.

Lianus realized his mistake and had to think of a way to fix the situation.

"Then, can I call you Neil? You know, friends call each other by nicknames... You're my first friend, so... if you don't mind..."

A pair of mismatched eyes started rolling, trying to gauge Nihil's reaction. Fortunately, Nihil had returned to his usual expressionless state and nodded.

Lianus repeated the short name "Neil" several times in his mind to make sure he wouldn't make a mistake again.

"Neil."

"Yeah."

"Neil."

"What."

When called, he responds. It's a natural thing, but Lianus felt his heart swell.

"Neil, can you call me by my name too?"

"...Lianus."

Nihil quietly repeated Lianus's name. Although his voice was emotionless, his presence was clear. Lianus was a bit disappointed that Nihil didn't call him Lian, but he smiled.

He'll definitely call me Lian when we get closer. It's just too early right now.

"Neil, my bed is very wide, so there's no problem if we sleep together! If we send all the servants away, you can stay comfortably. I'll ask for plenty of food so you won't go hungry. We're about the same height, so I can lend you my clothes. And, also..."

"Prince, Prince, please calm down for a moment."

Just as Lianus was excitedly talking, Sir Evan interrupted him. Lianus tried to stop him from shouting at Nihil again, but Sir Evan was a bit faster.

"Prince, you're not only hiding a beggar in your bedroom but also inviting him to your bed and lending him your clothes?"

"Neil is my friend now, so don't call him a beggar."

Lianus's cheeks puffed up and his lips jutted out, annoyed by Sir Evan's comment. He quickly checked Nihil's expression, worried that his new friend might be upset, but the black opal-like eyes still shone proudly, and he sighed in relief.

"Sir Evan, since we'll see each other every day, please try to get along with my friend."

"Are you planning to hide this every day? What if someone finds out?"

"Today, we'll sneak him in and get the king's permission."

"Will the king give permission?"

"He doesn't care much, so he might give it easily."

"Even if that's true, what if the rumor spreads that the prince who is being bullied has brought a friend from somewhere?"

"People will just think I found a friend because I was being bullied. Anyway, there are only commoners around me."

"You should consider your reputation."

"What reputation do I have to lose?"

"..."

Sir Evan, a commoner-born knight, was at a loss for words. He himself was a "commoner1" and had no reputation to lose.

He sighed deeply, holding his head.

"Prince, even if you give in on everything, this brat is too unruly. If he behaves this way with you, he'll be even worse with other nobles and royals. He'll surely be arrested for blasphemy and have his head cut off."

"..."

Sir Evan mimed a beheading gesture with his hand.

Lianus, at a loss for words, looked at Nihil.

Sir Evan was right. Lianus found Nihil's confidence a bit cool, but he knew other nobles and royals would think differently.

All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind, but Nihil's eyes remained mysterious and proud, shining calmly.

"I don't use honorifics."

The proud black opal, who had been listening quietly, added another point.

Sir Evan looked ready to strike, but Lianus just nodded.

If my friend doesn't want to, I can't force him. Friends don't force each other to do things they don't want to do.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to. I'll make sure you don't meet any nobles!"

Lianus answered cheerfully.

Sir Evan bowed and buried his face in his hands. Lianus, oblivious to his bodyguard's despair, nodded and repeated his words.

Right, if I hide Neil well and protect him, everything will be fine.

Sir Evan, realizing further persuasion was futile, glared at Nihil, stood up, and opened the carriage door. A cold wind rushed in.

Sir Evan quickly stepped out to keep the warmth inside and closed the door firmly.

"Since you're so determined, we'll start moving. It's late, so we'll travel quickly. Please sit still."

"Okay!"

Lianus smiled and sat back down, seemingly pleased with his bodyguard's resignation.

The carriage soon started moving with a gentle creak, then began to speed up after a few bumps.

Lianus felt excited.

It was his first time making a friend, and it was also his first time inviting someone to his palace. He glanced at his new friend carefully.

Nihil was still barefoot, his clothes were tattered and stained red with blood. His ash-gray hair was still damp and matted with dried blood, making him look very dirty.

Lianus realized he had been so flustered that he hadn't even checked Nihil's injuries properly before putting him in the carriage. He had forgotten about the injuries because of Nihil's proud and confident demeanor.

Lianus stopped observing Nihil and looked up at the black opal.

Nihil was also looking at him, and their eyes met.

Lianus shivered at the sudden eye contact.

Nihil, unable to move, leaned his head against the carriage wall and met the prince's gaze. The prince, unable to look away, fidgeted and straightened his back, as if being evaluated for friendship.

Nihil's dark eyes, which seemed to emit a mysterious light, slowly and persistently scanned Lianus.

The most prominent emotions were anxiety and restlessness.

What is he so anxious and restless about, to be so cautious in front of a beggar?

Nihil, seeing the trembling, squirrel-like figure, couldn't help but smile and spoke.

"Sure. Let's do it."

"Huh?"

"Friends."

Lianus, feeling the joy of making a real friend, asked brightly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I've lost a lot of blood, so I might die soon."

No, actually, he won't die.

"Is that okay?"

Nihil, trying to lighten the mood, smiled and joked.

But contrary to Nihil's intention, the seaweed in front of him started to get wet again.

He wondered if it would dry out and become dried seaweed if it kept crying like this.

The seaweed started crying again.

"Sniff, is my life in danger because of me? Sniff, I'm sorry, I didn't know... Sniff."

Nihil wanted to comfort the young prince, who had burst into tears because of his joke, but he couldn't move. He just leaned against the swaying carriage and stared blankly.

Since being hit by the horse, his vision had been blurry, his ears felt blocked as if underwater, and his body was heavy and hard to move.

He managed to stay conscious only because the emotional seaweed kept crying, which was annoying but definitely helpful.

"Seaweed."

"Sniff, I'm sorry. Sniff, I'll stop crying."

No, he shouldn't stop crying.

Nihil felt his consciousness fading.

"Sniff, I've been crying too much..."

"Keep crying."

"..."

Just as he was about to apologize, Nihil's words made his mismatched eyes widen again.

The crying stopped abruptly.

'Why did you stop when I told you to keep crying?'

As the carriage grew quiet, Nihil felt annoyed, and then he heard the knight on the driver's seat cursing.

Damn, beggar, stop tormenting our prince! I'll make you cry when your treatment is over! Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're small! And so on.

But the knight's deep voice did nothing to help him stay conscious.

Especially the part about making him cry after treatment. The knight must be as soft as his master.

As he thought this, his vision blurred even more.

He couldn't tell if it was because of the moving carriage or his focus fading.

If he collapsed again, the young prince in front of him would surely panic, but he couldn't hold on any longer.

Just before his vision went completely dark, Nihil managed to say two more words to the seaweed.

"Prepare food. Lots of meat."

It was very important information, but he wasn't sure if the boy had understood.