Chapter 57

With Kain under house arrest, he started knitting in his room around the time when the visit to the orphanage by the Queen and the Crown Prince took place.

The young Crown Prince, at the tender age of four, was already showing signs of being a capable ruler, and was generally well-received by the public.

After dinner, Kain's father, Dismaya, recounted to the family the various details of the visit that he had heard from the castle and the town, allowing Kain to learn about the event.

Arundilano had occasionally stood next to the royal couple and waved during New Year's greetings and festivals, but this was his first time participating in a public duty that involved interacting with commoners. Due to the novelty, the number of spectators was reportedly higher than usual.

Among the common people...

The Crown Prince spoke kindly to the orphans.

He went down to the playground, held hands, hugged, and listened to them.

He also greeted the children from the town who had come to watch.

He suggested ways for everyone to play together so that no one would be left out.

Thanks to the Prince, the orphans and the town children, who usually kept their distance and were not particularly close, became friends.

And so on.

The majority of the reactions were positive.

However, some nobles complained about the loss of authority and the lack of dignity, but they were in the minority.

Pleased with the outcome, the Queen and the castle's high officials were reportedly considering whether to take the Crown Prince on the next public duty, carefully examining the content of the events.

The royal family's popularity seemed to be rising.

"Prince Al might spend more time with his mother from now on."

"Working at four years old, I wonder if that's good or bad."

After dinner, while knitting in his room, Kain shared his thoughts on the rumors.

He seemed to have grown tired of embroidery and was now counting the stitches in a book on a low table.

"What does it mean to 'scoop from the back hill and thread through the front ring'? Knitting has its own unique way of describing things... I wish there were videos."

"Videos?"

"If I could see someone actually knitting, it would be easier to understand."

"Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words."

In his past life, Kain had bought a book on the basics of Japanese cuisine and failed miserably at cooking. After watching a video by a famous Japanese chef, he was able to cook smoothly.

From this experience, he often watched how-to videos when starting something new.

Of course, there were no video streaming services in this world. When starting something new, one had to rely on books or seek guidance from someone who knew how to do it.

Kain had no one to teach him knitting, so he was struggling with the book.

"This time, you're not involving me."

Irvaleño, who had been dragged into practicing embroidery, was a bit idle while Kain was struggling with knitting.

"This is purely a hobby to pass the time. If you want to try, I can get you your own set of tools. It might be nice to knit gloves for everyone back home."

Irvaleño's home was an orphanage.

Donations of money or luxury items often went to the temple's operations and did not benefit the children.

"If I put their initials on the gloves, they would be less likely to be taken... Damn."

Kain seemed to have made a mistake with his knitting and was unraveling the yarn from the needles he had just used. He had been repeating this process of knitting three to four rows and then unraveling them for some time.

"Yes, I don't think I can learn from a book. When you can knit, please teach me."

Kain nodded in response to Irvaleño's answer and started winding the yarn onto the needles again from the beginning.

"Then, while I'm knitting a scarf, you can braid my hair."

Kain said this, and Irvaleño responded with a nod, taking out a comb.

About a week after the Crown Prince's first public duty, the day Kain's scarf was completed, a messenger arrived from the palace.

He introduced himself as Vincenzo Didinitti, the deputy head of the court.

Kain repeated the name three times in his head, finding it difficult to pronounce.

In the reception room, Kain and his mother Elise sat side by side, with Vincenzo sitting on the opposite sofa. Vincenzo took a piece of paper from his briefcase and laid it on the table.

"This is a list of the royal family's events for the next three months. There are other public duties, but all the ones that are publicly announced are listed here."

Kain and Elise leaned in to look, and indeed, there were items like "Inspection of the new threshing machine at Evannu Farm" and "Visit to the flood-affected area in Svent District," with dates listed.

There were visits to farms, flood-affected areas, and even a trip to a neighboring country for diplomatic reasons.

Other events, such as the start of the harvest festival in a month and the founding anniversary in three months, were also listed.

Kain was impressed by the variety of places they visited.

"Among these, are there any events that would be suitable for the Crown Prince to attend? Preferably within a month, Kain."

Kain's eyes widened when he was called by name. The royal family's trips outside the castle had nothing to do with him, and he had no say in whether Arundilano should go or not.

"Me?"

"Yes. I would like to hear your opinion. And if possible, I would like you to accompany him again for the pre-training."

Kain found it troublesome, wondered why he was being asked, and couldn't believe that adults would ask a child for such a task. He thought they must be incompetent.

"I heard that the Crown Prince visited the orphanage beforehand. He was able to handle the situation calmly because he was familiar with the children's appearances and behavior."

"Is that so?"

Kain was irritated by the use of "appearances and behavior" to describe the orphans. From a noble's perspective, the orphans might look shabby and unhygienic, but Kain felt that there was a better way to express it. He managed to keep his irritation from showing, thanks to Silas's training.

"I also heard that you suggested accompanying the orphanage visit and getting familiar with the orphans beforehand. Thanks to your advice, the Crown Prince's reputation among the common people is excellent."

Kain didn't care about Arundilano's reputation among the common people. He had suggested the orphanage visit to create more time for Arundilano to be with his busy mother, and to let him get used to the orphans beforehand so that he could be praised by his mother.

"It is a great honor for our family to have contributed to the Crown Prince's positive evaluation. We always pray for the prosperity of the royal family. However, this child recently took the Crown Prince to a ruin and put him in danger. We are currently keeping him under house arrest and have suspended all external interactions and outings to make him reflect on his actions. Given this situation, it would be difficult for us to cooperate."

Elise spoke, initially declining the request.

Kain had not told his parents about suggesting that Arundilano accompany his mother on public duties. While Fabian might have heard about taking Arundilano to the orphanage, Kain had not mentioned it to his parents.

"I am aware of that. However, the explosion was an accidental incident, and it is common for children to be fascinated by secret hideouts, especially boys. The King and Queen have decided not to take any action, considering it a matter of children's play."

Wow.

After the failed attempt to boil the Crown Prince's brain, the kidnapping attempt, and the explosion, they were still not taking any action. Kain silently protested, wishing they would take better care of Arundilano.

Kain had once thought that if it would make Dianah happy, he could even let Arundilano die in an accident. However, he had recently developed some affection for Arundilano and hoped he would grow up to be a decent person who wouldn't harm Dianah.

The fact that the parents so easily dismissed these serious incidents was incomprehensible to Kain.

"I cannot decide immediately. I need some time."

Kain decided to buy some time.

The orphanage visit was possible because of his connection with Irvaleño. It would be difficult to choose a suitable event from a month away without prior preparation.

"Then, the King and Queen have scheduled a meeting with Kain in three days. They would like you to have a candidate by then."

"Huh!?"

"Kain!"

Kain couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and Elise scolded him, though she also looked confused.

"In three days, in the afternoon, we will send a carriage to pick you up. By then, please decide which public duty the Crown Prince should attend next. It will affect his future evaluation, so please be careful."

With that, the high official with the tongue-twisting name left the ducal residence.