Chapter 3

On the morning of my fifth birthday, I woke up in a bed so wide that even an adult might find it too spacious.

A canopy hung from the ceiling, and the sound of a window opening came from beyond it.

"Oh, how admirable that you wake up on your own, Aisha-sama."

"Good morning, Harty."

Nanny Harty, with her navy blue hair swaying in the sunlight, appeared and tied the canopy curtains.

The room, now filled with sunlight, was bright due to the large windows, but the room, nearly ten meters square, was so vast that the corners remained dark.

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"I want to eat; I need to grow big, you know."

"Hehe, then where would you like to have it?"

"I want to wait for Wearel, so let's have it in the Blue Room."

In this world, the basic routine is two meals a day, and breakfast is not eaten.

Instead, there are three snacks throughout the day.

The breakfast Harty asked about is considered a light snack.

A proper meal, which is a full course, is served in the dining room.

These are referred to as lunch and dinner.

I let Harty help me change and then waited in the bedroom.

While Harty went to fetch breakfast, I spent the time alone in the room, which had almost nothing but the bed.

"Isn't this strange? The only adults around are the nanny, the governess, the tutor, and the guard. Even if I weren't a prince, shouldn't there be maids and butlers?"

I don't think this is just my imagination, and I have a suspicion about who might have been excluded.

Additionally, there are differences among the servants; there are those who are only allowed to clean and are not supposed to meet the master directly.

"I can hear the sound of people coming and going. Sigh, I don't want to become an emperor, so there's no need to be so afraid."

When I muttered this, I heard a door opening somewhere.

I am the only resident of this section, but there are over ten rooms, most of which are unused.

Incidentally, the section is roughly divided into four parts, each with a unified interior.

The Golden Room, with white walls and gold-patterned borders.

The Blue Room, with white walls and blue-patterned borders.

The Red Room, with intricate red patterns on the wallpaper.

The Emerald Room, with emerald green walls and red curtains, reflecting the tastes of the former resident.

Harty should be using the stairs in the Red Room to go downstairs, so I think the sound of the door came from the Blue Room.

The Blue Room is where the tutors, Wearel and Helkoff, usually wait.

"Could it be that Wearel has already arrived?"

The door at the back of the bedroom, which led to the Blue Room, was knocked on.

"Are you awake, Aisha-sama?"

"Wearel? You're already here?"

When I opened the door from the bedroom in the Golden Room, I saw Wearel, a half-beast with green fur covering his ears and tail, standing there.

Wearel was originally a mage hired by the baron's family and was rehired as my tutor when my father moved to the palace.

Since he commutes, he is often not around in the morning, and even when he is, he only alternates night shifts with Ikt, the sole guard.

Thinking about it, I realize I am being treated quite loosely as a prince.

But it's fine because I have freedom.

"I came early today because I have a gift for you."

"A gift?"

Wearel led me to the Blue Room.

The Golden Room is the largest, but this one is also spacious and consists of multiple rooms.

In one of these rooms, near the entrance stairs, several packed boxes were stacked.

Ikt, with his pale skin, was carrying them in effortlessly despite his slender build.

"Good morning, Ikt. Aren't they heavy?"

"Yes, good morning. It's fine. They were much heavier when I dragged a grizzly bear back after it had turned into a monster."

Wearel, who is taller than Ikt, looked exasperated, but I was excited.

Ikt's tales of his days as a monster hunter are as thrilling as stories.

In this world, there are monsters.

The entire continent is under the empire's control, partly because of the threat of monsters.

While there are still conflicts among humans, it is safer to unite for defense.

Animals can suddenly become monsters when they gain magical power and become dangerous.

Hunters defeat these monsters and receive rewards, and famous hunters are treated like star athletes.

Ikt became a star athlete and then a noble for one generation before serving in the court.

He was a friend of my father before he became emperor, and my father appointed him as my guard because he trusted him.

"Oh my, what is this?"

Harty brought breakfast on a silver tray to the Blue Room.

There were sandwiches, milk tea, fruits, and jam on a baguette.

The extra amount might have been for Harty to eat as well.

Wearel, who said it was a gift, opened one of the packages.

From the layers of cloth, a flask about the size of my head appeared.

"Actually, I heard that the school was disposing of equipment, so I took it."

"Could it be alchemical equipment!?"

I couldn't sit still and ran to the flask.

By the time I got there, Ikt had finished moving the boxes and was unpacking them, even though it wasn't part of his guard duties.

What came out were distillation apparatuses and alchemical furnaces.

There were also familiar tools from science experiments, such as mortars and pestles.

"These are all high-quality items, Wearel."

"They are disposal items from the school's alchemy department."

Wearel smiled awkwardly in response to Ikt's comment.

"Is it the school in the Lycusaria Kingdom of Schools?"

"You have a good memory, Aisha-sama. Yes, Lycusaria, a unique kingdom under the empire that primarily operates schools. It's a hall of learning, so even the disposal items are of good quality. Since you asked questions about alchemy after reading a book recently, I inquired with a friend from the school and learned they were disposing of these items."

I had heard that Wearel was a former teacher at the school.

He wanted to help me with my questions about alchemy, which was not his specialty.

"Wow, thank you! By the way, could you get me some books on alchemy?"

"I expected you to ask, so I've already borrowed them."

Wearel had thoughtfully prepared alchemy-related books from the imperial library.

I was so happy that I hugged the flask.

"Prince, you and alchemy. I glanced at the book, but I couldn't understand a thing."

"Helkoff, good morning. You're early. Did you carry these all the way up to the third floor?"

Helkoff, who was supposed to be my swordsmanship tutor, shrugged his broad shoulders.

Since I am still young, he hasn't been able to fulfill his role and has been helping with moving the boxes.

"We need more breakfast, it seems."

"Sure, thank you. Harty."

Harty went back to the Red Room to fetch more breakfast for Helkoff and the others.

While responding, I couldn't resist and started looking at the equipment, ignoring my breakfast.

"Where should we put them? Maybe it's good that we have extra rooms."

Helkoff made a joke that wasn't really a joke.

"Since it's alchemy, how about the Emerald Room?"

"Is the Emerald Room associated with alchemy?"

Ikt asked Wearel for an answer to my question.

However, Wearel, who was also an outsider, could only recall the answer vaguely.

"I think there was something called the Emerald Tablet, a famous riddle or something."

"It's said to contain the secrets of alchemy. The book explained that no one has been able to decipher the cryptic text and reach the secrets."

In other words, it's a dubious legend.

However, because I have scientific knowledge, I understood that there might be some truth to it.

The Emerald Tablet states, "All things arose from one thing by the adaptation of the one thing."

This can be applied to atoms or even protons and neutrons.

Moreover, it provides a method: "Separate the fine from the coarse with great diligence and skill."

Compared to magic, which I know nothing about, I naturally felt more familiar with alchemy and was enthusiastic about reading the books.

As a result, I made Wearel go to the imperial library multiple times in one day, which I now regret.

"Aisha-sama, it's good to be enthusiastic, but today we have a walk."

"Ah, yes."

Before I knew it, Harty, who had returned, scolded me.

Wearel and the others laughed at my disappointment.

The walk Harty mentioned is a bit of a punishment.

I stayed up late and skipped meals reading books the other day.

As a result, I was ordered to take a walk that would make me hungry and sleepy today.

Today's second chapter (Next update at 6 PM)

Next: The Emperor's Eldest Son 4