It's Annoying Because My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage

‘I-Its Princess Skyla! The rumoured grim reaper of society! The same person who supposedly killed a furious, red mountain goat that had crashed the party with just a look..!’

Seriously, who the hell came up with that tacky nickname?

I was devastated at the fact that everyone looked at me and thought ‘It's the grim reaper of society!’

I wanted to dive into the Crown Prince’s artificial lake because of that.

There were other parts in that sentence to worry about.

A red mountain goat crashing a party? Didn't that animal go extinct decades ago?

And killing it with just a look? Is this some kind of founding of a country myth?

Resisting the urge to scream at the imperial knight, I strode toward the Crown Prince's palace.

After a while, the imperial knight stopped.

“W-We’ve arrived.”

He trembled slightly as he pointed ahead.

“It's the Lion Palace where His Highness the Crown Prince resides.”

The Lion Palace. It's the Lion Palace.

I slowly raised my head.

The palace in front of me was indeed a majestic architecture that lived up to its name.

Two lions made of white marble guarded the gate.

The lions stared at the guests who came to visit with red rubies as eyes.

A lion statue, which seemed ready to pounce on intruders at any moment, looked just like the real thing.

The sculptor they hired must've been a talented genius.

I stepped into the palace while glancing at the unnecessarily ornate lion statues.

The taxes taken from the nobles have been spent here.

The interior of the Lion's Palace was much more luxurious than the exterior.

I’ve been to the Imperial Palace several times to deal with official duties as a representative of the Kaerun Duchy.

Without a doubt, the Crown Prince's palace was far more grander and splendid than any palace I had ever seen.

Come to think of it, I've never met the Crown Prince properly before.

It wasn't purely because I didn't go to social gatherings, the Crown Prince didn't attend most of the social gatherings either.

No matter how important having connections are, it's more ridiculous for the future emperor of this empire to gather with people like a loafer on a factitious day. 

It was when I was thinking that.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting for you.”

The knight guarding the door declared in a fairly dignified voice.

The door opened with a squeak.

And inside-

“Nice to meet you, Princess Skyla.”

-was the Crown Prince of this country who called my name to greet me. 

* * *

It's too late to admit this, but I didn't even know what the Crown Prince even look like.

Since I had only passed by him when I walked around the Imperial Palace for errands in the past.

Besides that, I never got the chance to talk face-to-face with him. 

So I didn't know what he looked like.

And I'm starting to regret not properly paying attention to him now.

He's surprisingly handsome.

I kind of understand now why Aronia and the other ladies kept praising the Crown Prince.

He’s distinctly different from Lancer’s soft and warm appearance, or from the beauty that gave off a subtle charm like the mage I met a while ago, Viscount Artisina.

He seemed to be applying elegance itself to his body. He was the definition of noble, refined and graceful.

No wonder why those ladies couldn't help themselves when the Crown Prince looks like this.

I regained my composure after appreciating the Crown Prince’s beauty.

Then he began to approach me.

“You've come here after a long way, please take a…”

Before he could finish his sentence,

Thud!

The crown prince, who was approaching the sofa in the centre of the room, collapsed on the spot. As if he tripped on an invisible stone.

What just happened?

Phoebe and I were stunned as we stared at the Crown Prince who had fallen on the floor.

…Should I go help him?

I thought about it for a moment until the Crown Prince slowly raised himself as if nothing had happened.

Then he spoke.

“I apologize, I have a condition that makes me a little prone to falling.”

“...Ah, yes.”

Is it a joke? Or is this the latest gag in society that’s trending without me knowing?

I didn't know how to respond because I felt nervous,  so I glanced at the guards standing around us.

However, they remained unexpectedly calm.

This seemed to happen quite often.

“Follow me.”

The Crown Prince raised himself alone without help and led me towards the sofa.

He was nonchalant as if nothing just happened.

His inner thoughts couldn't be heard at all.

‘Why isn't he thinking about anything…’

I moved to the seat across from him after following his lead.

Phoebe quietly stood behind me.

As soon as I sat down, he started talking.

“Is the one behind you your maid?”

“Yes, she is.”

“I apologize but I’d like it for us to be alone in here.”

Phoebe glanced at me at the Crown Prince’s words.

She seemed as if she didn't want to leave me alone here.

But she couldn't disobey the Crown Prince’s order, so she eventually moved slowly out of the room.

Then, all the other guards followed suit behind her.

Bang!

The door was shut tight.

Now there was only me and the Crown Prince in this room.

I don't know why he wanted everyone out of the room all of a sudden.

What the hell is gonna say to me?

Tension began building up in me.

The Crown Prince, unaware of my nervousness, maintained a calm face.

After making sure that the door was completely locked, he began to speak.

“Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule.”

Of course, you're the Crown Prince, how can I ignore your letter?

If I said that, I’d be beaten by the Crown Prince, who would've thought it was an insult.

So I replied as politely as I could instead.

“No, it's a great honour to have Your Highness the Crown Prince looking for me.”

“That's a relief.”

“Of course.”

I responded to him and then thought to myself.

‘The noble life is really hard.’

I drank from the teacup in front of me.

I may look like an elegant lady savouring the fragrant aroma of the tea on the outside, but I couldn't venture on what was inside the teacup.

I was frantically thinking about why the Crown Prince invited me and how to explain the rumours surrounding me.

He immediately started talking without even giving me the chance to hear his inner thoughts.

“The reason why I called you here today is that I want to ask you a favour.”

A favour? By a favour you mean an order, right?

I wanted to ask back, but as a normal noble who knew how to give in to power, I gave it up.

“I don't know if I can do it well, but I'll give it my all for Your Highness.”

I presented a model answer that would’ve appeared in the imperial etiquette textbook.

“That's a great attitude to have as the next Duke of Kaerun.”

The Crown Prince immediately gave my answer a perfect score.

Slightly pleased, I loosened my firm expression and looked at him.

Then he suddenly asked.

“Princess Skyla, will you please be my fiancée?”

Huh?

“...Did I hear you right?”
 

I doubted my ears.

Did I hear what he said correctly? He wants me to be his fiancée?

No, I don't think so.

I must have heard it wrong. There's no way the Crown Prince would ask me to be his fiancée…

“I want you to be my fiancée.”

“Why on earth..?”

Once I was sure I hadn't misheard him, I blurted out a half-question.

Why? Why me out of so many other young ladies?

“P-Please reconsider, Your Highness. I don't think that's a good idea. I am woefully inadequate to be Your Highness’ companion.”

I stuttered in embarrassment and protested quietly.

“What do you mean you're inadequate?”

“I... I usually only work at the Kaerun Duchy! I don't do anything else!"

“That's good. I like someone who works well.”

Wait, that wasn't it?

I said it to fault myself, but rather than losing points, I gained more.

“A-And I never show up to social gatherings, so I only know very few nobles!”

Flustered, I began to self-deprecate.

But the results were minimal.

“That's great, I don't like being bothered by nobles.”

“It's more than that! No one in society likes me!”

“So what?”

The Crown Prince stared at me.

"I already know what kind of person the Princess is. Don't tell me you think I proposed out of the blue without investigating you?”

Ah.

I stopped talking gibberish only then.

He was right. Unless he was a fool, there was no reason to politely escort a stranger into his palace and propose.

But I still couldn't understand.

“...Your Highness, have you not heard of the rumour about me in society?”

“What rumour?”

“It's…”

I was about to reply when I was momentarily speechless.

How do I explain this?

He already knows that I don't go to social gatherings often.

He might wonder through what kind of network I heard about myself.

It was a complete secret that I could hear other people's thoughts. Even my childhood friend, Lancer, doesn't know.

So even the Crown Prince couldn't tell about my ability.

“Keep talking, Princess Skyla. I'm listening.”

“Oh, it's…”

He began to rush me.

Thanks to that, I hesitated for a while and declared without thinking thoroughly first.

“I’m… the grim reaper of society.”

I made it a weird way to introduce myself now.

Damn it.