EIYTMA Chapter 15
by Ariana“What about Henri?”
The reason Iris asked Ezekiel about Henri’s whereabouts was simple. At the mention of “Your Highnesses,” Henri had turned pale and willingly gave up his room to Ezekiel. Ezekiel sighed.
“I just came from telling him that the guest room is more than sufficient for me.”
As he said this, Ezekiel reached out to take the blanket from Iris’s hands. However, Iris pulled it back with a playful tone.
“Oh my, what should we do?”
“It’s fine. I can use one that’s already been used.”
“No, that’s not it… Are you planning to share a room with me?”
“What?”
Ezekiel looked dumbfounded. Iris shrugged her shoulders.
“Henri and I were supposed to use the guest room together.”
Only then did Ezekiel realize whose room Felicia must have taken, and he pressed a hand to his forehead. Iris chuckled softly.
“It’s fine. There’s another guest room that’s currently vacant.”
In the end, the blanket that Iris had been carrying out was placed back in the guest room where Ezekiel was staying.
The “vacant guest room” Iris mentioned, however, had not been cleaned and was covered in dust. Ezekiel, with a determined expression, declared that he would sleep there, but Iris refused.
Ultimately, the two compromised by each taking a rag and cleaning the room together. Iris giggled.
“Madame Babin would faint if she saw this.”
“Madame Babin… She must have been quite shocked.”
“More than shocked.”
When Madame Babin heard from the villagers that the two were princes, the first thing she said was, “Did I just make His Highness do the dishes?” Ezekiel couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“Well, thanks to that, I learned how to wash dishes.”
“And how to fetch water.”
“And even how to fix a chair.”
Their eyes met, and they both burst into laughter. In any case, despite the commotion, it turned out to be a good thing for Querluxia’s domain in the end.
After everything was settled, Étienne instructed Felicia to give Iris Querluxia two pouches of gold coins. Iris was overjoyed when she heard that, since Querluxia had no tax obligations, they wouldn’t need to return the money.
“At first, I planned to use that money to build a bridge.”
“A bridge?”
Ezekiel looked at her curiously, and Iris smiled sheepishly.
“The bridge Your Highnesses crossed to get here collapses every two or three years. The stones around here are brittle, so they weaken in the rain. But since our domain is so poor, we never even dreamed of fixing it properly.”
“…”
“But today, Lady Arbois built a bridge for us. And it looks very sturdy.”
“Ah, that bridge… Though it will still need another round of reinforcement.”
Since the bridge was built hastily in the rain, the workers were uneasy even after finishing it. As they left Querluxia at dusk, they repeatedly urged, “Make sure to reinforce it once the rain stops.”
“Still, it looks very solid.”
“If more funds are needed for the repairs, I will provide them.”
“That won’t be necessary. What Your Highnesses have already done is more than enough. Plus, you’ve given us the gold coins.”
Iris clenched the rag in her hands and smiled.
“With that money, maybe we can take Henri to see a mage about his illness.”
It was probably not enough. But Ezekiel didn’t say that. Instead, he smiled.
“If you ever need a mage, why not come to the capital? His Majesty also has court mages.”
“I couldn’t possibly impose like that…”
“It wouldn’t be an imposition.”
A slightly deeper but still clear voice interjected. Both of them turned toward the doorway.
It was Étienne, arms crossed, a thick cloak draped over his shoulders.
“Brother.”
“Ezekiel, I was wondering where you disappeared to. Did you get a job as a servant in Querluxia while I wasn’t looking?”
Étienne coughed but still managed to joke. Iris, who had been kneeling to clean the furniture, instinctively stood up and explained.
“That’s not it. His Highness was helping me.”
“Lady Arbois took Iris’s room.”
Ezekiel added.
“Ah, I see.” Étienne raised an eyebrow.
“So it was because of Felicia.”
“My apologies.”
“But still, calling her ‘Iris’? Since when did you two become so close?”
At those words, Ezekiel stiffened. He hadn’t even realized he was addressing her so familiarly. Iris, flustered, quickly added,
“Well, His Highness has been very kind to me…”
“Kind? Ezekiel?”
Étienne widened his eyes in genuine shock.
“My word, Lady Iris, do you realize what an astonishing thing you’ve just told me?”
“Huh? I have?”
“Ezekiel being easy to be around? I have never heard such words in my life. Do you know what he’s like? Even our mother said she was too afraid to cough in front of him. Our sword instructor, Sir Belge, said he was too terrified to even drink water in his presence. And yet, you find Ezekiel easy to be around!”
“Brother!”
Ezekiel protested, looking genuinely wronged.
“He was just joking! Iris, don’t believe him!”
“And let’s not forget our youngest sibling, Geneviève…”
“Brother!”
Their sibling quarrel ended with Iris laughing merrily. Étienne simply shrugged.
“Anyway, do you need a mage for something?”
“Ah, well…”
Iris hesitated, clearly reluctant to mention Henri’s illness. Ezekiel stepped in.
“Henri is suffering from mana sickness.”
“I see.”
Étienne immediately understood.
“Then a mage is definitely necessary.”
“But we can’t trouble Your Highnesses with such a small matter…”
“Nonsense, Lady Iris.”
Étienne casually wrapped an arm around Iris’s shoulders. Ezekiel flinched without realizing it. It was an excessively familiar gesture for a grown prince and a young girl. However, Étienne, with a composed expression, continued joking.
“Just as Baron Querluxia saved our father’s life, you, Lady Iris, saved ours. So how could this be called a debt? This is merely me repaying a favor.”
“Oh….”
“That is true.”
Ezekiel pushed aside his thoughts and agreed.
“If not for the Querluxia estate, my brother and I would have had no choice but to stand in the rain.”
Iris seemed to consider this for a moment. But it was a fact. Ezekiel had no doubt that they owed their survival to this girl.
Even just considering Étienne’s fever, it was clear. They might have been able to endure the rain, but Étienne would have undoubtedly fallen seriously ill.
However, Iris’s response was somewhat unexpected.
“Then… we should slaughter a pig.”
“Hm?”
Étienne tilted his head in confusion. Iris clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.
“Have you seen the pigsty in the back garden of our manor? My father always kept three pigs. Two were for breeding, and one… was in case His Majesty the Emperor ever visited, so we could serve it to him.”
“His Majesty?”
“Yes.”
According to Iris, when the emperor granted Baron Querluxia his title, he had said:
– “It may be a modest reward for my life, but please accept it. The land is beautiful, and I will surely visit one day.”
“Hmm….”
The princes exchanged glances.
Their father probably hadn’t meant those words seriously.
After all, he had fallen off a terrace simply because he had made a mistake while secretly meeting a lover. He must have been deeply embarrassed.
Given the situation, he couldn’t grant the knight—whose future was ruined due to a broken leg—an extraordinary title, so he had likely offered those words as a mere formality.
However, Baron Querluxia had not forgotten them.
“It may not be His Majesty the Emperor, but if we serve the princes instead, I don’t think he would mind.”
Iris spoke as she naturally slipped out from Étienne’s grasp and ran to the window. She seemed to be looking toward the pigsty from the guest room’s window.
Étienne awkwardly shook out his arm and glanced at Ezekiel. Ezekiel shook his head and chuckled.
“Who will slaughter the pig?”
From what Ezekiel remembered, the pigs in the backyard were quite large. They were fed so well that they had grown plump—so much so that each one’s girth was as thick as a large tree stump.
After rolling her eyes hesitantly, Iris carefully turned to Ezekiel and asked,
“…Would you help?”
“If it will be of help, I would be glad to.”
The girl’s ears turned red. Ezekiel smiled as he watched her.
He remained unaware that Étienne was observing them closely.