William hadn’t asked for my opinion or requested anything, so my mouth wouldn’t open when I tried to make the first request. So I planned to cross my arms, tell him old stories, put him in a really good mood, and then bring up the topic.
“Now, tell me. You have something to ask for, don’t you?”
William, who had been flustered and blushing at my crossed arms, suddenly changed his expression completely and regained his composure. Thanks to that, I wouldn’t need to tell him old stories.
I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I’d like Gapa to be sent back to Putdy quickly.”
“Why? The lopeia crafting isn’t finished yet. We even sent miners to Putdy to bring back more lopeia. Should we finish this work first?”
I shook my head.
“That’s not what I mean. I heard that lopeia crafting has many stages but isn’t difficult. So if we teach the technique to the Imperial Palace craftsmen and supplement the personnel, crafting will be possible without Gapa.”
If it had been William from his childhood, I might not have known, but the current William was kind to servants and communicated well, so I thought he would easily agree. But somehow he looked displeased. William, who had been touching his chin and thinking for a while, asked me back.
“Why should we do that just because of one person like Gapa?”
“It’s not because of just one person like Gapa.”
“Then?”
“It’s about creating a system. Even if we solve this food shortage, we need several more things to continue maintaining and developing the lopeia industry.”
William nodded as if he understood and replied.
“We’d need quality lopeia raw stones, craftsmen, and working conditions.”
“Exactly. But right now we’re severely lacking in craftsmen. The Imperial Palace craftsmen we do have are good at crafting gold and diamonds that nobles like, but they don’t want to learn lopeia crafting, which brings in less money for the effort put in. Moreover, they look down on the technique because the crafting is easy.”
That was certainly true. The attitudes of the craftsmen I saw at the workshop earlier were terrible. Since they had been producing items for noble commissions and earning huge money, they had no interest in national benefit projects that didn’t make much money.
“So Danny is saying we should recruit and train new craftsmen? It’s a bothersome task, but since it’s not difficult and doesn’t require great skill, you think ordinary people could do it too?”
As expected. Our William understands ten things when you tell him one. I answered happily.
“Exactly. Let the current craftsmen continue taking noble commissions as they’ve been doing. New wine goes in new wineskins!”
William laughed and replied.
“That’s an interesting expression. But there’s a problem. It takes time to open trade routes, so where do we bring new wineskins from right now?”
It was the question I had been waiting for. I looked at William with a meaningful expression. If things went as I thought, my Crown Prince would take one step forward on the path to becoming a wise ruler.
“The new wineskins. We’ll make them from the young children who are suffering through absurd situations at the orphanages.”
William’s eyes widened as he asked.
“Isn’t that child abuse? What if we make children work when they should be studying hard?”
“I thought so too, but I told you what Gapa said earlier. The orphanages aren’t even making the children study, but are using them to fill the lord’s belly. Just like Count Putdy rescued Gapa from an orphanage and taught him skills, how about we bring children and teach them skills too? That could help the children live better in the future.”
William smiled broadly and pulled me into an embrace around my neck.
“My Daniel really is smart.”
***
The work of rescuing children to craft lopeia progressed smoothly. Teaching the skills was also in its final stages, and Gapa worked passionately, thinking he could return to Putdy once the children mastered the techniques.
In addition, news that the imperial family was enthusiastic about lopeia production spread to other countries through foreign nobles who had visited this country as envoys. Thanks to this, developing trade routes was also going smoothly.
After handling complicated matters by William’s side, I now had a little breathing room. However, because William wouldn’t leave my side for even a moment, even when resting I didn’t feel like I was resting. Moreover, my only free time – William’s lesson time – had long since disappeared due to William’s outstanding learning ability.
Ah, I’m tired. I want to rest.
I desperately wanted to take a half-body bath and then become one with the bed and never get up. However, William dragged me to a garden far from the Crown Prince’s Palace.
All of this is a garden…
After being amazed by its unimaginable size for a moment, I became tired again.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince’s Palace garden is nice too, so why did we come to this distant place?”
“We’ve been too busy lately. I wanted to spend enjoyable time with Danny after so long.”
Isn’t the best enjoyable time spent lying in bed?
While I was grumbling internally, William pulled my arm and headed to the stable attached to the garden. In the stable stood horses with glossy coats lined up in a row.
Don’t tell me he wants to go horseback riding with me?
When I stared at William with round eyes in surprise, he said,
“I think Danny should learn horseback riding now too.”
“…Suddenly?”
William frowned as if frustrated.
“Since I’ve decided to participate in politics in earnest, I can’t avoid the nobles forever.”
That was certainly true. Politics, after all, was about dealing with people. That’s why most nobles built friendships through hunting.
But what did William doing politics have to do with me learning horseback riding?
“That’s welcome news. Inviting nobles to ride horses and hunt together to build friendships would be helpful. Hahaha. But do I really need to learn?”
William raised one eyebrow as if asking what I was talking about.
“Of course you have to learn. Does it make sense for Danny not to be by my side when I’m with the nobles?”
“I’d like to be with Your Highness too, but…”
“Sigh, Danny. Think about it. If Danny, the Crown Prince’s only concubine, doesn’t attend friendship-building gatherings, what will the nobles whisper about us?”
At William’s words, I shut my mouth tight. I had no more excuses to make. The nobles who watched the Crown Prince’s every move like surveillance wouldn’t let it pass without comment if I, who always accompanied him, didn’t come along.
But why does it have to be horseback riding of all things! This is really driving me crazy.
As I held my forehead thinking these thoughts, William gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said,
“Don’t be scared, Danny. I’ll kindly teach you everything step by step.”
A little later, the stable manager brought a white horse and a brown horse. Until just moments ago, I hadn’t thought about being scared, but when I actually saw the horses up close, their larger-than-expected size made me suddenly frightened. So without realizing it, I pulled on William’s arm. He grinned and said to me,
“It’s fascinating to see Danny, who was always composed, being scared.”
“…I’m not scared.”
William brought his face close to mine.
“You seem frightened though?”
“They’re bigger than I thought.”
“These guys aren’t even considered big. Let’s see… If big horses scare you, you can start with the relatively smaller brown horse, so stop being afraid.”
“I said I’m not scared!”
“Right. Let’s say that’s true.”
William brought me, who had been standing stiffly, close to the horse. Suddenly an article about an actor who became paralyzed from the waist down after a horseback riding accident came to mind, making my anxiety grow. William chuckled and said,
“Don’t worry, you won’t die.”
“……”
While I was trembling in fear, having turned pale as a sheet, my body was suddenly lifted into the air. When I came to my senses, I found my body had been placed on the horse.
I was never the type to enjoy sports originally. At most, I’d take walks for health. For me, who was afraid of heights and even disliked mountain climbing, William’s words about not dying weren’t comforting at all.
Like my original self, Daniel clearly had no talent for horseback riding either. Just being on the horse was making me dizzy.
“Y-Your Highness… the h-horse… you m-must hold on. You can’t go anywhere. If you leave like this… I’ll really get a-angry…”
I was babbling incoherently without knowing what I was saying when my body swayed. William had climbed up behind me. When I felt his firm chest against my back, my fear began to subside little by little.
“Now, James! You’re carrying a bit more weight today, aren’t you? Please take good care of us anyway!”
When William spoke affectionately while holding the reins, James responded with a neigh. James began moving slowly, one step at a time.
When I felt the horse’s movement and opened my eyes, a beautiful landscape spread before me. However, I wasn’t in the right mind to enjoy the scenery. Once the horse started moving, I became too frightened again.
As I was barely breathing from fear, his voice reached my ear.
“If you don’t straighten your back, you’ll get body aches.”
William wrapped his free hand around my waist while holding the reins with the other. I twisted my body at the ticklish feeling.
“It’s okay if I get body aches. Please go easy on me since it’s my first day.”
“I meant James would get body aches, not Danny… You’re quite mistaken.”
“So you were worried about precious James’s health rather than me, who’s this scared!”
When I grumbled, William burst into laughter.
“It’s a joke. He’s a horse with good bloodline – there’s no way he’d hurt just because a person bent their back a little. Haha.”
When William spurred him on, James’s speed gradually began to increase. I was initially terrified, but as I spent more time on the horse, my body seemed to get used to it and I began to relax.
“How is it? Are you still scared?”
“No. It seems better than I thought. Though I was worried when you said I wouldn’t die.”
William started laughing again.
“Danny seems like an idiot at times like this. Horses that carry royalty in the Imperial Palace are trained not to be disturbed by people’s inexpert commands. Plus, I’m riding with you, so what could possibly happen?”
Oh my… Today seems to be the day I’m getting played by William in various ways. To think I’m receiving punishment like this for unknowingly teasing William during his childhood!
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
