Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Appointment Ceremony (3)

Night passed, and morning came.

I had fallen asleep still wearing the cumbersome ceremonial attire, so I wasn’t in great condition from the start of the day.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, I recalled the events of the previous day.

And I thought to myself:

‘…I did everything I could.’

That was the end of what I could intervene in.

I had warned the crown prince about what he might come to regret.

And the words spoken during that process were the very same ones he would say in the future.

But just because the prince of the future had come to understand certain truths, does that mean the prince of the past will understand them the same way?

Could it be that simple?

After all, people grow and are shaped through experience.

The crown prince of the future, who saw so much while imprisoned, is clearly different from the haughty prince of today.

He may not understand my words.

If he chooses to proceed as he originally intended, I can only say, “Do as you wish.”

I’d have to help Aria personally.

But at that moment, none of these things were of importance to me.

There was something far more urgent.

“…Emma, where is my sister?”

“Oh, yes! The lady has been up since early and is attending to her duties!”

“She didn’t seem upset or anything, did she?”

“Sorry? The lady?”

Emma tilted her head in confusion.

Hmm, I shouldn’t have asked that.

There’s no way my sister would reveal her emotions to a subordinate.

“Sigh.”

A sigh escaped me.

I felt guilty for not paying more attention to my sister at the banquet the day before.

It was the first time in both my past and current life that we attended a banquet together, yet we merely shared a carriage ride before spending the rest of the evening apart.

Sure, she probably had a fine time.

But… she must have endured quite a few awkward glances, watching me cause such a scene.

“…Prepare something for me to wash with, and a change of clothes.”

I decided I would apologize to her.

With that thought, I quickly got ready.

I met her at lunchtime.

“Did you sleep well, my lord? I was worried since you came back so late.”

My sister said this with no trace of shadow in her expression.

Should I be relieved?

“I spoke with His Highness, the Crown Prince, for a while.”

“Did you drink?”

“No.”

“…?”

A look of surprise crossed my sister’s face for the first time.

She was genuinely taken aback.

‘Is it so shocking that I didn’t drink…?’

Well, maybe it is.

Given how I was during this time period, I can see why she would be surprised.

The fact that I had earned such a terrible reputation is probably due to my lack of virtue.

Anyway, I cleared away my stray thoughts, took a moment to collect myself, and cautiously said to her:

“I apologize for yesterday.”

“What do you mean?”

“I did not behave like a Pharos. I acted emotionally and showed a shameful side of myself. I am deeply sorry.”

I couldn’t promise that I wouldn’t act like that again.

I would try to control myself, of course, but given my personality, I might lose control and act rashly once more.

But I wanted her to know that I had the will to restrain myself and that I was reflecting on this incident…

“You’re saying something odd.”

“…What?”

“That you didn’t act like a Pharos, my lord. How could you say that?”

My sister spoke calmly, but clearly.

“Do you regret your choice yesterday?”

I answered her.

Despite the guilt I felt, I said:

“No.”

I didn’t regret anything about what I did for Aria.

Knowing the future, it was an inevitable choice made to bring about the best possible outcome.

But since I had no way to explain that, I simply gave a brief response.

Then my sister replied.

“That should be enough, then. If you ask for my opinion… yes, I was proud of you, my lord. And ashamed of myself.”

“……”

“I have long claimed to trust you, yet deep down, I worried that you, who have delved into politics, might become consumed by ambition. That you might focus solely on joining factions and building connections with other nobles.”

Her words made me feel guilty.

Had it been the me from before my return, I probably would have acted that way.

“But you did not. You understood what was most important.”

At that moment, my sister gave me a faint smile as she looked at me.

“The Pharos family serves the imperial family. We revere not just the Crown Prince, but the Ortaire lineage. That is our duty as loyal subjects, and our role as their mentors. So I say this to you.”

With that, she added:

“Your concern for the third princess was more Pharos-like than anything.”

Her words reminded me of what she had said the day before.

— As a Pharos, and as a mentor, I hope you make a proud choice.

I realized once again that this person never changes.

She always believes in me.

Even if I had done something wrong, she would have encouraged me, not expressed disappointment.

That’s the kind of person she is, and it makes me want to do better.

A warm feeling welled up inside me.

It made me smile.

What should I say?

After pondering for a while, I finally said:

“…Thank you.”

I bowed my head.

And my sister said:

“What is there to thank me for? Now, let’s eat. You’ll need a full stomach for strength.”

“Yes, you too, sister.”

I took a bite of bread.

The sunlight pouring through the window felt warm.

It was a peaceful, good day.

* * *

I rested for a few days.

The only thing I did consistently during that time was exercise.

If I had to mention the results… it was pretty impressive.

Well, I do know how to use mana.

Since I used it to train my body, the muscles developed quickly systematically.

The change was more noticeable because I had been mostly skin and bones before.

In terms of level, I was now at the edge of beginner.

A little more effort and I’d reach the entry level of an expert physique.

It was on such a day that I visited the imperial palace for my next lesson.

Today, I came out a bit early.

Since I was visiting the palace, I also wanted to meet Aria.

There was no need to go all the way to her secluded palace.

“Pharos!”

As soon as I entered the palace, Aria came running as if she had known I’d be coming today.

She wasn’t just running; she was practically flying toward me, moving so fast that her footsteps sounded like a torrent of rapid taps.

She was brimming with excitement, her face flushed red.

She looked as if she was about to headbutt me, so I reached out to stop her by placing my hand on her head.

Smack!

“Ugh!”

“What’s gotten you so excited?”

Even with her head held back, Aria giggled.

“Because my ally is here! Aria has so much to talk about with Pharos!”

Ah, so she was just happy to see me.

I could feel the bond we had built.

Sitting by the flowerbed on the side of the road, Aria began chattering.

“The banquet day is over, and the villains have retreated! And my maid is smiling brighter now! And…!”

It was a report of recent events.

Pretty believable information.

By listening, I could get a rough idea of what was happening.

‘Observation?’

My involvement must have had an impact.

My words and actions toward that greasy pig-like guy must have pushed away the trivial ones, and attracted the eyes of the more dangerous ones.

Whatever it was, the fact that there were no more people reaching out to this little kid was good news.

Besides, even those dangerous people wouldn’t touch me directly.

Nothing too concerning, so I was relieved.

It was at that moment.

“…So, Pharos.”

“What is it? Why are you hesitating again?”

“Hehe…”

Aria laughed awkwardly.

Then she took a deep breath and, with wide-open eyes, said,

“Aria recognizes Pharos’ hard work! From today, Pharos will be the Captain of the Cotton Candy Kingdom’s Guard, Captain Cotton Candy!”

Bam!

Should I have made a sound effect with my mouth?

The thought flashed through my mind as I watched her place both hands on her hips, speaking with great solemnity.

I then responded.

“I refuse.”

“Wha-?! Why?!”

“I don’t like sweet things.”

Aria started whining, clinging to me.

“Ah, no! Captain Cotton Candy isn’t sweet! It’s, um… oh, I know! Captain Cotton Candy tastes like cucumber!”

“What is this horrible hybrid?”

“Do you hate cucumbers? Then how about pickles…!”

“I said I don’t like sweet things, I didn’t say I like vegetables.”

“Then… then steak! You like steak, right?!”

“Why would I eat something pretending to be steak when I could just have real steak?”

“Grrrr…!”

Seeing her seriously ponder and then burst out in frustration was funny.

As I watched her, someone appeared.

“So, here you are.”

The Crown Prince arrived.

He must have heard I was at the palace.

“Ah, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince did not respond.

His gaze was fixed on Aria.

Aria was startled and immediately became timid.

Then, in a small, mumbling voice, she spoke.

“I greet my older brother, Your Highness…”

Still, the Crown Prince didn’t respond.

There was a brief silence.

Eventually, the Crown Prince spoke.

“I will be receiving a lesson from Pharos now. Would you like to join?”

His tone was still not what one could call kind, but he had at least made an offer.

Aria glanced at me, and I shrugged.

“Do as you wish.”

Her eyes grew wide.

They seemed to sparkle a little.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, her cheeks flushed.

* * *

Callios was walking toward the Dawn Palace, watching Aria’s back.

Aria walked ahead of the knights, looking around as she went.

Then, she glanced at Yuren, who was walking beside her.

Her face bloomed into a bright smile.

Watching that, Callios’ lips moved.

“This is a first.”

“What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“Seeing that child smile like that.”

Yuren’s gaze shifted toward him, and Callios let out a bitter laugh.

“I’ve never seen it before. And I never questioned why.”

For the past few days, he had lost sleep pondering things.

Looking back, both last time and this time, the questions Yuren posed always seemed to keep him up at night.

But they were useful thoughts.

Finally, Callios could admit that.

“As you said, ignoring that child was a choice I made for myself. Yes, if I had wanted to help, I could have. At the very least, I could have treated her kindly. But I didn’t. To me, she was neither my sister nor my subject.”

It was shameful to expose such inner faults.

But after doing so, Callios felt a strange sense of liberation.

It was like a confession of sorts.

“You told me I only saw what was convenient for me. You were right. I sought convenience, and now I understand that.”

Callios looked at Yuren.

“Thank you. Once again, you’ve taught me something.”

It was more than words of thanks could convey.

Yuren had shown him the way, and it had made Callios a better ruler.

In other words, Callios now trusted Yuren completely.

He no longer doubted that there was meaning behind his actions and words.

Yuren responded indifferently.

“There is no right answer. You made the choice, Your Highness.”

“Modest, as always.”

Callios chuckled.

As they walked, they arrived at the training grounds of the Dawn Palace.

It was time for the lesson.

Aria blinked.

A small, delicate child.

If he turned his back on her, she would wither away in solitude for the rest of her life.

Thinking of that future brought pain to his chest.

A surge of guilt overwhelmed him.

He couldn’t do much for her right away.

But he knew what he had to do as her brother.

Callios knelt down and opened his arms.

“Come here.”

He had to start by holding her warmly.

Aria’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.

Her hesitation was born from her own unease.

So he waited, and Callios did just that.

Soon, Aria began walking toward him slowly.

Callios felt his heart stir.

‘I won’t let you go.’

If she could smile that brightly, he would protect that smile, just as he would protect his people.

At that moment, Aria gently bumped into someone’s legs—not Callios’ but Yuren’s.

“…?!”

Callios’ smile froze.

His gaze turned to Yuren and to Aria, who was hiding behind Yuren’s legs, looking at him.

“Well, uh…”

Yuren’s voice struck his ears.

“…You can’t expect everything to change overnight. Keep trying.”

It was strange.

Why did it feel like he had lost something, even though he had never had it?

“Your Highness, Princess, we need to begin the lesson. Please step aside.”

“Mm! Got it!”

With quick little steps, Aria moved away.

Until then, Callios remained frozen in place, still kneeling, arms outstretched like a statue.

———