Chapter √1
Translator: Cryus
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Author’s Note: This is a short extra chapter about the second prince, and a little about the second Calibrachoa daughter. This was when Charles was about 7 years old.
There’s no meaning behind the title.
—
Cedric Edward hated his little brother.
It’s nothing Charles did specifically, and Cedric didn’t hate him so much to lay a finger on him. He simply disliked him.
Cedric was born frail.
It wasn’t life threatening because he lived comfortably, but his frailty was enough to exclude him from the line of succession. His older brother Endo Edward displayed a sufficient amount of intelligence, and it was also decided that Cedric would spend a large amount of time in his life receiving medical treatment.
He always knew that no one expected anything from him. No one needed him, and no one wanted anything of him.
But still, he felt a little lonely.
He was a mature and reasonable young man, but he was still under ten years old. That’s why he wanted to be recognized by adults. Despite that, he was fully aware that no one would ever look to him.
Thus, he paid attention not to his talented older brother, but to his younger brother Charles.
Charles was in no way talented in his studies. Nor was he particularly good at the military arts. And even though he was younger than Cedric, there was also talk about him being excluded from the line of succession as well.
However, Charles received attention from everyone in the palace.
Cedric was envious of that. He didn’t understand the exact reason for that, but the fact that Charles seemed to live his life freely was too much for him. It blinded him and annoyed him, but he couldn’t look away from Charles. That’s why Cedric hated him.
Since they were brothers, there were plenty of times where they saw each other, despite the size of the palace. In times like those, he desperately tried to hide his feelings of hatred behind a fake smile.
He hated him and was jealous of him, but didn’t have the option of ignoring him. To Cedric, that was what Charles was.
From Cedric’s point of view, Charles was always living a carefree life. It looked like there was nothing tying him down.
Every time he went outside without notice, it would cause trouble for Oxe who was supposed to be by his side. Every day he broke a piece of furniture in the palace, and the servants would chase him with furious looks on their faces. And just recently, he climbed a tree in the royal garden. The gardener spotted him and reprimanded him, but he dared to climb the tree again, and was confined to his room for three days. Soon after that, he went there again and plucked some weeds from the flower bed, put it into his mouth, and began crying. It seemed rather bad. And why would he even eat it in the first place?
Cedric Edward hated his younger brother Charles Edward, and was jealous of him. But lately, that changed.
Everyone is different in a good way. Learn from the follies of others. Understanding that such apparent words of consolation were in fact truths of life, he found it easier to adapt to his environment.
Eventually, the servants began scolding Charles by saying “You could learn a thing or two from His Highness Cedric!” This was when Charles gave Cedric a present.
“Big brother! This is for you!”
What Charles gave him was a handful of flowers.
What’s this? Is this an elaborate prank? There’s still dirt on them, so it looks like he just plucked them from the palace garden. Why is he giving them to me as a present? As Cedric thought to himself, Charles replied with a smile.
“These are herbs! They’re the same ones I saw in the herb garden in Chris’s house. They were growing in the garden, so I brought them here! Oh, but they’re really bad, so be careful, okay?”
Charles went back to his room. His honest smile was an impressionable contrast to the apologetic look on Oxe’s face.
“Herbs, huh.”
Cedric mumbled while looking at the present.
Charles was probably looking out for his health. It looks like he even tasted it.
Of course, Cedric was educated enough to not eat raw herbs without knowing their effects. Medicine could also be poison. He would be better off letting an expert take a look at it.
That’s why he didn’t use it as his younger brother expected him to.
He put the flowers in a vase as a decoration.
I’ll get along with my younger brother.
That was the day he began to think that way.
The next day, his fiancée Ignia Calibrachoa visited him.
Of course, this arrangement was not up to either of them. To Cedric, it was part of his duty to marry her.
But on that day, Cedric felt like spending some time taking a walk with her.
“Do you like flowers?”
Of course, there were things she didn’t know about him. Noticing such a simple fact, he thought that it was time to get to know each other better. Seeing her cast an occasional glance at the flower vase, he took the first step and asked her the question.
Usually she would simply give a noncommittal reply, but she looked surprised for an instant before breaking into a smile.
“Yes. In fact, my younger sister’s name is associated with a flower.”
He wondered if they were on good terms.
Her expression looked soft when she was looking at the flowers. He was a little fascinated, and a little envious of her relationship with her sister. He decided to learn from her.
“I see. Your sister must be adorable.”
“No, she is not adorable at all. She’s gloomy and has a sharp tongue, and she listens to no one. On top of that, she never opens up to us even as family. She’s like an untamed cat. She’s the worst sister a person can have.”
“I-I see.”
Cedric flinched from the completely unexpected reply.
Girls are difficult to understand.
He was impressed by how she could talk badly about her sister while smiling like that.
“Yes. It looks like she has finally made a friend she is unworthy of, however…… Oh?”
Cedric was overcome by yet another thing she told him. She was observing the plant, and now looked a little troubled.
“Um, Lord Cedric……”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Ignia Calibrachoa began to look nervous.
Should she say it or not? She hesitated for some time, then finally pointed a finger.
“This is neither an ornamental plant nor a herb. It’s simply a weed. Why are you putting it up as a decoration……?”
“……Eh?”
His face twitched from having his fiancée tell him that.
Cedric Edward hated his younger brother.
Charles Edward, who ignorantly gave him such a present on a whim.
Cedric decided that someday, when he became healthier, he would hit him hard on the head to teach him some manners and common sense.
He made a single pressed flower as a reminder of his determination.
Author’s Note: I’ve been thinking about putting this in a discounted extras book, but I’ve decided to put him here since it’s his first appearance.
Other extras are like that too, so they’ll make a good reference.
By the way, Cedric doesn’t make much of an appearance.
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