Silent Witch

"Have we met before…?"

Monica was stiffened at Cyril's question when the loud shout interrupted his words.

As if it resounded from the depths of the earth, Cyril's words were easily drowned by its loud voice.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy! Gentlemen over there! Please help me catch those caaaaatttss!"

Turning their heads toward the voice, they can see two white cats similar to the cat in Raul's hands, running toward them.

Chasing the cats was a man with blond hair and stern blue eyes with a figure as big as a gorilla. Probably frightened by that man, those two cats were slipping away through the trees in the garden with their hairs standing on end.

Monica turned her eyes to Raul and Ray, but the former who was stroking the cat in his hands, and the latter who still remained on the ground, answered at the same time.

"Sorry, my hand is tied up right now."

"It's not like my curse can do anything about it…"

Apparently, these two didn't have any intention to help him.

But the ever-serious Cyril seemed genuinely determined to catch the running cats. But just as Cyril extended his arms, the cat used his shoulder as a stepping stone before it swiftly landed on the ground behind him.

And the big blond man also seemed to have a hard time chasing the other cat.

If he keeps cashing like this, he will never catch the cats, no matter how hard he tries.

W-What should I do… *fidgeting*

Monica turned her eyes to Ray and Raul for help, but she only received an expectant look in return. She seemed to have no other choice.

Monica let out a small sigh and tapped the ground with her scepter.

As her targets were the two cats, she needs to grasp their positions first.

I need to make sure my spell didn't catch Lord Cyril and the big man…

It may seem like a simple task, but it's surprisingly harder to catch a target that moves so quickly. In fact, it's far easier to blow the target away with a tornado spell.

After carefully calculating the target positions, Monica cast her wind spell without chanting.

The wind that swirled up from the ground gently enveloped the cats and lifted them up. The cats were meowing and flapping their legs, but Monica guided them into her arms before she released her spell.

"…ugh…"

The moment Monica took the cats into her arms, the aftereffect of the Cursed Dragon's incident in her left hand stung slightly. Although the bruise has faded considerably, the pain was still present, while her strength of grip had barely returned.

As Monica was struggling to hold the cats with only her right arm so as to not drop them, Cyril quickly picked the two cats from her hand.

"…tha-"

Out of habit, Monica almost reflexively uttered, ‘Thank you, Lord Cyril,' but in haste, she shut her mouth.

T-That almost gave me away…

With just one word from her mouth, her identity as the Silent Witch would be exposed.

As Monica was hanging her head while holding her left arm, Cyril with the two cats in his arms, looked at Monica worriedly.

"Does your left hand still hurt?"

"………"

Monica retraced her left hand into the hem of her robe and muttered ‘I'm fine' internally while shaking her head.

Cyril looked at Monica in doubt, but when the cats in his arms began to lash out, he hurriedly handed over the cats to the large man who seemed to be their owner.

The man took the cats and bowed to Cyril with a grateful face.

"Thank you! You're a live saver!"

The cats seemed startled by his loud voice.

Raul, who had been stroking the cat leisurely until now, spoke.

"Your Highness, I think your loud voice makes the cats got startled and ran away."

"Truly!? I-I see… I'm sorry to have startled you, Adrian, Christopher."

The big man apologized to the cats in his arms, and they meowed in response as if they understood his words. The big man took out a dried small fish from his pocket and feed it to the cats in his arms.

Huh? Wait… Did Lord Thorn Witch just call him His Highness?

The big man had a stern face but when he looked at the cat in Raul's hand, his stern face loosened.

"Oh, you were there, Rodvig. Thank you for always helping me, Sir Thorn Witch."

"Your Highness' cat has a habit of running away, after all. Oh, is it perhaps there are three cats?"

"Indeed."

Raul handed the cat in his arms when the big man nodded in response. The big man's arms were thick and muscular like logs, so when he held the three cats in his arms it didn't look unstable.

Now the three cats were in his arms, he then turned his eyes to Cyril.

"I apologize for causing you so much trouble. My dear mother cherishes these cats so much. So I can't thank you enough for helping me catch these cats."

Cyril was visibly flustered when the large man politely thanked him.

"N-No, it's not a problem at all, Your Highness Lionel."

Now that Cyril mentioned His Highness's name, Monica had just realized.

That's right, this big muscular man was the first prince and also a half-brother of Felix Ark Ridill–Lionel Brehm Edward Ridill.

＊ ＊ ＊

Cyril was so shaken up that even his hands under his gloves felt colder than usual.

Ever since his father announced that he would be invited to the castle, he figured he would see Felix first, but never had he expected he would run into the first prince before him. Moreover, he was meeting him in this kind of situation.

While Cyril himself was of the second prince's faction, which believes that Felix is the most suitable candidate to ascend the throne, that does not mean he could afford to show disrespect to the first prince.

In the first place, his belief in supporting Felix is only his personal decision, it did not represent the house of Marquis Highon which is in a neutral faction.

After desperately recalling how his conduct before in response to his words, Lionel then gave him a friendly smile.

"It's rare to see someone as young as you to be invited to the New Year's Ceremony. If you don't mind, may I ask your name?"

"My name is Cyril Ashley, the heir of Highon Family."

Cyril answered with a tense voice in nervousness, in response Lionel returned with an ‘Oh!' as his eyes lit up. While he seemed like a stern person, it also gave an impression of amicable.

People always say His Highness Lionel's big figure resembles a gorilla, but his rounded eyes only make him more amiable. Of course, Cyril didn't have any room to pay attention to such a thing.

"So you were a member of Marquis Highon House. Lord Scholar's wisdom has always been a great help to us royal family. I hope you will also continue to lend your wisdom to royal family."

So Lionel said calmly, but Cyril could only shut his mouth.

Cyril was not the biological son of Marquis Highon, so it could not be said that he belongs to the Scholar Family.

As the Scholar Family itself is a family who has a vast amount of knowledge known as the walking library, the also can be said the brain of the Ridill Kingdom.

Cyril himself understood enough that he didn't have the wisdom to be called the heir of the family. Instead of him, Claudia who possesses such wisdom is more appropriate to be called the heir of the Scholar Family. If she had been a man, she would have been his successor without a doubt.

Cyril was getting nervous when His Highness Lionel had put great expectations on him. He knew he had to respond ‘It's a honor to receive such words' but his tongue was stiffened, unable to let out any word.

"…I don't know how far I can go while being inexperienced… but I will do my best to meet your expectation."

That was all Cyril can say right now.

Really, what was I saying? If the royaty was putting great expecation on me, what I can do is making efforts to make their expectation!

In contrast to Cyril who turned cold, Lionel was smilling cheerfully.

"You don't have to get too worked up. I am a greenhorn myself. I may good at wileding a sword, but my diplomacy skill can be considered as poor. It's just as everyone says, my brother Felix is better than me."

"I…"

"I, too, have the same thought as yours. I think Felix is more suitable to be king. But even if I cannot become king, I want to protect this kingdom with all my might. That is why I need your wisdom and assistance."

Just right after he said that, they hear a voice of servant shouted ‘where are you, His Highness Lionel!?'.

Lionel flipped his cloak and walked toward the voice.

"Now, if you'll excuse me! Thank you for helping me catching this cats, Lord and Lady Seven Sages! And you too, future Marquis Highon, let us meet again!"

Cyril bowed to Lionel as his back facing him.

He may differ from Felix, but he is also a royalty…

Lionel said ‘I hope you will also continue to lend your wisdom to royal family' to him.

He used the words ‘to royal family' instead of ‘to me', that itself had already signify Lionel's true intention.

Lionel is looking for the future of this kingdom.

As for the current situations, the kingdom is divided into two sides of the first prince's faction and the second prince's faction where they are facing against each other. As such, leaving an opportunity for the other counries to take advantage of.

That was probably why Lionel approached Cyril in this way, thinking that nobles in the kingdom must unite from now on.

At the very least, even he can't become king, he still can protect this kingdom.

"He's quite a charming prince, isn't he? He's easygoing and doesn't act arrogant. He knows what he can and can't do."

The Thorn Witch said as he brushed the cat hair off his robe.

After a thoughtful pondering, Cyril asked the Thorn Witch.

"…do you support the first prince, Lord Thorn Witch?"

"Well, as long as I find it interesting, I don't care whichever who become king. I think these two have the same opinion as me."

Saying this, the Thorn Witch looked at the Silent Witch and the Abyss Shaman, but the former only turned her head down, fidgeted her finger as if she was troubled.

As for the Abyss Shaman, he was…

"The more handsome his face, the more I wish he walk into his downfall…"

…letting out his ranting.

The Thorn Witch was just laughing without care in response.

"Well, guess it's my fauilt for expecting the same opinion from the Seven Sages."

Somehow when Cyril heard the Seven Sages, which also the brightest people in the kingdom as well as the advisor to the king, spoke like that, he felt something crumbing down inside. Especially his respect for the Seven Sages.