Introductions (1)

“So this is the apprentice you are so proud of, old friend.”

King Albert gazed at me appraisingly, though not in an unpleasant way. We were in a private reception room with a relatively casual decoration and atmosphere. His Majesty, my master and me, that is. His Majesty was sitting in an armchair while I sat next to my master on a sofa opposite to him. There was a tea table laden with refreshments and snacks between us.

Although His Majesty had arranged a banquet to celebrate my master’s appointment, both the guest of honour (followed by me, of course) and the royal family retired early. We came straight here, because apparently the king wanted to meet me.

“My name is Edwin, Your Majesty. I’m eight years old and since two years ago, I’ve been under mystic Gundabad’s care as his apprentice. It is an honour to meet you.”

I made a small sitting bow as I introduced myself. I hadn’t had time to introduce myself before, as we had been granted permission to sit as soon as we entered the room.

“No need for formalities here, lad. We are in private and among friends, so just speak casually.”

The king smiled genially and waved his hand.

“Um… Okay. Thanks.”

It wasn’t that I was bad at being formal, but seeing that the king seemed to be so kind and casual in private put me at ease.

My master remained silent, sipping tea as though none of this was his business, letting me speak with the king.

“How do you like my castle so far, Edwin? Do you think you could live here comfortably?”

“It’s the most magnificent building I’ve ever seen, sir. I’ve only ever lived in a small village and on the road, so needless to say, I think life here will be much more comfortable.”

I was speaking honestly, though of course only accounting for my current life.

King Albert chuckled and nodded twice.

“That’s good. I hope you will enjoy it here. Both your master and I have high hopes for you, Edwin. If possible, I would like for you to become Tredland’s next court mystic, once you become a full-fledged mystic. It’s not easy finding an excellent and loyal mystic willing to settle down, so it would save me a lot of trouble.”

“I’m flattered that you think so, sir. I’ll consider it seriously once the time comes.”

I didn’t make any promises. After all, for a mystic, settling down while still young was a less than ideal option, as it limited our ability to amass knowledge and improve as mystics. There were upsides, too, of course. Safety and stable income, for example.

His Majesty remained silent for a while, staring at me. I didn’t feel any unpleasant feelings from him, but it was still a bit uncomfortable to be stared at.

“I saw what you did during the ceremony. Don’t worry, I’m not angry. Rather, I’m pleased. My daughters behaved better than usual because you kept them entertained. You have my thanks for that.”

“I… see? You’re welcome. Rather, it was my pleasure.”

I tilted my head slightly, not quite sure if he had a deeper purpose in bringing this up. As it turned out, he did.

“How do you feel about my little girls? Do you think you could get along with them? They are a bit younger than you, I don’t know if a boy your age would be interested in playing with little girls.”

I had to blink a few times. This was not something I expected. Was this the real reason why he wanted to see me? Wait, was I the reason why the princesses were present in the ceremony to begin with?

I recalled my decision not to live a lonely life this time. I didn’t really feel like a child anymore, but honestly, I didn’t feel any kind of rejection towards the idea of making friends roughly my age.

“I have no problem playing with children younger than me, be they male or female. Of course, I need to focus on my studies and training, so I don’t have all that much free time. But I wouldn’t mind playing with the princesses when I do have free time.”

King Albert smiled widely at my answer.

“I was hoping you would say that. You see, I’m a very busy man, and I don’t have as much time for my family as I wish I did. My wife has a bit more time for the children, but she is quite busy, too.”

The king sighed with a regretful expression. From what I had heard from my master, who had been a close friend of King Albert for decades, in order to not agitate certain conservative factions, he kept up the appearance of not letting Her Majesty participate in matters of governance. However, in private, he often consulted his wife. In addition, the queen had to maintain an active social life with many other high-born ladies.

“I keep thinking that my daughters need another close older male figure in their lives, someone who is closer to them in age and has time for them when I don’t. An older brother figure, if you will. Boys around their age often don’t like to play with girls, but you seemed more mature, so I had hoped that you might be willing. You also fulfil the requirements of living in the castle and having sufficient rank.”

Technically, I was still a commoner, but apparently my status as the court mystic’s apprentice gave me sufficient “rank” to befriend children of royalty.

Having a close relationship with one’s closest servants wasn’t anything unusual, but at the end of the day, they were still servants. They couldn’t be one’s equals. They couldn’t speak too frankly, and they couldn’t act too familiar, especially in public. So the children of servants were unqualified to do what the king hoped I could do for the princesses.

I nodded, understanding the king’s troubles. I had some vague recollections of facing similar problems in one of my previous lives.

“I understand. Should the princesses accept me as their friend, I promise I will treat them as true friends and never betray them.”

King Albert smiled joyfully, as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and clapped his hands loudly twice.

“I’m relieved to hear that. Then, let me introduce my family properly.”

One of the two doors leading to the room, the one behind the king, opened. The queen walked in with the little princesses by her sides, holding hands with them.

While the queen seemed to be in her forties already, having given birth late in life, she was still quite a beautiful woman. I wasn’t sure what material her fine blue dress was made of, but it reflected light like silk. Her blonde hair, a tad lighter in shade than that of her daughters, was tied in a single elegant braid, and she was wearing a gem-adorned silver tiara of a bit more extravagant design compared to the little princesses.

Now that they had a chance to get a closer look, the twins were inspecting me with curiosity clear in their bright blue eyes.

I also observed them while giving them my best friendly smile. Now that I had a closer look, I couldn’t help internally proclaiming how cute they were! Maybe it was because they were princesses, given the best possible care and education, but they were completely different from the dirty, snotty brats I knew in Colton. I felt a strange urge to pat their little heads, to touch their silky, blonde hair, but I naturally restrained myself.

“This is my wife, Diana, and my daughters, Mira and Anna. Mira is the one in white, and our firstborn, though only by about fifteen minutes. They are five years old.”