“No, no, no, wait, wait, wait! There’s no way!”
Jared couldn’t believe his ears. The father of Lars, whom he affectionately called “uncle,” had just introduced himself as Horst W. Fair, the King of their country. It was impossible to believe. If the man truly was the King, then Lars’s mother, whom he called “aunt,” would be the Queen, and Vera, whom he had just met, would be a Princess. Furthermore, Lars, who had exchanged silly remarks and even the occasional head-slap with him, would be a Prince.
“…No, you’re joking, right?”
“Unfortunately, it’s the truth. Think about it. What benefit would I have in lying to you, Jared, and claiming to be the King? Especially when claiming such a thing to a third party would be disastrous.”
“None, I suppose… So, you and Lars’s family are royalty?”
“Well, something like that.”
“HAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!?”
Jared immediately fell to his knees. All this time, he had treated them as a family from a merchant house without knowing the truth.
*This is more than just disrespect!*
He wished they had told him they were royalty. Setting aside his interactions with Lars, he felt he had at least maintained a respectful demeanor towards the King and Queen. He couldn’t help but think:
*Besides, I don’t even know what royalty looks like!*
Someone like Olivier, a Young Lady from a Ducal Family who was of Royal Blood, might know them because of the circles she moved in. But Jared was from a Baronial Family, and not even the Eldest Son who would inherit the family estate. It was understandable that he wouldn’t know the King’s face, as he was only set to meet him upon becoming a Court Mage, and that time hadn’t arrived yet.
While Kings might show themselves to the public, Jared had no desire to frequent places where crowds gathered. Therefore, even if he knew the King’s name, it was impossible for him to recognize his face.
“I apologize for my incredibly rude behavior up to this point!”
His face drained of color, Jared knelt and bowed his head.
“It’s alright. It is also our fault for keeping it a secret. We wanted you to feel comfortable and treat us as you normally would. If possible, we would be happy if you could continue to interact with us as you have, outside of formal occasions.”
“No, that’s not it. Well, I mean, that might be difficult.”
“You believe me surprisingly easily. Aren’t you even questioning if I’m the King?”
When asked, he couldn’t immediately come up with an answer. In retrospect, there were indeed strange occurrences. The first time he met Lars and slapped him on the head, everyone around them had fallen silent. He hadn’t understood it then, but now he did.
*Of course, everyone would be shocked if someone slapped a Prince on the head!*
A few days after the entrance ceremony, his Grandfather had told him with a troubled expression, “Don’t casually hit your friends on the head.” He probably knew that his grandson had hit a Prince’s head in front of everyone.
“As you yourself just said, Your Majesty, there’s no benefit to impersonating the King.”
“Well, that’s true. Impersonating royalty is a capital offense. Besides, even if I wasn’t the King, I would have no reason to summon you and deceive you.”
While kneeling with his head bowed, Jared couldn’t see the King’s face. However, he could tell from his tone that he was amused. A slight sense of relief washed over him. Even if he was the King, the “uncle” he knew wasn’t an illusion; it was the King himself.
“Please, lift your head. I called you here as the King, but as I said, I want you to treat me as you always have. If we both act unnaturally, we’ll both get stiff.”
“But…”
“The King has given you permission, so please don’t hold back. Furthermore, for the past year, I’ve considered myself your uncle. If you change your demeanor now, I’ll be sad.”
At the King’s words, Jared hesitantly raised his head. He saw Horst sitting before him, his face etched with a mixture of confusion and sadness. Needless to say, it was because of Jared’s behavior.
*It’s too late now. Yes, it’s definitely too late.*
Over the past year, he had shared meals with Lars’s family. He had haggled over prices and acted in ways that were far from polite. If they had been angered by his behavior, which was unbecoming of someone addressing royalty, they would have surely taken some action. But nothing had happened. Therefore, he decided that it would be best not to change his attitude, just as the King had suggested. However, it still took a considerable amount of courage to act friendly towards the King. Jared decided not to think too hard about it anymore.
“Then, I’ll continue as before. Uncle.”
“Ah! Please do! Stop kneeling and sit on the sofa.”
Horst’s face broke into a smile at Jared’s words and demeanor. Jared felt a sense of relief, knowing his actions were not mistaken.
“To be honest, I was afraid our relationship would change. That’s why my wife and son aren’t here. My daughter is here because she had something to do, but I’m sure she didn’t want to be.”
He could only imagine how Lars felt, let alone his parents. Lars had likely simply been enjoying a life free from the burdens of royalty, but he might have also had thoughts about hiding his true identity as a Prince. Strangely, Jared felt no discontent or anger about being deceived. Instead, he was amused by his own obliviousness.
“But, why are all of you from the Royal Family running a merchant house?”
“Actually, this shop was run by my wife’s family, but it wasn’t doing very well. At that time, we decided, as a family tired of life in the palace, to try and revive it. It started as a bit of a game, but it turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. There were successes and failures, and we lost a lot of money. But these are experiences we could rarely have in the palace, or rather, from the position of King.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Especially my daughter, Vera— no, Veronica— became surprisingly engrossed. Now, she spends more time here than in the palace.”
Jared wondered about that as a member of the Royal Family. As far as he knew, Princess Veronica had renounced her claim to the throne and had recently stopped appearing at official events. While she was still involved in running state-run orphanages, which she had taken the lead on, it was rumored that she was deliberately avoiding public appearances to allow her younger brother to inherit the throne. In reality, it seemed, she was engrossed in running the shop.
“Before we discuss important matters, as a father, I have one thing to say. Neither we nor our son and daughter intended to deceive you. We simply enjoyed being able to interact with you as we were, without you knowing we were royalty. Please forgive us.”
“Forgive you…? I enjoyed it too. That’s why I’m so happy to have met you all, Uncle.”
Horst smiled and thanked him, uttering words that were undeniably true.
