Flutter, flutter.
The regular sound of turning pages could be heard.
Worried that he was spending too much time playing—or rather, worried that he’d soon run out of things to do—Nihil suggested they read, and so Lianus picked up a book he had set aside a while ago for being too difficult.
Then, he glanced sidelong at Nihil.
Truthfully, he wanted to read a picture book, but since he was already seven and would be a proud eight-year-old come summer, he wanted to look a little more mature in front of his close friend, so he chose a tougher book.
There actually weren’t that many books in the Second Prince’s Palace, partly because there were few books Lianus liked enough to keep, but also because his good memory made owning books unnecessary.
Of course, it took him time to fully understand the contents of each book, so his reading was slow, but whenever he needed knowledge, he’d borrow from the Royal Library, and promptly returned any books he finished.
Lianus handed his close friend one of the few books he owned, but of all things, it happened to be a thick and difficult history book.
It was a basic cultural text so common that every Noble House had at least one copy.
Nihil, having accepted the book, kept a blank expression and silently flipped through the pages, but the speed at which he turned them made it clear he wasn’t really reading.
Watching the long, pale lashes of his friend, delicate as the Twilight Moon, Lianus wondered.
What is Nil thinking about right now?
Come to think of it, Commoners rarely have access to books, so maybe the words are too difficult for him to read. Wait, but did he even learn to read in the first place?
Noble books, thanks to the Nobles’ fondness for showing off, tended to use complicated words and metaphors.
As his thoughts grew heavier, Lianus was suddenly struck by worry.
What if Nil can’t read, but is too embarrassed to say so? Had he been inconsiderate to his friend?
It was a problem he’d never thought of, perhaps because of his friend’s unique, leisurely yet aloof and at times authoritative air.
Wasn’t it just recently that Nil had been a Vagabond Orphan without a home?
Lianus, leaving the book open on his lap, racked his brain for a way to let his prideful friend switch books without feeling embarrassed.
Meanwhile, completely unaware that Lianus was agonizing over him, Nihil though not showing it at all was a little flustered for a different reason.
He’d expected Lianus to bring a few picture books, but instead, Lianus himself picked up ‘Coexistence with Non-Human Races: A Human Perspective and Mutual Differences,’ a thick volume with a title that sounded like something only the oldest Professors at the Academy would read, and handed Nihil the over-a-thousand-page ‘Life and History of Humans after the Celestial Demon War (Volume 1).’
So, this is the kind of difficult book royalty reads from a young age, Nihil thought, feeling a little guilty for having thought of Lianus as just a child.
But after a few minutes, as he skimmed through the history book, he could sense that Lianus wasn’t able to focus on his own reading and kept glancing over at him.
Thinking Lianus might have something to say, Nihil spoke up first.
“Why?”
At Nihil’s suddenly low voice, Lianus flinched like a startled kitten.
“Uh, um, it’s just, well, the book looks kind of thick, so, um, isn’t it… heavy…? If it’s too heavy, should I get you another one?”
Even as he spoke, Lianus couldn’t meet Nihil’s eyes, his gaze rolling restlessly.
Nihil paused, trying to figure out what Lianus meant by that.
If the criteria for a readable book were thinness and lightness, then the book in Nihil’s hands would never be read in his lifetime. What’s more, this book was only (Volume 1); there were still two more volumes: (Volume 2) and (Volume 3).
If Lianus wasn’t suddenly interested in the Heavenly Demon War, then he was definitely trying to get Nihil to read something thinner and lighter.
Turning things over in his mind, Nihil realized Lianus was trying to be considerate, thinking that as a Vagabond Orphan, he might not know how to read, since most Commoners had little chance to learn.
It was a bit funny that Lianus’s excuse for changing books was that it might be too heavy, but Nihil felt oddly touched by the obvious yet clumsy kindness.
The longer Nihil stayed silent, the more Lianus’s mismatched eyes darted about in anxiety.
Just as Lianus was starting to worry he might have upset his friend, Nihil’s eyes softened.
“You’re right, it’s too heavy. Could you bring me something lighter?”
“Oh, yeah! Wait, I’ll get it for you right away!”
Beaming at the thought of bringing back an easy, fun picture book, Lianus hopped off the bed.
Watching the small, fluffy, dark green head bounce away, Nihil’s lips curved into a gentle smile before he even realized it.
Standing in front of the bookshelf, Lianus wondered for a long time what kind of picture book Nihil would like, and in the end, unable to decide, he grabbed five or six and returned to his bed.
Arms full of picture books, Lianus was startled to see Nihil smiling so beautifully, but the smile vanished as quickly as it came. Still, Lianus felt like he’d made exactly the right choice and handed his friend the picture books with a bright smile.
Nihil almost burst out laughing at the sight of the picture books Lianus brought.
He’d expected a simpler book, but never imagined Lianus would bring him picture books. Judging by the worn edges and the way the books felt, they’d been read many times.
Nihil, who’d just reflected on treating Lianus as too young, changed his mind again in an instant.
This child was still a child.
“Thin, light, and very… colorful. Thank you.”
“Yeah!”
Feeling much more at ease, Lianus crawled back onto the bed and scooted over to sit beside Nihil.
Since these were his favorites, he was sure Nihil would like them too.
Picture books were supposed to be for babies, but still, sometimes well, often they were really fun.
Sure enough, unlike when he was reading the history book, Nihil now turned the pages very slowly. Even though there were only three or four lines of text per page, unlike the densely written history book.
In truth, Nihil was just looking at the illustrations, not the words, but Lianus, unaware, felt secretly proud and tried to focus on his own reading.
But despite his resolve, Lianus couldn’t concentrate. The fluttering, colorful picture book in Nihil’s hands kept drawing his eyes away.
He’d read them so many times he knew them by heart, but somehow, peeking at them like this made them even more interesting.
Just as Nihil finished the first picture book and picked up the second, Lianus’s favorite, the tale of a hero rescuing a princess from a witch, Lianus waited expectantly for Nihil to turn the page, not even noticing his friend was smiling at him.
“Lian.”
“Huh, huh? Yeah?”
At Nihil’s quiet call, Lianus flinched, feeling a little embarrassed at being caught sneaking peeks.
Nihil pretended not to notice and continued.
“Lian, I’m not very good at reading, so I’m going to read aloud. Could you check if I make any mistakes?”
“Oh? Uh, of course! I’ll watch from beside you!”
Lianus grinned with delight. He could look at his favorite picture books and also help his friend—wasn’t this killing two birds with one stone?
Nihil cleared his throat and began to read aloud. His voice was as relaxed and gentle as its owner.
It wasn’t as lively as when the Wet Nurse read, but it was soothing and calming.
Lianus was supposed to check if Nihil made any mistakes, but he quickly forgot, absorbed in the soft voice.
Before he realized it, Lianus’s eyes were growing heavy, and he drifted off to sleep, vaguely hearing the words ‘good night.’
And that night, Lianus dreamed of becoming a hero.
***
“Has he fallen asleep?”
As soon as Lianus was sound asleep, Evan asked quietly. Nihil didn’t answer, only nodded silently.
“Should I put out the lights?”
It was still a bit early for bed, so Evan asked Nihil for his opinion.
Nihil seemed to ponder for a moment, then shook his head and spoke.
“Did you bring the books?”
“Yes. Should I bring them now?”
Nihil nodded lightly and carefully got off the bed.
Then, after making sure the canopy was drawn tightly for Lianus’s restful sleep, he suddenly remembered something and spoke again.
“And pen and paper.”
“Understood.”
Evan rummaged through a drawer for pen and paper, then, to fetch the books Nihil requested, jumped down to his own room below via the terrace and quickly returned.
“Here they are. If you need anything else, just ask. I’ll get it for you.”
Nihil took the two very thick books and sat at the small tea table near the bed.
He could have gone back to his own room, but if Lianus woke up and found him gone, he’d be upset.
As Nihil lit a candle, he asked Evan,
“The child’s asleep, so why don’t you go rest too?”
“It’s not time for me to sleep yet, and I have nothing else to do even if I go back. I’ll stay until you fall asleep. Is that a problem?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. If you’re going to stay, though, go wash up and change into something comfortable. No point wasting time for nothing.”
Evan hesitated for a moment at Nihil’s words, then nodded and left for his room.
By the time he’d washed and returned to check on Lianus’s bedroom, the lights were already out and the room was dim.
Only the fireplace flickered faintly.
Wondering if Nihil had fallen asleep in the meantime, Evan planned to quietly check on the Prince and leave, so he pushed open the door and entered.
At his arrival, the light in the study adjoining the bedroom flared up once.
Nihil, who Evan thought had gone to sleep, had moved to the study and was writing by candlelight.
For a little kid, the scene was strangely sacred and solemn, and Evan hesitated, wondering if he should leave again, then quietly spoke.
“Is there any need to stay in such darkness?”
At Evan’s soft question, Nihil kept writing and replied indifferently without looking up.
“Light disturbs sleep.”
“…..”
Evan’s face grew subtly complicated.