TN: Here is the next chapter, sorry for being late but I hope you enjoy! Next one should be around Tuesday.
EN: I thought it was going to be my forte, but they went through the music part so quickly. :’(
Now, it's time for the concert. Today, Strauss (a renowned court composer) is giving a concert for the public, and both Serea and I were looking forward to it.
“A dance piece, huh? So pointless.”
You really are a frustrating guy. Isn’t dancing supposed to be a pastime for nobles anyway?
“Well, you commoners probably rarely have a chance to hear compositions like this, so listen to it gratefully.”
How can someone who was brought along have an attitude like that?
“…Hey, Miss Silvia, can this guy even dance?”
“Umm…I don’t remember him ever dancing with me.”
“Aaah, so you suck at dancing.”
“Shut it.”
Strauss is the court musician who is known for his waltzes, and often conducts his concerts at court parties. He usually only performs with a full-fledged orchestra in front of royalty and nobility. However, today is a rare opportunity where the general public can also enjoy such a performance.
The people usually only get to hear music from music boxes, street performers, or the opera. Having many people listen to an instrumental composition together is going to let them understand the enjoyment pure music can bring.
The performance was wonderful. Live orchestral music really is great. We were sitting in the same seats the commoners were, but Jack was grumbling ‘Why am
I
in such a seat?…’, such a pain.
It’s not like we could just nonchalantly go and sit in the seats reserved for nobles. He’s so selfish. As for me, I much prefer these seats that are close to the performance compared to those seats that are so high up and far away. [EN-1]
After the concert finished, we were walking in the downtown that had grown dim.
“That was great, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it truly was wonderful!”
Serea and I were skipping along while holding hands.
“Ta ta ran, ra ran ran ran. Ta ta ran, ra ran ran ran.”[TN-1]
“Kyaaaa! Hahahaha!”
I put one hand on Serea’s back, and grabbed her hand with the other.Then we started twirling around.
“…The two of you really do get along. What’s up with that?”Jack utters while flabbergasted.[TN-2]
We finally got a good mood going; don’t be a nuisance!
“The concert was lovely. It got me in the mood to dance, too.”
Says Miss Silvia while smiling.
Serea and I continue waltzing while humming.
“……You're actually pretty good.”
“Anyone can do this much, right? Everyone dances during harvest festivals. It’s a small pleasure for us commoners. It’s not something only nobles do.” [TN-3]
“Shut up.”
“Miss Silvia, us meeting each other like this today must have been some kind of fate. I know that I’m inadequate, but will you accompany me for a dance?”
I cordially ask Miss Silvia for a dance.
“He-Hey!”
I quickly took Silvia by her hand while paying no attention to Jack.
“Oh my…”
Miss Bell, Schwartz, and Shreegan seem exasperated. Well, it's just a childish act, so let it slide.
Silvia is a little confused, but, with just a little bit of leading, she starts dancing along beautifully on the sidewalk. Yes! Exactly like that!One two three, one two three.
“What the hell are you doing?! That’s
my
fiancé!”
I spin Miss Silvia around, then let go of her hands and do a bow.
“Thank you for the dance.”
“Son of a…!”
“When you go to a dance party, everyone dances with everyone. What are you getting mad about?”
“Silvia isn’t a person someone like you can dance with!”
“In that case, go after her yourself!So another man doesn’t steal her.” [EN-2]
Jack is glaring at me. Well, he can do whatever he wants.
“Shin-sama, you went a bit too far there.”
“Sorry…”
Serea started scolding me.
“What’s with you?Can’t go against your girlfriend?”
“It's called being a gentleman.”
“You're acting all aloof, but you're actually really something.”
“Thanks.”
“You.Become my friend!”
What is it with this guy, everything he says ticks me off.
me to be your friend? That’s not how friendships work, you know?”
“…I see. That does make sense.”
“Ahh, whatever.I’ll agree if you are ok with Serea joining us too. What do you think, Miss Silvia?”
“I’d love that!”
We got an affirmative answer from Miss Silvia too. Serea and her really hit it off, after all.
“When are we gonna meet again?”
“Let's see... Starting the day after tomorrow, there will be a trade fair in the capital. How about we all go together and check it out? Tell that to Schwartz over there. When he tells my brother, my brother will arrange everything for me and Serea.”
“Be grateful that I'm becoming your friend, okay?”
“Sure, sure.”
They parted ways with Jack, Silvia, and Schwartz at a street corner, and walked through the lamp-lit streets of the city with Shreegan to send Serea and Miss Bell to the Collet family villa.
"That was quite amusing. After all, once those guys find out that Shin-sama is a prince, they'll probably wish they were dead," Shreegan laughed.
“Can you keep it a secret if you think it's so funny? You always blabber about everything. I already told Schwartz to keep it quiet too.”
“Hehehe!”
Serea sure seems like she’s having fun.
Serea and I have a common problem.
The two of us……Have no friends.
All the boys and girls we meet know that we're The Prince and The Duke's Daughter who are engaged to each other.
We do go to tea parties and chat at balls, but those aren’t really our friends.Everyone is constantly paying attention to who has higher or lower social standing.
We don’t really have any friends that we can joke around with while having no regards to our status. Well, I guess we can joke around with Shreegan and Miss Bell, but they are adults.
Serea and Silvia seem like they will be great friends, and I guess I could hang out with that guy too.
“How long will that guy stay here?”
Miss Bell tells us ‘I believe he will stay with Viscount Wiles until the vassal conference finishes. Around one week.’
“That’s it?”
“After the royal conference is over, both of them will probably return to their respective territories. Silvia is the daughter of Baron Blaze, and I think their lands are adjacent to those of Viscount Wiles.”
“Oh, there's a party before they leave! That's right!” Shreegan adds.
Ah, I have to go to that party. They will surely see my face there. I’m going to get busted for sure! [EN-4]
“I guess we will just keep hanging out until then.”
That’s how it’s going to be.
“…Agh, nevermind! We’ll just hang out again.As for what comes after, I'll think about it when the time comes.”
“I guess so. Your Highness needs some friends like that.”
Stay out of this! I know that I don’t have any friends.It's a painful topic for me!
Two days later, I went out with Serea for a date.
Currently, lords from various territories are gathering in the city, and a trade fair is being held where specialty products from each territory are gathered. Local specialties, handicrafts, mineral products, new types of machinery, potted vegetables, and more are on display and being sold throughout the town. Merchants are also gathering, and negotiations are taking place all over the area; making it a large-scale industrial festival that takes place once a year. Of course, we planned to inspect it, and it's just perfect for a double date like last time.
“Yo, fancy meeting you here!”
“If I remember correctly,
you
were the one who asked
us
out.”
“You live in the capital, so you know a lot about it, right? I am telling you to show us around.”
“...Just admit that you are a country bumpkin…”
The two of us started throwing insults at each other as usual.Across from us, Serea and Silvia were joining hands and celebrating their reunion. They seem to be having a good time.
Even though the crowd is intense, Shreegan, Miss Bell, and Schwartz are all by our side. Though they told us not to bother them too much today.
“You are a really interesting guy. You have guts.” [TN-4]
“Thanks for the compliment. So, what do you want to do today?”
“That goes without saying!You're going to show us everything in order, right?”
“I guess that’s a good idea.”
“I agree!”
“Yes, I agree as well.”
Serea and Silvia both happily give their approval as well.
“Today, you are on a date with your girlfriend again. You sure have free time. What is your occupation?”[TN-5]
“Serea and I do odd jobs for the hospital and orphanage.”
Actually, I am a prince, but for now, that is the main focus of my duties.
“Hospital and orphanage, huh? This year's conference of feudal lords has decided, by order of His Majesty the King, to establish hospitals and orphanages in all territories. It will also be in my territory.”
That was quite difficult to pull off. We gathered materials together with the staff, and, in the end, we created a manual for the hospital operation. We received four rejections from the Minister of Health and Welfare and had to resubmit it repeatedly.It took three months to come up with something that they were satisfied with. [EN-5]
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“My father had a headache at how much it will cost though.”
“With fewer sick people and fewer deaths, life expectancy will increase, and the population will grow. Orphans will receive education and become excellent workers. The city will no longer have homeless children or beggars. It's a good deal in the long run, isn't it?”
“Don't talk like a minister, man.”
“Well, I do work at the hospital and orphanage, so I understand the benefits.”
“Ah, when you put it that way, it makes sense. By the way, were you an orphan before?”
“Well, you see, I’m not, but……”
“You said your brother is in the royal guard, but you look nothing like each other right?”
“Mind your own business.”
“…You had it rough too.”
Serea and Silvia are giggling and having fun in front of some beautiful intricately woven dyed fabrics. It seems that girls are indeed interested in fashion.
“Can I call you Jack?”
“I’ll make a special exception for you.”
“Yeah yeah. So, Jack, what is the specialty product of your territory?”
“Dairy products. Most of the cheese and butter circulating in the country comes from my territory.”
“Oh, wow.”
“But, now that I look at it, the capital really has everything……”
“Well, all the specialty products from across the country are gathered here today. It's a special day.”
“If we keep lollygagging like this, we won’t be able to see everything. Let’s go!”
We went around the product fair where each territory's specialty products were gathered, and it was really interesting. There were so many different products, and Jack and I were discussing things like combining this and that for better business, investing in certain products for large-scale production, and introducing certain machines for widespread use. It was all very fascinating.
Jack ended up wondering how I knew so much. I might have overdone it a little.
[TN-3] Pretty sure commoners wouldn’t gather around a fire and waltz but sure.
Tohru: Actually, the waltz started among commoners, and was considered rather shameless among aristocrats for a while because of the close contact. The typical ballroom waltz we think of today is after the pearl-clutchers- *ahem* experts- modified it (ie not making eye contact between partners by making the female look away).
[TN-4] If only you knew that you were the gutsy one talking to the prince like that hehe.
[TN-5] Remember, child labour is basically normal there.
[EN-1] I’m torn on this myself, as a musician. I like sitting close, so that I can observe facial expressions (There’s a surprising amount of string players who can go whole pieces without blinking) and techniques, but the acoustics are better for the higher paying seats. At least at a proper performance hall. (They’re no longer positioned there JUST to lord over the plebs).
[EN-2] I can FEEL his eyebrows wriggling. The author doesn’t even need to write it. We all know he’s doing it.
[EN-3] Same, Shin. Same. I have to keep telling myself that he’s only 12 and still salvageable. But I probably would have smacked him quite a few times by now when I was Shin’s age. To prison for me!
[EN-4] Heh heh. I can’t wait to see Jack pass out when he realises he’s been a jerk to the CP all week. Muahahaa!
[EN-5] I had to add this note because it hurt. It took almost exactly the same amount of time and attempts for me to submit my college senior paper, and that didn’t have nearly the amount of importance a hospital manual would. My senior paper was also likely a smaller length since they slightly shortened it for us that also had senior recitals. *sobs in corner*
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