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"Raymond-sama? Where are you?"
I can hear Maria's voice, or rather, the voice of Maria-san, coming from behind the door.
I almost let out a laugh and hurriedly put my hand to my mouth.
"Raymond-sama? Are you here?"
Saying that, Maria opened the wrong door with a clatter.
"Seriously! Raymond-sama!?"
Maria, realizing that I wasn't there, closed the door and passed near where I was hiding, so I jumped out forcefully.
"Waah!!"
"Kyaa!! Seriously! Seriously!! Raymond-sama!"
Maria, who is so cute that I can't believe she's over twenty, pressed her chest, which was probably beating fast, puffed out her cheeks, and expressed her anger.
"Hehe! I'm sorry!"
"Seriously! You're taking the pranks too far! Now, you're going to play with Giancarlo-sama today, aren't you? Let's get ready quickly?"
"Yes, Maria."
Five years have passed since that day I first met Gian-aniki.
During that time, I continued to interact with Gian-aniki, but I didn't interact much with the other brothers.
Of course, an intimate dinner party was held on my birthday and whatnot, but there was no one to talk to me who was still questionable whether I could communicate with yet, and even after I became able to communicate, Maya-sama always stood next to me at those parties and pushed me to be the Crown Prince, so I was completely treated like a hot potato.
And what I learned in these five years is that I am apparently the seventh prince of this royal family.
Yes, the seventh prince.
What I thought when I first heard that was, what am I supposed to do as the seventh prince?
Almost every day, Maya-sama continues to tell me to become the Crown Prince.
Of course, I say, "Yes, Mother." but I have no intention of becoming the Crown Prince.
Huh? Come to think of it, I only remember conversations with my mother related to the Crown Prince?
Also, I only know the names of my brothers, but since I don't interact with them, I only know Gian-aniki's face and name.
The six from the top are Federico, Bertrand, Andrea, Orlando, Giovanni, and Giancarlo.
By the way, the one Gian-aniki called John was the fifth brother, Giovanni-aniki.
Gian-aniki, who is the closest in age to me, is now ten years old, and Giovanni-aniki is fourteen years old. The two have the same mother, Sophia-san, who is the third queen of the father.
I know that Federico-aniki, who is the eldest, and Orlando-aniki, who is the fourth son, are the children of the queen, Karina-sama, and Bertrand-aniki and Andrea-aniki were born to Anastasia-sama, the second queen. I don't know any other details such as the exact ages.
I also don't know their appearance very well.
No, I'm sure I've met them at parties, but I'm more likely to be talking to a noble old man who is trying to sell his face to Maya-sama than to have a conversation.
That's how thin our brotherly relationship is.
Giovanni-aniki seems to be friends with Gian-aniki, so I guess I'll see him eventually.
Until now, I couldn't go outside much because I was too small, and even when I played with Gian-aniki, it was either in my room or in the eastern garden, which is the Japanese garden.
The eastern garden, which is styled like a Japanese garden, is also beautiful, but I prefer the southern garden, which is like a direct reproduction of the fantasy world, to the familiar Japanese garden.
I want to go, but I can't, but that feeling ends today.
I finally got the word from Maria that it would be alright to go outside soon, and today, Gian-aniki is holding a tea party in the southern garden to celebrate my birthday.
So, I change into formal wear suitable for a tea party, and with Maria as my attendant and Kyriros-sensei as my escort, I head to the southern garden.
"Kyriros-shishou! Onegaishimasu!"
"Yes, you have asked me. It is my pleasure, Raymond-dono."
Kyriros-sensei, who still takes the trouble to bend his knee and pay his respects even to me, who is only five years old, is a gentleman.
"Rai! I've been waiting!"
When we get closer to the southern garden, it seems that Gian-aniki was already waiting for me, and he immediately ran over when he noticed us.
"Gian nii-sama!"
"Rai! Hug!"
"Gian nii-sama! Hug, desu!"
I immediately hug back Gian-aniki, who came running to hug me.
The children's play emits a happy aura, and Maria and Kyriros-sensei are both feeling warm-hearted.
However, recently there is someone who pours cold water on that happy moment.
"Cough! Cough!!"
"Gian nii-sama? Are you alright...?"
"Cough. Y-yeah. I'm okay. Thank you, Rai."
When I first met Gian-aniki, he said that he was weak, but recently, perhaps because of that influence, Gian-aniki has been coughing a lot.
When this happens, the coughing doesn't stop for a while, and Gian-aniki crouches down on the spot and starts coughing.
"Prince Giancarlo. Here you are."
"Thank, you........."
Kyriros-sensei immediately offers water, and Gian-aniki drinks it.
During that time, I can only pat Gian-aniki's back, and I feel helpless.
If I had been a doctor in my previous life, I might have been able to cure Gian-aniki's illness.
However, according to Gian-aniki, this is not an illness but a constitution.
Children born between the Notos United Kingdom, which has demi-humans with different characteristics from humans, and humans, generally have some kind of problem.
If I could find the cause, it would be a discovery that would leave a name in world history.
No matter how difficult it is, I want to find that method for Gian-aniki's sake.
"That's right, Rai. I drew another picture. Will you look at it?"
Gian-aniki, whose coughs have finally subsided, asks me that.
Gian-aniki started drawing pictures instead of being able to go outside often.
The ones I saw before were portraits of his brother, Giovanni-aniki, and portraits of Gian-aniki's mother, Sophia-sama.
There were also landscape paintings of the southern garden and a drawing of a dragon that he heard about from Kyriros-sensei.
All of them are wonderful paintings drawn with a gentle touch.
"Of course, Gian nii-sama."
Saying that, Gian-aniki smiles happily, takes my hand, and enters the garden after a long absence.
After about five years, the emotion is special.
The southern garden, which I haven't seen in a long time, was beautiful, exactly as I remembered it.
"Maria and Nyarukos are only up to here. From here on, it's a secret between me and Rai."
"Yes. There are guardian magic spells in the southern garden, so we will wait here."
"Please call us if anything happens."
Leaving Maria and Kyriros-sensei, who waved goodbye with a smile, we walked a little further into the garden.
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