The Party

“Ufufu, you look so adorable and wonderful—so different from your usual self, Lord Arthur.”

“Hmm… I see. Thank you. It was worth asking Kei to choose at the shop after all.”

Today, Arthur was not wearing his usual formal attire embroidered with the royal crest. Instead, he wore a design similar to what common merchants wore, though made of fine fabric.

It was an outfit Kei had selected at Arthur’s request. It made him look a bit younger than usual, but it suited him very well.

Incidentally, the outfit Arthur had wanted to wear—embroidered with dragons all over his body—had been rejected… Arthur still thought it was unfair.

“But, was it really alright for you to buy me something like this as well?”

“It’s fine. This time it’s a gathering mainly of commoners. A maid uniform would stand out too much.”

Kei too was not wearing her maid uniform today, but rather a cute dress with lace, bought along with Arthur’s clothes.

Incidentally, there were two reasons Arthur deliberately wore clothes like a commoner.

The first was Morgan’s advice: that he should attend such gatherings in proper attire.

The second was his experience in Dorf, where he learned that changing his appearance could ease others’ suspicion.

It was absolutely not because he wanted to try wearing matching clothes from the same shop as Kei… like some sort of couple outfit. No—it was a political strategy.

Incidentally, since he had been invited as royalty, the “proper attire” Morgan had meant was his royal formal wear. But Arthur, reasoning it was a commoner’s gathering, improvised and wore commoner’s clothes instead.

With only half-baked knowledge, he had probably made things more troublesome for himself.

“Hmm…? What about you, boy? Did your father already go inside? Sorry, but today we’re expecting an important guest, so outsiders aren’t allowed in.”

As they stepped out of the carriage and approached the venue, it was no wonder the young guard said that. Dressed in clothes unbefitting royalty, Arthur looked no different from a cheeky merchant’s child. Of course it was natural to assume he was just someone’s tagalong.

“No, I was invited. Kei, the item!!”

“Yes, here it is. Please take a look.”

Kei pulled from her bag an envelope adorned with an ornate seal. The guard, though skeptical, accepted it—his face growing paler and paler as he read it.

“Eh… Arthur Pendragon… You’re… Why are you dressed like a commoner…?”

It was no wonder. Arthur was the most important guest, whom the guard had been sternly warned not to offend. And yet he had just treated him as an uninvited child.

Nobles—especially royalty—were sensitive about being slighted. If Arthur were to take offense and leave, the young guard would be ruined. Cold sweat dripped down his back.

Noticing this, the host of the party, Erin’s father, Kansas, stepped forward. Seeing Arthur and his pale-faced guard, he immediately grasped the situation.

“Lord Arthur, my subordinate has behaved rudely!! He is a newcomer and did not recognize your noble face…”

“Hmm? Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ve heard that you merchants build trust not on rank, but on documents and contracts.”

“I… I sincerely apologize.”

While Erin’s father Kansas looked flustered by his subordinate’s blunder, Arthur responded as though it were nothing. He meant no sarcasm.

As Morgan had said, merchants seemed to build trust through papers rather than status or names.

At a noble’s party, just one’s face would suffice for entry. But Arthur had heard in advance that merchants required documents, and now seeing that even royalty would be refused without an invitation, he was oddly impressed.

Well, that might be true for trade, but at a party—even among merchants—that wasn’t really the case…

“Well then, let’s go in. I hear delicious food is waiting. Kei, don’t eat too much.”

“Oh honestly, Lord Arthur, do you think I’m a glutton? You must eat your vegetables properly too, you know.”

“Ughhh…”

With such banter, Arthur and Kei entered, while Kansas watched them tensely.

For Kansas, this party carried special meaning. Thanks to his daughter Erin, he had succeeded in inviting Prince Arthur himself. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He absolutely had to make Arthur notice the looming food problem.

Britannia’s staple food was wheat. Or rather, it relied far too heavily on it. Under normal conditions, this was fine. But rumors had spread from distant lands that one of the Five Great Beasts had devoured entire wheat fields.

If—just if—one of the Five Great Beasts struck Britannia, which relied on wheat as its main staple, the kingdom would fall…

Thus, Kansas had hurried to search for alternative food sources and had found one. There was a profit motive, yes, but above all was his patriotism for the kingdom where he lived with his daughter.

Therefore, he wanted Prince Arthur to learn of this new food and appeal for its necessity to the royal court. That was why he had invited him.

The alternative food was cultivated by a small ethnic group known for being difficult to deal with, but Kansas thought he could act as a mediator.

Then he noticed the commotion by the guards.

“What, the invitation… Arthur Pendragon… You’re…”

A guard was arguing with what seemed like a child. But seeing the boy’s face, Kansas’s blood ran cold—it was Arthur Pendragon himself.

But his attire was not formal court dress, but that of a commoner—just like a merchant.

Why…?

For nobles and royalty, clothes bearing their family crest were practically their identity. Why deliberately dress in the garb of commoners?

It couldn’t simply be because he wanted to wear it.

Could he be testing the level of their communication and education?

His daughter Erin had said she had been tested during the orphanage incident. And he had also heard Morgan, master of Avalon, speak fondly to her retainers: “He has a habit of testing others, but if you trust him, it will pay off.”

That was entirely possible.

From Arthur’s perspective, unlike nobles who already had fixed roles, merchants were an unknown—he had no idea of their abilities or usefulness.

Thus, he may have deliberately dressed as a commoner to test the security level of the gathering. For a noble not to recognize a prince’s face was an unthinkable mistake.

And for his staff not to know the faces of the guests was another grave mistake.

“Lord Arthur, my subordinate was terribly rude!! He is a newcomer and did not recognize your noble face…”

Understanding the situation, Kansas hurried to apologize. Arthur simply gave a wry smile.

“Hmm? Ah, think nothing of it. This is your merchants’ way, is it not? I’ve heard you rely on documents and contracts rather than titles.”

“I… I am truly sorry.”

That was his warning. For this time, he would follow the merchants’ way. Normally, even at an open party, a merchant could enter without an invitation.

This time, he had chosen to overlook it as a matter of merchants’ custom.

He had just shown both generosity and delivered a subtle rebuke. And what a disguise it was…

The girl walking beside him, dressed to match him, must be the rumored personal maid from commoner origins. Watching Arthur happily chatting with her, Kansas broke into a cold sweat. Their sibling-like closeness would make it impossible to tell they were prince and maid if one didn’t know.

No wonder there were rumors that he had infiltrated Dorf, concealed his identity, and exposed his vassal’s misdeeds…

Recalling the outrageous stories Erin had told, Kansas gave a bitter smile. And yet, the real stomachache for him would only come later in the party.