WHO MADE ME A PRINCE
chapter forty eight - lunch.

"BOTH OF YOUR CHILD have grown up so splendidly." Vivia complimented as she viewed the children eating their food with grace and proper etiquette.

Arius and Athanasia simply smiled at the woman but did not reply since Claude remained quiet as well.

"They're such adorable children." Vivia kept showering compliments as she glued her eyes to the siblings.

This was starting to make them uncomfortable so Arius decided to begin a conversation since Claude was clearly focusing on his food.

"Thank you for your kind words, countess." Arius smiled angelically before asking her a question, "I've heard a lot about the countess' brilliant skills from my tutors."

"Oh my , have you? It's an honour."

"The honour is mine to be able to meet someone I highly admire. Despite all your tales I have a question, "If you and Sir Felix were to fight, which one of you would be stronger?" Arius asked.

"Felix? hmm...well I'd lose against him. That man's crazy when it comes to the sword." Vivia spoke as she chuckled at the thought.

"So the Knight of Crimson Blood is stronger than the Dancing Lilac? " Arius mumbled and Vivia proudly smiled at her title.

Unlike Felix, she seemed proud of it.

"Prince Arius, are you interested in swordsmanship?" Vivia asked him to which Arius nodded his head.

"Have you started any training with the sword yet?"

"Not as of yet, I intended to when Sir Felix returned."

"Ah, then If I may make a request, would it be alright for Vincent to join you during training?" Vivia asked.

"Mother–" Vincent tried to interject but Vivia elbow punched him in the stomach.

"Well? " She asked, smiling, completely ignoring her son, clutching to his stomach in pain.

Arius was surprised to say the least, but he had to reply or else it'd be rude. "Frankly, I don't like your son." Arius replied honestly and Claude began glaring at Vincent who was already shrinking due to his mother's hit.

Athanasia looked at Arius, since she was caught off guard by his sudden honesty.

"But if we train together, I'll have several opportunities to beat him up, so I accept it." Arius concluded, to which Vivia burst out laughing.

"How rude!" Vincent spoke out.

Her laugh resembled Vincent's and immediately Arius knew Vincent took after Vivia a lot.

No wonder he didn't like that woman. He felt bad for the husband.

"That would be appreciated! " Vivia replied, still laughing slightly.

Arius noticed Claude staring at him. The two looked at each other for a while.

"What did that boy do?" Claude asked, still glaring at Vincent.

"Nothing. I just don't like him." Arius shrugged.

He did initially find Vincent suspicious. And later on Vincent also told him about his mothers admiration for the emperor.

"Countess, How do you and Daddy know each other? You knew Felix as well." This time , Athanasia who has been observing the interactions asked.

"Ah, well me and Claude- Now His Majesty, used to go to the same academy. Felix was also there. It was a foreign academy and we met there. Felix and I were in the swordsmanship department, and His Majesty was in another one. But since Felix used to go find him every minute he got, I also met him and we spent a lot of time together at the academy."

'...Dad's school friend?...'  The two siblings processed the thought.

"Spent a lot of time together? More like you kept following me around. " Claude scoffed.

"If I had known you were the prince of Obelia , I would've kept my distance, but you used magic to hide your eyes! How unfair and I even fell in love with your looks during that time!" Vivia complained.

Claude smiled slightly, very slightly. A smile that faded just as quickly as it appeared, but no matter how little the smile stayed for, the siblings saw it.

Claude smiled. When he was talking to that woman. How often does Claude smile? Only when he's with his children.

Not even with Felix has Claude ever smiled and yet, here he was smiling after talking with a woman.

That woman.

Athanasia and Arius felt a pang in their chest. Vivia Lennox was Claude's childhood and school friend. She's known Claude since his teen years.

She even admitted she had a crush on Claude during their time at the academy.

A new side of Claude. They just saw a new side of Claude, and it was so different from their usual dad that they couldn't help but feel weird.

Athanasia noticed the two had been spacing out for a while and carefully poked Arius with her elbow.

"...Dad, do you have more friends besides the countess?" Arius asked, trying to sound enthusiastic but he was actually wishing for this meal to be over.

"No." Claude replied.

"Liar." Vivia interjected, she then leaned forward and placed her left hand on the side of her mouth.

"Arius, you dad here has several friends but he hardly acknowledges them! During his time at the academy he met several people and made several friends but he doesn't know how to maintain friendships. This idiot." Vivia whispered to Arius across the table, expecting that Claude wouldn't hear her.

The siblings were surprised to say the least with the sudden change of tone and formalities the noble just showed.

Claude didn't say anything, showing that they were close enough to talk casually.

Arius and Athanasia were getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. Their minds were going wild and they wanted to talk to Claude about this.

Athanasia placed her utensils down, and she had finished her meal.

Arius was also nearing the end of his own meal. Proper Etiquette suggests one wait till the others finish their meals as well, before leaving the table.

But the siblings didn't have enough patience to deal with stupid etiquettes.

As soon as Arius finished his meal, he looked at Athanasia who looked back towards him. They slightly nodded to each other and Arius tried a trick he had learned not too long ago.

'Shiro, Follow my scent. Follow it. And come to the dining room. And then try to take me away from the room.'  He tried conveying his thoughts to the beast telepathically.

Since Shiro is a beast formed by the excess mana Arius held, he is a part of Arius's mana. And Arius, knowing somewhat knowledge of mana, tried to communicate and command his mana, which was currently in the form of a divine beast.

It had worked once before when he tried but currently, there was nothing. Arius and Athanasia waited for about two minutes. They couldn't stay silent so they began making small talk again.

Small talk continued for a while longer before everyone on the table was done with their meal.

Arius and Athanasia felt a relief course through their veins and decided to get up and leave, but before they could.

"Bring the Desserts and tea." Claude ordered one of the maids.

Never had Athanasia and Arius hated desserts more than they had at this very moment.

They were gonna burst crying since they just wanted to go away from here and process everything that just happened.

Arius literally felt like he would start crying. The tension and overthinking he had going in his mind was destroying him.

He had social anxiety in his previous life and the symptoms were rising up again.

He felt suffocated in that room.

He didn't know why.

He didn't know how to keep conversing and so Athanasia was taking the lead right now and asking Vivia random questions.

'Gosh I hate this so much.'  Arius thought.

Knock!

Knock!

Everyone's attention went towards the door.

'Ugh the desserts are here. I'm gonna have indigestion soon.' Athanasia thought as she eyed the door.

The door opened and the one who came inside was not a maid. Not a maid, Not a human at all. 

It was Shiro.