TSMMT Ch 17

The Second Prince

Philip, the Second Prince. No connection existed between Dianna and this man. An assassination claimed Philip's life at a young age. By the time she officially entered high society and learned of his existence, he had already passed away.

He shared the same age as Ferdinand, their births separated by a mere ten months, right?

Ten months after the First Queen gave birth to Ferdinand, the Second Queen gave birth to Philip.

The Duke once considered him a potential fiancé candidate. At any rate, this man remained a complete stranger to her. His choice to stand right at the doorway instead of waiting inside the drawing room proved his unpredictable nature.

[Philip] "Lady Brienne! Good to see you!"

His hair boasted the royal family's signature pure blonde locks, while his eyes gleamed a mysterious green laced with hints of brown rather than a vibrant shade. His unpolished appearance offered a refreshing contrast to Ferdinand, who frequently squinted and tilted his chin up to act mature.

Philip grinned broadly the moment he faced Dianna.

Despite meeting for the first time, he marched forward, snatched her hand, and shook it enthusiastically.

What is with this inappropriately close distance? Do we share some connection that I can't recall?

She slipped her hand out of his grip and bowed.

[Dianna] "I greet Your Highness."

His lips curled upward at her elegant etiquette.

[Philip] "Good to see you, Lady Brienne! I decided to drop by while traveling nearby. After all, you might become my sister-in-law one day. Besides, I have a specific reason for coming."

[Dianna] "Father and my brother are......"

[Philip] "I have no business with the Duke or the young master. My business is strictly with you."

Business with me?

Dianna turned to enter the drawing room. She gestured to Guiscard, signaling him to remain outside before she stepped inside. Consequently, she missed the murmur escaping his lips.

[Guiscard] "Sister-in-law?"

---

[Philip] "The tea here is dreadful."

Those words marked his opening remark. Yet the comment didn't offend, as he merely offered a simple critique of the tea rather than intending an insult or expressing displeasure.

[Mirva] "I apologize, Your Highness. I shall thoroughly discipline the servants."

Whether due to an incredibly fast recovery or sheer persistence, Mirva interfered yet again.

Dianna ordered the maid pouring the tea to bring a fresh cup and new tea leaves, then dismissed her. Fortunately, Dianna brewed tea quite well. In her past life in the Lodbrog Kingdom, she had always brewed her own tea out of constant fear of poisoning.

Her meticulous brewing process fascinated Philip. While nobles who enjoyed tea occasionally brewed it themselves, it remained an uncommon sight. Her posture while handling the tea set exuded elegance.

Philip lifted his cup and took a sip.

[Philip] "Delicious."

He spoke with frank honesty once more.

[Dianna] "So, what brings you here?"

He grinned at her question.

[Philip] "To be honest, dropping by during a casual trip is a secret. A proper lie is necessary in front of others, after all. Lady Brienne, I came solely to see you."

What is this? Did Philip always possess this type of personality? His manners broke every conventional rule, leaving me unsure where to even begin correcting him. A royal visit required formal notice, or at least......

[Philip] "Here."

A pink letter wrapped in bright red silk ribbons captured Dianna's attention. A man dressed in dark blue extending such a vibrantly colored piece of paper formed an awkward sight. She accepted the letter.

[Philip] "Ionia sent it."

[Dianna] "Princess...... Ionia?"

[Philip] "She has a lot of nerve, ordering me to deliver her letter."

He grumbled as he drank his tea.

If Ionia wanted to send a message, she could have used a standard royal courier instead of a prince......

[Philip] "She pleaded so desperately, insisting that it must never fall into anyone else's hands. I had no choice."

As if reading her thoughts, Philip spoke with a pout.

Dianna unfolded the dizzyingly bright stationery with trembling hands.

⌈To Sis Ann.⌋

Ionia used Dianna's nickname. Furthermore, the term "Sis" instead of "Sister" felt incredibly peculiar......

⌈Thanks to you, I had a wonderful birthday. Oh, "Sis" is a cute way to say sister! We are not close yet, but one day you will let me call you that!

I want to see you, but I have no excuse to visit.

They say I am still too young to host a tea party.

So let us exchange letters like this instead.

By the way, whatever Brother Philip says is a complete lie.⌋

The letter contained the innocent ramblings of a ten-year-old child rather than the refined expressions of the royal court.

A smile graced Dianna's lips.

[Dianna] "You care deeply for Princess Ionia."

Paradoxically, despite sharing the same mother as Ferdinand, Philip volunteered for this chore.

[Philip] "Care for her? That troublemaker?"

He frowned in mock disgust. Yet absolute affection laced his words, just like when Dianna mentioned Alexa. In the end, he had barged in solely to deliver this letter.

[Dianna] "Visiting the estate of someone you have never properly conversed with is no easy task. You are a kind brother."

[Philip] "......."

As she offered a warm smile and gentle words, Philip's face instantly flushed crimson. He stole a glance at her and muttered something under his breath.

[Dianna] "I shall write a reply for the Princess."

Dianna pulled the bell cord, and Guiscard stepped inside.

Ah, I left him standing right outside the door.

[Dianna] "I need to write a letter. Please bring some writing materials."

Guiscard bowed and exited the room. Philip's gaze locked onto his departing back.

[Philip] "Is he your attendant?"

[Dianna] "No. He is a slave."

[Philip] "A slave?"

Philip's intense gaze remained fixed on Guiscard.

Ah, the Panborough royal palace bestowed Guiscard as a slave.

[Dianna] "Do you recognize him?"

Did he perhaps encounter him at the palace?

A spark of hope flared within her, but Philip knitted his brows and declined.

[Philip] "No, that is not it."

His response carried a strange ambiguity.

After a long silence, Guiscard returned bearing a pen, paper, and ink. Dianna began using the quill. The quill moved smoothly with soft scratching sounds, creating elegant handwriting across the page.

For a brief moment, her poise completely captivated both boys. Lacking any of the restlessness typical of children her age, her posture remained perfectly poised as her lowered gaze calmly scanned the text.

Suddenly, a stray curl from her half-up hair fell forward, and she tucked it behind her ear. Her absolute devotion to writing completely spellbound them.

When she finally set down the quill and met their eyes, the boys snapped out of their trance.

[Philip] "What did you write?"

He inquired in an awkwardly cheerful voice. Dianna noticed nothing unusual about his demeanor.

[Dianna] "I wrote that I would ask the Queen if she might permit us to share a conversation over tea."

He snatched the letter to read it himself. It was exactly as she said.

[Philip] "Boring."

The stiff phrasing lacked even a single flowery embellishment.

Dianna Brienne acts far too mature for a twelve-year-old.

He knitted his brows and grumbled.

[Philip] "Can you not pour more emotion into it?"

[Dianna] "I did pour my emotion into it."

[Philip] "Read it yourself. Do you call this emotional?"

He extended the paper naturally to the awkwardly standing Guiscard. Guiscard's face stiffened. The interaction filled Dianna with deep confusion.

[Philip] "Look."

He thrust it forward grumpily, but Guiscard held his tongue. Philip suddenly snapped back to his senses. He had exposed the young lady's letter to just anyone.

[Philip] "Ah, my apologies. I was discourteous to you, Lady Brienne."

[Dianna] "......."

Faced with her stiff expression, Philip cautiously gauged her reaction and grinned.

[Philip] "Well then, I shall go deliver this letter now. I am the messenger, after all. Oh, no need to see me out."

With those words, Philip vanished as if fleeing. He escaped so frantically that the papers on the desk scattered into the air.

A chilling silence settled over the room, resembling ruins left in the wake of a ferocious storm.

[Dianna] "Haa......."

She sank into her seat as the tension bled away. Philip lacked any sense of personal boundaries.

What a loud, rude prince......

Guiscard silently stepped forward to gather the scattered papers. Suddenly, his movements were directed toward a sheet where Dianna had scribbled. She had tested the quill's condition on that paper before officially writing the letter.

Guiscard.

She had written his name. And his gaze locked onto it.

[Dianna] "I just wrote it because it crossed my mind."

[Guiscard] "......"

[Dianna] "Your name simply came to mind."

[Guiscard] "My name......"

He muttered in a low voice, gripping the paper tightly to examine it more closely. Yet the paper sat upside down in his hands, an obvious tell.

[Dianna] "Can you not read?"

[Guiscard] "......"

At her question, he snapped his head up to meet her eyes. Explicit shame colored his features.

Philip's earlier behavior suddenly made perfect sense. Dianna instantly lost her voice.

He can't read? Guiscard? I never once suspected his illiteracy in my past life.

Guiscard? Seriously?

Then when did he learn to read? Did he learn during his mercenary days? He surely knew how to read by the time he became king...... right?

Dianna stared blankly at the shame-stricken boy. Her reaction provoked the youth's anger.

[Guiscard] "If you find me pathetic......"

[Dianna] "No, I am merely surprised."

[Guiscard] "......"

[Dianna] "Should I find a tutor for you?"

He scowled at her offer.

[Guiscard] "That is unnecessary."

[Dianna] "......"

[Guiscard] "Most slaves don't know how to read. What use does a wretched slave have for letters?"

[Dianna] "......"

[Guiscard] "Besides, who would ever teach a slave to read?"

This boy is still so young.

Witnessing him throw a tantrum befitting his actual age caused her previous nausea to vanish. Ironically, his unrefined vulnerability allowed her to breathe freely once more.

[Dianna] "You will become a clever slave."

[Guiscard] "......"

[Dianna] "To remain my slave, you must know how to read well."

[Guiscard] "......"

[Dianna] "I will teach you."

She smiled, writing characters on the paper Guiscard held before handing it back to him.

Guiscard.

Dianna thrust it forward. He recognized that those markings formed his name. It felt completely bizarre. The person claiming to be his master ordered him to bathe and change, told him to master the sword, and now offered to teach him how to read......

Facing the girl before him, overwhelming embarrassment consumed him. Severe shame washed over him because he lacked the basic knowledge that every child his age possessed. Anger flared at his own ignorance, unable to even read his own name.

He had faced countless jeers for his illiteracy. Even his late mother had mocked him for it.

She easily could have mocked an illiterate slave for being stupid, yet she refrained. Though surprised, she offered a gentle path to learning instead.

She promised to teach him the very letters he had failed to master on his own despite endless efforts. She offered to unveil a completely new world to him.

Does she do this because 'it is right' as well?

She was strange. Dianna Brienne was incredibly strange.

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