109. Thanksgiving Banquet (3)
Imperial Prince Manfred scratched his head. On the desk lay a letter from Mint, and surprisingly, she had sent it in full.
She usually doesn’t do this…
Manfred opened the letter with a somewhat uneasy feeling. It wasn’t just any letter—it was sealed with the royal wax insignia, written on tightly rolled parchment.
– I’ve decided to date Teacher Asterix. FYI, I initiated the conversation, so please don’t try to kill my teacher.
Whew…
– I’ll bring him to the Thanksgiving banquet.
– So, see you at the imperial palace banquet hall.
– Imperial Princess Mint.
Manfred sighed. Is this a joke… or not? Is she serious or just trying to make me laugh?
Either way, it wasn’t that strange. After all, he’s known that healing teacher for a long time, and the guy even saved Mint’s life—maybe they’ve grown close.
Manfred furrowed his brow as he thought.
How old is he compared to Mint? Did he just accept her confession like that? Or was it because she’s royalty, making refusal impossible? Either way, it wasn’t easy to conclude.
No idea…
I wonder how Father will react.
Will he accept it since this guy saved Mint? Will he welcome it—or maybe think he’s weird and dislike him?
After all, there are plenty of fairy tales where knights save princesses from evil dragons and marry them. Maybe it’s a similar plot twist here.
“Eh, she’ll figure it out herself.”
Still, at least it’s not some random idiot from the academy. At least this is someone the palace knows. Honestly, I always planned to keep this guy close to the palace anyway—I just didn’t expect it to happen like this.
Manfred fiddled with his pen for a while before putting the letter and pen aside. There’s no need to reply anyway—we’ll see each other soon.
Imagine if this company became the first to invent penicillin or aspirin. Even if we lower prices to improve patient access, our influence would still be enormous, wouldn’t it?
So…
It’s not like I tricked Ariana. I simply helped guide her toward a decision that benefits her. And knowing that the money will go toward making medicine that saves lives…
That’s a win-win situation.
I nudged Mint’s side gently.
“We should probably move around a bit. There might be others who want to meet Her Imperial Highness.”
Mint nodded, though honestly, judging by the reactions of everyone we’ve met so far, they seem more curious about me than Mint.
“Ah! Teacher Asterix!”
Someone called out to me. I turned toward the voice.
The caller was Little Princess Erzabet.
She was the student I treated at the House of Serulice last time—the one diagnosed with Wilson’s Disease. Thankfully, she looks much healthier now.
First things first—I checked her eyes.
The golden rings around her pupils were gone, which meant she was definitely improving.
Though she still leaned on a walking stick, it seemed more precautionary than anything else—just in case symptoms return unexpectedly.
Anyway, Erzabet looked quite cheerful being here at the festival, unlike Mint, who seemed somewhat subdued.
“Teacher, why are you here?”
“I’m accompanying Her Imperial Highness.”
Erzabet widened her eyes in surprise. Of course, Mint doesn’t have “Princess” written across her face, and her attire isn’t overly extravagant.
“Oh dear, forgive me!”
Only then did Erzabet bow deeply to greet Mint. They exchanged an awkward handshake.
“Her Imperial Highness, this is Erzabet, the Little Princess of the House of Serulice. She was one of the patients I visited during my royal inspection.”
“Aha.”
“By the way, she recently enrolled in the Academy. Since she joined mid-semester, we probably haven’t crossed paths in class.”
Erzabet hesitated briefly.
“Your Majesty is even more beautiful in person! I heard you’re considered the most beautiful in the empire, but since I never saw you in class, I was curious…”
What? I always thought Erzabet was quiet, but she seems pretty good at flattery too!
“It’s a relief to live up to expectations.”
Mint brushed off the compliment gracefully.
Erzabet continued speaking.
“You were right, Teacher. Though it’s a secret among my family, I realize now that my condition was tied to my home environment. Since coming to the Academy, I feel much better.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Mint tugged at my sleeve.
“Let’s go, Teacher. We have places to be.”
“Uh…”
Mint dragged me away. What could I do? If the princess doesn’t want to talk to Erzabet, what choice do I have? I gave the little princess a quick wave before leaving.
As soon as we were out of Erzabet’s sight, Mint threw herself into my arms. Then she grabbed my tie and pulled my head down—
Wrapping her arm around my neck, she kissed my cheek. I embraced her waist.
“What’s this sudden move?”
“Do I need a reason?”
Well… technically, no. Mint closed her eyes, and I kissed her back. Lipstick must be all over my face now.
While Mint nibbled on my lips, the handkerchief in my pocket came to mind. The faint scent of her perfume lingered, though only briefly.
Eventually, Mint let me go. Still holding her with one arm, I wiped my mouth with the handkerchief from my left hand.
Meanwhile, Mint, half-reclining against me, was reapplying her lipstick.
“Why not leave the marks behind?”
“Are you joking?”
Mint smiled again, leaning her head on my shoulder this time. I gazed at her face.
Her flawless porcelain skin, those wide innocent eyes trying to look haughty but failing miserably—it was almost as if she declared, “People can be this beautiful.”
I tightened my grip around her waist.
And so, the banquet began.
“Thank you all for gathering here today. Not only is this an occasion to celebrate autumn and wish for prosperity, but it’s also a chance to honor those who contribute to our empire’s wealth. Enjoy the feast! That’s enough talking from me—let’s raise our glasses!”
That was Prince Manfred’s voice.
Honestly, I didn’t fully understand what he said, but it sounded nice enough. I raised my glass along with the toast.
The drink inside was so light it barely qualified as alcohol—a pale, translucent white wine.
We must have arrived earlier than most. The previously sparse banquet hall began filling up, and music started playing from one corner. Mint and I sat together.
“Her Imperial Highness, or Miss Mint. While observing the guests tonight…”
“Yes?”
“You’re truly in a league of your own. I haven’t seen anyone prettier than you all day.”
“Huh, really?”
Mint covered her mouth with her hand, unable to hide her reddening ears.
“Oh, stop it already…”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Mint giggled for a while.
“Hey, Teacher. Why were you looking at other people anyway? Were you trying to find someone prettier than me to talk to?”
Kook! Mint poked my side.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Hmm…”
Mint tried to look stern but couldn’t suppress the corners of her mouth curling upward. I patted her head.
“I’ll let this slide since you’re in a good mood tonight.”
“It’s a great honor, Your Majesty.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
Mint adjusted her bangs. As I stared blankly at her face, I noticed footsteps and turned my head. Oh, it’s him.
I bowed politely.
“It’s an honor to see you again, Your Royal Highness. Are you well, Prince Manfred?”
Prince Manfred looked somewhat displeased.
“So, suddenly remembering formalities after doing something wrong, huh?”
“I merely studied appropriate greetings for formal occasions, Your Highness. Forgive me if it caused offense.”
“Don’t give me that nonsense.”
“It’s been a while since I last saw you, Your Highness. I’m delighted. How’s everything at home?”
“This is my home.”
“That’s true.”
“Are you two really dating?”
I was about to nod when Mint leaned over and kissed my cheek instead. I flinched involuntarily.
“Yeah… take care. I’d better find someone who doesn’t ruin my appetite.”
Fair enough.
If my own brother acted like this, wouldn’t I feel the same way? I bowed again as the prince walked away, and Mint looked at me.
“His reaction wasn’t as bad as I expected.”
“Well, I mentioned it in writing beforehand. I thought there might be resistance from the palace when I told them about meeting you, but their response has been surprisingly mild.”
At least he didn’t immediately try to kill me. Sure, Manfred isn’t that kind of person, but precautions were necessary.
“Lucky break.”
