Chapter 216: Who Is His Mother?
It seemed he was too embarrassed to admit that he was happy.
"I’m glad to hear that. Then, let’s ignore the king and just have tea together."
"The fact that you can say something like that is frightening."
"I’m just a timid person who doesn’t want to meet important figures."
"A truly timid person wouldn’t say something like that in the first place."
"Then I’m a fake timid person."
"...Pfft, haha... what is a ’fake timid person’? Hahaha!"
Everyone was surprised to see Sergei laugh out loud, but since he seemed to be enjoying himself, Qiong Xing did not comment on it.
"I’m just a timid person who doesn’t have the courage or bravery that someone like the prime minister has."
"And yet you can say that much to me. That already makes you quite bold."
No, no, that’s not true at all—he shook his head, but even that seemed to amuse Sergei, which making him laugh.
"It seems a mean prime minister doesn’t need any more cookies. I’ll them with the prince and princess instead."
"Now, now, don’t leave anyone out. For the sake of the prince and princess, I’ll take on the role of taste tester and eat them all."
He clearly just wanted to eat them himself.
The way he was grinning made that obvious.
After all, he had already eaten so many that talking about taste testing now made no sense.
With a small huff, Qiong Xing ignored him and took out two small wrapped items from his bag and handing one each to the prince and the princess.
"These are called candies. They are food, but instead of chewing them, put them in your mouth and let them dissolve. And be careful not to swallow them whole."
Qiong Xing believed candies should be properly enjoyed by letting them melt.
He had friends who would chew them, but in that case, he felt they might as well just eat gum instead.
"This is a reward for the princess who properly apologized and also for the prince who was able to forgive her. Each one has a different flavor, so later, please tell each other what it tasted like."
Whether it could be called reconciliation or not, they still needed a chance to talk, so it was a small gift from him.
Brat smiled brightly in delight, while the princess nodded shyly and Qiong Xing smiled back at them.
"And what about me?"
"Unfortunately, I’m out of stock."
He answered with a bright smile and although Sergei looked disappointed, he simply shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped.
...
Qiong Xing believed that compatibility between people was important.
Even if he did not show it much, he had his own likes and dislikes and honestly, he preferred to avoid people he did not like as much as possible.
"What is the meaning of this!?"
The woman who stormed in shouting had sharp raised eyes and trembling lips, making it clear at a glance that she was in a terrible mood.
"What is the matter, Your Majesty the Queen?"
Sergei stepped forward as if to protect Qiong Xing and the others, but the enraged woman paid no attention.
The moment she noticed the princess sitting nearby, she grabbed her arm tightly.
"What do you think you’re doing in a place like this!? As a princess, you have duties to fulfill. Return to your room at once!"
"...Mother... but..."
The way she kept glancing toward him was surely out of concern for Qiong Xing.
When he smiled and nodded to her as if to say it was alright, she looked apologetic, but still followed the order and left the room.
"And you? Who are you?"
From his appearance alone, she had likely already judged that he was not a noble.
Without hiding her condescending attitude, she glared at Qiong Xing as if telling him to leave at once.
"Please wait, Mother. This person was invited by me—"
"Be quiet. I do not recall ever giving you permission to call me ’Mother.’"
"—!"
This was exactly what it meant to be so stunned that one could not even speak.
Since when did a child need permission to call their own mother "Mother"?
Even if Brat said he did not mind, being denied as her child so openly in front of others would surely hurt.
"My apologies for appearing like this due to an injury to my leg. My name is Qiong Xing, and I have been asked by the prime minister to serve as a tutor for the Crown Prince."
"The prime minister? ...Well, fine. But mind your words. The one who will inherit the throne is my daughter, Zoryana. She will be the first queen of this country."
It seemed the queen was against Brat inheriting the throne.
From the flow of the conversation, "daughter" clearly referred to the princess from earlier.
Qiong Xing glanced at Sergei to see if he agreed, but Sergei who is noticing his gaze shook his head.
"...I see... Brat."
"Y-yes!"
"If you wish, then starting today, I will permit you to call me ’Mother.’"
"...Huh?"
"W-what!? What are you saying!?"
Ignoring the shocked reactions around him and Sergei’s expression that clearly said "you’ve done it now" Qiong Xing smiled and called out to Brat.
"Do you dislike it?"
"N-no! I mean... um... But is it really okay?"
"If you doesn’t mind, then it is fine."
When Qiong Xing smiled reassuringly, Brat nodded happily.
However, the queen hurriedly stepped in to stop them.
"What are you saying!? Such a thing is absolutely impossible!"
"Why is that?"
"Why? Because this child is..."
"This child is?"
"This child is..."
Was she really that unwilling to acknowledge him as her own child?
What flaw could he possibly have that made him so unworthy of being recognized?
"That doesn’t matter. More importantly, isn’t it strange for a man to be called ’mother’? Even if he is of royal blood, how could someone like you a man of such low status be called ’mother’!"
"Then whose child is he? If he is, even in name, part of the royal family, then who is his mother?"
"... "