Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 231: Sandcastles and Strategy

From behind him, he could practically feel Laxus vibrating with excitement, mumbling, "Ehehe, Rocco is my bride, hehehe..."

That was ignored just as expertly.

And just to be clear—Rocco had not actually acknowledged Laxus’s claim, okay?!

"Alright then, prince, you come too. Let’s play together—sandcastles!"

"S-Sandcastles?"

"Yep. We’re gonna build a castle. Together. And while we build, you can talk all you want."

Rocco took the Crown Prince’s hand and helped him to his feet.

With the still somewhat bewildered prince in tow, he and Laxus ran off toward the garden as a trio.

...

"Alright, Prince, I’ll teach you the trick. The trick is to add just a little bit of water to the soil."

"When you do that, the dirt gets firmer and easier to shape, right? Rocco."

"Mm-hmm, exactly, Laxus. As expected of someone who’s always building castles with me. Fwo fwo fwo."

The sandbox in Del Fiore’s garden had been created specifically for Rocco after he started playing there.

At its center, surrounded by garden stones, Rocco, Laxus, and the Crown Prince crouched in a circle.

The prince hesitated to touch the sand, while Laxus, already experienced, skillfully shaped mud balls one after another.

That’s right—the first step was always making as many mud balls as possible.

Laxus was quick to learn.

Good, good.

Watching them work, the Crown Prince seemed flustered.

Since he wasn’t even reaching for the sand, Rocco wondered if this kind of play just wasn’t his thing.

"Prince, do you not like playing in the sand? Do you not want to make mud balls?"

"H-Huh? No, it’s just... This kind of play was forbidden when I was a child—said to be dirty and vulgar. So I can’t help but feel some resistance. I’ve never even considered touching dirt with my bare hands..."

Even as he said that, there was a flicker of curiosity in the prince’s eyes.

Now that Rocco thought about it, Sylas and Laxus had said similar things when they first started playing with him.

They had hesitated, calling it messy or unclean.

But after spending time with Rocco, they got used to it—so much so that now, they weren’t just making mud balls but entire mud snowmen.

Surely, the Crown Prince would be the same.

Given time, he’d get used to it, let go of his reservations, and enjoy himself.

"Here, Prince. The best way is just to try it. If you don’t like it, I’ll make your mud balls for you, so don’t worry."

With a bright, confident grin, Rocco reassured him.

The prince hesitated, then nodded his head slightly.

Cautiously, he reached down and scooped up a handful of soil, watching Rocco and Laxus’s movements and trying to mimic them as he squeezed the dirt together.

Rocco drizzled a little water over it, and in an instant, the dry soil turned to sticky mud, dirtying the prince’s once-pristine hands.

But instead of getting upset, he seemed fascinated, as if experiencing something completely new.

"W-Woah! Laxus, this mud is all sticky! Is this how it’s supposed to be? Do I just keep shaping it like this? It’s sticky, but... is that okay?!"

"Ugh, you’re so noisy. Mud is supposed to be sticky. What are you, a child?"

The prince’s eyes sparkled with childlike wonder, while Laxus, unbothered, continued making mud balls at lightning speed.

Watching their contrasting reactions, Rocco smiled and went back to work, steadily increasing their stockpile of mud balls.

Once they had just the right amount, the prince—who had been fully engrossed in the activity—suddenly gasped.

"Wait! That reminds me! My bride, what about my reason for coming here?! Can I talk about it now?! Can I?!"

"Uh? Oh, yeah. Of course. But talk while we build the castle. I’ll do the walls, Laxus does the roof, and you handle the foundation. Got it?"

"Understood! So, for the foundation, should it be this thick? Or should I make it sturdier?"

"Hmm... a little thicker. Make sure to spread the mud evenly so there aren’t any weak spots."

"Alright, I got it!"

As he built the castle, the Crown Prince sniffled and whimpered, lamenting his woes.

Despite his tears, he faithfully followed Rocco’s instructions to talk while building the castle, explaining the entire situation in detail.

It seemed to be a far more complicated matter than Rocco had initially thought.

As he listened, he found himself unable to dismiss the prince as just another fool.

The root of the problem lay in the alliance between the two major families, which had grown stronger due to rumors of a marriage between their heirs.

Maintaining the balance of power within the kingdom was crucial, and up until now, the royal family had carefully upheld equilibrium among the three key forces—the Jashin family in the public sphere, and the Di Malvento and Del Fiore families in the shadows.

However, that balance had recently begun to crumble.

The two main catalysts were the uproar surrounding Rocco and Laxus’s supposed engagement and the downfall of the Jashin family.

The royal family had already been standing on shaky ground, and now, their position was even more unstable.

However, the current king was a timid and indecisive man, showing no initiative to address the crisis.

Left with no other choice, the Crown Prince had stepped up to protect the nation’s equilibrium.

"So, what you’re saying is that you wanted to prevent unnecessary conflict and maintain balance, so you came to propose a plan to Laxus?" Rocco asked.

"Yes... Duke Wimburg and the Jashin family has fallen, and now the two major families have extended their influence not only behind the scenes but also in the open space. To preserve the balance between the royal family and the two major family, I thought the best solution was to form a bond that would link all three of us together..." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Seeing the prince speak through his tears, Rocco’s expression softened slightly.

Despite his lack of reliability, the prince seemed to be the only member of the royal family genuinely thinking about the kingdom’s future.