I only meant to vaguely ask about my future, but Mother's reaction was dramatic.
"Eh? Robby, what's wrong? Did something happen? Hey, Cass, why has Robby suddenly become so mature? Could this be a dream? What if I wake up tomorrow morning and Robby has gone back to how he was? He used to be called the most hopelessly stupid prince among all the princes and princesses… What is going on? Oh God, if You exist, please don't let this dream end! I beg You!!"
She was saying all this right in front of the very "hopelessly stupid prince" she was talking about. I couldn't even find a chance to interrupt.
Eventually, Mother noticed my stunned expression and continued,
"I always thought Robby would just live with me in the inner palace forever, but at this rate… maybe he could actually go outside and live on his own?"
Once again, tears started flowing. She clung to Cass and cried loudly. Cass also hugged her back and wept. Today seemed to be the day for watching Mother and Cass cry.
After waiting for them to calm down, I asked once more,
"I don't think I can stay in the inner palace forever. What exactly are princes supposed to do after they become adults?"
This triggered another round of tears. Of course, they were tears of joy at my growth, but I couldn't help wondering — was it really okay that no one questioned how I had suddenly become so different after waking up from a long sleep?
Still, having Mother press her soft, voluptuous breasts against my face while hugging my head was pure bliss for a thirty-year-old man on the inside. Even if it was a perfectly normal mother-son embrace, it felt heavenly to me.
In the end, Mother simply said, "You should talk to your father about this. I'll arrange a meeting for you."
She had no advice to give and basically passed the responsibility to the King. I wondered if she really didn't know what happened to previous princes, or if she had never even thought about my future until now. Had this airheaded mother really never worried about her idiot son's path in life?
When I told her I was leaving since my business was done, she stopped me.
"You have guests coming, so wait here. Let's meet them together."
I had nothing better to do back in my room except read, and I was curious what kind of friends my mother had, so I accepted.
After a short wait, several glamorous older ladies entered the room. They looked around the same age as Mother, or perhaps a little older. Some appeared older than Cass. From the perspective of my thirty-year-old mind, they were all fully within my strike zone — women I would love to get close to.
Their dresses were extremely revealing from the chest upward. As long as the nipples were covered, how much breast could they show? Their outfits exposed everything from the shoulders to most of the breasts. My childish cock secretly transformed and grew hard. I had to subtly wiggle my hips to adjust it — that part was top secret.
Everyone seemed to already know who I was. They greeted me with the classic line adults say to children:
"My, you've grown so much since we last saw you!"
Following the usual flow, they asked what I had become interested in lately. I tried to answer safely and cheerfully,
"I find history and the study of magic quite interesting."
For some reason, they were shocked. Their reactions could best be described as stunned silence. Time seemed to stop for the ladies. Mother, on the other hand, watched with a happy smile.
One of the ladies finally broke the freeze and asked Mother, while glancing at me,
"What happened to Prince Robby?"
Mother replied cheerfully,
"Yes, he woke up from his long sleep like this. Doesn't it look like he's been reborn?"
Of course, no one actually believed that. The lady then tested me by asking what part of history interested me. When I answered, "I enjoy learning things I didn't know before," they were shocked again. I thought any normal child could say something like that, but apparently the old Robby had never said anything even remotely similar.
While eating the snacks that were served, my eyes kept drifting to one particular lady — an elegant, extremely well-endowed woman. I kept fantasizing about burying my face in those breasts or slipping my hand into her cleavage. From the conversation, I learned she was called Countess Rosette. I heard the other ladies' names too, but they didn't stick in my head.
While I was staring at Countess Rosette, I must have been munching away on the sweets, because she smiled and said,
"It seems Prince Robby likes sweets. If you'd like, please come visit my residence sometime. We have many rare treats."
This was great news! Not only the sweets — my thirty-year-old desires were screaming that I wanted to "eat" her too.
Hiding all of that, I replied with a bright, innocent smile,
"Thank you very much for the invitation! I would love to visit!"
Seeing my response, the other ladies exclaimed "Oh my!" in surprise. I wasn't sure why they reacted that way. Countess Rosette smiled warmly and added,
"I'll be waiting. Please let me know in advance when you'll come. I'll prepare sweets and, since you like history and magic, I'll also gather some interesting books for you."
Her captivating smile made it clear — I had no choice but to go.
"Yes!!" I answered enthusiastically.
After that, the other ladies also invited me one after another. Even if there was nothing else, it would be good social experience, so I decided to accept all of them.
During the rest of the tea party, I mostly sat quietly. Even that earned me praise. Apparently, the old Robby couldn't sit still for even ten minutes before becoming restless and running off.
One lady sighed, "If only my son could be this calm…"
Mother casually replied with strange advice:
"Maybe you should try letting him have a long, high fever and stay in bed for a while?"
After successfully getting through the tea party without any mishaps, I returned to my room. When I told Cass that Countess Rosette and the other ladies had invited me over, Cass made a difficult expression and warned me,
"There are rumors that Countess Rosette has a young lover. And that she gets tired of them quickly and replaces them. Prince Robby, since you've already promised to go, you can't back out now… but please be very careful."
She gave me a stern warning.
But honestly… being "eaten" by Countess Rosette sounded like a dream come true!