Reincarnated in The Royal Tutor?!

Chapter 16

"—so basically, you were just overthinking, Bruno. The same principle can also be applied to other situations if you are malleable enough." I concluded my explanation with a pat on my younger brother's shoulder as we walk through the well-lit hallway inside the palace.

Bruno nodded enthusiastically, "I see, I see. Thank you, Edward. My lack of comprehension of this question has been bothering me all afternoon now. I suppose Father was right; I truly need to be more flexible if I ever want to be a worthy king candidate." Bruno pushes his glasses up, "There's still a long way for me to go if I want to catch up to you or Eins."

"You are already doing plenty great. When I was your age, I'm still messing around with other kids instead of producing thesis after thesis." Technically true. When I was his age I was still fanboying over the release of Attack on Titan season 2. "Thinking flexibly is something you just happens to pick up along the way, so don't think too hard about it."

Bruno stilled and stared at me with a dubious expression, "...you always behave like an idiot so sometimes I forget that you are also a genius of Eins' caliber, Edward. The two of you are phenomenal—should either of you become King, I know that Granzreich is in great hands, for sure."

Yeah, no. Hell if I know about Eins, but Granzreich will collapse on itself within a decade if I ever take the damn throne. And is Bruno feeling pessimistic about himself? He thinks that I'm a genius of Eins' caliber for some reason, and at the start of the manga, Eins was really the only obstacle Bruno has to pass in order to become King. The appearance of me as another 'genius' may have changed some things.

I hope that my presence didn't shot Bruno's confidence down the drain.

"No one's a natural-born genius," I advised instead, "Even Eins poured a lot of effort into studying, you know. He wasn't around all that often after you guys were born since he left the palace—" Remembering that particular mess leaves a sour taste in my mouth, "—but he was constantly trying to better himself. It's not like he just wakes up one day and knows how to do things." 

"I suppose so." Bruno sighed, "It's just...sometimes it's a little exhausting. Even though other people call me a genius, most of them already think that either Eins or you will be the future monarch. It feels like no matter how fast I'm running, you two are already waiting for me at the finish line."

I chose not to say anything and let him finish his thoughts.

"Eins has been establishing himself as the Crown Prince by gaining allies both domestically and abroad, and you are focused on your personal business." Bruno kept talking, "While I am stuck here inside the palace, ignorant of the world outside. I had never realized how big Granzreich—Wienner—actually is until our trip a week ago. I asked Grandmother about it, and she told me that you and Eins petitioned to leave the palace at a young age."

"And you feel bad that you didn't think about it?" I asked curiously.

Bruno blushed, but eventually admitted, "I know that is petty of me, but yes."

"Okay, then first things first, I didn't think about it like that." Bruno seems surprised, but I continued, "Second, petitioned is kinda a strong word for what happened. The reason why I asked to leave the palace that day isn't because of anything deep; Eins was going out and he didn't let me come with him, so I threw a tantrum and demanded to be let out."

He nearly tripped on thin air at the new piece of information, "What?!"

"I suppose Grandmother didn't tell you about that." I snorted, "If anything, Eins' the smart one for asking his royal tutor for a trip to town. I just happen to catch on the ride."