Chapter 27
Anna widened her eyes and stared at me.
“Tell him to go back…”
“Huh? What do you mean? Didn’t he come because you gave him a heads-up yesterday?”
“Mm…”
After moistening my dry throat, sleep began to wash over me again. I slowly blinked my heavy eyelids.
Anna shook my shoulder urgently.
“What are you doing sleeping! I know you’re tired, but you still have to greet the guest!”
“Just tell him to leave… He’ll go back without a fuss…”
Just as the petty duke had come to me following my instructions, I had no intention of letting him in according to what I had said.
Of course, it wasn’t that I held a grudge against the petty duke. I simply didn’t want to see him right now.
“…Are you really, really just going to send him back?”
“Yes…”
“Really?”
“Yes…”
Anna fidgeted, glancing nervously between me and the door.
“I’m going back to sleep… Don’t wake me for breakfast…”
I let out a long yawn and buried my face into the pillow again.
“Ah, really…”
Anna muttered in exasperation as she headed toward the door.
Listening to her footsteps gradually fading away, I drifted back to sleep.
I woke from my second nap a few hours later.
Anna, having received urgent news from the servant, shook me anxiously.
“Miss! Miss! Wake up! The Third Prince has regained consciousness!”
Hearing Anna’s words immediately wiped away my drowsiness.
I jumped up.
“Anna, quickly! Let’s go see His Highness right now!”
“Oh, but you should change your clothes first! And comb your hair!”
“What if he falls unconscious again?”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen. Now, put on your socks.”
Anna answered confidently.
But by the time I had finished getting ready and arrived at the Third Prince’s room, he had already fallen asleep again.
“Will you wait inside until His Highness wakes up?”
The Third Prince’s attendant asked bluntly—a new face, neither Anchovy nor the attendant from the previous day.
“Yes.”
I nodded readily and tried to step inside.
“Um, wait a moment, Miss.”
But Anna stopped me before I could move further.
“I’m really sorry… It seems difficult for you to spend time in His Highness’s room today.”
“What? Why?”
“You have to prepare for the delayed engagement ceremony…”
Anna scratched her cheek sheepishly. She seemed apologetic that I couldn’t meet the Third Prince.
“Engagement ceremony? Is it going ahead as planned?”
“I don’t know the details… but His Highness has regained consciousness, so the master ordered us to proceed with the engagement preparations as scheduled.”
Anna whispered quietly, careful not to let the Third Prince’s attendant overhear.
I couldn’t believe the count was thinking about an engagement while the prince was still sick. Truly, Count Luruphel was Count Luruphel.
“Hmm… When did His Highness fall asleep?”
“Not long ago. Maybe half an hour ago.”
“Then it’s still a while before he wakes.”
In the end, I had to leave, saying I would return in the evening.
As I turned to leave obediently, Anna visibly exhaled in relief. She hurried me back to the room.
“Do you have a lot to do?”
“A little. First, you should try on the dress for the engagement day, which has arrived. Then, you’ll need to memorize the revised ceremony speech. And finally, you should double-check the guest list.”
“Ugh, I’m already feeling exhausted…”
As soon as we reached the room, Anna brought out a heap of packages from somewhere.
Even though she claimed not to know much, it seemed Count Luruphel had decided to go ahead with the engagement. Announcing it immediately would only invite criticism, so he was holding off. The evidence was the pile of tasks waiting the moment the Third Prince regained consciousness.
‘Well, I can understand Count Luruphel’s mindset…’
Holding a sick Third Prince and going through the engagement would have been impossible for anyone, and surely the Count realized that too.
But postponing the engagement wasn’t easy either. Most of the guests had already arrived at Rudbeckia Palace. Delaying the ceremony would mean rescheduling countless people. Of course, for the prince’s engagement, everyone would likely cooperate, but Count Luruphel’s pride wouldn’t allow it.
“Miss, could you raise your arms? Let’s try on this dress first.”
“Okay…”
I thought postponing the engagement was the right thing to do, but there wasn’t much I could do at that moment. I resigned myself to quietly helping with the preparations. Having rested the previous day, my tasks piled up like a mountain. That day, I still couldn’t see the Third Prince.
The next morning, I headed straight to the Third Prince.
I knocked politely on his door, but there was no response.
‘Maybe I came too early?’
After some hesitation, I gently pulled the door. Only the Third Prince was inside.
“Where’s the attendant? Skipping work?”
Seeing no one, I stepped inside. The Third Prince was still lying in bed, seemingly dead to the world.
I dragged a chair near his bedside and sat, waiting for him to wake.
“Ugh…”
Fortunately, he woke not long after. A small whimper escaped his lips.
“Your Highness! Are you feeling a bit better?”
I called out joyfully. The Third Prince, with pale yellow lashes trembling, slowly opened his eyes.
“…Miss Luruphel?”
“Yes, it’s me!”
“Miss Luruphel…”
Suddenly, he began to cry, violet eyes brimming with pitiable tears.
“Why are you crying? Are you in pain? Should I call a healer?”
I stood to summon a servant, but the Third Prince grabbed my sleeve with feeble, chick-like hands.
“I… I…”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“I… I was wrong…”
Still half-asleep, he stammered his apology. He clearly felt terribly guilty for acting without listening to me.
“It’s okay. So don’t cry.”
I gently patted his head, forgiving him readily. Children grow through mistakes. Though he had caused worry, as a professional adult, I didn’t hold grudges.
When I was his age, I once jumped off the top of a jungle gym and broke both legs. My mother came running, face red with anger, but didn’t hit me. She just warned me to be careful next time. Eight-year-olds were like that—learning through mistakes.
“…Don’t forgive me so easily.”
But this little one, thinking he was grown up, couldn’t shake his guilt. The Third Prince continued to cry small tears. Luckily, Anna had placed a handkerchief in my pocket. I gave it to him.
“Do you want to sniff it?”
He became even sadder and started crying harder.
“…Miss Luruphel, you’re so indifferent!”
He complained in a whiny voice.
“Me? Indifferent?”
I had to pause and process his words. No one could be as kind and considerate as me!
“…I thought Miss Luruphel would act as if nothing happened. Getting angry requires care and attention, after all.”
Through damp lashes, his watery eyes looked utterly forlorn.
“Why wouldn’t I care about Your Highness?”
Ridiculous. Of all the characters in this story, I had the most concern for the Third Prince. How could he think I was indifferent?
He looked up at me, tears streaming, clearly feeling wronged.
“Miss Luruphel… you don’t even know my name!”
He roughly wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“Me?”
“Yes, you. I know that people you don’t care about, you just ignore their names.”
Even while hiccuping, he kept complaining.
Moments ago I had forgiven him, and now I was being interrogated.
“Why wouldn’t I know Your Highness’s name?”
“What is my name?”
“It’s Sa—”
“Sa?”
“Sa…”
Sa… what was it again?
