Chapter 61
The Prince Died, So I’ll Start Over From the Beginning!
And as I had expected, it actually became reality.
That afternoon, I once again sought out the Third Prince with the help of the magical cat.
The Third Prince looked even paler than before, though it had only been three days.
“Lu… Lu… Lu… Lurupel… I’ve gone and created another illusion of yours…”
The Third Prince buried his face in the tiny palm of his hand as soon as he saw me, full of self-reproach.
“It’s not an illusion, Your Highness.”
I quickly approached the Third Prince, who had his shoulders hunched, and gently stroked his back.
“I won’t believe that anymore! I already said last time it wasn’t an illusion!”
“It wasn’t an illusion last time either.”
“Then all the more reason not to believe it.”
The Third Prince sobbed, unable even to lift his head.
“Haven’t you heard the news that I woke up?”
“…I have. And I also heard that you couldn’t move well, Lurupel. The therapist said it would be difficult for you to walk for a while because you had inhaled too much of the potion, were unconscious for a long time, and had a naturally weak body.”
He also added that on the day he first encountered my “illusion,” not a single servant had seen me leave the room.
“That was because of magic.”
“Yes, magic! That damn magic is the problem!”
The moment the word “magic” came up, the Third Prince leapt to his feet.
But he soon slumped back down, defeated.
“…No. It’s not the magic; it’s me who’s the problem.”
I worried he might dig so deep into self-blame that it would reach his core.
The Third Prince stayed silent for a while, and I no longer tried to console him prematurely.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t frustrated, but I could at least understand the Third Prince’s feelings.
Even with the fake engagement contract, he had a clause allowing him to have a lover separately—a child who was meticulous even in such matters.
He was thoughtful, kind, and delicate beyond his years.
But such traits likely became poison to himself.
At only eight years old, the Third Prince had endured too many misfortunes in too short a time.
His mother had made great sacrifices for him, and in Rudbeckia, where they had fled, they faced the animosity of Count Lurupel and his wife.
Amid all this, the only person he had grown attached to nearly died right before his eyes. Ironically, he remained completely unharmed.
No matter how composed and mature he seemed, it wouldn’t be strange if he had reached his limit.
“Huff…”
With a deep sigh, I decided to give up trying to soothe him for now.
Sometimes, life demands that one grieves and resents fully.
‘Though in this case, perhaps the target of that resentment should be slightly adjusted…’
The kinder and more fragile a person, the more they blame themselves in unfortunate situations.
For such people, there’s no one to hate but themselves.
But the Third Prince wasn’t ordinary—he was a supporting male character in a novel.
More misfortunes, big and small, would inevitably come his way.
If he continued to blame himself every time, his tender heart would not survive.
So it would be good for him to occasionally blame others instead.
‘Who should I make him blame…?’
I rummaged through my pockets, thinking like a worldly-wise, somewhat stubborn adult.
“Your Highness, say ‘ah.’”
“…‘Ah’?”
“Yes, quickly.”
The Third Prince hesitated, then parted his small lips.
I stuffed them full with the secret weapons I had brought along.
“W-what is this, L-Lurupel…?”
“Your Highness, when there’s food in your mouth, you must speak after swallowing. Now, chew thoroughly.”
“L-Lurupel…”
“Delicious, right? I brought it especially thinking of you.”
Whenever there was even a small gap in his mouth, I shoved more bread in.
The Third Prince looked flustered, unable to chew or spit out the food forced into him.
“Mmm… delicious!”
“Yes, eat plenty.”
I gently pressed his pale but still warm, soft cheeks.
Though dissatisfied, he reluctantly swallowed the bread.
“Ah, that was good. Do you want more?”
“I won’t eat!”
“Then there are also cookies.”
“Bread or cookies, it doesn’t matter. I won’t eat!”
“Why? Not eating only harms you, and no one will even notice.”
Of course, I too had once refused meals when sulking as a child, knowing my parents would come comfort me.
But the Third Prince’s situation wasn’t like my childhood.
If he didn’t eat, the only one worried would be me. Not eating was entirely to his own loss.
I shoved cookies between the Third Prince’s lips.
He shook his head, protesting vigorously.
“Why won’t you eat?”
“Well…”
“Well?”
He hesitated, fumbling with his tiny lips.
Then an astonishing statement came out of his teeth:
“…Lurupel isn’t the one who can’t eat, is she?”
I felt my mind go blank.
“…Who can’t eat? Me?”
“You’ve been bedridden for two months…”
“If I had starved for two months, I’d probably have died a month and a half ago.”
“But you didn’t eat proper meals, did you?”
“True, Anna fed me mostly thin soups, but I also took miraculous potions from all over the empire.”
“Still…”
The Third Prince looked unsettled.
Before he could add more nonsense, I shoved three cookies into his mouth.
“L-Lurupel!”
The Third Prince, looking like a greedy little hamster, stretched his hand out awkwardly.
“Your Highness, I’ve never heard something as both endearing and foolish as what you just said.”
Even this self-blame was a skill of sorts. He could have been designated a living human cultural treasure.
‘Still… considering how he was raised…’
It was understandable, for now.
“Would you die of hunger along with me?”
The Third Prince’s large eyes darted anxiously.
No, I had to say he wouldn’t!
I swallowed the rising frustration. Well, at least he didn’t give a negative answer.
“Eat quickly. Judging from appearances, Your Highness looks sicker than I do, you know?”
“B-but…”
“Wow, you can open your mouth. Can I give you another?”
I fed him, again and again.
Though he looked displeased, he reluctantly chewed when I crossed my arms and stared at him.
“When your stomach is full, your mind will work better.”
“…Are you saying I’m thinking foolishly?”
“See? You’re already much smarter!”
The Third Prince furrowed his brows at my non-praise praise.
He didn’t say much; he seemed aware of how foolish he was acting.
“…My stomach feels full.”
“Of course. Naturally.”
“Are you really not an illusion?”
“Of course not.”
The Third Prince tentatively raised his hand, wanting to touch me.
I brought his hesitating hand in the air to my cheek…
Well, I tried to.
But I couldn’t.
The cat’s magic had ended at that exact moment.
The moment I thought his hand touched my cheek, I returned to my room as if by magic.
“Iii…! That cat! If you’re going to provide service, do it properly!”
I struck my innocent pillow in anger.
Anna panicked and tried to stop me.
“No, miss! You just woke up after three days!”
“Three days again? I’m sick of time flying by!”
“Lie down quickly! You need to rest!”
“I can’t! I won’t!”
“Oh dear, this is really troublesome!”
In the end, Anna took the pillow from me.
With nowhere to vent my frustration, I huffed and puffed heavily.
“Anna!”
“Yes?”
“There’s someone I can’t tell if it’s real or an illusion…”
“Oh, that story again?”
“Don’t interrupt. Anyway, that person disappeared the moment you tried to touch him. What do you think I’d feel?”
“Hmm? ‘So it really was an illusion,’ perhaps?”
“…Probably.”
Once again, I had unintentionally fed the Third Prince’s undeserved misunderstanding.
It was a serious problem.
I called Anna once more.
“Anna!”
“Yes, yes. I won’t go anywhere, so calm down and speak.”
“How is the Third Prince?”
“You’re talking about him right after waking up?”
“He seemed trapped in some secluded room.”
“Secluded? Wait, where did you hear that? Did the servants talk carelessly again?”
This time Anna jumped in alarm.
She had disciplined all careless servants, yet someone had leaked the story.
“I just heard it on the way.”
“Where does someone who’s been in bed all day even go?”
“More importantly, Anna, what do you mean ‘not trapped’? He goes to that room voluntarily? Why?”
Anna sighed loudly, realizing I was changing the topic but letting it slide.
“I’m not sure. But… I suspect it’s because of rumors.”
“Rumors?”
