Chapter 62
“The Prince Died, So We Start Over!”
“Yes.”
“What kind of rumor is it?”
“Well…”
Anna hesitated for a moment, then carefully recounted the gossip she’d heard among the servants.
According to her, although only a very small number of them believed this, some servants went beyond thinking that the Third Prince had made a mistake while trying to take revenge on me—they believed that he had intended to kill me from the very beginning.
These servants were mostly those chosen from the House of Count Lurupel. Their loyalty to the Lurupel family was exceptional. Because of this, they reportedly gave disrespectful looks whenever the Third Prince passed by, whispered as if to make sure he heard, or pretended not to hear his orders.
“…Why was that allowed to happen?”
Isn’t this a hierarchical society? No matter how much the Third Prince had tried to appear weak to others, this was completely absurd.
Of course, this world didn’t quite operate under the belief that true blue blood flowed only through nobles. I had heard that even commoners could buy minor titles if they had enough money. As a result, some proud servants sometimes secretly looked down on nobles—but that was only toward low-ranking nobles.
Yet here we were, talking about the Third Prince himself, and they were speaking carelessly in front of him? No matter how much they gossiped behind his back, the proper way in polite society was to lower their eyes and pretend to be respectful in front of him.
This was highly suspicious.
It meant that either Count Lurupel or his wife had given the orders—or at least tacitly approved.
These unscrupulous people… they were surely trying to pin the blame for the longstanding chaos in the court on the naive Third Prince.
“Of course, I didn’t just sit by! I punished all the servants I caught! But you can’t punish them all, right?”
Anna didn’t seem to notice anything strange, unlike me. She complained that no matter how many servants she disciplined, the rumors were impossible to stop.
The more I listened to her, the clearer the situation became in my mind. It was clear that the members of the Lurupel household had pushed a child, already drowning in severe self-loathing, to his limit.
I needed to take action quickly. I wished the Third Prince’s attendants had done their job before things got this bad, but since they hadn’t, I would have to move myself…
“By the way! What have Your Highness’s attendants been doing all this time? Andrew and… there were two others, right? They haven’t done anything?”
“Andrew seems busy these days, and the other two were punished. Apparently, Andrew reprimanded them for not noticing a fire in Your Highness’s bedroom right away.”
“Even though he himself didn’t notice…”
The more I got to know him, the more I disliked him.
“But what exactly has he been busy with?”
“Well…”
Anna shook her head and looked around cautiously. Naturally, it was just the two of us in the room, yet she carefully checked her surroundings before leaning in close and whispering a secret into my ear.
I was shocked.
“…What? He’s seeing three women at the same time?”
“Shh! Shh! Your voice is too loud, miss!”
“How did it even come to that?”
I couldn’t follow such a shocking development. No matter how third-rate this world was like a romance novel, even extras’ lives didn’t need to be that scandalous!
Anna widened her eyes and explained the full story to me.
“Do you remember the time you had tea with His Highness in the indoor garden?”
“Yes.”
How could I forget after falling into the pond and going through that ordeal?
“For some reason, he apparently broke a bone on the back of his hand that day.”
“I see…”
I had a small idea why Anna didn’t know the reason, but I nodded innocently like a well-behaved child.
“So while going around for treatment, he apparently got involved with the therapist.”
“Then the other two women are therapists too?”
“No, the other two are a maid and a knight. Since his hand was injured, he relied on the maid and became close with her. Then, while going out of the palace, he got involved with a knight. Something like that.”
“Unbelievable…”
I could only mutter in awe at how outrageous it all was. Anna repeatedly warned me not to become such a pitiful person.
“You absolutely mustn’t! Romantic relationships are only with one person. If you play both sides, one day you might get stabbed unexpectedly!”
“Yeah, I got it. I won’t do that.”
“Of course, if it’s after marriage and just a casual affair for fun, that’s different, but…”
“No, that would never happen.”
“Well, I guess it’s none of my business. I shouldn’t worry since you only care about His Highness anyway.”
Anna’s absurd claims became even more preposterous. I involuntarily shouted:
“That’s impossible! That’s not true! Why would I have a relationship with that little kid?”
“Eh, some people might think you’re ten years older than His Highness.”
Ten years? More like three times older than him. Even older than Anna! Considering my age after the possession, I was already twenty. But I couldn’t tell the truth. Frustrated, I pounded my chest with my fists.
Anna giggled at my behavior, then suddenly remembered something and got up. She looked like an adult stepping aside to accommodate a shy child. I felt wronged.
About ten minutes after Anna left the room, the door, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened without a knock.
I already knew exactly who would appear this way.
“Kitty!”
It was the cat. Somehow, the cat always came to see me whenever Anna left the room.
“Piiiii—!”
The moment it entered, the cat immediately got upset. Why was it always angry? The minds of animals were truly perplexing.
“Did you come to take me to the Third Prince?”
“Pii!”
“Thanks. But today, could you give me a warning before casting your magic?”
“Piiiii—!”
The cat bristled its fur and twitched its nose, looking shocked. Its round pupils stared at me intently.
‘After all the help I’ve given, how can you say that, meow! I’m really disappointed, meow!’
I supposed that was the general meaning of its gaze. Yes, from the cat’s perspective, I was like an ungrateful person demanding rewards from someone who saved them. The cat had every right to be indignant.
“…Sorry. I guess I was too shameless.”
I tried to apologize, but the cat was already sulking.
“Pii, pipipipi!”
Hmph! We’re done, meow!
The cat turned its head and left the room without looking back. That day, I couldn’t get any help from it. The next day and the day after were the same. I even prepared treats to reconcile, but the cat didn’t come.
‘Well. Wild animals naturally appear and disappear without warning…’
There was nothing I could do. I began practicing walking on my own. After lying down for only two months, even standing still at first was difficult. But it didn’t take long to be able to walk, thanks to the support of the young duke, who helped me move my aura while practicing.
When I first regained consciousness, it was early autumn, and by the time I could walk shakily, fall was in full swing.
Once I had regained some health, I went straight to see the Third Prince. He was still holed up in that secluded room, looking like a puppy hiding under a sofa whenever scared.
“Your Highness!”
I barged in and called him loudly, my voice echoing through the room. But the Third Prince didn’t lift his lowered head. He stayed in that posture until I reached him.
“Your Highness? Please lift your head!”
I slipped my fingers under his chin to lift his face. His face looked even more hollow than before.
“Why… how did such a pretty face get like this?”
This was supposed to be the brilliant future of the empire!
I took a handkerchief from my pocket and scrubbed his face, but no matter how hard I tried, the dark marks around his eyes wouldn’t come off.
“Goodness! You think your friend the raccoon will come running! Do you even sleep at night?”
The Third Prince quietly endured my endless scolding.
Why was he like this? I felt uneasy and stopped moving for a moment. Then, from between his small lips came a faint voice:
“…Don’t come closer.”
With hands weaker than a sick chick, he pushed me away. I stepped back, not because of his strength, but because I was taken aback.
“Your Highness? Why are you doing this?”
“…Don’t come looking for me anymore.”
He muttered faintly. I tried to comfort him, but it was of little use. He kept repeating the same phrases like someone who had lost their mind: don’t approach him, don’t be kind to him, things like that.
“Your Highness, please calm down first…”
To avoid frightening him, I lifted both hands to my chest and took very slow steps toward him. But no matter how much I stepped forward, the distance between us didn’t shrink.
