Of course, that favoritism didn’t give Ethan any rest or advantage.
“I thought for sure he had gone off to battle and died….”
Eventually, the empress sent Ethan off to war.
One day, the kingdom of Osiria on the continent of Mandalia, with whom they had a pact, called for help.
If he went to the battle, his death was assured, but he had to go because of the pact.
“If the Osirian Kingdom loses the battle, it could turn into a continent-wide war. Besides, the kingdom of Osiria is very important to our empire.”
The vassals nodded in agreement with the empress.
“In times like these, it is imperative that Prince Ethan and Prince Lucius, the most likely heirs to the Empire, set an example. When the Manuar Empire was at war, the prince of the Kingdom of Osiria personally joined the battle to prove his loyalty to the Empire, shouldn’t we do the same?”
But no one was unaware that the ‘worthy’ was actually the appointed one.
“Let’s save the worst for last, and have one of us stay here and the other go off to fight, but give the one who returns from that battle first in line for succession.”
Ethan had no family name to back him up.
He’d volunteered to go, but with so many eyes on him, he’d have had his back against the wall.
After his departure, after a few hard-fought battles, telegrams came in that the tide was turning in favor of the Osirians, and even more so that the Osirians had won the war, but Ethan did not return.
The emperor waited, but his son was not to be honored as a war hero.
The empress demanded that he be officially recognized as dead, but the emperor insisted, believing he was still alive.
Five years had now passed.
“Everyone thinks he’s dead. But… slave, puffy, what the hell!”
“Sir Russell, keep your voice down. You’re really going to be heard.”
Ethan was treating Russell with nonchalance as if none of this was happening.
He clamped his jaw over Russell’s mouth as he continued to speak loudly.
“Russell, it’s been a long time, and there was no panic a moment ago.”
“Ew, ew, ew!”
“I see you still raise your voice when you get excited. Even though you hair is grey, your temper is still strong.”
“Eep, eep, eep!”
“I know what you’re going to ask me anyway, so I’ll answer everything. But don’t make any noise. Okay?”
“Oof! Oof!”
Russell nodded quickly. When Ethan removed his hand from my mouth, he quickly wiped my lips with his sleeve.
” So, how come you’re here? You said you met Her Excellency the Archduke three years ago, so what have you been doing for three years? Why were you alive in the first place and didn’t inform your homeland for two years? Even the kingdom of Osiria sent out a hundred men to find His Highness’s body….”
“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? You lost a battle, were taken prisoner, and have been dragged around as a slave ever since.”
“Eh? But if you show me a card that proves you’re a Manoir Imperial, no one will…!”
“I’ve lost it. No paddle, no memory. I’ve been a worm for a while. When my memory returned, it was too late, and it was Daphne who saved me.”
“Why didn’t you tell Her Excellency who you are sooner?”
“Think about it, Russell. Would the Empress be pleased if she knew I had returned alive… I know the Emperor’s illness is growing worse by the day, and the palace is in the palm of her hand now. Why go back when I’m sure I’ll die one way or another?”
“At least you wouldn’t be living as a slave like this.”
“Russell, my days as a slave were far more comfortable than my days in the palace.”
“No, what’s with that hair, that beautiful blonde….”
“I dyed it. Don’t you think I look better with black hair than blonde?”
“…I’m sure Arnea would be upset to hear that.”
“How can a woman who is already dead listen to the living?”
“…….”
In all his years of living in the palace, he had never felt comfortable.
The Empress and her in-laws, who viewed him as an eyesore, had brought him close to death time and time again.
After his coming-of-age ceremony, he had to sleep with a dagger by his bedside at night, ready to strike back at an assassin at any moment, and when he ate, he had to check his food first to make sure it wasn’t poisoned.
Living was not living, and if he was going to die at the hands of the Empress, he might as well go out to fight and die.
“You know what I was there.”
“Is that why you’re hiding out here, even though you’re still alive?”
“…You want to know my plan?”
“Of course.”
Then Ethan smirked and asked again.
“Do you want me to tell you?”
“Sure.”
Russell nodded quickly and looked up at Ethan, his eyes sparkling.
“Then you’re going to have to help me.”
“What?”
“So that I can live as a ‘puppy’ here at Castle Sterren. I need you to convince Daphne.”
” Like?”
* * *
Children’s attention spans are short-lived, aren’t they?
I thought they were simple and fickle, and that if I could keep them distracted long enough, they’d quickly forget about puppies, but that was entirely my own conceit.
Just as Russell had said last night, I spent the early hours of this morning scraping together everything I could think of that Dio would like, hoping to surprise her.
From porcelain dolls to a sandcastle-building set to a rocking horse and much more, I loaded the wagon to the brim, but what I got back was not cheer but resentment.
“Go-mo-mi-wah!”
“Ooh, I wonder why my Dioana is so pouty this morning.”
“Where’s Puffy?”
“It’s the set of porcelain dolls that Dio wanted the other day. They’re hard to find, but Auntie got them for you. See? They’re so pretty. You’ve been wanting them. Go ahead and unwrap them.”
“Where’s Puffy? Did you kill Puffy? Is that what you did?”
“Look, it’s a porcelain doll that looks like Dio, with hair planted and painted by a master craftsman.”
” Auntie, you’re trying to make me forget Puffy, Dio, I know you’re doing this, I’m not an idiot, I’m not going through with this!”
Dio was already clutching the doll in her arms, saying she would never go through with this. That greedy tiger, not letting go of anything.
“You haven’t killed Puffy yet, have you? You can’t kill him.”
“Dio, you’re getting your aunt in trouble. He’s not a puppy, and he’s a slave. He’s a slave. He can be a spy.”
“…Aunt Daphne, Puffy is a good person, not an bad one.”
Dio wrapped her arms around the doll, hugging the doll tightly and drooping her shoulders, saying words she couldn’t even pronounce yet.
“Why do you take his side so much? Is it because he’s so handsome?”
“…….”
“Right. Isn’t it okay for a kid to judge people by their looks already?”
“Oh, no, it’s not like that! Dio is not that kind of narrow-minded!”
“Intolerance, if that. Is there any other reason?”
“…Dio…he’s the one who helped me.”
“Huh?”
“…The one who saved Dio when it was raining when Dio was drowning.”
“What…?”
“You haven’t killed Puffy yet, have you? Puffy’s a good guy, he told me to keep it a secret, but now that it’s come to this, I have to tell you, Puffy, I’m sorry. …Puffy, you’re the one who saved Dio’s life when she was about to die.”
I grabbed Dioana, wondering what the hell she was talking about.
“What do you mean, Dio?”
“You see, it was raining, and it was freezing cold. When the river was like this, like this, like this.”
“You mean the guy who saved Dio back then, is the one in jail?”
“Yes it was Puffy!”
The look on Dioana’s stern face told me that she wasn’t lying to save his life.
I remember every detail of that day.
It was a terrible day when I almost lost Dioana forever.
I can still remember running barefoot through the bush, screaming her name at the top of my lungs.
