Episode 97
I smirked and stared intently at the Second Prince.
“W-what… what is that supposed to…”
The Second Prince, who had been stammering, suddenly went silent, his face growing noticeably pale.
No matter how inherently rotten he might be, the thought of death still seemed to terrify him.
‘Especially since he’s still a child.’
If I had faced him as an adult like in my previous life, he would’ve found it amusing and tried to snatch Teddy bear from me.
He would’ve then used the bear to commit horrific acts.
‘That’s why I need to plant the fear of Teddy bear in him now.’
I suddenly thrust the teddy bear I was holding toward the stammering Second Prince.
“But if Your Highness is okay with it, should I show you now?”
The Second Prince flinched, stepping back in a panic.
“Huh? N-no, it’s fine…”
“Teddy bear! Activate assassination mode…!”
“Ah, stop! Don’t do it!”
Thwack!
In a sudden burst of panic, he smacked the teddy bear out of my hands with force.
“Oh no, Teddy bear!”
Thud!
The bear fell to the ground, landing near his feet.
“Eek!”
When one of the bear’s arms brushed against his foot, the Second Prince recoiled, stumbling back in terror.
“Enough! Turn it off! Turn it off right now!”
“But it’s not even activated…” I replied, barely suppressing my laughter.
Teddy bear only understands commands when there’s a slight pause between the syllables of its name.
“W-what?! It’s not activated?! Damn it, you scared me!”
“That’s how you activate it—by hitting it like that!”
“Ugh!”
At my words, the Second Prince froze mid-kick, his foot hovering above the fallen bear. Slowly, he lowered his leg back to the ground.
Watching him comply so meekly, I smiled sweetly.
“That’s a relief, Your Highness! I wouldn’t want to become something awful, like a murderer…”
“W-what…”
He flinched at my words, his shoulders trembling as he looked at me.
The mixture of shock and fear on his face felt hauntingly familiar.
It was the same expression he wore every time I glared at him from inside my prison cell.
‘No, this isn’t enough.’
Compared to what I endured, this was mere child’s play.
As my fear and apprehension faded, only hatred and resentment remained.
I continued to fix him with an unwavering stare, my smug smile never faltering.
“But if you ever want to see it later, just let me know! I’ll ask Teddy bear to make a special appearance for you…!”
“Hey, Diana! Let’s go, now!”
Suddenly, he cut me off mid-sentence, grabbing Diana’s wrist in haste.
“If someone notices we snuck out, it’ll be a disaster! Damn it, why did I even come here because of you?!”
Without so much as a goodbye, he stormed past Edwin and me, pulling Diana along with him.
His ears were bright red—probably from the embarrassment of being humiliated.
“Ah, Your Highness! P-please, slow down!”
Diana, who had been standing still, was dragged away awkwardly.
As I watched them leave, a hint of amusement lingered in my gaze.
“……!”
My eyes widened at the strange sight before me.
The Second Prince’s body, as he walked irritably away, was filled with an ominous, dark purple glow.
‘What… is that?’
His head, arms, legs, torso—his entire body was consumed by a deep, sinister purple light, so overwhelming that his physical form seemed to vanish beneath it.
In all my lives, I had never seen someone so thoroughly engulfed in such an unnatural aura.
“Ah…”
A chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively rubbed my eyes with both hands before looking again.
Flash!
Like a lie, the purple light that had filled the Second Prince vanished without a trace.
“Huh…?”
I stared blankly at the retreating figures of the Second Prince and Diana, my mind clouded with confusion.
‘Did I… imagine it?’
But brushing it off felt wrong, especially with the memory of Diana’s healing powers lingering in my mind.
The purple light that radiated from her hands during healing.
The stray dog’s forehead, changing from orange to purple after her touch.
And the Second Prince, who allied with Marquis Barelotte in my previous life.
‘I need to go back to the temple.’
I had to figure out what that suspicious purple energy was.
‘And I hope the Crown Prince doesn’t receive Diana’s healing before I find out.’
Though that was unlikely to happen.
The Crown Prince had no reason to refuse Diana’s healing, given her reputation for extraordinary healing power. And truthfully, it was better for the original story to unfold as it was supposed to.
‘It can’t be helped. I’ll have to settle for the fact that Diana hasn’t healed Joshua or anyone from the duke’s household yet.’
As I gazed at the hallway where Diana had disappeared, a bitter thought crossed my mind.
Then—
“Belze.”
Startled by the voice, I turned around to see Edwin holding up my fallen teddy bear.
“Here.”
“Oh… T-thanks, Edwin.”
I hugged Teddy bear tightly, feeling guilty. It seemed like the bear always suffered because of me.
As I patted the dust off its body with an apologetic heart, Edwin watched me silently before casually remarking,
“At least there’s no need to worry about you wherever you go.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
He smirked and nodded toward the direction where the Second Prince and Diana had disappeared.
“You made that ill-tempered brat flee without a word.”
“Oh…”
It finally hit me—I had defeated the Second Prince.
Following Edwin’s gaze, I glared in the direction the Second Prince had gone.
“Hmph. Serves him right for acting so cocky over nothing!”
“Just make sure you only act like that when I’m around. He’s not exactly the most decent person.”
I wholeheartedly agreed with that assessment.
“Okay, got it!”
With an energetic answer, Edwin smirked, clearly amused.
“You were quick to shut me up when I said anything about the Crown Prince, but the Second Prince? That’s fine?”
“Th-that’s because… this is the Crown Prince’s palace…”
“Ah.”
At my mumbling, Edwin nodded as if he understood something profound.
“Got it. I’ll save the complaints for when we’re outside the palace.”
“Okay! Sounds good!”
The walk to the palace gates, where the carriage awaited, was long—especially for a child’s short legs.
But despite my appearance, I was mentally an adult, so I stubbornly walked on my own.
As we left the hallways and followed the well-paved path, Edwin suddenly broke the silence.
“So, what was that about you saving the Crown Prince?”
“That, um…”
‘Ugh. I thought I got away with it.’
Edwin was thorough and had an annoyingly good memory, just like the Duke.
Resigned, I let out a sigh and reluctantly explained what had happened that day.
Hearing the full story, Edwin frowned deeply.
“You should have told someone if you were in that much danger!”
“B-but it wasn’t that dangerous! His Highness had already taken down most of them, and all I did was haul him to safety with Teddy bear!”
Naturally, I embellished the truth a little.
If I told him everything, Edwin would undoubtedly inform the Duke, and that would complicate everything. I had so many things to do—visit the temple, manage my business—and the last thing I needed was interference.
“Ha…”
Thankfully, Edwin seemed to calm down after my desperate excuses. With a deep sigh, he warned,
“From now on, if you need to go out, you must tell either Father or me first.”
“But… you two are always busy.”
“One of us will make time to accompany you. No more running around on your own, relying on that teddy bear for protection.”
“I wasn’t alone! Tara was with me!”
“Tara isn’t your guardian.”
Edwin fished a document from his pocket and unfolded it before me.
It was the infamous Guardian Authorization Form.
“See here? Your guardians are Father and me…”
“Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll let you know!”
I groaned and gave in as Edwin adamantly pointed to his name on the paper.
‘Seriously! I need to grow up faster!’
Maybe I should bug Grandpa Gordon for a growth-boosting potion.
Satisfied with my agreement, Edwin folded the document and continued,
“Also, buy what you need through the butler. If you try to shop in person, you’ll either get overcharged or ignored because you look like a kid.”
“Hey! I’m not a baby! I’m not a kid!”
“Sure, you’re an adult. Happy now?”
“Grr…!”
His nonchalant tone, as if he were humoring me, made my blood boil.
Before I could retort, Edwin suddenly turned his back to me and crouched.
“Get on.”
“Huh?”
I blinked in confusion.
“Why?”
“You’re barely walking right now. Think about whether your legs hurt or not.”
I froze, startled.
‘How does he know?’
I had slowed my pace because my feet were sore—it must’ve been more obvious than I thought.
“N-no, I’m fine! My legs don’t hurt at all…”
“We’re still in the Crown Prince’s palace. At this pace, we’ll get home by dinnertime.”
He was right. Despite walking for some time, we were still in the palace corridors.
Blushing at his blunt observation, I reluctantly muttered,
“Fine.”
I climbed onto his back with feigned reluctance.
Despite carrying both me and Teddy bear, Edwin walked with ease.
‘He’s only four years older than me… so why does he seem so much more mature?’
I glanced down at the floor, which suddenly felt very far away.
His stride was far faster than my own short steps. Before I knew it, we had crossed the palace corridors and were approaching the courtyard, where the duke’s carriage waited.
“Hey, Edwin,” I called out impulsively, anxiety bubbling in my chest.
If I didn’t say it now, I might never get the chance. After all, Edwin was one of the potential male leads in this story…
“If you ever get hurt… let me heal you, okay? Don’t let Diana do it.”
“…….”
“Promise?”
“Sure. I won’t get hurt.”
His calm agreement surprised me, putting me at ease.
“I’m not reckless enough to risk my life against an unwinnable opponent. If anything, I’d have a backup plan to escape first.”
The way he said it felt like a jab at someone specific, though I couldn’t quite tell who.
Still, his pragmatic approach was far more reassuring than a simple promise. My heart, which had been restless, finally settled.
“Hehe.”
Feeling content, I tightened my arms around his neck in a light hug.
Before we even reached the carriage, I dozed off on his back—though I wouldn’t admit it later.
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