Chapter 25
“Why does Arellin hate moving so much?”
“And why do you like to move so much?”
“Do I like to move?”
Pession shook his head.
“You run around sucking all day.”
His favourite thing to do is play ball.
He was a radically different creature from her who wanted to lie down all day.
“I move all day!”
Pession’s eyes widened as if her words had somehow enlightened him.
“I had no idea.”
“….”
“Arellin is a genius?”
He’s… mocking her.
“Everyone knows that when they see you.”
“Wow, really? Arellin’s always been looking out for me!”
“…”
“I didn’t realize Arellin was looking out for me that much!”
“I didn’t really look that hard.”
Her denials seemed to fall on deaf ears, as Pession was already impressed.
“I wish I could play ball with Arellin one day!”
“That’s a very wild dream, one that will never come true.”
“Maybe if Arellin works out with me, it will happen someday?”
Are you serious?
“You can do it! I’ll help you!”
“I don’t need it.”
She scrambled away from the clinging crown prince.
“Arellin, Arellin?!”
***
Graham, the crown prince’s chamberlain, was a man of unassuming rank and status, and not usually one to be feared.
“The chamberlain must have some something hidden in the Halbern manor.”
As long as it wasn’t Mehen, the Archduke of Halbern’s agent.
“Hahaha, that’s impossible.”
“He came yesterday, he’s coming today, he’s coming tomorrow?”
“….”
“I can’t stop His Highness, but I thought it might be a little too formal.”
They’re smiling. They’re clearly smiling at each other.
It’s cold. A stab of coldness hits me in the chest.
“Haha. Who am I, a mere servant, to disobey my master’s wishes?”
“I thought it was your duty to guide His Highness, the Crown Prince, so that he doesn’t go down the wrong path.”
“…”
Guidance, is Halbern Manor some sort of den of evil?
If this were the Imperial Palace, things would be different, but this is Halbern Manor.
It was Mehen’s victory.
‘Let’s just laugh.’
She doesn’t know what to say in Moorish, so she just smiles at Graham’s human smile.
“Tsk.”
Mehen clicked his tongue, not sure what he didn’t like, and stood up.
For the first time, Graham was grateful that Mehren was one of the busiest men in the Albrecht Empire.
“We’ll see.”
“….”
A threat that wasn’t really a threat, and then Mehen was gone.
“Hahhh.”
Graham looked at his young master, who was still smiling despite the situation.
“You should know how hard I’ve been working on this…”
***
Mehen watched Arellin and Pession bickering by the window.
Arellin was looking a little frazzled, and Pession was smiling broadly.
“Mehen?”
Mehen asked Dylan, unintentionally.
“Do you think we’ll be okay as it is, Dylan?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if you think there’s any harm in letting the crown prince come and go as he is.”
Dylan blinked slowly. It was the first time Mehen had ever asked him a question like this. He wondered…
‘And with that complicated look on his face.’
Why is he asking himself this, he wondered for a moment. Mehen’s gaze was drawn to a small girl. As soon as he saw her, he realized.
“But you do know, Mehen, after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“That a girl needs friends her own age.”
“…”
He could have stopped Pession from entering, and he could have stopped Graham from entering. Why didn’t he?
Dylan smiled at the rare glimpse of humanity in Mehen.
“You’ll be fine.”
“…”
Mehen didn’t reply, just looked at Arellin. Dylan’s smile deepened.
‘You pretend not to, but you’re worried about her.’
It was the first time she’d ever insisted on not going to a collection meeting, so he’d let her, but it must have bothered her.
“That’s how kids grow up.”
Mehen sighs.
“You seem to know a lot more about children than I do, Dylan.”
“I have a lot of nieces and nephews.”
“…”
Drying his face, Mehen turned his gaze back to the organized one.
“If anything happens, report it immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
It had been a week since the crown prince had begun his regular visits. By now, the Halbern residence had begun to change.
“I have prepared a diet for His Royal Highness at…”
“His Highness the Crown Prince…”
The maids and butlers have been preparing for Pession’s stay based on the information provided by the Crown Prince’s chamberlain, Graham.
And.
“…”
One man who is sick of it all.
The crown prince’s patience was belittled. His confidence that this interest was fleeting and would fade away on its own if he continued to ignore it was fading.
“Arellin-!”
As she dropped her head and forced herself to chew the rice that wouldn’t go down, an unwelcome visitor entered the dining room.
Her appetite dropped like a stone.
“Young Lady, you must finish!”
“No appetite.”
Emma muttered something beside her, but it fell on deaf ears. Because the culprit had descended.
“Arellin, there you are!”
There was no hiding, no running away, but Pession always appeared in such a flurry of activity.
“Hello!”
A simple greeting, nothing special.
Still, Pession’s infectious smile instantly brightened the gloomy dining room.
“…Hello.”
Oh, I’m out of here.
“Have you been eating? Why are you eating so little?”
“I can’t digest it.”
“Why is it indigestible?”
Can you not ask me that?
Ask my stomach.
“Eat more!”
“…”
“You have to eat well to be healthy!”
My head was spinning.
Life was hard enough, and now it was even harder because of this idiot crown prince.
“Arellin, did you sleep well? You need to sleep well to be healthy!”
“Here, eat this! You need to eat well to be healthy!”
“To be healthy, you need to be regular.”
“Get up! Let’s get moving, you need to exercise to be healthy!”
“You need to walk!”
Annoying. I’m tired!
She doesn’t know who the hell he’s getting this information from, but it’s driving her nuts that he can’t sit still.
‘Will someone please clean this guy up?’
She looked around to see if anyone could help, but…
“Good job, that’s it!”
“It’s His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Everyone was cheering for Pession in unison.
‘Are they my nannies or Peshion’s servants?’
She felt lonely. Intensely lonely and sad.
“I heard! To be healthy, you need to eat a balanced diet with all the right nutrients!”
“Yes, Tandan.”
“Tandan? What’s a tandan? Is that the name of a monster?”
“It’s a carbohydrate, protein, fat… thing.”
“Is it magic?”
“…”
She urgently scanned her surroundings for anyone who could save her.
Help!
“You and Your Highness, don’t you look so good together?”
“His Highness must really like you!”
“I wish he’d be more accepting of you, too.”
Aside from the nannies who don’t know what they’re talking about, shouldn’t the Crown Prince’s chamberlain, Graham, put a stop to this?
“Your Highness…”
Yeah, they’re completely powerless.
Man is alone after all.
‘When will you ever get tired of me?’
Her patience is running out before Pession gets fed up with me and runs out the door.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. Let’s go for a walk!”
A hand is suddenly extended.
She glance down at the small, white hand, then ask.
“Aren’t you busy?”
“Huh?”
“Your Highness, you’re busy.”
He may be young, but Pession is imperial blood.
He’s the crown prince, the next in line to the throne.
He must be busy with imperial studies, swordsmanship training, and all of that, so why are you killing a fictional me?
‘He’s probably using his little free time to come here.’
That made her even more suspicious.
Why would you go to all that trouble to come see me, especially every day?
“I know you’re busy, but you don’t have to come here every day…”
“Why do you say that?”
“What?”
“Because we’re friends.”
Pession laughs.
It’s hard to resist the smile, so bright it resembles the sun.
“I’m a little busy, but that’s okay!”
“Why…”
“Because I want to come.”
His selfless horse eyes pierced her.
“I like playing with Arellin, don’t you? You gets bored when she stays home alone.”
“…”
The kind of transparent favor she’d never received from anyone in her life, without a shred of black heart.
A pure favour, without a shadow of malice, without the speed of calculation, without the intention of securing anything in return.
She couldn’t say anything.
