The Black-Haired Prince on My Bed
On the bed sat a shadowy figure, lounging there like it owned the place. When I asked, "Who are you?" he shot me a look that said he was the one who wanted to know. I was utterly speechless. If he'd knocked before coming in, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed—so he must've slipped inside quietly while I was using clairvoyance. But hold on, that black hair...
That hair was awfully familiar to me. Jet-black locks like that were a dime a dozen among East Asians back on 21st-century Earth, but here? They were rarer than albino white hair in my old world. And with what Priya told me the other day... Putting it all together, the conclusion was obvious.
"...Your Highness?"
That boy was a prince.
"How'd you figure out I'm a prince?"
He asked it with some ridiculous fake acting that didn't suit him at all.
"In the Astrian Empire, who else has hair that black besides the imperial family?"
I sighed as I explained. Astrian—the empire founded long ago by demon hunters who vanished alongside the demons, now the continent's largest nation after centuries of growth. I never cared much about current culture or history, but I couldn't avoid knowing about the empire and its royals.
"How's Crown Prince holding up?"
I asked, old memories bubbling up. After I became the saintess, he'd visited the Temple often.
"My brother? Why're you asking about him? You met him or something?"
"Huh? Oh..."
Then it hit me—I wasn't the saintess anymore. I'd slipped into old habits without thinking.
"He used to drop by the Temple pretty regularly a few years back."
"But only the saintess and a handful at the Temple knew that."
"I had a pretty high rank there myself. I even helped prep when he served His Majesty."
No lies, since we serve the gods. It was all true—I'd done it myself.
Anyway, the royals are born with blessed bodies and genius talents, but that comes with a nasty curse. Their demon blood can go berserk, stripping away reason and ramping up violence, so they need periodic purification at the Temple. Usually every six months or so.
"You? That's high priest stuff."
The black-haired prince sounded shocked, like it was unbelievable.
Was it that surprising? Sure, not anymore, but I was the saintess, technically.
He sized up my appearance and clearly didn't buy it, which kinda bugged me.
"That's how I ended up at Arcanum Academy too. I'm higher caliber than I look."
"...Fair point. The headmaster's picky—no way he'd hire just anyone for school nurse."
So yeah, royals get dedicated priests. Usually top talent dispatched from the Temple to the palace, but the Crown Prince didn't vibe with his at first. He skipped purifications until he learned about the saintess, then started showing up regularly. His curse wasn't even that bad compared to others, though—it was basically just visits for fun.
"Anyway, Crown Prince is doing well, right?"
And I was basically his chat buddy. Good times... Snacking on palace treats with my sister while he spilled royal gossip. Like that story about the ice-queen empress fainting over a caterpillar on her shoulder.
"Yeah, way better than two years ago."
"...Better than two years ago, huh."
"You know what happened back then?"
"Heard the gist. It was all over the Temple rumors."
"...Poor guy."
The prince sighed and shook his head. No contact from Crown Prince since that day. I got why he stopped visiting, but a welfare check would've been nice.
"Speaking of, like you said... Trius isn't in the magic department?"
"That guy's name was Trius? Yeah, swordsmanship department."
That didn't add up. Lucille Eleanor said Trius had enough talent to be a 1st Class Mage.
"Hmm..."
Why swordsmanship, then? He was built sturdy, hands callused—could swing a blade fine, but what a waste of talent.
"Trius any good at swordsmanship?"
"Good enough to spar with me, so top-tier at the academy. Could join the imperial guard after graduation."
Sounded like he had real skill there too.
"Genius at magic and swords? Must be nice."
"Eh, more hardworking type than genius."
His life, his choice—but from the outside, it felt like squandering potential. There were fewer than ten 1st Class Mages in the empire, out of three thousand registered mages total.
Kinda like those child prodigies from TV who became doctors or bureaucrats instead. Imperial guard wasn't bad, though—every knight's dream gig, or so the Temple's holy knights told me.
"Why's the school nurse so curious? And aren't you the new hire?"
"Ah, well..."
Dodging here would've just bred suspicion. I filled him in on today's drama.
"Rosenberg girl, huh? Even reached my ears. Entertaining."
He smirked, clearly amused.
"And Lucille Eleanor handled it smoothly. She hates that spotlight stuff—must've been bad."
Figures the prince knew her name. Serpia had just called herself "the count's daughter."
"Don't sweat it. Noble catfights are daily routine."
His takeaway? Pure bystander vibes—like it had zero to do with him, which it didn't.
Anyway...
"Your Highness, have we met before?"
I focused my clairvoyance on him as I asked. Something about him felt familiar.
"Me? Nah, first time seeing you."
Of course—he'd never met Erdel. That identity was barely a month old.
"Right? First time for me too."
I'd only met the emperor, empress, and Crown Prince in person. Other royals were just stories—saintesses don't mingle freely, even with princes.
"What're you getting at?"
"No reason. Just feels like I've seen you somewhere."
"Mixing me up with my brother, maybe."
"Nah..."
Short chat, but one thing was clear: total opposite of Crown Prince. Big build, introverted personality—versus this guy's small frame and outgoing attitude. Long lashes, slender neck—pretty enough for crossdressing.
"Yeah, that was a dumb thing to say."
Youthful looks and voice, but personality flipped. He'd even burst out laughing at Serpia slapping Trius, or getting shut down by Lucille.
"...No way I look like my brother."
Especially the eyes. Crown Prince's were blue; his, red. Neither parent had red eyes, though.
So, this prince in front of me probably wasn't the empress's kid. Skip generations? Possible, but slim odds.
"Least I'm not the type to run off and fake a suicide after a girl rejects my confession."
He stretched out on the bed, yawning casually.
"Didn't peg you for the Crown Prince type ei—wait, what?!"
"Huh? It didn't make the Temple rounds?"
I bolted upright in shock.
"Every maid in the palace knows. After visiting the Temple, he jumped in his palace lake."
"No way... over that?"
"Overkill, right? Or... was it? Considering the age gap with the saintess."
I nearly opened my eyes from the surprise. Crown Prince visited monthly until two years ago, then ghosted.
"Wonder what the saintess would think, hearing she rejected him and drove him to a suicide stunt."
It was me who'd turned down Crown Prince's confession.
He'd looked crushed back then. Explained why he was extra nice... Never imagined romantic feelings.
Saintesses must stay pure in body and soul—no choice, even for a crown prince. Plus, my past-life memories were intact, and he was at least ten years older.
"...Saintess would've reacted like me, probably."
I sighed in pity for him—and relief. Dodged a bullet; if he'd actually died, even a saintess couldn't escape "regicide."
...But was that my fault?