Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: The Prince's Seal
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Nihil stared in disbelief at the hangover remedies and chocolates sent by His Majesty, who had arrived right on his heels. He was momentarily speechless before scribbling a brief note, sealing it, and dispatching it with a shadow knight.
And so he brewed some of the fine herbs for the hangover...
Thud thud thud thud-!
"Noooo~ I don't wanna eat it!"
"......"
The young prince, hating the medicine, began scampering away.
The servants gawked with wide eyes at Lianus darting through the palace.
"Whoa, Your Highness?!"
"Running around like that is dangerous!"
"Noooo~"
"Your Highness, where are you going!"
"Don't run on the stairs!"
"Your Highness, Poofu's right here!"
The servants chased after Lianus in a chaotic swarm. Even Nihil, who had been sticking to the pretense that the boy couldn't speak, broke into a sweat as he joined the pursuit.
Sir Evan found the tiny kitten so adorable, and the leopard chasing frantically behind so hilarious, that he watched for a moment before snatching up the scampering kitten as it bolted past him.
"Gotcha...!"
"Waaah-!"
"?!"
Lianus, caught by Evan, began wailing pitifully like a princess seized by a villain. Evan felt like the world's greatest villain, fidgeting anxiously, before handing the little kitten down to Nihil, who waited below with arms outstretched.
"No more... ugh, I don't wanna take it anymore... sniff. I don't wanna be sick anymore either..."
Nihil took the crying child, wiped away the teardrops trickling down his cheeks, and soothed him. He then tucked the bear doll Poofu, which one of the servants had brought, into Lianus's arms and waved the crowding staff away.
Lianus hugged the worn-out bear doll—its one eye even askew—preciously, even as tears continued to spill.
Nihil led Lianus to the bedroom and sat him on the bed, speaking softly to calm him.
"Shh, good boy, Rian? You don't have to take the medicine."
"Sniff, ugh, really?"
"Yeah. Only when you want to. Wanna eat some chocolate instead?"
To be safe, Nihil tasted the chocolate first before popping a piece into the boy's mouth.
Lianus seemed overjoyed at not having to take the medicine, beaming through tear-glistened eyes as he accepted the chocolate.
Just when things seemed to settle, a few minutes later the 2nd Prince's Palace erupted in chaos once more.
"Ehehehehe~"
"......"
Nihil let out a secret sigh as he watched Lianus giggling foolishly and stamping his face repeatedly with the seal.
The intoxicated Lianus had insisted on showing Nihil around his palace, dragging him everywhere. Spotting the young maids bickering over cookies—"I claimed it first, so it's mine!"—something clicked, and he dipped his seal in ink to use it like a stamp.
Amid it all, Nihil was relieved the boy hadn't licked it like a puppy would and let him stamp away freely.
At first, only a handful of servants received Lianus's stamps. But he seemed to rank them, stamping three on Sir Evan and the butler's faces, while giving just one to a select few others.
The stamped servants carried themselves proudly, treating the marks like priceless treasures and refusing to wipe them off.
Head Maid Perry, unlike the butler and Evan who got three, received only one. Perhaps feeling slighted deep down, she muttered things like, "I've only been here two years..." while casually trailing behind Lianus.
In the end, Perry got a stamp on her other cheek too, but Lianus had clear criteria—he didn't stamp just anyone. Not even sparing the plump belly of the dog "Robert Louis de Armand II."
Persistent begging would soften him into stamping a hand instead, but three servants went unstamped to the end.
'Your Highness, why won't you stamp me?'
'Not mine.'
'I work in Your Highness's palace, so I am yours. Stamp me too.'
'Nope. Not mine.'
'Why do you think that? I'm hurt.'
'Not mine. Go away.'
Even drunk, Lianus firmly declared them not his and snapped at the servants offering their hands.
Nihil gazed after the three unstamped servants before quietly asking Lianus why he hadn't stamped them.
'Not mine.'
'Why not?'
'Just feels not.'
Lianus gave a vague answer and began dozing off in Nihil's arms. Whenever their eyes met, though, he'd press the seal firmly—squish—onto Nihil.
With his face a mess from the stamps, Nihil held Lianus and fed him dinner while asking,
"Rian, why'd you give Head Maid an extra one?"
"Ugh... Perry's... weird."
"......"
"Mine but weird."
"...What's weird about her?"
"Dunno exactly... just weird."
"I see."
"Uuuugh......"
"Yeah. One more bite, Rian."
"Sleeeepy......"
Nihil coaxed the half-asleep Lianus, slipping egg dish into his mouth. He hated the herbal remedy, so at least get some food in him.
Sir Evan, beaming with his three stamps, chuckled until he noticed Nihil's small face densely covered in them, prompting a frown.
"...Why'd you get so many?"
"Guess I'm special."
"......"
"Want one of mine?"
"...No need."
Sir Evan flatly refused any leopard stamp, but Lianus whined drowsily,
"I want Nil's stamp toooo......"
"But I don't have a seal."
"Gimme one too... you stamped mine lots......"
"These are yours."
"Gotta stamp ma~ny times. 'Cause Nil's not mine yet......"
"......"
Nihil froze at the words. Unlike with others, the stamps on him weren't a claim of ownership—they were a desperate mark of wanting to make him his.
He thought he'd been subtle, but how did this kid know?
"Gimme Nil's stamp quick... if Nil's not mine, I'll be Nil's......"
"Rian, people might misunderstand, so don't say that."
"Quiiiick~"
"Finish eating, and I'll stamp you."
Nihil lured him with the promise, feeding the rest of the meal. Lianus drowsily chewed and swallowed to earn his stamp.
"All done... stamp me now......"
After finishing, Lianus pleaded earnestly, staring at Nihil. Nihil stared back before chuckling softly.
The mutt grumbled, 'What's so great about that guy's stamp?' but to Nihil, the boy yipped eagerly for any mark at all.
"Come closer, Rian. I'll stamp you."
"Ugh?"
Nihil leaned in and gently kissed the boy's nose.
And in that instant, Lianus's "curse" transferred over, bringing dizziness and headache.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Sir Evan yelped, grabbing Nihil by the scruff. The shaking made Nihil nauseous, but he played it cool.
"Don't shake me."
"W-Why kiss him?!"
"No stamp."
"Tell him to lick your hand!"
"Quiet. Putting the kid to sleep."
Sir Evan wanted to argue more, but their adorable kitten had been sleepy for ages, so he grudgingly set Nihil down.
"And what were you doing while the kid ate? Not checking first?"
Nihil chided as he carried Lianus to bed. Evan sheepishly smiled, owning his carelessness this time.
"His Majesty sent it personally, so I figured it was safe. Didn't expect alcohol..."
"Don't feed kids anything."
"I'll be careful."
"Afternoon lesson?"
"Violin. Should I cancel?"
"Ugh... nooo......"
The dozing Lianus shook his head. Nihil sighed faintly, unnoticed.
"Can you delay it an hour?"
"I'll pass it on."
Nihil seized the moment while Lianus dozed and slipped him the medicine before tucking him in. Luckily, the violin teacher readily rescheduled, and the nap wasn't too long.
"Nil?"
"Yeah."
Just woken, Lianus blinked at his best friend's face, smeared red like it'd been scrubbed raw.
"Your face... what's wrong?"
"Dunno."
At Nihil's vague reply, Lianus tilted his head, turning to Sir Evan to ask what happened.
But Evan's face was flushed too—cheeks and forehead red. Lianus could only goggle.
Nihil's whole face was red, but Evan's marks were from wiping stamps. Nihil had left his on to tease the now-lucid Lianus, but Evan scrubbed them off for the shame-prone kitten. It took effort, but he succeeded.
He even asked the butler to have all servants wipe theirs off—the butler seemed awfully reluctant.
"What happened? And when did I fall asleep?"
"You ate chocolate with alcohol, got drunk, and passed out."
"...Chocolate?"
"Yeah. Delayed violin by an hour. How's your condition?"
"Dunno. Feels better, actually."
Nihil examined Lianus closely, pressing a hand to his forehead. With the curse transferred to him now, Lianus felt great by mistake, but Nihil bore the full headache and nausea.
"Fever's up. Medicine first."
"Ugh......"
Lianus meekly took the medicine from Nihil. Unlike last time, it was bitter, scrunching his face.
"Tastes... bad......"
"Has ingredients that clash with alcohol, so I rushed a new batch without flavoring. Sorry."
"Ugh, it's fine. Thanks. But... did I do something wrong? I think I clung to you a lot..."
"You didn't recognize the 1st Prince and said, 'Who're you?'"
"...Huh?"
"You cried wanting to see me, so the mutt brought you to the main palace. I happened to be with the 1st Prince. You told him weird things were sticking to me."
"......"
"Passing palace folk saw it all."
Lianus blanked out, mouth agape.
"Why didn't you cover my mouth?"
"Cute."
"......"
Lianus's eyes trembled finely. He couldn't grasp his best friend's idea of "cute." Sir Evan's eyes shook wildly too, clearly sharing the sentiment.
More importantly, such antics in front of everyone... reputation aside, what would Older Brother think?
"Rian, time for violin."
"Oh, right."
Apologizing to Older Brother could wait!