Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Nihil's Playful Revenge
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"…?"
The children blankly stared at Nihil, who had thrust both hands high into the air.
Wondering if he was about to threaten them, right then—
Udada—
"Huh? Wh-what?"
Nihil suddenly started chasing after one of the kids. The child bolted in reflexive panic.
"Wh-what the heck!"
"…."
"D-don't come closer!"
"…."
Udada—
"Waaah~ I said stay back~!"
The kid fleeing from Nihil finally burst into tears, but still ran for dear life, terrified of getting caught.
Lianus eyed the back of Nihil's head as he pursued the child, looking utterly delighted by the whole scene. He watched with a mix of bewilderment and unease. My best friend really seems to love teasing kids, he thought.
Thud, flop.
"Waaah!"
The kid Nihil was chasing finally tripped over their own feet and went sprawling.
Nihil paused at the sight of the child bawling on the ground, snot and tears streaming down their face. Instead of continuing the chase, he turned on his heel and dashed off toward the cluster of other children.
"Waaah!"
The kids scattered in a frenzy.
Pfft, puhahaha!
Lianus finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing at the sight of Nihil pursuing the fleeing mob. My best friend is just incredible in so many ways.
"Puhaha, Nil, quit messing with them and let's go."
"…."
At the word "go," Nihil trotted back obediently, abandoning the chase. The pursued kids were huffing and puffing, but Nihil's veil remained perfectly still, unruffled.
"Was it fun?"
Nod, nod.
Nihil bobbed his head enthusiastically, clearly delighted. The only one who hadn't run away, Lawrence, shot him a look of utter disbelief.
As if to scare Lawrence too, Nihil raised both arms high again. But Lawrence, already familiar with what lay beneath the veil, just responded with a deadpan stare.
"…I know you're not actually sick."
Lawrence stared piercingly through the veil. The mysteriously beautiful face he remembered so vividly was itching to be seen again, but he couldn't very well act like a brute.
Nihil tilted his head slightly, then lowered his arms. The fleeing kids crept back one by one, faces flushed. The one who'd tripped glared daggers, still fuming.
Should I do it one more time?
But Nihil's wish went unfulfilled. Sir Evan had grabbed him firmly by the scruff of the neck. The regular students were fine just observing the lesson, but the princes needed to wash off the training dust and change clothes—no more time to dawdle.
Even after reaching the main palace reception room, Lianus couldn't tear himself away, fidgeting anxiously about whether something might happen to his friend.
"Sir Evan really can't stay with Nil?"
"…No, he can't."
In truth, Frederick was shadowing them in secret, so Evan sticking with Nihil would have been fine. But it wouldn't look good for the 2nd Prince's sole publicly known guard knight to be escorting a commoner instead of the prince.
"…He'll be fine on his own. Don't worry too much."
"Yeah… Nil, I'll be quick washing up, so if anything happens… um…"
Lianus glanced around, wondering who to ask for help, but no one suitable caught his eye. A few palace servants were about, but he doubted they'd protect Nihil from the kids' bullying.
Mindful of the servants' gazes, Lianus leaned in and whispered just loud enough for Nihil to hear.
"Just… knock 'em flat and run to my palace."
"…."
"Poke their eyes or hit their throats. Got it?"
"…."
For a moment, Nihil wondered if he'd been raising his seaweed wrong. But he soon gave a small nod. Looks like the seaweed's growing tough.
Lianus paced fretfully like a parent leaving a toddler by the water's edge. Urged on by Evan, he finally left the reception room, face full of worry.
No sooner had Lianus gone than the kids started whispering. They snuck glances at Nihil now and then, giggling.
But when Nihil ignored them for a good while, something came flying his way—pastries prepared for the children.
The kids snickered.
"Hey, peasant. Pick that up and eat it."
"…."
Nihil glanced at the chocolate that had landed beside him, picked it up, then lifted his veil as if to eat it.
"Eww, gross!"
The kids recoiled in horror. They burst into giggles among themselves, then lobbed a few more chocolates and cookies his way.
But with Nihil showing no reaction, they quickly lost interest. The flight show ended with a final cookie number thirteen, crunching to the floor.
The maids waiting in the reception room sighed in quiet relief and silently cleaned up the scattered treats.
"Hey! Why're you cleaning that up? He's supposed to eat it!"
Aidan, annoyed at Nihil's lack of response, grabbed a maid by her hair as she swept up cookie crumbs, taking out his frustration.
"Ah, s-sorry. Y-young master, it h-hurts."
"That's why you shouldn't butt in when you know your place."
"I-I'm sorry, young master. P-please forgive m—ahh!"
Nihil couldn't just stand by and watch the maid get bullied. He toddled over to Aidan.
"Wh-what the?"
"…."
"You insolent peasant!"
"…."
Not sure how to retort to "insolent," Nihil simply nodded as if agreeing.
"You think that veil's made of iron or something…!"
At that, Nihil pinched the edge of his veil and lifted it just a sliver. Not just Aidan and the kids—even the palace servants in the room widened their eyes and stared.
Nihil secretly curled his lips upward, pretended to wipe his face beneath the veil, then dramatically flashed the chocolate he'd been holding—now fully melted in his hand.
"Gaaah! What the hell!"
Aidan recoiled a good ten steps at the sight of the gooey mess, his reflexes impressively swift.
The other kids peered at Nihil's chocolate-smeared palm and started whispering again. Eww, nasty. What's that?Some kind of pus?He must really be sick!How could the 2nd Prince pick up something like that?
Nihil listened to the murmurs, stared blankly at his palm, then thrust the chocolate-covered hand high.
The kids flinched, eyeing him warily.
Udada—
"Gaaah!"
As Nihil charged, the kids scattered in terror. Some tripped over rugs or tea tables in their haste.
Nihil pondered which of the dispersing kids to chase, then whipped his head toward the one who'd fallen in the training yard earlier today.
"…!"
The child realized they were the target again, face hardening as they turned and fled.
Udada—
"Waaah!"
After chasing the sobbing kid around the reception room two or three times, the child tripped again with a flop. This time, Nihil didn't hold back—he closed in and smeared chocolate all over the kid's face.
"Waaah!"
The child wailed at the top of their lungs, convinced they'd caught some disease. The other kids just stared at the "disgusting" chocolate, not even trying to console them.
Having his fill of fun, Nihil approached the maid and held out his chocolate-smeared hand.
She flinched back at first, then professional duty kicked in. She dampened a handkerchief and wiped it clean. Catching the sweet-bitter chocolate scent, she gave Nihil a subtle look.
Nihil innocently tilted his head. The maid secretly smiled and meticulously cleaned the mess from his hand.
"Young master, you can't play pranks with chocolate."
At her words, the kid with chocolate on their face flushed beet red. In their crying fit, they hadn't noticed the sweet aroma wafting from their own cheeks.
After cleaning Nihil's face too, the maid went to the child slumped on the floor and gently helped them up.
"The young master was just being mischievous. He must've wanted to play with you."
She defended Nihil as best she could while wiping the child's face.
As the maid stepped back, Aidan—the one who'd fled farthest—sauntered over, acting nonchalant.
"Hey, gramps."
"…?"
Nihil tilted his head at the new nickname. How'd he figure out I'm old?
But like any kid denying their age, Nihil shook his head lightly in denial.
Aidan jabbed Nihil's forehead with his fingers.
"Don't play dumb. Your hair's all white—you're ancient."
"…."
"You wanna play with us?"
"…."
Nihil wasn't particularly interested, but refusing might put the maid in a tough spot and bruise the fragile kids' egos. He gave a vague nod.
"Hey, then make some noise."
"…."
"Even mutes can make sounds. Copy me. Aberaber~"
Aidan mimicked a speech impediment with a stupid noise, sending the surrounding kids into giggles.
But Nihil didn't react, so Aidan scowled and yanked the ponytail Evan had tied. It was so hard that Nihil's head snapped back.
"Why're you pretending not to hear!"
"…."
Nihil fidgeted, debating whether to poke the boy's eyes since he wasn't fighting back. Staying passive might upset his seaweed, but hurting a duke's heir could blow up into a big deal.
"Hey!"
While Nihil hesitated, Aidan—feeling ignored—yanked the ponytail again with full force. Nihil's head jerked back, and with a clatter, his small body tumbled across the floor.
"I'll teach you some manners, so listen up."
"…."
"Your place is down there. When highborns show up, flatten yourself on the ground. Got it?"
"…."
…Nod, nod.
Nihil pondered briefly, then nodded. He flopped onto the floor as instructed. The rug was thick and plush—not bad for a nap.
As he absentmindedly stroked the soft rug, wondering if he should doze off, he noticed the kids staring down at him like idiots. He tilted his head questioningly.
Aidan muttered in bewilderment.
"…Isn't this kid a bit slow?"
Shake, shake.
"Don't deny it! Get up!"
Nihil's hair was grabbed again, hauling his body upright. The ribbon barely holding the short ponytail finally snapped off and got trampled.
Guess I'll ask Puppy to tie it again.
As Nihil eyed the fallen ribbon, the sound of rapid footsteps approached—Lianus's.
Oh no.
Nihil's face scrunched behind the veil. The footsteps drawing nearer to the reception room made him anxious. If his baby kitten saw this, it might yowl in distress, so he twisted to free his hair.
"Oh? Squirming now?"
Oblivious to the situation, Aidan gripped harder and swung Nihil around.
Just as Nihil—against his principle of never hitting kids—was about to kick Aidan's gut,
Bang, slam!
"Nil, I got back quick…!"
The reception room door flew open with a racket, and in burst his damp seaweed.
"Wh…?"
Having rushed over in just pants and a shirt, Lianus started with a bright greeting, only to freeze like a fool at the scene inside.
"…."
"…."
"Your Highness, please take it slow…"
Drop.
Sir Evan, who'd been trudging wearily behind the thoroughly worn-out Lianus, dropped the coat he'd been carrying.
Silence blanketed the reception room.
Nihil seized the moment Aidan's grip slackened and yanked his hair free. He then casually bent down to pick up the fallen ribbon, acting like nothing happened.
How do I soothe a crying kitten…?
As he pondered how to comfort the wailing baby cat and straightened up, the seaweed suddenly darted past his eyes.
"…?"
Just as a question formed in Nihil's mind,
"Hey, you little shit!!!"