Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: The Bracelet
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"Brother?"
"...Ariel?"
Sir Evan froze at the sound of the voice as he arrived early in the dawn to check on Ariel. The girl, who should have been sound asleep, was wide awake.
Ariel hadn't expected to see him either. Her eyes widened in round surprise before blooming into a bright smile.
"Brother!"
"Whoa, careful!"
Ariel wobbled badly as she climbed down from the bed. Evan swiftly caught her before she could fall and eased her back onto the mattress. She felt even lighter than His Highness, who was already so terribly thin.
"Ariel, did you stay up all night?"
"Nuh-uh, no. I went to bed early, so I woke up early. That sleep incense you brought last time works wonders. Even when I wake up in the middle of the night, my head doesn't hurt! But why didn't you wake me last time? You just left."
Ariel dragged over a puppy plush larger than herself and hugged it tight, her lips pouting in complaint. It was the doll he'd left behind last time.
Her childish grumbling melted away into a beaming grin soon enough.
"I really love this one. It looks just like you, Brother."
"...Does it?"
Evan eyed the puppy plush with a dubious frown.
'...Does my face really look like a dog's...?'
He shook his head, imagining she'd have said the same even if he'd brought a bear doll. It must just be the big size that reminded her of him. That's all it was—he decided to think of it that way.
"Ariel, where's the chick?"
"The chick...?"
"The teapot I brought last time."
"Oh come on, it's not a chick—it's a canary. It's up on that shelf over there."
Evan followed her pointing finger to the shelf, where the chick-shaped teapot sat. His expression hardened.
It was too high for a ten-year-old Ariel to reach.
'...I specifically asked them not to put it up that high...'
He ground his teeth. How could they ignore him like this?
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's nothing."
Evan quickly schooled his features and fetched the yellow bird teapot, insisting it was a chick. He then pulled out the tea caddy he'd brought and scooped in a bit of leaves.
It was the tea that the dismissed apothecary from the main palace had given him for the new apothecary at the 2nd Prince's Palace.
He'd meant to throw it out but forgotten. For some reason, it had caught his eye today, and he'd grabbed it without thinking.
'I could've sworn I buried it deep in the drawer...'
It had been right on top when he opened the drawer, which struck him as odd, but Evan dismissed it as his imagination and poured in hot water.
"Smells nice."
"I'll leave it here, so take good care of it and drink up."
"Okay. Thanks, Brother."
Slurp—
"...?"
Ariel's face twisted subtly after sipping the tea.
"What's wrong?"
"Brother, is it supposed to taste like this? The aroma and flavor are a bit... different."
"...Probably... not."
He must have brewed it wrong. The wildcat had drunk it down without complaint, after all.
"Still tastes good, though."
"Think of it as medicine and drink up. It's supposed to be beneficial."
"Okay."
Slurp. In the comfortable silence, only the occasional sound of sipping broke the quiet.
Evan mulled over his usual gripe—Why drink this grassy water anyway?—before remembering the real reason he'd come to see Ariel today. He opened his mouth cautiously.
"Ariel."
"Hm?"
"Let me see your hand."
Ariel tilted her head but obediently extended her hand.
Evan stared at the bony, emaciated fingers. Her wrist looked so fragile it might snap at the slightest touch.
"You're eating properly, right?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Why are you... so thin?"
"Hee hee..."
Evan pulled something from his pocket and wrapped it around her slender wrist. It was too long for one loop, so he wound it twice, then fastened the clasp that barely fit her tiny hand.
A strange sense of relief washed over him.
"What's this? ...A bracelet? Brother, since when do you buy stuff like this?"
"What? What kind of talk is that?"
Ariel's eyes went wide with genuine surprise as she fiddled with the bracelet.
She couldn't tear her gaze away—she really seemed to love it.
"But... you only ever knew how to buy chocolate before... Lately, though, you've been bringing pretty teapots and puppy dolls... and now even... a bracelet...?"
Evan chuckled awkwardly. He'd only ever received chocolate as gifts until now.
The premium chocolate his master brought once or twice a month had always been his ultimate treat.
"It's... so pretty."
Ariel gazed at the bracelet with a delighted smile.
The floral charm that had looked ridiculous on his own wrist—put there to tease him by that wildcat—shone beautifully on his little sister's.
As if... it had found its true owner.
Nihil sighed deeply and withdrew the needle he'd been about to insert. The mutt, back from an early morning outing, was fidgeting like Evan II desperate for a potty break.
Nihil untied the cloth over his eyes and spoke first.
"Stop whining and just spit it out. Why act all sneaky?"
Evan eyed the twitching tip of the long needle in Nihil's hand, then glanced down at the Prime Minister, who looked utterly terrified. He tightened his grip on the man and changed the subject.
"...When did I ever act sneaky? Just keep treating him. The Prime Minister's waiting."
The Prime Minister shook his head frantically at that. Then he rolled his eyes, nodded once, and shook his head again.
The treatment was supposedly quite painful, leaving him mentally on edge.
"You think lies work on me?"
"..."
Evan flinched at the sharp retort and ducked his head. His eyes met the reclining Prime Minister's, and he hastily looked away in embarrassment.
"Out with it. No more whining."
Evan bit his lip hard. He did have something to say and was grateful Nihil had brought it up first, but he dreaded having all his secrets laid bare.
"Hoo..."
Abel, seizing the pause in treatment, breathed a sigh of relief through the cloth in his mouth.
Evan hesitated, figuring the outsider's presence might soften any scolding.
"Um, you know..."
"What."
"Well, it's like..."
"Even Evan II expresses himself better than you."
"Eek!"
"See? Even that chick communicates so well."
"..."
Urgh.
Why was he always compared to that chirping thing?
Evan swallowed his indignation and forced the words out.
"...I lost it."
"Lost what."
"The... bracelet you made."
Ah... I said it. I actually said it. Should've waited. Is it okay right after coming back? What if he gets suspicious?
If even this lie gets found out...
Regret crashed over him the moment the words left his mouth.
The wildcat's lip curled up on one side.
"Ha."
That hollow laugh stabbed like a dagger to the heart.
Caught. He was caught.
Of course. No way he could hide anything from him.
"...Sorry... it happened."
Maybe he hasn't figured it out.
Evan clung to that faint hope and squeezed his eyes shut. He heard a click of the tongue.
"Damn mutt."
"...?"
"How many days has it been? Already lost it? Do you have a brain or not?"
Evan's head jerked up.
He'd expected a scoff like You think I'd fall for that? Instead, the wildcat wagged the needle while launching into a lecture.
"Bet you didn't like the floral charm I put so much effort into, took it off, and lost it while prancing around. So obvious."
"..."
"Was the bracelet I made that embarrassing? Huh?"
"No, it's not..."
As Evan eyed him warily, feeling an odd relief amid the nagging, Nihil kept going.
Don't be nice to mutts—they're ungrateful. Gonna make you pay back every copper. Never putting pretty decorations on you again.
"It takes thirty whole minutes of focus to make that...!"
Evan couldn't hide his subtle shift in expression.
"...You put a lot of effort into it, huh?"
"So thirty minutes of effort isn't effort?"
"No... that's not what I..."
Sorry, I'm sorry.
Evan mumbled apologies again. It was all his fault, after all.
"Problem is, I didn't put any tracking magic on it..."
"...!"
Tracking magic? He could do that too?
Stunned rigid, Evan felt something wrap around his wrist.
It was a plain bracelet, almost crudely made.
"Hmph. Don't expect any decorations from now on."
"..."
His breath caught. Whether from the bracelet or something else, he couldn't tell.
At that moment, the Prime Minister—looking like a porcupine with needles stuck everywhere—spat out his cloth in a hurry. His eyes sparkled as he spoke up.
"Nil, I don't know what you gave Sir Evan, but could you make one for me too?"
"Prime Minister, stay still. Move again and no more treatment."
"Y-yes, sir..."
Abel straightened his posture and relaxed.
It hurt like hell, but getting treatment today was a stroke of luck. Good thing he'd delivered the letter in person.
Of course, the letter itself had been tossed unopened into the fireplace, and he'd long overrun his expected return time.
Then he remembered his poor friend, buried in paperwork and waiting endlessly for him.
"By the way, Nil, how long will this take?"
"Why."
"Truth is, I told Sedi I was stepping out for a breath of fresh air."
"..."
"No, Nil, don't look at me like that—hear me out."
Abel hurried to explain as Nihil narrowed his eyes.
"I'm only at three circles, but there's no one Sedi can boss around as freely as me. He'll be thrilled if the treatment ends quick. Might even praise me for seizing the chance!"
"...Treatment needs a few more days."
"What? A few more times? It's too painful! Can't you make it painless?"
"...That tough, huh?"
Nihil asked reluctantly, and Lianus—who'd been munching cookies on the side, watching the show—froze mid-chew.
"Nil, no."
"But..."
Nihil glanced down at the Prime Minister, drenched in sweat from enduring the pain.
Lianus's face hardened resolutely.
"No. Don't. Don't accept it."
"..."
Abel, whose face had gone pale at the news of more sessions, gave an awkward laugh at Lianus's reaction.
"Ha ha... Your Highness, I've been too whiny. Sorry for showing such a disgraceful side. It was just a joke—please don't take it to heart."
"...No, Prime Minister. This is... a problem with my overly nosy friend. He has this bad habit of shouldering everything alone."
"..."
Nihil pressed his lips together at the kitten's sharp critique. He'd thought it before, but sometimes the boy was too straightforward.
"I've been acting childish."
"No, no, Prime Minister. I wasn't blaming you."
The ever-mature and gentle Prime Minister acting like a child felt a bit off, but Nihil was grateful he treated him so casually.
"I know this treatment is... a crucial matter for you, Prime Minister."
Lianus rolled his eyes, feeling unnecessarily guilty.
He knew how desperate the man was. Just as he'd clung to swordsmanship despite his inability to wield aura, the Prime Minister had struggled for twenty years to break past three circles.
"Your Highness, shall I tell you about His Majesty's love life?"
"Pardon...?"
Abel teased, noting Lianus's slightly downcast mood.
"Mm, a tale of His Majesty when he fell in love."
His friend's son's eyes sparkled with interest for a moment.
Abel stifled a laugh at the simple reaction and continued.
"They say love makes fools of us all... but... well... Sedi—no, His Majesty was truly..."
Abel drew in a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh.
"A madman."