Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Closest Room
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Perry's eyes widened round. Contrary to her assumption that the empty room had already been assigned, the mysterious child named Nil had apparently been staying in His Highness's bedroom this whole time.
Naturally, Perry and Paul's gazes converged on Nihil.
Nihil pondered for a moment.
Whether he had his own room or not didn't really matter to him, but a pretty friend holing up in the prince's bedroom? It was obvious that would spark unfavorable rumors about Lianus. Even if he actually stayed there, for appearances' sake, he needed a separate room.
"Rian, you'll come visit my room once I get one, right?"
Nihil didn't bother trying to persuade Lianus. He'd already figured out how to handle him.
Lianus mulled over Nihil's words, then his eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously.
Going to play in a friend's room—what an exciting idea!
Living together in his own bedroom was great, but visiting a friend's room or even sleeping over would be a fresh experience.
Lianus bounced excitedly.
"Yeah! Yeah! I'll go play! Can I come every single day?"
"Sure. I'll drop by your room all the time too."
The butler and head maid watching the exchange felt their eyes twitch again. They couldn't hide their shock at Nil's boldness.
Only Sir Evan, who had already dealt with Nil, nodded calmly as if it were no big deal. He really knows how to handle kids, he thought.
"Nil can come anytime! What kind of room do you want?"
Lianus muttered to himself, wondering where the widest room with the best view and plenty of sunlight might be. He wanted to give his friend the very best.
"I don't need a fancy room. Just put me in the one closest to your bedroom."
Lianus's eyes widened at Nil's nonchalant reply, then he broke into a beaming smile.
The closest room! Nil must think that's the best too.
The unexpected answer lifted Lianus's spirits even higher.
Nihil could see Lianus's eyes sparkling brighter and brighter. He seemed thrilled with the response. From Nihil's perspective, it was just about minimizing travel time, but Lianus was no doubt already buzzing with ideas about visiting the room, his little head spinning wildly.
But the head maid spoke up hesitantly.
"The closest room would be the one on the floor below, currently used by Sir Evan. Shall we have him move?"
Sir Evan, who had been minding his own business, flinched at the sudden threat of losing his room.
Fortunately, Lianus thought differently, shaking his head firmly.
"That's not close at all! You'd have to go up and down stairs!"
"Pardon? But the fifth floor is reserved for royalty only. No matter which room we give you, there'll be stairs to climb..."
"Give me the room right across from mine."
"...Pardon?"
"I want the room directly across from mine."
Perry didn't bother mentioning that the room was reserved for visiting royalty from their own country or abroad—or perhaps an extremely important guest.
His Highness surely knew that already.
It was a space for hosting visiting royals in person or for the owner of a palace destroyed in some disaster to stay temporarily. It rarely saw use and was always kept empty, but furnished with high-end furniture and linens, meticulously maintained in preparation for an event that might never happen.
Assigning that room was tantamount to treating someone as royalty, so if word got out that the prince had given it to a friend, it would invite criticism for both His Highness and his friend.
"Your Highness, that room won't do. It would draw unwanted attention to your friend as well. Young Master Nil, there are plenty of fine rooms on the fourth floor. What do you think?"
Nil, who didn't mind whether it was the first or fifth floor as long as it wasn't too far, was about to nod and let them decide when Lianus shook his head vigorously.
"No way. It's empty most of the time anyway. I want that room. Give him that one."
Perry opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally surrendering. His Highness's gaze was too resolute.
Their young master had few desires at ordinary times, but when he set his mind to something, he saw it through. It was both the right and instinct of his noble bloodline.
"...We'll prepare it that way. Is there anything else you need?"
"Gather all the palace servants. Not a single one missing."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As Lianus told them to leave, Perry bowed deeply and departed.
The old butler waited patiently with his usual kind smile, anticipating his young master's words.
"Nil, Paul here has served since bringing my mother. He's the only one in this palace who's watched me grow up from the start."
Nihil stared blankly at the old butler. Undeterred by the rude gaze, Paul smiled warmly and bowed his head again.
Then Nihil spoke indifferently.
"He looks so frail he's about to keel over."
"Wh-what? No..., I may be getting on in years, but not that bad..."
"Hoho! Your friend is quite the joker!"
Paul just chuckled at the impudent remark from a child who had likely lived a fraction of his own life. He seemed like a grandfather delighted by his grandchild bringing home a playmate.
"Rian, I'm not joking. Let this old man rest a bit."
"Wh-what? Is the butler sick?"
"This butler is still hale and hearty, Your Highness."
Despite Paul's assurance, Lianus's expression darkened. A prince's palace would typically have multiple butlers, but due to Lianus's extreme aversion to outsiders, Paul currently handled most duties alone in the 2nd Prince's Palace.
"Is it... really bad?"
"For his age, he's quite sturdy. A bit of rest should fix it. Still, we should lighten his workload. Fatigue builds up over time."
Lianus whipped his head around to stare at Paul. He pressed his lips tight, furrowed his brows, and gazed silently for a long while before slowly speaking as if resolved.
"Butler, take a week off. Just post the hiring notice and rest."
"But, Your Highness..."
"The palace won't collapse if the butler skips a few days. That's an order."
"...A week is too much. I'll take today and tomorrow off—two days."
The old butler gave an awkward smile, looking troubled.
As the highest-ranking servant in the 2nd Prince's Palace, everything passed through Paul's hands. He managed ingredients for the prince's meals and servants' comings and goings meticulously, even if not his direct duty. Taking a full week off would make him more anxious than rested.
But Lianus was firm. If his friend had pointed it out, from an outsider's view, the exhaustion must have been obvious.
The prince and butler bickered for a while.
When Paul wouldn't budge, Lianus took a hard line.
"Should I make it ten days?"
"A week's already too much. Ten days?"
"Two weeks."
"...How about five days? I'll rest completely for five days."
"Mm, fine."
Lianus smiled, satisfied with five days. He knew a long break would strain things too much.
Lianus grinned, saying he'd thought it through well, then casually added that he'd just fire him if he didn't obey. He had no intention of dismissing Paul, but knew the butler's personality—he wouldn't rest otherwise. This way, he'd take it easy out of caution.
As Paul sighed inwardly, bowed, and turned to leave, Lianus called him back as if remembering something.
"Do one more thing before resting."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I'll have separate lessons with my older brother. My schedule can be a mess, but make sure his lessons stay on track. Adjust accordingly."
"...So, you'll have lessons apart from the 1st Prince, and I should rearrange the schedule?"
"Yeah! I'll study with Nil!"
The old man looked startled, then deep wrinkles formed around his eyes as they crinkled into half-moons. His kindly upturned lips split into a childlike grin.
"What a wonderful idea! I'll relay it and make the adjustments right away!"
In his joy, Paul grabbed the prince's hand and shook it up and down without thinking. He bowed deeply to Nihil in thanks too.
How heartbreaking it had been to watch their small, frail prince shrink smaller with every lesson.
At an age when he should grow up surrounded only by the finest sights, sounds, and foods, the fear that inferiority might breed dark thoughts—or even break him—had kept everyone on edge.
Watching him grit his teeth through lessons with the 1st Prince, Paul had thought: Crown Prince or not, to hell with studies—just let our prince grow up healthy and happy. Maybe kidnap him and raise him quietly in the countryside. It felt like just yesterday.
He'd even resented His Majesty for insisting on equal education and made a doll in the king's likeness to curse. Now, no need.
Paul decided to have a lavish dinner tonight, bowed to the prince, and left the bedroom with a light heart.
He already felt as rested as if he'd taken a full week off.
For the first time in ages, all the servants gathered in the lobby on the first floor of the 2nd Prince's Palace.
It wasn't a large group. After the poisoning attempt two years ago, most servants had been dismissed en masse, and aside from a few sent from the main palace, no new hires had been made.
The palace was barely maintained with the minimal staff.
Head Maid Perry bowed her head and spoke.
"Your Highness, everyone except the butler is present."
Lianus nodded lightly and looked down at the assembled servants in the lobby.
Sir Evan and Nihil stood quietly behind him.
The servants, clueless about the reason and faced with the prince's unusually serious demeanor, couldn't help but tense up. They racked their brains for any possible misdeeds.
Lianus cleared his throat quietly and introduced Nihil. The speech was brief—essentially, listen well and don't flap your gums.
He especially stressed keeping quiet. Lianus wanted to assign attendants to Nihil, but Nil shook his head no.
The palace master himself didn't keep even one servant around—how absurd for a guest like him to be waited on. More than that, he disliked having anyone hovering nearby.
Lianus told Nihil to speak up if he needed anything, then scanned the servants and nodded to the head maid.
She stepped forward, bowed to Nihil, and recited each servant's name and post.
When their names were called, they stepped up, bowed deeply, and couldn't tear their eyes from Nihil.
Nihil nodded as if acknowledging them, but his mind wandered elsewhere. Lianus, forgetting his stern facade, grinned ear to ear for some reason. Sir Evan, watching Nihil quietly, felt an inexplicable unease.
The introductions for the handful of servants ended quickly. In the hush, Nihil stepped forward and looked down at them.
His black opal eyes, like a galaxy-strewn night sky, were fringed with white lashes curving like a crescent moon. Someone's gulp echoed loudly in the quiet lobby.
One servant stepped forward for a better look, startled by their own footsteps and froze.
Nihil offered no warm greetings like "nice to meet you" or "please take care of me," yet no one found the silence odd.
His impassive expression cracked, lips curving into a red arc as his head tilted slightly. His eyes crinkled softly.
A collective intake of breath rippled through the servants.
But that was the extent of the greeting.
They longed for the beautiful child to say more, but having done his part, Nihil simply returned to Lianus's side and tucked himself behind him.