Chapter 19
Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Regrets and Revelations
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nihil was starting to regret whether he'd done the right thing.
What good would studying imperial arts be to him anyway? The dog had barked, and afraid that the seaweed head might soak up too much broth if left out, he'd impulsively gone ahead with it. Now he was stuck trailing after Lianus's heels, attending classes without escape. His only consolation was that, even if they ran late, all the lessons wrapped up around three or four in the afternoon.
"Oh, besides the regular classes, sometimes when the weather clears up, we add riding or archery lessons. You don't have to worry about those since Older Brother skips them."
"......Yeah."
Nihil's responses were growing slower, his voice softer. He couldn't bring himself to blame Lianus, so he shot a sidelong glare at the guard dog standing beside him.
Evan knew full well how big a favor Nihil had done him, so he just rolled his eyes playfully, lifted the corner of his mouth in a grin, and flashed a thumbs-up.
At that, Nihil couldn't even muster annoyance anymore and just let out a deep sigh.
Afterward, once Lianus had flopped his seaweed hair as he headed to the bath to wash up, leaving Evan and Nihil alone with only the sound of running water echoing through the bedroom, Nihil—practically fused to the sofa by now—finally spoke up quietly.
"Tell me why you barked today."
"...When the hell did I bark?"
This morning, he'd stood guard quietly and silently outside like always, yet this guy was demanding more barking, accusing him of drooling over a glimpse of chocolate pudding. This bobcat really must think he looked like a dog.
Evan couldn't grasp what Nihil meant since he'd never barked himself, so he narrowed his eyes, trying to read the intent. But Nihil's stone-cold expression gave nothing away.
Sure, he'd bustled about noisily at dawn and gotten a bit rowdy insisting on attending classes with His Highness, but when Nihil had told him to bark more, he'd definitely been doing nothing at all.
'Hmm, no. I did thump the wall once... Did that carry?'
"Didn't you keep sighing all day after meeting Rian's instructors this morning?"
"...Did it carry all the way into the bedroom?"
Evan's eyebrow twitched. Then, with a look of exasperation, he clicked his tongue.
Not a wall thump, but a sigh?
He couldn't recall if he'd actually sighed that much, but after running into the Queen and the 1st Prince, his mood had soured, so the odds were high.
"With sighs like the ground was caving in, how could they not? I couldn't get a wink of sleep because of you."
"......"
Shouldn't he blame his own oversensitivity for reacting to sighs filtering in from outside the door, not me?
Evan glared at the bobcat, who was especially prickly toward him, narrowing his eyes. Then a sudden thought struck him.
'This guy... did he wake His Highness so roughly because of me?'
"Spit it out already."
Nihil prodded him with the same impassive face. Evan, caught off guard by the thought flashing through his mind, opened and closed his mouth wordlessly.
Come to think of it, the bobcat wasn't the type to whine about boredom and beg for playtime first. He'd probably hoped for an excuse to skip it. He wasn't some ill-mannered monster who'd rudely wake a sick prince either.
It had been Nihil who'd first noticed Lianus's condition even before Evan and prepared the medicine. Like Evan, he'd nursed him right there until the fever broke. And even after, when Evan had been noisy, he hadn't hurled a pillow in irritation.
With dawning suspicion, Evan stared down at Nihil in shock.
"You... don't tell me you roughed up His Highness that badly because of me?"
"If not for you, I could've let him sleep longer. With the mutt whimpering like that, don't you wake the master to soothe him?"
"......"
This bobcat dog bas...
"Looks like you won't snitch to your master anyway, so just spill it."
"......"
Evan hesitated. In fact, he'd even forgotten that he'd run into the Queen and 1st Prince because of the bobcat's noisy wake-up call.
He wavered on whether to say it, but sensing this guy could downplay even the gravest issue like it was nothing, Evan finally spoke up to lighten his burden.
"...The 1st Prince knew about His Highness's condition even though I hadn't told him."
"The 1st Prince?"
"Yeah. The servants in this palace didn't know until His Highness told them himself, so info didn't leak from them. I only told the instructors he was absent—no details about illness. Of course, since he falls sick so often, they might've guessed as much."
"So you don't know where it leaked from? Leaves just one spot, doesn't it?"
"You saying one of the instructors is the culprit...?"
Evan tilted his head. Excluding Tesaurus Duke, most instructors were neutral. No swordsmanship today, so he hadn't even notified the Duke of the absence.
There could be 1st Prince supporters among them, but since the 1st Prince seemed to know before the instructors, they probably weren't the source...
Nihil sighed deeply, as if Evan were pathetic.
"Your yap, that's what."
"What're you on about?"
"Think about it. Who else but you?"
"Make sense! If I'd blabbed, why would I be agonizing over it?"
"You didn't tell the palace servants or instructors about the illness. But there was one person you had to inform about Rian's condition."
"...Had to? You mean..."
The one person he'd had no choice but to tell about His Highness's illness—with every symptom in detail.
The pharmacist.
Evan's face hardened. Then, incredulous, he started making excuses.
"......But he's from this palace. His Majesty demands perfect neutrality. Subtle noble backing is one thing, but anyone hired here steps out of line supporting a prince before the crown prince trial, and it's their head."
Perfect neutrality...
Looks like Lianus is more loved than he thought, Nihil mused.
'A prince without a mother not getting weeded out in the palace— all thanks to the King's grace.'
"Anyway, the pharmacist won't tamper with the meds blatantly. Too obvious. But guessing the condition from the medicines he picks up? Easy enough. That's definitely the leak. And a royal's health leaking out is more lethal than you'd think."
For the palace's own pharmacist to fall into the 1st Prince's hands—nothing more damaging. Until now, they'd trusted him blindly, dosing up every time His Highness fell ill.
If he'd messed with the drugs, His Highness would be...
"Don't worry. The batch this time was clean."
"...So what now?"
Evan's expression darkened. It wasn't right to ask a kid he'd known barely a day, but everything felt so hopeless he wanted to borrow even a cat's paw.
"Next time he brings meds, I'll write a list. Have him deliver the raw herbs instead."
Evan's head, which had been drooping, snapped up. His eyes went wide. He'd hoped for a cat's paw, but got a bobcat's instead.
Nihil remained impassive, that steady blankness oddly reassuring.
But Evan couldn't help questioning it.
"...You can do pulse diagnosis and compound medicine...? No, how?"
"Didn't I say I raised a sick kid? I flailed around for ages to save him. I'm older than I look."
Evan's jaw dropped. Could he trust this guy? Thoughts tangled in his head, but Nihil pressed on undeterred.
"...At first, I figured if he died, I'd just bury him. Death's natural for living things. But... I couldn't let go."
Nihil stayed matter-of-fact. Or maybe slightly twisted. The mood grew heavy; Evan held his breath, silent.
"Couldn't stand thinking I'd never see that kid again. But I just kept surviving—had no clue how to handle sickness. Never been ill myself. Didn't know to call a physician, that treatment cost money, how to earn it. Knew nothing."
"......"
"That's when I first dealt with people. Approached strangers—nearly got kidnapped. Hit up an apothecary broke—got chased off. First time realizing how incompetent I was."
Evan's face stiffened. Nihil, hating the gloom, shrugged lightly and downplayed it.
"No idea how I ended up rambling like this. Don't look at me like that. I'm so damn gifted, adapted quick enough. Lucky for me, the kid held on long. Might've been minor, but my clinging prolonged it... or maybe bad care caused it altogether."
Evan knew Nihil was lightening the air but couldn't relax his face. He knew the terror of ignorance all too well—that helplessness before a sick child.
"Scraped together a herb book—hilariously, couldn't read. Pictures weren't clear enough to identify, so even after learning letters, I taste-tested everything similar. Grasses, flowers, fruits, roots—even bark. Nothing untouched."
"......"
"Thrashing around like that, got bellyaches, fevers. Never sick before, body so tough—hit hard. Tasted plenty of poisons, but sturdy build kept me alive."
He seemed attached to the kid he raised, yet the bobcat stayed deadpan. Dragged up a painful past just to convince Evan.
Evan, still grim-faced, asked,
"...Did the kid recover?"
"Fully. We stuck together long after. Studied herbs steady in case. Overdid the tonics though—got too robust, knowledge went to waste. Anyway, skills are solid. Trust me. Though who knows how long the prince'll keep me around."
So saying, Nihil flatly asked what Evan thought—how soon he'd get booted. Then muttered to himself. People were awfully fickle.