Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: The Ant Phenomenon
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"Nil, a week seems too long. Hmm, hmm, even for someone as smart as you, missing classes for a whole week would be tough."
Lianus knew full well from the start that classes held no meaning for Nihil, yet he piled on excuse after excuse anyway.
"I got sick once before and missed a few days of class, and catching up was brutal. I'm serious."
"Yeah. So what should we do?"
"Umm... do you have to go?"
Lianus wanted to tell him he'd hand over all his allowance if he'd just stay away from the Grand Duke's mansion. After all, the Grand Duke maintained strict neutrality given his position.
If his close friend ended up under the Grand Duke's wing, rumors were bound to spread, and living in his own palace might become impossible.
"Nil, maybe we should rethink the succession thing..."
Suddenly, mid-sentence, the image of those pitch-black bug corpses stuck to the teaspoon flashed in his mind.
"...No, never mind. Going to the Grand Duke's place is better."
"...?"
"It seems safest there... and if you're the Grand Duke's heir, no one would dare touch you out of fear..."
Come to think of it, Nihil didn't even need Lianus's permission for this. Lianus had no right to refuse in the first place.
Yet the fact that Nihil was asking his opinion probably meant Lianus relied on him far too much. He'd seek him out immediately whenever he needed something.
"Nil, am I getting in your way?"
"Rian, you have this habit of brooding alone and jumping to conclusions. It's cute when it's quirky, but it could lead to needless misunderstandings, so be careful."
"...Huh?"
"Not everyone can read your thoughts like I do. Got it?"
"Uh... yeah."
Lianus nodded on reflex. Nihil chuckled softly and patted his head.
"And if you're thinking I'm neglecting my own affairs because I'm busy looking after you, that's not true."
"...It's not?"
Lianus glanced at Nihil before quickly lowering his eyes. He suddenly felt embarrassed, unable to look his friend in the face.
Nihil watched him for a moment, then gave up with a sigh and whipped his head toward Dios.
"Dia, no matter how I think about it, I'm still worried!"
"Stop overreacting! He's not a nursing infant!"
"But...!"
"From what I see, the one with separation anxiety isn't that little blood clot—it's you!"
"B-blood clot...?"
Lianus's pupils trembled faintly as Dios's pinky finger pointed squarely at him when he said "blood clot." By the time Dios realized his slip and clamped his mouth shut, it was too late.
"Sir Evaaan, he called me a blood clot!"
"...The young master is at fault here."
"Right! That tiny thing smaller than me is so arro—"
"Cough, coughcough! Ack, cough!"
"Sir Evan! Have you caught a cold?!"
"Ahem, no. I'm fully recovered."
In the end, poor Evan, caught in the middle, was the one left in an awkward spot. Nihil stifled a laugh at the struggling dog-man and gently soothed Lianus.
"Rian, seems like there's a misunderstanding. I do what I want to do."
"But... everything you do is tied to me somehow."
"Can't argue with that. My dream is to raise you up big and strong so I can mooch off you for life. You'll take responsibility for my retirement, right?"
"Of course!"
"Good."
"......"
The dog-man stared in utter disbelief, but Nihil grinned contentedly now that his future was secure.
In the end, since both long separations seemed tough for Nihil and Lianus alike, they settled on splitting it into two-day trips.
"You should handle the Prime Minister's business before you go. Full moon's coming up."
"Seriously, curb that habit of meddling everywhere."
"Dia, it's late—stay the night."
Ignoring the nagging entirely, Nihil scooped up the little one and tucked him into bed.
"What nonsense..."
"It's fine, right, Rian?"
"Yeah! Baby, the bed's huge!"
"......"
"And baby's super duper tiny, so even a small bed's okay."
"......"
Having gotten petty revenge for being called a blood clot, Lianus beamed with satisfaction.
It was already deep into the night, so they skipped the picture book, and Nihil sang a short lullaby.
"Hnnn..."
Exhausted, Lianus fell asleep in no time. Once the dog-man was sent off, only the chirping of crickets echoed faintly.
Nihil stared blankly at the rabbit doll beside him, then gently placed it in the little one's arms before carefully speaking up.
"[Dia, we should correct those rumors first.]"
"[I told Rex to handle it. Things got a bit tangled because of Father's blunder.]"
"[...I see.]"
Nihil smiled bitterly. Now that he thought about it, the kid's dad must have been pretty thrown off because of him too...
"[By the way, what happened with the kid's dad?]"
"[Ah...]"
At the question, the little one averted his gaze slightly and mumbled into the rabbit doll.
"[...I tampered with his memories a bit.]"
"[......]"
"[I know he really hates anyone messing with his memories... but I had no choice. Explaining the situation would've been way too risky.]"
"[True enough.]"
Nihil understood it was unavoidable, but he still felt a twinge of guilt for the rotten thing they'd done to the kid's dad.
Dios fell silent for a moment before hesitantly continuing.
"[Honestly... I admit it was rash.]"
In truth, if they'd just pulled away quickly and snapped him out of it, he might've brushed it off as a mere illusion.
But the thought of his father fully assimilating the blood clot left no room for such restraint.
The fear of being left as an outsider in the world once more was too overwhelming...
"[Dia.]"
"[...Yes.]"
"[I'm grateful.]"
"[......]"
"[If you hadn't been there... honestly, I don't even want to imagine what would've happened.]"
Nihil meant every word. Without the kid, he might've been consumed by Lianus's presence, taking his place without even realizing who he truly was—and then slowly devoured himself.
Blending into the world, not as himself, but as someone else.
"[Dia, about what you said before... I've given it serious thought...]"
"[...I told you to forget it.]"
Dios said that, yet he listened intently as if nothing was amiss. Self-loathing welled up at his own hypocrisy.
After begging to be saved, now whining about the hardship and asking for death—when he knew full well what you'd sacrificed to keep him alive.
"[It was a slip of the tongue. Just... think of it as me being spoiled.]"
He couldn't commit such filial impiety again, so Dios brushed it off lightly as no big deal.
But Nihil, seeing through Dios's true feelings, forced a smile and pressed on.
"[Even so, I promise you, Dia.]
I'll take responsibility for your peace."
"Lianus, why didn't you bring Baedong?"
In imperial studies class, Lawrence had a good guess why Baedong was absent but feigned ignorance and probed Lianus anyway.
Lianus glanced at Aiden looking down at him from beside Lawrence, then drooped his head dejectedly for no reason.
"My friend had some circumstances and couldn't come."
"Oh dear, is he ill?"
"No! My friend's not sick at all!"
Lawrence subtly lifted the corner of his mouth at Lianus's vehement reaction, then flicked his gaze to Evan.
From reports, Baedong showed no real change even after ingesting the poison, so at first he'd suspected the knight had swapped the dessert in the interim.
But soon rumors spread: Baedong had died and come back to life.
It wasn't a terribly potent poison, so he was a bit skeptical of the exaggerated tales, but as a malnourished commoner, his weak constitution could explain it.
"Baedong must have a frail body."
"......"
Lianus didn't respond and hung his head even lower. Nihil had warned him his face gave away his thoughts, so he had to be extra careful.
"You need to take good care of him. Especially since everyone around you..."
"I promised to take responsibility for him all the way to retirement!"
"...?"
"So don't worry about my friend!"
"...I see."
'Should I have just killed him?'
He'd spared Baedong thinking he could pull him to his side, but seeing the perfectly fine Lianus made him question his judgment.
Still, snatching Baedong away would surely break him.
Fortunately, opportunity knocked soon enough.
On his way back from class, he spotted a shock of white hair crouched by a flowerbed in the main palace garden.
For some reason, he was with a tall servant this time, who spotted Lawrence and bowed deeply in surprise.
Lawrence smiled satisfactorily at the servant's obvious tension.
"It's been a while. What brings you here alone?"
Lawrence asked without really expecting an answer. He was mute anyway, probably out to meet Lianus like last time.
Too bad their paths didn't cross.
"What the hell are you staring at so gross?"
Aiden, beside him, peered at what Baedong was watching and scowled. Ants.
Oddly enough, the ants were circling endlessly in place.
Intrigued by the novel sight, Lawrence felt a spark of curiosity, but a prince couldn't very well squat in the middle of the garden gawking at ants, so he looked away.
"Hey!"
The ant procession was soon crushed under Aiden's foot.
"...Gasp!"
"......"
The servant gasped in shock, but Baedong quietly stared at the flattened ant corpses before standing up nonchalantly and looking up at him.
"...Have you been very ill lately?"
Shake, shake.
"Did Lianus tell you not to say anything?"
"......"
"It's fine to tell me. I'm his older brother."
"......"
...Nod.
Baedong hesitated before nodding slightly. Pleased, Lawrence smiled faintly before turning to the servant, who was shrinking back tensely.
"You may go."
"Y-yes?"
Stammering at the dismissal, the servant who'd accompanied Baedong asked again.
"I-I must esc-escort the y-young master."
"Why the stutter? No need to be so tense."
"S-sorry... B-but I have a sp-speech impediment, so p-please don't take offense."
"What, a stutter too?"
Aiden grimaced at Jane's reply.
"Mute and a stutterer—perfect combo. Does the 2nd Prince have a hobby of collecting freaks?"
"......"
Jane bowed his head lower. He wanted to yell at them not to insult the 2nd Prince, but he couldn't. Protesting with a stammer would only earn mockery.
...Yvon would've stood up without flinching.
Yet even as he thought that, Jane was relieved Yvon wasn't there. A retort might feel good, but it'd only escalate things.
He could see the servants behind the 1st Prince whispering and snickering among themselves. Jane quickly checked on his young master.
'Jane.'
'Y-yes?'
'Watch closely.'
The young master, heading to the main palace, suddenly crouched before a passing ant trail and placed a pebble in front. Then he blocked their path this way and that.
The confused ants seemed to search for a way, but soon began circling in place.
The eerie sight fascinated Jane even as it stirred an inexplicable unease.
'Do you know why these ants are doing this?'
'N-no idea.'
'It's called the death spiral phenomenon.'
The young master gazed at the endlessly spinning ants and explained softly.
'...In short, like a vortex of death.'
Watching the growing ant spiral, the young master subtly curled his lip.
'Jane, if you don't realize you're on the wrong path, this is what happens.'
'......'
'Very slowly... driving yourself to death.'
'......'
'But... for the ants following behind, wouldn't it be right to cut off that path?'
Can't trample humans to death, so must change the root slowly.
"...So, wouldn't staying in my palace be best?"
"......"
Jane stole a glance at the 1st Prince persuasively smiling at his young master, then buried his head again.