Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Sneaking Out
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Lianus was imagining himself hiding in an alley with Nihil, coolly exchanging hand signals in perfect sync, when he tilted his head.
"But Nil, don't you need a fake name?"
"No one will be curious about the name of the prince's commoner friend anyway, and mine isn't my real name to begin with."
Lianus tilted his head again, thinking that made sense, before raising an objection.
"But mine's a nickname too."
"Your name is a compound of the ancient words 'Rian' and 'Lus' from the start. And 'Rian' implies 'king.' It's not an extremely rare name, but it's better not to use it outside if possible."
Everyone stared at Nihil in surprise at the explanation.
Even the butler, who had been kindly smiling and helping with Lianus's disguise all along, widened his eyes so much that the wrinkles around them smoothed out, unable to hide his astonishment. But deeming good things good, he soon smiled proudly again and nodded.
"I told you as a bonus, but absolutely don't act like you know in front of the 1st Prince. The name 'Lawrence' doesn't carry the meaning of 'king.'"
"How do you know stuff like that, Nil?"
"I learned to read wrong. Since I was self-taught, no one told me it was ancient script."
Nihil casually spat out the lie. It wasn't that what Nihil had learned was ancient script from the beginning. It had simply become ancient script over time. Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely wrong since he'd learned it before the current local language, but he couldn't tell the truth, and the group, oblivious to the facts, observed Nihil like he was some rare specimen.
Nihil lightly tugged at Lianus's cheek, who was eyeing him particularly brightly, promising to teach him later someday, then turned to the butler and spoke.
"If something comes up, cooperate with the head maid or head chef, but don't forget what I told you."
Nihil didn't give many instructions, figuring the capable butler would handle it well on his own.
The butler smiled gently, as if to say not to worry.
"Yes, please take good care of our prince."
"Then shall we go, Ner?"
Nihil donned his robe, pulling the hood deep so only his lower face peeked out, and carefully fastened Lianus's robe.
"If you feel unwell, tell me right away."
"Yeah!"
And with that, Lianus's body floated up.
"...Huh? Wh-what?"
Lianus stuttered, his thoughts frozen. Nihil paid no mind to the odd noise, hugging Lianus—who was clinging tightly to his head like a sleepy koala—and opened the terrace window.
A cool dawn breeze brushed their cheeks. The sun was just about to rise, so it was still dim and dusky.
Nihil held Lianus securely, supporting his bottom like one would an infant, and the pose looked quite stable. But the knights and butler watching all agreed the sight of what looked like a child carrying another child was bizarre.
Lianus's pupils trembled faintly at Nihil's inexplicable actions.
Sir Evan, meeting those eyes, finally spoke up, unable to stand it.
"...What are you doing?"
"Trying to get down to the terrace."
"Why?"
"We can't let anyone know we're gone, so we can't just stroll out the front gate."
Nihil tilted his head at Evan as if to ask what the problem was, then turned back, gripping the railing in a pose ready to leap over at any moment.
"Aaaah, you madman!!"
Sir Evan, finally grasping Nihil's intent, freaked out and snatched Lianus from his arms.
Losing his balance as a result, Nihil fell on his butt and glared at Evan.
"What the hell."
For Nihil, losing Lianus was more irritating than the fall. He asked in a tone full of displeasure.
Sir Evan pointed a finger at him, stammering.
"D-do you know this is the fifth floor?!"
"I do."
"And you're still thinking of jumping?!"
"One floor at a time, no problem."
"Why are you carrying His Highness?!"
"Rian can't jump down."
"No, the point is, why are you—the one carrying him—jumping when there are two perfectly fine knights right here?!"
"......"
Nihil finally seemed to realize his mistake, glancing back and forth between Evan and Bella.
Lianus, now in Evan's arms, met Nihil's eyes and gave an awkward smile.
"...Shall we go?"
Nihil brazenly stood up as if nothing had happened, turning back to grip the railing again. Seeing this, Evan reached to grab his collar, but Bella intervened first, scooping Nihil up.
"I'll take care of the pretty young master!"
"No need to bother."
"Can't miss a chance like this!"
"...Do as you like."
With permission granted, Bella hugged Nihil tightly, indulging her own whims. Lianus, relieved that his friend was safe now, finally let out a sigh and bid the butler farewell.
"Then I'll be off, Butler."
"Please go carefully."
With that short exchange, the two knights leaped over the terrace simultaneously.
Paul waved lightly until the four were out of sight, then closed the terrace window and began tidying the bedroom.
He was worried since it was His Highness's first such rough outing, but with that friend stuck to his side, he was sure the young one would look after the prince meticulously from one to ten.
Having personally helped prepare for the prince's outing, Paul had fully sensed how thorough that little kid was and how much he doted on the prince.
Paul smiled proudly, neatly smoothing the bedcovers before tapping the black nose of the bear doll Poofu.
Today, His Highness was set to sleep in late with his friend and have a late lunch.
The two knights, each cradling a child, slipped past the castle walls and boarded an old carriage abandoned in a somewhat remote spot.
The exterior was shabby, but the interior was clean and warm. The seats were especially plush.
Naturally, Evan took the reins, while Bella stood guard inside.
"Ner, try to catch a bit more sleep on the way."
Nihil said as he laid Lianus on his lap.
Lianus obediently lay down at the touch but had wide-awake eyes from the cold wind on the way there.
"Yeah, but I'm not sleepy."
"Close your eyes, and sleep will come."
Nihil gently stroked Lianus's eyes, swollen with a mix of tension and excitement, coaxing them shut.
Lianus thought he wouldn't fall asleep, but he soon drifted off, lulled by the small warmth.
"Aren't you sleeping, pretty young master?"
Bella asked, watching Nihil pat the sleeping Lianus. Nihil glanced at her and nodded toward the luggage bag beside him.
"Open that."
Bella opened the bag without complaint. She hadn't packed it herself—Nihil had prepared and handed it over—so she had no idea what was inside.
"It's packed full."
Bella rummaged through. There were light rations and snacks, spare clothes, blankets, and more, but the small glass vials stood out most.
"They're not for specific uses, so use them as needed. From the left: disinfectant, hemostatic, healing ointment, antipyretic, antibiotic, and the last one's holy water."
"You're so thorough! What's this bundle of dry grass?"
Bella opened a small cloth pouch and peered inside at what looked like dried leaves.
"That's an herbal remedy to warm the body. You seem capable enough, but when it's cold, movements slow down, so crush it fine, mix in water, and drink if the temperature drops. Or just chew and spit if it's a hassle."
"Is this for us?"
"Rian's share is separate."
Nihil pulled a small vial of pills from his own bag to show her.
"Why are His Highness's pills?"
"They taste bad."
"Ah......"
Bella sighed in understanding and nodded vigorously.
"But I can't stomach bitter stuff either."
"Not my problem."
"Hing......"
Bella slumped her shoulders and neatly repacked the bag. A snort came from the driver's seat, making her bristle and reach for the window, but Nihil's scolding about not disturbing the kid made her deflate again. She curled up against the sleeping cat-formed Lianus.
A little time passed, and when Bella peeked open her eyes, Nihil was leaning back against the seat, eyes quietly closed. He wasn't moving at all—looked fast asleep.
"Hey, doggo."
"What, kitty?"
Bella, now back in human form, whispered toward the driver's seat, and Evan's deadpan reply came.
She glanced warily at Nihil, as if sharing a secret.
"What's that pretty young master's deal?"
"Ask him yourself."
"He won't tell. Now's our chance while he's asleep."
"Like he's actually sleeping."
"He is, really. Fell asleep giving His Highness a lap pillow."
Evan pictured the obvious scene inside the carriage and chuckled softly before calling out to Nihil.
"Bobcat."
Though separated by the partition, Nihil—who'd heard the butler's sigh from outside—would surely hear him.
"What."
"Eek!"
The low reply came without fail.
Startled, Bella yelped oddly and clutched her chest. She turned to Nihil, who still had his eyes closed without a twitch, making her wonder if she'd imagined it. Cautiously, she approached and poked his cheek.
"Pretty young master?"
"......"
Only then did Nihil slowly lift his eyelids at her call. Bella stared blankly at the mysterious eyes gradually revealing themselves before coughing awkwardly and stepping back, embarrassed.
"Weren't you sleeping?"
"I wasn't."
"Why pretend?"
"Kitty jumped to conclusions."
"So what's your deal, pretty young master?"
"As you see."
"......?"
"Just a street urchin who got lucky, caught the prince's eye, and turned life around."
"What kind of......"
Nihil chuckled softly and brushed Lianus's hair back. He'd noticed Lianus waking during Bella's fuss earlier.
"Telling the truth isn't hard."
He kept his head slightly lowered, gaze fixed on Lianus, and continued softly. Bella's eyes sparkled, thinking he'd spill it.
"So you'll tell me?"
"But then I'd have to leave."
"...Pardon?"
"......"
"If that's fine, I'll tell you."
"Who'd agree to that!"
"......"
Bella grumbled about him being stingy and petty, saying even his face value wasn't worth it, unable to hide her disappointment.
Nihil glanced at Lianus, who was desperately pretending to sleep with his head still on his lap, eyes squeezed shut, and chuckled lowly again. He covered the faintly trembling eyelids with his hand.
"That's your answer, huh."
"......"
"Y-young master, 'face value' isn't that bad an insult! Don't misunderstand!"
Bella, thinking Nihil was offended, made excuses out of nowhere, but Nihil—who couldn't care less about the kitty—ignored her as if he hadn't heard. The carriage rolled diligently toward its destination.
And until it stopped at a remote forest path and Nihil shook him awake personally, Lianus never opened his tightly shut eyes.