Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 169
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 169
“You don’t trust me?”
The Second Prince made no effort to hide his bewilderment.
‘Had I failed to earn his trust?’
At the same time, he felt slightly wronged.
Letting a stranger whose identity he didn’t know into this room, without even a single escort—wasn’t that already a considerable show of trust?
Of course, that was partly because he possessed the skill to fend for himself, but he’d judged that personal ability wouldn’t be an obstacle to trust.
And besides…
‘A priest wouldn’t know where everything was in here.’
Even if his own body had been discovered due to the curse.
Kyle reined in his swirling emotions.
Perhaps because he was feeling a peaceful atmosphere for the first time in a long while—maybe ever—his rebellious reaction seemed to surge all the more intensely.
‘Calm down.’
Wasn’t he the one who had to beg in this situation, either way?
He said I hadn’t earned his trust, so I had no choice but to accept that.
That was the rational response.
So I resolved not to get worked up. I had to listen carefully to what he said, and if he fell silent, guide him to give me the answer I wanted.
Yes. I had to calm down.
…Which I was supposed to do.
Ssk.
Contrary to his thoughts, Kyle was already moving.
He rose from his seat, approached the man before him, and closed the distance between them.
Slowly backing him into a corner, he trapped the man crookedly with one arm so he couldn’t flee and asked,
“What on earth is the reason?”
“…”
Blocked by Kyle, unable to go outside, Lion smiled inwardly. Ha-ha.
I’d expected this kind of reaction, but it still sent a chill down my spine.
He looked exactly like a beast that had cornered its prey and was deliberating how to tear it apart.
Sure enough, he was no tame creature that could be pacified with a single meal.
‘…Or was he?’
It also felt like he was throwing a bit of a tantrum.
It just felt that way because he was a black panther rather than a suspicious little cat.
‘Honestly, Marquess Bydantis was more docile.’
Though she was likely the more dangerous of the two in terms of martial ability.
Anyway, from the perspective of a common small citizen like Lion, they were both the same.
But still.
‘I’d rather go through this once now.’
There was one way to dispel the Second Prince’s curse.
Namely, by touching the Second Prince’s reverse scale.
—The clue might be closer than you think.
A clue.
Was it an object? A person’s memory? Or perhaps an emotion?
I couldn’t tell yet, but in order to unravel that thread, I had to peer into the inner self that Kyle had never shown anyone.
The problem was that the fellow had never—not once since the day he was born—opened the door of his heart to another person.
And if I were to force that door open at my own discretion…
‘He’d truly despise me.’
If all he did was despise me, my heart would actually be at ease.
After all, the world couldn’t possibly contain only people who liked me.
Wasn’t attracting some hatred and ill will here and there part of living a long life?
But the problem was the side effects that came with the emotion of hatred.
Lion shook his head to himself.
‘First, he’d try to uncover my identity.’
True to the Second Prince’s nature, he would obsessively latch onto the smallest detail and never let go.
If that happened… my identity being exposed would be only a matter of time.
That I was the eldest son of House Asteri.
What could I do.
No matter how I tried to hide it, there were limits.
You might ask, even if my identity were exposed, wouldn’t my life be in no danger whatsoever?
True.
Grandfather would probably use every means at his disposal to ensure not a single scratch appeared on Lion’s body.
The same went for Rickshel or Elvia.
But that wasn’t the issue.
Hadn’t I let one particular clue slip to this Second Prince?
Namely… that I ‘did not want power.’
‘If it was that fellow, then certainly…’
He would try any method to stick a position of authority onto Lion’s head.
If he exposed all the eccentric stunts Lion had pulled so far to the world, I would be forced into hard labor in some official post whether I wanted it or not…!
Peaceful naps, rest. Leisurely strolls—goodbye to all of them!
No, he might even fabricate and exaggerate nonexistent abilities and send me off on a business trip to the frontier or the North.
He might even send Rickshel along under joint responsibility!
‘…Well, once Rickshel became marquess, he’d have to go to the North as a matter of routine anyway.’
In any case, the mere thought gave me goosebumps.
‘That absolutely must not happen.’
So I had to seize the initiative beforehand.
I had to make that fellow grow impatient first,
get him to cast aside all rational judgment and leap headlong into whatever I proposed.
Thankfully, it was an approach Lion could pull off, having dealt with countless clients during his past life in sales.
“Exactly as I said.”
“Explain your grounds. Otherwise, I may truly come to never trust you.”
The shadow over Lion deepened.
He might reach out at any moment and forcibly tear off Lion’s mask.
But—
Slip.
Lion smoothly slipped out from under the prince’s blocking arm and brushed off his clothes with a pat-pat.
“It’s nothing major. It’s just that your room is a bit unkempt.”
“…!”
“I see you’ve been out, so I suppose it’s understandable… Still, this isn’t quite the place to be talking about curses.”
Though he had couched it in the word “unkempt,” the Second Prince grasped Lion’s meaning at once.
The concealed weapons he had personally hidden throughout the room for self-defense—the priest had noticed them.
‘…How could a mere priest?’
Was he called a messenger of God not only because of his special divine power?
Yet, judging by his bearing, he seemed to possess no combat ability whatsoever.
Even when he had flung the door open, even when he had staggered, drunk,
and even now,
the clumsy way he had slipped past was hopelessly unguarded.
At the very least, this was a man who had never held a weapon.
So honestly… yes, that was right.
I had thought I needn’t bother hiding them.
And so.
‘The fact that I didn’t trust him… was also true.’
Even until now, hadn’t I been certain that this priest had other ulterior motives?
That he had no goodwill.
So I had resolved to uncover not just the curse, but the priest’s true intentions as well.
Which was why I had humored him.
“That… was my oversight. But…”
“It’s all right. How can anyone trust a person they’ve only met once and invest their sincerity?”
Before the Second Prince could even begin a proper excuse, Lion mixed a bit of a laugh into his reply, sounding as if he understood everything, and added,
“So I will take my leave for tonight.”
“…”
It sounded magnanimous, but it was as decisive as a blade.
No, that made it feel almost indifferent.
“Goodbye, then.”
“Wait.”
The Second Prince grabbed the wrist of the departing man.
“When do you plan to come next?”
“That is…”
At the slow reply, his lips felt painfully dry.
Not even when the excruciating pain had kept him from eating or drinking had he felt a thirst like this.
He was anxious.
‘Why?’
Because the moment that man left, he’d have no idea when he would return, and the unease troubled him?
Because the pain of the curse might begin again?
Or was he afraid the man would break his promise and not lift the curse after all?
‘…No.’
None of the three.
If he couldn’t lift the curse, that would be regrettable, but he could seek another way somehow.
As a last resort, he could eliminate the First Prince while simultaneously co-opting several high-ranking priests to break the curse and be done with it.
The pain was also something he had endured since birth.
He was sick to death of it, but it wasn’t so abhorrent as to drive him to despair.
Then why was it?
Why was he accommodating this man?
No, beyond simply accommodating him, why was it that…
‘…I felt like I was being scolded?’
The Second Prince honestly could not understand himself.
It was because, unbeknownst to him, he had unconsciously felt a moment ago that he would be given a chance to live. Unable to realize this, the Second Prince agonized over it, then simply decided to move according to his instincts.
In any case, he resolved to keep hold of this man.
“…”
Lion felt the minute trembling of the hand gripping him but said nothing.
Instead, he gently freed his captured hand and answered.
“Then, I will come tomorrow at dinner time.”
With those final words, Lion left the room.
“Haa…”
Once one person vanished, a stifling isolation filled the room.
It was a stillness different from the peace of a moment ago.
“He really left.”
The presence beyond the door had vanished without a trace.
Meaning he had returned to his own lodgings, wherever those were.
The Second Prince stared at his hand, still poised in the empty air.
It had been trembling clearly only moments ago, but once a next meeting was promised, the trembling had subsided.
How laughable and unsightly it was to be swayed so easily by a few words…
Squeeze.
The Second Prince lightly clenched his fist and opened it again.
For an instant, color returned to his pale, bloodless palm.
“…I must also return without delay tomorrow evening.”
And somehow, he would do whatever it took to make that suspicious man favorable toward him.
First, he should begin by tidying away the concealed weapons.
So began, for the remainder of his stay, the Second Prince’s campaign to earn points.
* * *
Rickshel Asteri watched the Second Prince, who had been leaving his seat early this day as well.
For someone supposedly suffering from a curse, the man looked remarkably fine.
No, he seemed even more serene than usual, and his work efficiency had even risen.
He was passionate, as if he had to finish all his tasks and return before dinner.
He’d been as brittle as dry tree bark, and now he’d suddenly turned like this—utterly suspicious.
On top of that…
“To form a good interpersonal relationship, what must one do?”
Hadn’t the Second Prince even posed a somewhat unconventional question, the kind he seemed least likely ever to ask?
“Cough!”
Willi beside him was so flustered he spat out the tea he’d been drinking, and beside him…
“Hahaha! Even the Second Prince asks questions like that?”
The man who had come ashore because of this venture—
the Merchant Guild Master—laughed until his sides hurt.
And as for Rickshel, the person to whom this question was addressed…
“Have you lost your mind.”
He offered his scathing appraisal without any filter whatsoever.
The Second Prince didn’t so much as change expression at that remark.
“I am in my right mind. More so than ever.”
“…Haa. Let’s call it a day.”
Rickshel organized the documents.
It didn’t seem any more work would get done today, in any case.
‘We were nearly finished anyway.’
In fact, what remained could easily be handled by the Guild Chief and the manager on their own.
It was all thanks to the Second Prince’s astonishingly swift work-processing ability.
If his condition improved, he became this exceptionally competent, huh.
Indeed, to become Emperor, a man must be at least this useful.
While he was at it, he would return early himself and spend the rest of his time at Easter with his brother.
Lately, because of work, hadn’t he been returning to their room only to see his brother already asleep?
Furthermore, his considerate brother always cooked dinner with his own hands before going to bed.
He never voiced it, but how bored and world-weary he must have been!
“I will take my leave first.”
Rickshel rose from his seat first, and the others, reading the mood, began tidying up as well.
As the Second Prince too rose and prepared to return swiftly,
the soon-to-be Guild Chief lightly tossed out a remark.
“I know not of good relationships, but if you wish to captivate someone, you must first reveal your all.”
“Reveal everything.”
“Yes. Everything.”
He rattled on in a light, cheap tone: Once you’ve laid yourself so bare it feels like being stripped naked, the other party will inevitably feel either a sense of burden or a sense of satisfaction~.
“Not bad.”
The Second Prince took the advice seriously.
‘Haa.’
Rickshel heaved a deep sigh and left the room.
Gathering people based solely on ability seemed to collect humans with fundamental defects in character.
I needed to get back quickly and rest.
With that thought, he opened the door.
“…What are you doing?”
He came face to face with Lion, who had just set down Rickshel’s share of dinner on the table and was about to leave the room.
The disguised Lion, to be precise.
“…Huh?”
And his brother was… considerably flustered.
…Why?
“…”
An absurd puzzle was assembling itself in Rickshel’s mind.
“Don’t tell me…”
The reason the Second Prince’s condition had improved…
Brother. Please, tell me I’m wrong.