Surviving in Easy Mode in Another World - The Epidemic (2)
The scorching summer was nearly over, and it was late August.
The princess was lying on the bed in a tired and drowsy state, waiting for Prince Theodore.
“Sister! Are you feeling better?!”
“Ah, Theo…”
The lazy, decadent aura that emanated from her was so perfectly convincing that it even fooled me.
She’s amazing…
That decadent aura couldn’t help but seep out.
It was only natural. The princess had stayed up for two nights and a full day just to pull this off on purpose.
The dark circles under her eyes were genuinely lazy and decadent.
She must be confused?
I had come intending to administer the medicine to her, and seeing her actually look ill must have left her bewildered.
[Confused, cold, happy]
Confused.
From the rough situation, she probably had a summer cold or something similar.
Well, that tracks.
The prince seemed to have similar thoughts.
He really was a straightforward guy.
“H-how did this happen…”
The prince moved closer to the princess with such obvious worry that it tugged at my heartstrings.
His trembling hands carefully took hers.
Grabbing the princess’s faintly sweaty hand, he gave a visible shiver and wore an expression of genuine distress.
[Fever, coincidence, trap]
The royal family’s moon tears were treated as a universal panacea in street novels.
In reality, they were extremely rare, so it was ridiculous to bring them out for something like this mild fever.
It was probably a trap, he thought.
Even at fifteen, he was still remarkably cautious and clever.
“I’m sorry for showing such a state… I’ve been bedridden for too long, and my body seems weaker than before…”
“Ah, I’ll prepare the item right away!”
Just as the prince was about to stand up, the princess gently pressed his hand and shook her head.
“It’s just a simple summer cold.”
“But…”
The princess began slowly scanning the people in the room.
The prince’s gaze followed hers.
Both their eyes landed on me.
“Theo. In truth… the person who needs the medicine is someone else.”
“What do you mean, Sister…?”
“Moon tears are the kingdom’s symbol. Whew… If the royal family isn’t sick, it would be… difficult to take out…”
The princess trailed off, her eyelids fluttering, and she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
You suffered, didn’t you.
In a world without coffee or any other habit-forming items, staying awake for two full days was tough.
I was truly grateful she had done so much for me when I hadn’t expected it.
“Prince Theodore.”
“Ah, Lady Scarlet… Yes, I understand.”
The prince stared at the unconscious princess for a moment before standing up and leaving the room with Lady Scarlet.
Glance.
Just as we were about to exit, Prince Theodore’s sharp gaze swept over me for a split second.
[Olivia Baiden, death, expectation, moon tears]
He was still an unsettling fellow.
“Lady Scarlet, what exactly did Sister say?”
The prince asked Lady Scarlet as they headed toward the audience room.
“It would be better for you to ask Lloyd about that.”
After waiting for the prince, I put on a small performance of various scenarios.
Then I discovered that Lady Scarlet had no talent for acting whatsoever.
She had suggested tossing me to me and the princess whenever possible, but I never imagined she would toss me so quickly.
“Lloyd…”
“It’s all my fault…”
I bowed my head with a sense of shame.
Now’s the right time to reach the audience room.
It would be best to explain the details there.
“It would be better to discuss the details inside.”
Lady Scarlet gave a subtle glance around the room and then cut off the flow.
It was natural enough, but as a master, she didn’t need to act so ordinary.
The tension was obvious.
Of course, the prince was so distracted by me that he probably didn’t notice.
Scarlet has a very distinctive way of speaking to begin with.
Lady Scarlet’s speech style was already a strange mismatch with her appearance.
A little awkwardness was fine.
Creak… creak.
Lady Scarlet invited us to sit and began preparing tea.
The prince and I waited in a somewhat awkward atmosphere for the tea.
Finally, the tea was placed before us.
“What is the meaning of all this?”
“I have no face, Your Highness…”
I bowed with utmost shame.
“It’s all my fault…”
“You said the same thing earlier. What on earth happened…?”
“I already have a fianc é who is divorced from me.”
“Are you talking about Miss Olivia?”
“Yes, Your Highness. She is… in a great deal of pain…”
The impression Prince Theodore held of me was that of a hopeless romantic with incredible luck.
It was enough to make him believe I could make even an Olivia-mongrel’s bones sing.
“In a great deal of pain…?”
“Yes. At first it seemed to be improving, but now she has begun to suffer again.”
I gave a complicated expression and splashed my face with cold water.
That alone created an entirely believable atmosphere.
“The most reliable medicine I know is moon tears.”
“This is a very dangerous thing, Lloyd.”
The prince looked at me with a serious gaze.
“Yes, I know.”
“Even so, since Sister gave permission, that’s how it is…”
The prince let out a small sigh and nodded as if he understood.
“Is Miss Olivia staying here?”
“She’s in the mansion at Crescent because transporting a patient is dangerous.”
“Then we should head there as quickly as possible.”
Yes, we have to head there as fast as we can.
The princess, who is my blood relative, is actually ill.
So, for the time being, I must stay by her side until her condition improves.
It was a situation where I couldn’t even try to contact Spencer’s spy.
Even after the princess recovered, there would be no time to contact the spy.
Because Olivia’s condition was poor, it was impossible to stay here long.
It was the perfect flow.
According to the plan, the prince spent most of his time caring for the princess.
Thanks to this, we were able to leave Spencer County without being discovered that the spy had died.
Grandpa is coming carefully too.
With two royal family members to guard, it was natural for the escort troops to follow.
As the escort troops grew, so did the supply wagons, and we were hiding in one of them.
Since we were in the rearmost wagon, we wouldn’t be discovered easily.
“Don’t be so tense. Sister gave permission.”
My tension wasn’t from that, Prince Theodore.
But I nodded naturally as a substitute for words.
Soon I’ll meet true peace, Olivia-mongrel…
Looking up at the clear sky, I saw Olivia waving at me with a cheerful smile.
It had been a while since we last met.
Hehehe…
My dopamine levels began to rise.
Calm down, calm down.
I was close to the finish line.
Thus, after leaving Spencer County, we quietly arrived near Howard Barony.
From the Howard side, something flashed three times.
All good.
My soldiers had signaled completion of their mission with mirrors.
So we passed through Howard Barony and headed toward Crescent Viscounty.
No one thought it strange.
The princess and Lady Scarlet had already coordinated, and Prince Theodore didn’t know much about this backwater village.
It was only natural.
Our group finally arrived at Crescent Viscounty.
“Here…”
The prince’s expression turned puzzled as he stepped out of the carriage.
Isn’t it empty? It should be confusing.
Crescent Viscounty was planning a massive planned city as large as the kingdom’s capital.
As territories expanded, they would build satellite cities and place my blood-related vassal domains under my management.
It was a perfect plan, but right now it was little more than an empty field surrounded by wooden fences.
Of course, several plausible buildings had been built, but it still looked a bit lacking compared to Howard Barony.
The prince had no choice but to be surprised.
“Is this Crescent Viscounty?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Uh, that is…”
The prince looked around with a bewildered expression.
But at least the layout is in place.
It was shabby compared to a barony, but two plausible mansions had already been built.
That was enough reason to be surprised, but not enough to suspect anything.
“Please come inside, Your Highness Anastasia, Your Highness Theodore.”
I bowed politely to the two of them and guided them to the newly built mansion.
Since I had scried the interior structure in advance, I could guide them naturally even if it was the first visit, just like my own home.
That made it difficult for the prince to suspect.
“You must have accumulated a bit of fatigue. Please rest.”
I answered with an uncomfortable expression and immediately turned my back on the mansion.
That was the rule for a hopeless romantic Lloyd—to immediately seek out his fiancée.
“Oh? It’s been a while, Lloyd.”
As I entered Blaze Mansion, Mama Alex greeted me with a cheerful smile.
I gave her a slight bow and quickly asked about Olivia’s whereabouts.
“Ah, if it’s her, she should be with Maria right now.”
Mama Alex immediately told me Olivia’s whereabouts without hesitation, perhaps sensing something unusual.
First, I have to avoid getting caught while wandering around.
I went straight to Eric’s forge.
After giving Eric a rough greeting, I headed to the Olivia who was serving Maria.
“Ah, Lloyd…”
The Olivia I hadn’t seen in a while was dressed in a neat maid uniform.
Our eyes met, and she smiled brightly—a smile that seemed to say she understood why I described her as “blooming.”
I first apologized to Maria, then quickly took Olivia out of the forge.
After carefully scanning my surroundings, I brought Olivia to Blaze Mansion.
“L-Lloyd…”
“What is it, Olivia?”
“You’ve just returned, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, just arrived.”
“Ah, aah…”
Olivia wore an expression that was hard to describe.
Perhaps the smell from her long journey was strong?
Now that I had pulled a dangerous person into the fief, I didn’t have time to check him.
“Listen carefully, Olivia.”
“Yes, yes.”
“For the time being, don’t leave Blaze Mansion. It’s hot, so rest with Maria in the mansion.”
“That… is that an order?”
“Yes, it is.”
Olivia, perhaps because it was summer, blushed slightly and nodded small.
“Yes, yes…”
With that, you can’t come out from there, can you?
If a perfectly healthy Olivia suddenly appeared, Prince Theodore might suspect a trap and make a quick escape.
I had avoided the worst situation.
Now then…
It was time to start the final stages.
“Don’t leave the mansion until I come. Understood?”
“Yes, of course…”
Returning to the mansion now would arouse suspicion.
I had to spend some time here.
Since I came from far away, it’s normal to take about three days to recover.
But with a patient present, the likelihood was high that she was waiting for me after a light shower.
I would spend about an hour here and return.
Thinking this, Olivia cautiously offered me a damp cloth.
“Thank you, Olivia.”
“I’m just a maid.”
Olivia placed her hand on her chest and smiled softly.
She seemed quite used to maid duties now.
I wiped my face and neck with the cloth she gave me.
As a master, I didn’t sweat much, but the refreshed feeling was greater than expected, and my expression relaxed.
“Lloyd.”
“Hm?”
“If it’s not rude, I’ll serve you tea.”
“Thank you, Olivia.”
“No. I’m a maid, after all.”
…I know you’re a maid better than anyone.
Do you not like being treated as a maid?
After drinking the tea, I’ll have exactly the right amount of time.
Thinking this, I waited for the tea Olivia brought.
Then I slowly enjoyed the tea she had poured and passed the time.
Olivia seemed to have a lot to say, but because she had emphasized being a maid several times, she didn’t speak up.
So after exchanging ordinary conversation, I left her room.
“I’ll wait for you, Lloyd…”
Olivia saw me off with a slightly awkward expression.
Yeah. Wait for me, Olivia-mongrel…!
Soon it will be time for your revenge.
I left Blaze Mansion and headed straight to the newly built temporary mansion.
“Lloyd. How is Miss Olivia’s condition…?”
The kind and gentle prince, who had just taken a shower, asked about Olivia’s condition.
It was exactly the reaction I expected.
“She has entered a stable phase. However, I’m worried about when her body might get worse again…”
When I said that, the prince nodded with determination, judging that he couldn’t stay like this.
“I’ll treat her right away, Lloyd.”
No, not now.
Everyone staying in the Blaze mansion needed time to evacuate.
“I have already committed too many offenses. Please don’t make me a criminal any further, Your Highness…”
I bowed with a bitter expression.
“But…”
“It’s all right. I know you have endured an unreasonable schedule for my sake.”
It was an extremely ordinary response, so the prince had no choice but to withdraw.
“Then today, as you suggested, we’ll rest.”
“Your Highness.”
“It’s fine. This is my choice, so it’s not something you need to worry about.”
I didn’t want to have a human like you as a guest in the fief for three days.
Thank you, Prince Theodore.
With just one day, I could move everyone staying in Crescent to Howard.
Because it was within reach of a fingertip.
It took a long time…
It was the stage to gradually wrap up about three months of bad luck.