Chapter 10

The Prince's Method of Making Friends - Chapter 10 (10/324)

Evan had been busy from last night until this morning. He went to the kitchen and instructed them to exclude all stimulating foods, serving only thin and soft dishes for breakfast. He also brought back a generous supply of various medicines in case the prince's fever rose again.

Then, he piled logs into the fireplace to the point where it seemed excessive and kept poking the fire with a poker to ensure it didn't go out.

Thanks to his efforts, the fire in the fireplace burned fiercely, as if it would never go out.

"You're driving me crazy!"

Nihil, unable to bear it any longer, threw the pillow he was lying on at the bustling Evan.

After talking with Evan last night, he had unknowingly reverted to using a patronizing tone.

Evan caught the flying pillow with one hand and lowered his voice to bellow.

"Are you going to sleep while the sick prince is right here!"

"The fever has gone down, so there's no problem. Stop making a fuss and just stay still."

Indeed, thanks to the lynx who brought medicine right after the prince fell asleep, the fever didn't spike much. What the prince needed now was plenty of rest.

Evan, regaining a bit of his composure, sat down on the sofa with the pillow Nihil had thrown, holding it in his arms.

The prince's fever was inevitable. He had been mentally exhausted from the events at the duke's residence, and then he was caught in a sleet storm and cried so much. It would have been strange if he didn't have a fever.

The prince, who was so frail, usually suffered for two days at the shortest and a week at the longest when he fell ill. Just thinking about how long he might be sick this time made Evan worry deeply.

"Give me the pillow back."

...Damn lynx, you won't even give me time to think.

Evan glared at Nihil, threw the pillow back, and lay down on the sofa. He had done everything he could. The only thing left was to inform the prince's teachers about his absence when the sun came up.

Normally, he would have left this to the butler, but he couldn't let it be known that the prince was sick right now. The reason was that damn lynx lying around next to the prince. And there was a bigger problem.

It was the princes' classes.

His Majesty had arranged for the 1st and 2nd princes, who were the same age, to have the same classes with the same teachers to avoid any discrimination in their education. As a result, our dear and kind-hearted prince often had to face the 1st prince, especially the harsh swordsmanship teacher, Duke Tessaurs, who made our prince shed many tears in secret.

The prince, who was often ill, struggled to keep up with the class progress but worked hard not to fall behind. There was even a time when he attended class despite being sick and collapsed on his way back.

Even if the prince couldn't attend due to illness, the class progress continued. There was no consideration to adjust the pace just because one student was absent.

Worse, the 1st prince, born prematurely, was incredibly robust and never fell ill. His tongue was so cunning that when Evan, unable to bear the subtle bullying, suggested to the prince that he should be in a different class, the 1st prince would coax the prince with sweet words to prevent him from leaving.

If the prince's class progress fell behind again, our little kitten would suffer even more.

Evan's head ached from the constant worrying. He pulled at his hair in frustration.

A few strands of his light brown hair, unable to withstand the force, came loose and clung to his fingers, but he heartlessly brushed them away and turned over to lie down.

He could see the prince's bed.

Inside that canopy, the white lynx must be sleeping soundly.

Thinking about the lynx made his stomach churn. Then, a very ingenious idea flashed through his mind.

If he used the lynx as bait, would the prince willingly agree to be in a different class?

Would he want to take classes with the lynx? Studying with a friend would be more enjoyable, but since a commoner can't take classes with the 1st prince, he would have to be in a different class.

Good, perfect.

He felt proud of himself for coming up with this idea.

The lynx should at least earn his keep, right? After eating so much and even getting free education with the princes, he should naturally agree.

Our little kitten, who was particularly attached to the lynx, would jump for joy without much thought.

Sitting the lynx, who was undoubtedly less intelligent than the prince due to lack of proper education, next to the prince would also help boost the prince's self-esteem.

With this thought, Evan jumped up from the sofa and called out to Nihil, who had likely fallen asleep again, in a low voice.

"Hey, lynx."

"...You haven't been quiet for even ten minutes. Do you have a mental illness?"

Evan, stung by the sharp criticism despite not feeling sleepy at all, wanted to grab the lynx by the scruff and shake him like a madman, but decided to forgive him this time since he needed to use him.

"You, take classes with the prince."

"No."

The answer came without even a moment's hesitation.

Isn't it normal to at least ask why when someone makes a request?

The lynx, who had coldly rejected the prince's offer of friendship, was clearly the one with the mental problem, not himself!

In fact, Nihil had rejected the request without thinking because he disliked Evan's commanding tone, but Evan, who had made a request that didn't sound like one, didn't realize what he had done wrong.

Evan sighed, feeling a headache coming on at the thought of having to persuade the wild lynx. Was it really this difficult to get the prince into a different class?

How could he make the lynx earn his keep?

***

Nihil frowned.

His head started to throb. He needed to sleep to recover, but being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people made his senses overly sensitive, and he couldn't fall asleep.

The guard dog was also a reason he couldn't sleep. Just when he thought it had finally stopped barking, it started again.

Something about how he had no right to refuse, how learning everything would be useful, how this opportunity wouldn't come again, and even just to sit in the class...

Nihil, not wanting to hear any of it, lay face down on the bed, pulled the covers over his head, and plugged his ears.

The guard dog's barking continued for a while, and the sun began to rise.

Nihil, who had been kept awake all night by the constant movement and barking, felt his irritation rise as he saw the rising sun.

He resolved that no matter what the guard dog was up to, he wouldn't give in to his demands.

***

The room was dark and blurry.

Lianus barely managed to hold onto his drowsy state. He saw a mysterious black opal and cautiously called out to its owner, who had similar eyes.

'Nihil...?'

His ears were muffled and buzzing, and he couldn't hear his own voice clearly. Perhaps he wasn't making any sound at all, Lianus thought.

He had been having an unpleasant dream, but looking into those lustrous eyes, he couldn't remember anything. The more he tried to recall, the more vivid the eyes became.

His white eyelashes fluttered a few times. White usually made an impression, but in the darkness, they were particularly noticeable.

To dream about Nihil so soon after becoming friends. He must really like Nihil, he thought, and smiled again.

Everything was blurry except for the gem, which was unusually clear. This must be a very good dream, Lianus decided.

He would give Nihil a black opal like his eyes later. A pendant or a hair accessory would be nice. It would surely sparkle beautifully against his snow-white hair.

In the dream, his friend said nothing. Then, he felt something warm flowing into his mouth. Thirsty, Lianus unconsciously swallowed it.

Suddenly, the black opal in front of him disappeared.

Just as Lianus was about to be disappointed that the good dream was over, the brilliant gem reappeared.

Seeing the gem return, Lianus smiled again. Then, he felt something tapping his lower lip.

"Ah, here."

A calm voice echoed.

Why can I hear your voice so clearly when I can't hear mine?

Lianus realized only then that this wasn't a dream. Warm soup flowed into his slightly open mouth, thinner and blander than usual.

When did you prepare this? Is there any left for you? I promised myself last night to treat you properly, but this is just thin soup.

I was going to ask His Majesty for permission to have you with me today, but now you'll have to hide in the room because of me. At least my room is spacious, so it shouldn't be too bad. I should ask Sir Evan to bring you some toys.

If my friend gets lonely, I'll lend him my puff. It's soft and fluffy, and it helps with loneliness.

Since I've been using it all this time, it's fine to let my friend use it this time.

Then, a soft, fluffy object was placed in his arms. He tried to guess what it was, but the warm soup kept flowing into his mouth, making him forget his thoughts. The soup was bland but delicious.

Lianus thought about his friend who didn't like being waited on. No, this wasn't being waited on. You, who acted as if the difference in status was nothing, would never wait on a mere prince.

It's clear that you're the one being waited on, but it feels like I'm the chosen one.

The last spoonful of soup flowed into his mouth. It tasted strange.

The bitter taste made his tongue tingle, and his expression contorted.

Just as he was about to tell Nihil that the soup tasted strange and too bitter,

"Now, go back to sleep."

He couldn't say it.

Your voice echoed in his ears like a divine command. Looking into your calm, mysterious black eyes, he felt the urge to lie down and sleep.

I'll sleep again. My friend said so, so I should.

The bitter taste lingered in his mouth, making it hard to sleep, but contrary to his worries, his consciousness quickly faded away.