Chapter 60

After sending Ombré away, I prepared to go to bed.

‘Surely nothing will happen tonight, right?’

For the people from Aligio, this is a foreign land.

And it’s someone else’s house.

What could they possibly do to a prince in such a place?

Sending Ombré away was just a precautionary measure, just in case.

I started to get ready for bed.

I washed my body with hot water and dried it thoroughly with a clean towel.

Squish, squish, I applied lotion meticulously and then put on my pajamas.

I buttoned them up from the bottom, feeling proud as I looked in the mirror.

‘I’ve grown up.’

I’m now a child who can button up well.

When I was three, I always had the maids button my clothes because I couldn’t even hold a crayon properly.

But now, I can not only button up but also tie ribbons on my own.

After admiring the neatly buttoned buttons, I headed to bed.

I rolled around in the bed, which smelled nice from being dried in the sun, for a while.

Just as I was about to fall asleep,

Rattle, rattle, rattle—!!

The dresser shook violently.

‘Ombré?’

I quickly opened the dresser.

I could see Ombré peeking out from the shadows.

“Why, Ombré?”

Since Ombré can’t speak, it showed me by action.

Rattle, rattle!

It seemed frustrated that I wasn’t moving and was only looking at it, so it moved around in the shadows.

It seemed to be trying to get me to follow it.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

I immediately left the room.

I ran down the corridor, my feet sweating.

I also kept a close eye on my surroundings.

‘No one’s around. Good.’

If I went to the Aligio people’s quarters for no reason, I’d likely get strange looks.

Fortunately, there was no one around.

It was late at night, and the servants were focused on the party with the Aligio people.

The kind-hearted First Prince shared the wine he brought with the servants who were attending to them.

So in the servants’ lounge...

“This is the only time we’ll get to taste Aligio’s wine!”

“Aligio’s wine is supposed to be so excellent. Let me try it too.”

“Oh, how long are you going to make us dance?”

—They were completely absorbed in the Aligio-produced whiskey.

Ombré spun around in front of Abino’s room, indicating it was here.

My heart was pounding after running.

‘It’s strange for someone to be drowsy after taking medicine.’

While it’s possible to feel drowsy after taking strong medicine, it’s different when combined with a harsh servant.

What if the servant didn’t give him just a headache medicine?

I had my concerns, which is why I moved.

As I took a step towards the door, Ombré hid in the shadow at my feet.

I pressed my ear to the door and heard a very faint voice.

“...to...please...”

A small, barely audible voice.

It sounded like a servant’s voice.

‘I can barely hear it.’

The soundproofing was so thorough.

‘It’s good when I use it, but it’s inconvenient when others use it.’

Just in case, I pressed my eye to the keyhole.

‘Damn, I can’t see anything.’

Sneaking a peek was the best plan...

‘Ah, there’s nothing I can do about this.’

I had to go to Plan B.

I took a deep breath and clenched my fist.

Then I knocked.

Bang! Bang, bang!

And I shouted as loudly as I could.

“Prince! I’ve come to show you a monster! Prince Abino!”

I could clearly hear a voice from inside, but it suddenly went quiet.

I know you’re awake.

But why isn’t anyone coming out after all this noise?

Normally, they would check to see if it’s an attack, out of concern for the precious prince.

It’s right to identify and eliminate any danger.

The servant seemed to be hiding, but sometimes pretending not to notice works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Especially in this situation.

‘Are you really going to pretend you don’t hear this?’

My unease grew.

I opened my eyes wide.

‘No matter how much you pretend, it’s impossible.’

I deliberately made more noise.

“Prince Abino! It’s Erylot!”

Bang!

Bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

“It’s E—ry—lot! A—bi—no Prince!”

The noise I made brought the maids running from the other end of the corridor.

They were the maids of our duchy.

“Miss Erylot, what’s the matter?”

“I asked him to show me a monster, but he won’t come out no matter how much I call!”

Since they are the maids of our duchy, it’s not easy for them to interfere in the affairs of external guests.

The maid hesitated and tried to persuade me.

“Perhaps he’s asleep?”

“But I’m worried. He was holding his head and looked in pain earlier in the garden.”

“Oh...!”

The maid’s expression changed.

It was understandable.

If they ignored my warning and Prince Abino was found to have been in pain all night, the maid would bear all the responsibility.

If she hadn’t heard me, it would be one thing, but after hearing, she had to take some action.

Even if it was just a show, she had to do something to avoid responsibility.

I furrowed my eyebrows, pretending to be very worried.

“He said his head hurt and he was dazed. What if he’s fallen inside? What if he hit his head on the floor?”

“That wouldn’t do.”

The maid nodded, understanding my concern.

“I’ll inform the master and call a doctor—”

Bang!

As if they had heard us from inside, the door opened at the perfect moment.

“What’s the commotion?”

It was the servant who had given Abino medicine earlier.

‘Sure enough, his eyes are a bit off.’

A suspicious, murky, and disrespectful look.

Such people are often traitors.

I asked with a doubtful expression.

“What is Prince Abino doing?”

“He’s sleeping.”

“No way. He asked me to wake him up.”

I lied without hesitation.

The woman was bold.

Abino had never said such a thing to me, but I just shouted it out.

“Since he just fell asleep, let’s try again tomorrow—”

The servant glared at me, telling me to stay put, looking a bit anxious.

‘Definitely strange.’

I am the granddaughter of Duke Astra.

How can a servant be so disrespectful to me?

‘This won’t do.’

With a quick move, I slipped through the gap the servant was blocking and entered the room.

“Miss!”

The duchy’s maid was shocked.

“What are you doing!”

Abino’s servant hurriedly chased after me, trying to grab my arm.

“Ombré!”

Ombré, hiding at my feet, understood my command perfectly.

It slipped into the servant’s shadow and grabbed the hem of his pants.

“Ouch! What’s this?!”

The servant was startled by the strong force from an empty space.

While the servant lost balance, I quickly ran towards the bedroom.

“Abino!”

Abino was slumped on the sofa.

It was clear he wasn’t in a normal state.

His mouth was open, and his eyes were unfocused.

It didn’t look like a natural sleepwalking condition that often occurs in children.

It was—

“Remember... bad child...”

—hypnosis.

The medicine they said was for a headache was actually a hypnotic drug.

‘To make him forget.’

It was obvious that Abino would forget.

The memory of his disappearance.

‘This servant is involved in Abino’s disappearance, or is acting on the orders of someone who is.’

I shook Abino’s body.

“Prince Abino. Prince Abino!”

Wake up.

Wake up from the hypnosis!

As I tried to wake Abino, a strong hand grabbed the back of my neck.

“Ouch!”

“How dare you touch such a noble person!”

At that moment,

“You’re the one touching a noble person!”

A familiar voice echoed loudly.

I turned my head and saw Hilda, dressed in a simple dress as a senior servant.

The maid outside had quickly called Hilda.

‘Sister Maid, you’re the best!’

My logical request to check on Abino was accepted, and she immediately called for a senior servant when the situation escalated.

A model attitude for all professionals.

Behind Hilda, several other maids stood as if in support.

The maids saw the Aligio servant grabbing my neck.

For a servant to do something that would make even a prince sensitive?

The maids’ gazes were all sharp.

“What is this? Coming in a group while the prince is resting! Is this how the Astra family treats its guests?”

The servant, now outnumbered, began to criticize our family.

‘Are you stupid? Don’t you realize this could become a diplomatic issue?’

And you’re a servant?

I was speechless.

Can’t you judge the situation?

Hilda took a big step forward and shouted.

“How can a servant of Aligio be so disrespectful to a noble from a foreign land? Let go of the young lady immediately!”

Hilda’s voice was powerful.

It carried an unresistable force.

I felt like clapping.

Hilda, you’re amazing!

Thinking about it, it was surprising.

‘This isn’t the time to think about that.’

Abino was still not waking up from the commotion.

“Can’t... bad, child... no, stop...”

‘Poor thing.’

It was better to make Abino’s condition known.

“Hilda, bring my grandfather! Prince Abino has been hypnotized!”

“Pardon?”

“Tsk!”

Hilda was shocked and the servant’s face hardened.

As the maids tried to move, the servant shouted.

“Stay still! If you move even a little—!”

He seemed to be planning to take me hostage.

I quickly bit the servant’s arm.

“Ahh!”

While he was startled, I quickly moved away from him.

One of the maids behind Hilda quickly ran to call for help.

“Damn! This brat!”

The servant glared at me fiercely and clenched his teeth.

After a moment of hesitation, he hurriedly went to Abino.

He picked up Abino, who was still under hypnosis.

‘Ah, he’s not trying to kill him.’

While I was relieved that he wasn’t going to use a knife, it was only a temporary relief.

The situation was still bad.

The servant ran towards the window with Abino on his back.

“Where are you going!”

I quickly chased after him.

Maybe because I had been running a lot today, my legs felt slower than usual.

This is why you should exercise regularly!

“Get lost!”

The servant kicked at me, but Ombré was hanging on, so he missed.

“Damn!”

The servant, swearing, jumped out of the window with Abino on his back.

I quickly took out my whistle necklace.

Whistle!

Soon, Ragon flew in.

Ragon is always on standby near me in the duchy.

Plus, since he had eaten grapes and rice diligently in the garden earlier, there was no chance of him going to look for food and missing the timing.

“Ragon! Come here!”

I also jumped out of the window, following the servant.

I wanted to ride Ragon, but I didn’t want to do it for this reason.

I climbed onto Ragon’s back and balanced myself.

“Over there!”

I pulled Ragon’s fur to the left, and he flew left.

I had only flown on Ragon’s back once before, but I remembered the amazing experience.

I’ve always loved taming and training monsters.

Because—

“Eek, get out of the way—! This monster—!”

The servant, terrified, ran as fast as he could.

It was futile.

‘Human physical abilities can never match those of a monster.’

Unless the noble has a special blessing for running, a normal person can never escape from me.

It’s said that the Steel Crow, despite its heavy weight and strong steel feathers, can fly at the same speed as a regular crow.

That’s 160 km/h.

If the servant had run a while ago, he would have been caught quickly, but even with a slight delay?

It’s not even a fraction of a chance.

“Ragon, knock him down!”

Ragon moved as I had trained him.

He flew over the servant’s head and threatened to strike with his sharp claws.

“S-Save me! Eek!”

The servant, crouching in fear, tripped.

Thud!

He fell to the ground, and Abino, who was on his back, was thrown off weakly.

Roll, roll.

As soon as I saw Abino’s small body rolling like a ball, I jumped off Ragon and ran to him.

“Abino!”

I hugged his weak body.

‘He’s not seriously hurt.’

Thanks to the soft grass around.

Well, I had planned to have Ragon knock him down, aiming for this.

While I was checking on Abino, the servant who had fallen was raging.

“You damn brat—!”

It was laughable to see him trying to threaten me while limping.

“Where does a trash like you, who gives hypnotic drugs to children, get off talking? You stink like trash.”

“What?!”

Thump!

The servant grabbed my shoulder roughly.

Ugh.

This guy gets violent when he’s angry.

He definitely has a history of violence.

I explained with a smirk.

“Just so you know, if I don’t tell Ragon to stay still, he’ll eat every human within 100 meters.”

You’re trash among humans.

A good source of protein for Ragon.

“What, what are you saying?”

Just as I was about to call Ragon,

Bang—!

A loud noise, and the servant was flattened to the ground.

As if a giant, invisible weight was pressing down on him.