Chapter 29: Only you are special

The game continued until just before dinner.

At Nihil’s request to have a comfortable conversation during the meal, all the attendants were sent away.

Thanks to that, Evan was also able to sit comfortably and eat together.

While eating mashed potatoes, Lianus, who was satisfied with the game, asked,

“What should we play after dinner?”

At that question, Nihil paused his knife and thought for a moment.

Still, I’m a Prince, is it really okay to just play like this?

There’s so much to do; I hope they’re not splitting their time for my sake.

“Lian, what did you usually do after dinner?”

“Hmm…….”

Lianus tried to recall what he usually did.

Nothing came to mind right away.

He’d often fall behind in lessons because he got sick a lot, and sometimes he’d stay up all night studying to catch up, only to end up with another fever.

Sometimes he’d read books or practice swordsmanship.

On days when he was upset, he’d lock himself in his room all day, doing nothing but sleeping.

Now that he thought about it, those weren’t exactly happy times, and he felt a bit embarrassed to say so honestly, so Lianus just glossed over it.

“Well, I didn’t really do anything special……..

“You didn’t put off anything you had to do because of me, right?”

“Uh-uh, no!”

Lianus shook his head side to side.

There wasn’t anything he absolutely had to do.

Of course, studying and swordsmanship would help if he worked hard, but for now, he just wanted to spend time with Nihil in peace.

Lianus knew that ever since he met Nihil, he’d changed a lot.

He didn’t obsess over studying or swordsmanship, and he no longer felt nervous talking to his older brother.

When Nihil was by his side, for some reason, he felt like he could do anything.

His friend’s very presence gave him confidence and a sense of security.

“Meeting you was really a stroke of luck.”

Lianus said, grinning widely.

But instead of being moved, Nihil just raised one eyebrow.

“Lian, you don’t trust people that easily, do you?”

At Nihil’s blunt words, Evan, who was just about to cut his steak, raised his own eyebrow as if telling Nihil to read the room, but Nihil continued.

“Don’t trust anyone that easily except me.”

Nihil firmly admonished Lianus.

It would be troublesome if he just picked things up and grew attached to anything or anyone.

“Lian, always be cautious. Don’t just eat anything someone gives you, and don’t just pick things up from anywhere.”

At that, Evan muttered beside them, “Then why is it okay to trust you? He’s already picked you up, so it’s too late,” but no one responded.

The Guard Dog felt lonely.

Lianus glanced at the slightly downcast Evan and continued.

“Nil, should I not eat what you give me either…?”

“It’s okay to eat what I give you. You don’t have to doubt me. I would never harm you.”

“Okay!”

“But, you should doubt whether it’s really ‘me.’”

“……?”

Lianus tilted his head in confusion.

He didn’t understand what Nihil meant.

He didn’t need to doubt Nihil, but he should doubt if it’s really Nihil? Was someone going to disguise themselves as Nihil? What if someone looked exactly the same and he couldn’t tell them apart?

“How can I tell the difference?”

“It’s not hard. Just get to know me better. If we keep spending time together, you’ll naturally come to know. But for now, what you need to remember is that I’m a lot prouder, more experienced, and much more suspicious than you think.”

“Umm…….”

“And, well, to borrow your Knight’s words, I’m pretty rude.”

Evan chewed and swallowed his steak, nodding.

As expected, the wildcat seemed to have good self-awareness.

Lianus, as if it were only natural, poked his Knight’s side and answered.

“Nil, that’s fine because I know you have your reasons. And anyone who spends time with you will quickly realize you’re a good person.”

Nihil was silent for a moment before continuing.

“Lian, we’ve only known each other for three days. I’m really saying this because I’m worried—don’t get attached to people so easily.”

“Okay! Only you are special.”

Lianus dipped a torn piece of bread into his soup and smiled brightly.

It was true, only Nihil was special.

He was extremely wary of outsiders, after all.

That’s why he didn’t hire more attendants and kept the Palace running with only a small staff.

“Alright, Lian. What did I say earlier?”

“You said not to doubt ‘you,’ but to doubt whether it’s really ‘you.’”

“Right. So, if a maid comes and says I sent her to give you medicine, what will you do?”

“Umm…, I’ll thank her.”

“……”

Realizing that his point hadn’t gotten across at all, Nihil quietly set down his water glass instead of taking a drink.

A brief silence fell.

Lianus blinked his big, round eyes repeatedly, tilting his head as if wondering if he’d said something wrong.

Thinking he hadn’t explained enough, Nihil started again, this time matching Lianus’s understanding.

“Lian, what kind of person am I?”

“Umm…, you’re proud, experienced, and very suspicious?”

Nihil mashed a well-cooked bean with his fork, nodding, then looked straight at Lianus.

It seemed his memory was fine, even if his application skills were lacking.

“Lian, a suspicious person like me doesn’t trust people easily. Especially when it comes to something important like medicine, I’d never send it through someone else. Even for something as simple as dessert, I wouldn’t let anyone else bring it in my name. So, the ‘me’ that maid is talking about isn’t really me.”

“Oh…!”

Lianus’s eyes widened as if he’d had a great realization, nodding quickly.

His seaweed-green curly hair bounced with his head.

Seeing that Lianus seemed to have understood, Nihil continued.

“Good, then let’s say your Knight comes and says I gave him snacks to bring to you. What will you do?”

“Um, can I eat it with him?”

“…….”

Nihil was at a loss for words again.

Feeling suddenly parched, he gulped down a large glass of water.

Evan, who had been listening quietly, burst out laughing.

The awkward situation—where Nihil’s meaning was almost but not quite getting through—was funny, and the little kitten asking for permission to share snacks was just too adorable.

“Lian. That guy, I mean, I would never send you snacks with your Knight and tell you to eat them together……..”

“Sorry, I’ll eat them by myself…….”

Feeling like he was being scolded, Lianus drooped his head, looking a bit dejected.

Nihil also bowed his head and pressed his forehead.

It seemed Lianus trusted and followed his Escort Knight so much that his reason wasn’t functioning properly.

Watching the two little ones bowing their heads for different reasons, Evan chuckled and stepped in to explain.

“Your Highness, what he means is that he would never send you food or anything through someone else. So, even if I, whom you trust without a doubt, come bringing snacks in his name, you should still be suspicious.”

Evan emphasized ‘whom you trust without a doubt’ and looked smugly at Nihil.

Nihil ignored Evan entirely and continued his explanation.

“Listen carefully, Lian. Whether it’s food, objects, or living things, I’ll always hand them to you myself, directly, with my own hands. Unless I tell you in advance, I’ll never have someone else deliver it. Even if I hand you poison directly, take it. But never take a tonic or anything else from someone else, even if they use my name. If anyone uses my name, always be suspicious first. Got it?”

“Okay!”

Whether he really heard the part about poison or not, Lianus just nodded with a bright smile.

Even though the word ‘poison’ was a bit extreme, Evan didn’t say anything to Nihil.

He knew Nihil emphasized this much because he understood his own position well.

A wandering orphan with nothing to his name but being the Prince’s friend.

Easy to approach, easy to use, and easy to dispose of once the job was done—a position so insignificant that no one would care if he died quietly somewhere, unnoticed.

By chance, he’d just picked up the Herbology and Medicine Books Nihil had requested on their outing today.

He couldn’t trust him completely, but if he watched closely from nearby, the risk would be reduced.

“And Lian, if you get suspicious, be careful not to show it. Your face is too honest.”

“I’ll try!”

Lianus answered right away, without thinking too deeply.

But simply trying wouldn’t be enough to hide his innate honesty.

Nihil was a little doubtful of Lianus’s soaring confidence, but since it wasn’t something he could teach anyway, he just nodded and decided to give another example.

“Lian, if I ever get kidnapped or taken hostage and beg you to save me, what should you do?”

“Ask the kidnapper or hostage-taker what they want.”

“….”

Nihil sighed inwardly.

It was a perfectly normal answer, but not what he was looking for.

“I don’t beg for my life from others.”

“Why…? But what if you get hurt?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. If I’m begging for my life, that’s not the real ‘me.’”

“Then does that mean I shouldn’t help you if you’re asking for help?”

“That’s right. It could be illusion magic, or maybe someone’s disguised as me.”

“B-but it could really be you. What if it’s really dangerous?”

“Of course, it’s possible I could be kidnapped or taken hostage. You might see it as a dangerous situation……. But Lian, think about it. If the real ‘me’ got kidnapped and locked up somewhere, how do you think I’d act?”

Lianus closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, seriously imagining Nihil being kidnapped.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t imagine Nihil feeling the slightest bit of crisis.

Even when he’d been hit by a carriage, lost consciousness, and woke up, his first words weren’t ‘help me’ or ‘save me,’ but ‘who are you?’

Even with his head bleeding, Nihil’s expression wasn’t much different from now.

Maybe it was just his lack of imagination.

Or maybe it was simply because he’d never seen Nihil lose composure.

Lianus, picturing what Nihil would do if kidnapped, hesitantly opened his mouth.

“If it were Nil…, I think you’d just lie around and roll on the floor.”

“…..”

“Then if I came to rescue you, you’d just get up and ask why I bothered coming.”

“…….”

“And then you’d sigh briefly, get up lazily, pick the lock like it was nothing, and say, ‘Let’s go home.’”

“Ha…….”

Nihil couldn’t argue.

And he thought, maybe he was easier to figure out than he realized.

On the other hand, the more Lianus imagined, the more he felt like he’d done something wrong to Nihil.

“I mean, I feel really relieved, but… somehow I feel like I’m messing up your plans. Sorry if I’m getting in your way.”

“…Please don’t apologize for things you imagined on your own.”

“Snrk, hm, hahaha!”

Evan, who’d been watching, clutched his stomach, trying to hold back laughter, but finally burst out.

If this were the bedroom instead of the Dining Room, Evan would have been rolling on the floor, laughing his heart out.

Lianus and Evan, having forgotten why they’d even started talking about Nihil getting kidnapped, began coming up with rescue plans for a Nihil who hadn’t even been kidnapped.

Nihil, wondering where to even start correcting them, realized that thinking about it was a waste of time, so he just mashed a now-cold potato and took a bite.

Let’s just eat.