“The apothecary said the Second Prince has been frequently ill, so we’ve decided to assign a dedicated apothecary to his palace. It seems the details of the Second Prince’s condition might be leaking out.”
“L-leaking out? W-who would dare do such a thing?”
Sedess’s yellow eyes, reminiscent of a beast, blazed fiercely.
Having heard the explanation from Evan, Sedess was deeply angered. Leaking the illness of a royal family member to outsiders was an unforgivable crime—one of the gravest offenses. Even if it was between members of the royal family, it was unacceptable.
Though no concrete evidence remained, the guilty apothecary trembled and bowed their head to the floor.
The assistant apothecaries and physicians standing nearby took a few steps back, worried that the blame might fall on them.
“Why are you all so frightened? I never said you leaked information. For now, I plan to send some of the medicine over to the Second Prince’s palace. If you have any of the herbs listed on this note, bring a pouch of each.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The apothecaries immediately busied themselves, and pouches filled to the brim with herbs began to pile up one after another.
Sedess found it hard to believe that a commoner child could read pulses and handle medicines, but according to the Second Prince’s Escort Knight, it was clear the apothecary had defected to the First Prince’s side.
There was no resentment toward the First Prince, but since there was some displeasure with the Queen, this wasn’t something to overlook lightly. Besides, the Second Prince was often ill, so securing an apothecary or physician for him wasn’t a bad idea.
Amidst the bustling preparations, one of the assistant apothecaries approached and bowed deeply.
“Your Majesty, all medicines currently in stock have been prepared. Shall we place orders for the herbs we lack?”
“Are there many missing?”
“About ten types. Some are poisonous herbs, others are relatively rare, and a few are seldom used, so it may take some time.”
“Poisonous herbs?”
“Yes. Those marked here are all poisonous herbs. None are extremely dangerous, but depending on the formulation, they are often used as medicine. The mixing methods can be somewhat complex, but skilled apothecaries use them regularly.”
Sedess frowned slightly at the mention of poisonous herbs but noticed the apothecaries did not seem overly concerned. It appeared that there was no major issue, as the classification was clear.
“Then prepare them first. And what do you think of this list of herbs?”
“The list covers the basics, but most are ingredients for mass-produced medicines, so there’s no need to keep many of them in herb form. It seems the new apothecary for the Second Prince’s palace plans to reformulate and create new medicines considering the prince’s constitution.”
“Constitution?”
“Yes. The effectiveness of medicine varies slightly according to a person’s constitution. Just like humans and elves have different constitutions. Since the prince is a Quarter Elf, formulating medicines tailored to his constitution will be more effective than general medicines.”
“Is that so? The new apothecary at the Second Prince’s palace is doing quite an admirable job, especially considering their youth. Do you have any advice to give?”
“The Second Prince is naturally frail, so even if he falls ill frequently, I hope he won’t blame himself and will continue steadfastly in his duties.”
“That’s very wise. Is there any additional herb you would recommend?”
Sedess turned his gaze from the assistant apothecary to the Head Apothecary, a thin smile tugging at one corner of his lips.
Though his mouth smiled, his eyes were stern and cold, giving off a forbidding air, as if demanding a final defense in a trial.
The apothecary instinctively shut their eyes tightly, sensing their imminent dismissal.
“All the herbs noted were dried varieties only. That apothecary seems to be procuring other herbs, so I don’t think I need to intervene directly. However, I have some very precious tea leaves; I’d like to offer them as a token of encouragement.”
Sedess nodded and handed the tea leaves to Evan to carry.
Meanwhile, the king’s Shadow Knights, disguised as coachmen and porters, busily loaded the herb pouches onto the carriage bound for the Second Prince’s palace.
Pretending to return to his office, Sedess instead mounted a horse disguised as a porter and followed the group to join them.
The peaceful Second Prince’s palace saw the arrival of six people: Evan, a coachman, three porters, and a hidden Shadow Knight escorting them.
Except for the Shadow Knight, everyone carried at least five or six pouches of herbs—no exceptions, not even for Evan. Without the load, they wouldn’t have a reason to enter the palace.
Evan, leading the way, caught a young maid cleaning the stairs and stopped her.
“Where’s that wildcat fellow?”
Evan immediately regretted his words. To say “wildcat” in front of His Majesty—especially since the servants didn’t know it was a nickname for the prince’s close companion—was careless.
Before Evan could correct himself, the young maid unexpectedly replied.
“Ah! You mean the prince’s friend? So he really is a beastkin!”
“…No, I misspoke. But beastkin?”
“Isn’t he? His beastlike hearing and sense of smell are well-known among the servants. When he first came, rumors flew around that he was a divine beast, a magical doll, or a fox trying to seduce the prince because of his striking beauty. I thought he might be a white-furred beastkin! I really thought I’d guessed it this time…”
Evan’s face twisted in discomfort. Because he stayed close to the prince, he hadn’t realized such rumors were circulating within the palace.
“…Are there really rumors like that? Anyway, where is he now?”
“I think I saw him passing by the kitchen about thirty minutes ago, but I don’t know where he is now. He was holding the prince’s Pupu tightly.”
“…Pupu? The bear doll? Alright, got it.”
Evan resumed leading the way toward the kitchen. Sedess followed quietly and asked in a low voice,
“The boy’s appearance must be quite unique, huh?”
“Yes. It’s understandable why those rumors spread.”
“The prince never mentioned his appearance… Now I’m even more curious.”
Unlike the intrigued Sedess, Evan’s expression hardened.
Pupu—the bear doll. The image suited the boy oddly; it was a strange combination of fitting and not fitting at all.
Evan felt an inexplicable unease as he approached the kitchen. One servant peeling potatoes spotted Evan and immediately stood up to greet him.
“Sir Knight, what brings you to the kitchen?”
“I’m looking for the prince’s friend. Have you seen him?”
“I saw him about an hour ago hiding something in the dining hall. He was clutching the bear doll tightly. Other servants say he wanders around hiding things, but he’s so cute everyone just pretends not to notice.”
“Oh, I saw him in the first-floor lobby.”
“I saw him on the third-floor corridor.”
“I saw him heading to the butler’s office this morning.”
“On the second floor, I…”
One by one, the servants crowded in, each adding their own sightings. All were about the wildcat, but none of the accounts matched, leaving Evan bewildered.
Where on earth was the boy running off to?
“Sir Knight, what is the young master’s true identity? Is he really a living doll?”
“I heard the lonely prince asked the Demonkind to make him a doll!”
“What doll? He’s a beastkin, that’s what he is!”
“Not just a demon doll; some say he’s the demon himself!”
“Did you know? He’s so shy that he runs away whenever servants approach!”
“No! He must be a divine beast who hasn’t yet learned human speech!”
“When the prince isn’t around, he always carries one of the prince’s belongings. He must miss him. He’s so adorable!”
A magical doll? What on earth was the prince thinking!
Shy? Running away? Can’t speak human language? And why carry the prince’s things? What does that boy do when he’s alone?!
Frustrated by the strange stories from the servants while searching for Nihil, Evan’s head throbbed.
“…Enough, enough! Everyone, return to your posts. Only those who know where he is, speak up.”
“Maybe if he’s nowhere else, he’s returned to the Royal Bedroom?”
Evan nodded silently. Deciding to check the bedroom first, he dismissed the servants and led the way again.
Then something shiny caught Evan’s eye.
Hidden among the sculptures in the corridor was a gold coin.
“A gold coin. Did the boy hide this?”
“…Seems so.”
As Evan picked up the coin, Sedess, following behind, spoke knowingly. Evan furrowed his brows, pocketed the coin, and continued to Nihil’s bedroom.
He knocked lightly and opened the door, revealing a room similar to the prince’s but somewhat emptier.
“…Does the boy use this room?”
Sedess asked, and Evan suddenly realized this was a room for royalty. Not only was it on the fifth floor, but it was directly opposite the prince’s bedroom.
Evan hastily made excuses.
“The prince said he wanted a room nearby, so His Highness gave him this. He’s quite stubborn…”
“He must be fond of the boy. Still, this room is too bare, isn’t it? It hardly looks lived in.”
Indeed, it was true—no one had stayed here.
Now that he thought about it, had the wildcat ever been seen entering this room?
Could it be… he was currently in the prince’s bedroom?
A cold sweat broke out down Evan’s back.
How was he supposed to explain a friend wandering around unattended in the Royal Bedroom?
“…Your Majesty, I don’t think he’s here. And if he’s rude, please don’t scold him too harshly.”
“As a mere porter, who would I scold?”
“…You can scold him a little.”
Evan closed Nihil’s bedroom door and turned toward the prince’s bedroom. Considering the boy’s sensitivity to presence, if he were inside, he would have sensed Evan and come out already.
Opening the door, a very familiar scene came into view.
“This is the Second Prince’s room?”
Sedess glanced around Lianus’s bedroom. Though he didn’t expect it to be overly decorated, it didn’t feel cluttered either.
“Yes. Actually, he spends most of his time here with the prince.”
“I see. So that explains why the other room was so empty. But it doesn’t seem like he’s here either…”
“Seems not…”
Suddenly, the terrace window slammed open with a loud bang, and a head with ashen gray hair appeared…
Ashen gray?
“You! What happened to you?”