Chapter 12
Several days had passed since then.
“I’m telling you, you’re not completely cured yet.”
With a blank expression, I patted the Crown Prince’s shoulder as he quietly sobbed.
Meanwhile, my eyes kept drifting to the cat wandering around beside us.
The slightly transparent cat swished its tail as it rubbed against my leg. The soft fur brushed against my calf, making the corners of my lips curl up without me realizing it.
“Now it’s your turn to pass on.”
I tickled the cat’s forehead with my finger.
“Meow.”
It let out a tiny cry before climbing onto my shoulder.
“Ugh…!”
It was much bigger and heavier than I expected, making my head dip forward.
The cat somehow shrank in size and leaned against me, purring contentedly.
“Aren’t you going to pass on?”
It felt strange, as though I had been chosen.
“…Who have you been talking to this whole time?”
The Crown Prince looked around at empty space with uneasy eyes.
Maybe it was the effect of the status window, but for some reason he believed what I was saying instead of questioning it.
Tap. Tap.
Its tail lightly hit my shoulder while its purring echoed in my ear.
Perhaps because the room had fallen silent, someone knocked on the door.
A few maids hesitantly entered and bowed.
Instinctively, I realized it was time for me to leave.
But before I did…
“Your Highness. Remember what I told you.”
“…”
“You have to replenish your holy power regularly. Understood?”
He obediently nodded.
As if to let some fresh air in, he opened the window, and his eyes softened.
Rustle.
The wind flipped through the pages of the books on the desk.
Papers scattered across the floor were lifted into the air before fluttering back down.
Through the drifting sheets, I saw the Crown Prince.
The sharp, hostile feeling he’d had when I first met him was gone.
His posture was straight.
His expression looked light and relaxed.
A natural smile spread across his face.
The lifeless look that had weighed him down until now had finally disappeared.
His eyes, once like stagnant pools of blood, now sparkled beautifully like rubies.
“I’ll come visit you.”
The Crown Prince spoke in a gentle voice.
“You saved me.”
“…!”
How embarrassing.
Who says something like that?
I simply nodded awkwardly and followed the maids out of the room.
Maybe…
That was the Crown Prince’s true self.
If he had never been possessed by ghosts…
If he had lived an ordinary life…
Perhaps he never would have become a tyrant.
“If we become friends… maybe he won’t want to kill me.”
Several more days passed after I returned to the temple.
Scratch, scratch.
A laugh escaped me before I realized it.
Ignoring my reaction completely, the sound of a pen scratching across paper continued.
Scratch. Scratch.
To an outsider, it might have looked like I was glaring at someone who was diligently doing his work.
But this is my room!
“Hm?”
Gracefully lifting his teacup for a sip, the Crown Prince tilted his head.
“What is it?”
“Your Highness.”
“Mm? Go ahead.”
Resting his chin on one hand, he looked at me.
His attitude was infuriating.
He had clearly disliked me before.
Now that I could be useful to him, it was obvious he intended to make full use of me.
“This is my room.”
“Mm.”
“It’s not proper etiquette to stay in a lady’s room for this long.”
“Hmm?”
The Crown Prince shrugged and removed the glasses he was wearing, placing them on the desk.
Leaning comfortably against the sofa, he grinned widely.
“What if I lose my mind again while I’m away from you?”
His attitude had changed so much that I hadn’t even had time to adjust.
It was like a seven-year-old pretending to be an adult.
But I knew who he really was.
Someone who would discard anyone the moment they stopped being useful.
The man who would one day kill Diane Irenne.
Kill me.
“You’ll be fine for a while.”
“…I don’t want that.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve never had such a clear mind in my entire life.”
He looked straight at me.
“You’re the first.”
“…”
Unexpectedly…
I understood how he felt.
Liam saved me too.
I could still vividly remember the moment he burst through that door.
I probably would never forget it.
“So… you won’t kill me, right?”
“…?”
Had he heard me correctly?
He blinked slowly.
His ruby-red eyes, not yet consumed by darkness, looked round and bright.
“Why would I kill the Saintess?”
Without realizing it, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Phew!”
He chuckled as though he’d just heard something unbelievable.
“Why would you worry about that? I’m actually a very gentle and kind member of the imperial family.”
“…Really.”
The way he trailed off made it obvious he knew about the rumors surrounding himself.
And he still had the nerve to say that.
This little prince…
The unfortunate Crown Prince who spent every day consumed by madness, unable to live normally.
If I continued replenishing his holy power regularly, it would become much harder for ghosts to possess him.
Operation successful. Hehe.
“I believe you.”
“Hm?”
“You promised.”
“I asked you not to kill me in exchange for curing you.”
He muttered blankly,
“So… it wasn’t a dream.”
“Huh?”
“You were just too…”
He abruptly stopped.
His face turned as red as a ripe apple.
No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone destined to become a tyrant.
He was just a shy little boy.
He must have been sleeping well lately too.
The dark circles under his eyes were gone.
His eyelashes were even longer than mine.
Simply put, he was as beautiful as a carefully crafted doll.
Feeling a little petty, I puffed out my cheeks and deliberately looked away.
“You only need holy power once a week now, so you should go.”
“Shouldn’t it be more often? What if I start acting strange again?”
“Then I’ll come back and—”
“No.”
His voice was firm.
Startled, I looked at him.
He let out a weary sigh.
For such a little kid, he worried far too much.
“I can’t go back to being like that anymore.”
“There isn’t enough time as it is to restore my reputation.”
Well…
Life in the imperial palace couldn’t have been easy.
“There are many nobles who dislike me.”
“While I’ve recovered, His Majesty plans to clean them all out.”
With no other choice, I nodded and stood up.
The Crown Prince also jumped to his feet.
His chair scraped loudly across the floor.
For some reason, his cheeks looked slightly red.
Looking up at him—he was two heads taller than me—I let out a long sigh.
He reached out and gently pinched my cheek.
“Why is a little kid sighing like that?”
“…”
He was treating me like a child.
You’re a child too!
Feeling wronged, I puffed out both cheeks and grabbed his hands.
Let’s finish this quickly and send him home.
Perhaps sensing exactly what I was thinking, the Crown Prince smiled and slowly pulled his hands away.
“By the way, Saintess.”
“What?”
“My, my.”
“The Crown Prince calls for you, and that’s how casually you answer?”
Even as he said that, he couldn’t stop giggling.
Don’t tell me he’s possessed again?
Maybe by some mischievous ghost?
But since no status window appeared, this really must have been his real personality.
Seriously…
“Do you know my name?”
“…Your Highness doesn’t know mine either.”
“Diane.”
The way he suddenly called my name made my eyes widen.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Diane Irenne, right?”
“Oh.”
After hesitating, I mumbled softly,
“I’m sorry.”
Well…
Considering I’d been completely cut off from the outside world until now, it was only natural that I didn’t know the Crown Prince’s name.
Even so, my ears burned with embarrassment.
They were probably bright red.
He couldn’t possibly know my circumstances.
Still…
It was embarrassing.
“I’m Demian.”
Smiling brightly, Demian finally held my hand tightly.
“Remember it, Saintess.”
“…I will.”
I closed my eyes to begin channeling holy power.
Then a thought suddenly occurred to me, and I opened my mouth again.
“Did you investigate my background?”
“…!”
“I thought so.”
I shook my head.
Demian bit his lip.
His wavering eyes told me everything.
Got you.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“But you’re the first person who’s ever cured me, so—”
“I understand.”
It would have been strange if he knew my full name without me ever telling him.
On the other hand, it would have been even stranger if the Crown Prince didn’t investigate someone who had been allowed into his private room.
Still…
It annoyed me a little.
But Demian was carefully watching my expression.
He looked like a large hunting dog lowering its tail because it was afraid its owner might scold it.
Not long ago, I had been nothing more than a homeless orphan.
It still didn’t feel real that the Crown Prince cared about what I thought.
“From now on, I’ll ask you directly.”
“We’ve become friends… at least a little, haven’t we?”
“Have we?”
Demian fell silent.
Then be quiet and let me give you your holy power.
