Home/The Prince died, so we're starting over!/ch25

Episode 25

"The smell of herbs..."

The Third Prince's room was thick with the acrid scent of burning herbs.

"The healer said he must have hit his head hard when he fell from the tree."

The attendant, who had seated me on the chair beside the bed, explained calmly.

Actually, it wasn't a fall from a tree—it was a blow from a bandit's club, but well, whatever.

"Didn't he say when he might wake up?"

"No. He said he'd done all he could on his end, and that the rest was up to divine providence."

"...Isn't that guy just a quack?"

I'd just said something like Hariella's brother would say, but I quickly corrected myself.

It wasn't the healer's fault that his skills were lacking.

It was because this world's medical development was poor.

If I had to assign blame, the responsibility for letting things get this bad lay with me.

I was the one who couldn't stop the Third Prince from doing something dangerous, and I was the one who couldn't protect him from the bandits.

No matter how mature he seemed, the Third Prince was still a child. And children make mistakes.

The responsibility for a child's mistake falls on the guardian.

Back on that mountain, I was the Third Prince's guardian.

"...Alright, I understand. Please leave us."

"With all due respect, I must stay by His Highness's side..."

"Come to think of it, you look rather pale. You seem tired. Go have some tea and come back."

Though I was speaking to the attendant, my gaze was fixed on Anna.

Quick-witted Anna caught on immediately.

"Ah! There's some tea that came in recently—it's excellent for relieving fatigue. Would you care to join me?"

"Ah, no, I really must..."

"Come on! It's not polite to refuse when my lady is being so kind, is it?"

Hesitating, the attendant eventually couldn't withstand Anna's urging.

He kept glancing back, but eventually left the room with a reluctant expression.

In the herb-scented room, only the Third Prince and I remained.

"Your Highness! Your Highness? It's just the two of us now. Wake up!"

Just in case, I gently shook his arm.

The Third Prince let out a small groan, but didn't open his eyes.

I'd hoped it might be a feint, but he seemed genuinely unconscious.

His skin was burning hot against my palm.

Only then did the gravity of the situation hit me.

How had it come to this? Where had things gone wrong?

I couldn't understand how events had unfolded this way.

I carefully retraced everything that had happened between me and the Third Prince.

In the original story, none of this would have happened.

The original Hariella was a self-centered young lady who kept to herself.

She would never have cared whether the Third Prince stayed locked in the library.

Without Hariella's cooperation, the Third Prince wouldn't have discovered the secret passage—especially with that Anchovy-like attendant interfering.

If the Third Prince hadn't found the secret passage, he wouldn't have been threatened by bandits, and Hariella wouldn't have encountered the Something-or-other Young Duke.

In the end, one small change on my part had tangled everything up this badly.

'Of course, I can't say this is entirely my fault...'

But I could have acted a little more wisely.

I sat quietly for a long time, waiting for the Third Prince to wake up.

But until his attendant returned, the Third Prince remained asleep.

"...I'm afraid today is not the day."

The attendant ushered me out with words that pretended to be polite.

His attitude was rude, but I could understand.

No attendant would be anything but sensitive when their master was ill.

Of course, that was assuming he was different from that Andrew-something attendant.

I said I'd come again tomorrow and left the room.

"My lady!"

Anna, who had been leaning against the corridor wall, called out to me.

"Anna! You finished your tea quickly."

"Don't even get me started! I've never met such an ill-mannered person! What kind of etiquette is it to gulp down tea in one go?"

Anna, pouting, went on and on about how rude the Third Prince's attendant had been.

I had to listen to her complaints the whole way back.

During that time, Anna didn't ask a single question about the Third Prince.

I didn't volunteer anything either.

"How about resting for today?"

When we reached the room, Anna suggested.

"Rest?"

"Yes. You could take a nap or enjoy a bath."

"Is that okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Anna kept trying to put me to bed.

Though she didn't say it outright, I could feel she was worried I might be in shock.

So I followed her advice and took a bath and a nap.

Even though I'd woken up later than usual, I was especially tired today, so Anna's suggestion wasn't unwelcome.

Anna woke me near dinnertime.

"I actually wanted to let you sleep longer, but the master called for you..."

Anna said with a sulky face.

"...Papa did? Why?"

Still drowsy, I blinked slowly.

"He said the whole family would have dinner together."

"Ugh... That doesn't sound like good news."

After stretching, I gathered my outerwear and headed to the dining room.

It had been quite a while since I'd dined with Count Lulupel.

At the Lulupel manor, we always ate together, but at the Rüdebekia Court, we'd been taking meals in our own rooms.

I had a bad feeling. Given the circumstances, I was bound to get an earful.

And my prediction came true.

"Hariella Liberati Lulupel!"

When I arrived at the dining room, the first thing that greeted me was Count Lulupel's angry voice.

Before answering him, I looked around the room.

Only the Lulupel family members were present. It was safe to address Count Lulupel first.

"...Good evening, Papa."

"Your 'good evening' is about to be ruined because of you, and you say that so casually!"

Even his beloved youngest daughter's greeting couldn't soften Count Lulupel's rage.

He was yelling like a five-year-old being told he couldn't have more than two ice creams a day.

Getting angry when things didn't go his way—how typical of an extra noble.

"Sit down, Hariella. And you should lower your voice too, dear. It's unseemly to shout in front of the servants."

The Countess, having dismissed the servants, spoke up.

Count Lulupel, who seemed ready to blow steam from his ears, immediately deflated at her rebuke.

I swallowed a sigh and walked to my seat.

It was next to Hariella's brother.

As I pulled out my chair and sat down, Hariella's brother gave me a look of acknowledgment.

His round eyes were filled with amusement. He seemed utterly unconcerned by his father's anger.

The Lulupel family dinner proceeded in a subdued atmosphere.

I couldn't even tell if I was chewing pebbles or mashed potatoes.

"...So, tell me. Why did you climb the tree?"

It was the Countess who broke the silence.

Just as I was chewing on boiled beans—a taste that never seemed to get familiar despite being served three times a day—she spoke up.

"Well, you see..."

Having never climbed a tree, I couldn't exactly give a smooth explanation.

I racked my uncreative brain for an excuse.

"I-I wanted to see the carriages...?"

"So you climbed a tree to watch carriages?"

"Yes, well... something like that."

Let's just say it was something like that.

The Countess tapped the table with her fingertips, deep in thought.

"Did His Highness suggest it first?"

"Yes, well... something like that."

Let's just say it was something like that too.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely wrong—the Third Prince had been the instigator of this mess.

"...I see. His Highness was probably waiting for Lady Ramier."

"Yes, well... something like that."

It seemed this court had quite a few aspiring novelists.

The Countess invented meaning for the Third Prince's nonexistent actions.

"How unfortunate. A letter arrived from Lady Ramier this morning. It said she wouldn't be able to attend the engagement ceremony."

"She can't come? Why?"

"I'm not sure—it only said it was due to important Imperial matters."

It seemed that "important Imperial matters" didn't include her son's engagement ceremony.

"Speaking of which, I heard you visited His Highness's room this afternoon. How is he?"

"Not very well. He has a high fever and hasn't regained consciousness."

I added a suitable description of the Third Prince's condition.

At that, Count Lulupel, who had been silent all along, hastily spoke up.

"The engagement ceremony! Do you think he'll regain consciousness before then?"

How would I know?

I was dumbfounded, but since I was being interrogated, I obediently shook my head.

"I'm not sure. I hope he wakes up soon, but..."

"Tch! What were you children doing climbing a tree and causing this mess!"

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