Chapter 32

Chapter 32 - A Sign (2)

“.......”

“......”

Anna and the squirrel, whose appearance alone was cute, had already been facing off in front of the Seventh Prince’s office for several minutes.

“Now, I’ll give you this, so come here. You must not bite me this time.”

Anna carefully held out a few pine nuts placed on her palm.

Anna, who had been bitten on the hand by its teeth, which were sharper than they looked, during their first meeting, had been bitten several more times by the creature after that and had keenly realized just how foul its temper was.

At the same time, she had also sensed that this tiny thing might cause a huge incident someday.

Its scurrying around was quite cute, but Anna, who had already seen blood, was not fooled.

Though it was a fearless little beast, Anna became even more wary of it because it seemed like it would cause some sort of trouble.

And today, Anna had finally witnessed it.

The sight of that tiny creature carefully trying to enter the Seventh Prince’s secret office.

Since it was a worn-out palace, the small crack that had formed below the hinge of the door had, at some point, become a small hole.

Remembering Sein from a few months ago, who had scolded them not to spend money on such a thing since it was not bad enough to replace the entire door, Anna resented that shameless face.

Still, it had not been bad enough to fall off entirely.

Anna was certain that the violent squirrel must have done something to it.

Whatever the case, she had to stop the small beast from entering the office.

Anyone who worked in the Seventh Prince’s palace could not possibly be unaware of how sensitively the Seventh Prince reacted to someone entering his private territory.

Perhaps he had hidden something inside that he wanted to keep secret…...

When Anna’s thoughts reached that point, she quickly shook her head.

A servant would lose their life if they thought that far.

Anna did think that the Seventh Prince would not kill people depending on his mood like before, but that did not mean she thought he was lenient toward those who crossed the line he had set.

The servants who had gone to the bedroom to help him change clothes had all gone around warning everyone that the Seventh Prince had driven them out, saying that if they were caught loitering around the bedroom next time, he would make sure their hands and feet would no longer remain attached to their bodies.

There might have been some exaggeration, but the meaning that he would not let it slide would be exactly as it was, without exaggeration.

It did not seem likely that the violent squirrel would go into the office and quietly look around before coming out, and if it was discovered that they had allowed a wild animal to enter, it was clear that not only that creature’s life, but also the employees working during this time, would not avoid disaster.

Anna, who did not know the strange relationship between the squirrel and Ran, thought so.

“So please. Come here. I snuck these from the leftovers in the kitchen, but I’ll just give them to you. There are a lot more in my pocket, all right? I’ll give you all of those too. Hm?”

At Anna’s desperate whisper, the squirrel twitched its nose and tilted its head.

But as it had done for the past several minutes, it only stared quietly at Anna and did not move its feet easily.

“You are actually not just a beast, are you? There is no way you would have this much patience otherwise......”

Anna’s drained voice did not continue.

Anna quickly stood up and listened toward the stairs on the right.

It was the sound of fairly heavy footsteps.

Right now should be the time when the guards changed shifts, so there should be no one coming.

More than anything else, Anna was afraid that the squirrel, startled by the sound, might slip right into the office, so she quietly held her breath.

Should I just run away now?

If the Seventh Prince becomes angry later, should I insist that I knew nothing?

The steps of the person coming up the stairs were much faster than Anna’s panicked judgment.

“What is this? Is only one maid standing guard today?”

Blonde hair with a strong reddish hue, and a height and build larger than the Seventh Prince’s.

It was the Eighth Prince, Celos Abiran.

Like most of the maids in the Seventh Prince’s palace, Anna was also seeing a real imperial family member who was not the Seventh Prince for the first time.

A huge body, a beautiful face that did not seem human, and faint blonde hair amid red locks.

He was unmistakably imperial family.

Thirteen-year-old Anna, who had only heard that an ordinary person would naturally fall to their knees at the sight of an imperial family member, sank down on the spot in fear rather than reverence or awe.

In truth, Celos, who had only a speck-like amount of Manis, gave off a smaller aura compared to other imperial family members, but just the shock of meeting an imperial family member was enough to nearly make Anna faint.

“I, I-I-I-I-I-I greet the E-E-E-Eighth Prince.”

Celos glanced at Anna, who barely managed to observe etiquette even while collapsed on the spot, as if looking at a bug, then moved his feet.

He raised his hand widely and took a posture as if to pound hard on the office door, but for some reason, he flinched, then lowered his hand and took a posture as if to knock softly.

The thought that she had to stop him passed through her mind, but Anna did not dare open her mouth.

It felt as though if she opened her mouth right now, he would truly harm her as if crushing a bug.

But there was something Anna had momentarily forgotten.

In this space right now, there was one beast more fearless and violent than a human.

“Argh!”

With a short scream, Celos Abiran grabbed the fingers of his right hand and stepped away from the door.

It was only for an instant, but red blood showed on his finger.

Feeling as if she might faint, Anna hurriedly stepped backward.

And the culprit that had bitten his finger quickly came down from the man’s hand and hid in the meantime.

The problem was that it slipped right into Anna’s apron pocket of all places.

* * *

Celos’ rage-filled face turned toward Anna.

“You there. Bring that rat bastard to me right now.”

Anna knew that she had to offer the squirrel to the Eighth Prince, even if she had to take off her apron and throw it to him immediately.

She also knew that otherwise, the enraged Eighth Prince might take her life.

But perhaps her head had gone numb from fear, or perhaps the bond she had built with the squirrel while feeding it over the past while was stronger than expected, because Anna found herself spouting words completely different from her thoughts.

“I, I-I-I-I-I-I am t-t-t-t-terribly sorry, but His Highness the Seventh Prince ch-cherishes this ch-ch-ch-ch-child very much......”

Her voice was already as small as an ant’s, and because she was trembling so pitifully, she could not even finish the words that she could not give it to him.

But soon, Anna’s trembling could stop.

Because the moment she met the eyes of the Eighth Prince, who was glaring at her as if he would spew fire, Anna felt as if her heart had hardened, and her trembling, as well as her breathing, had to stop.

“What did you just say?”

Celos, whose pride had been wounded to the limit by the words of a mere maid saying she would not even offer up a squirrel, asked Anna as if chewing his words, but there was no way she could answer.

“I asked what you said!”

At the shout, Anna finally exhaled the breath she had barely stopped and let out the tears that came out physiologically along with it.

“Ugh, hhic.”

Her head finally began working again.

What did I just do?

What nonsense did I say?

I’m going to die like this.

I’m going to die like this after trying to save a mere squirrel’s life.

Why did I stupidly go against an imperial family member’s words?

I’m not that kind of person, so where did that courage come from?

If I die here like this, will my family at least receive compensation for my life?

The greedy face of Sein, who had long ago lowered the money that should have been sent to the hometown of the servant killed by the Seventh Prince to an absurd price and pocketed the rest, shimmered before her eyes.

Since he had been quietly staying put these days, more money than that should be sent to her hometown.

At least that is a relief.

Looking at the Eighth Prince, who was approaching her threateningly, Anna tightly closed her eyes to reduce even a little of her fear.

“When are you planning to learn what visiting etiquette is?”

At that moment, a familiar voice, though slightly rougher than usual, cut between the two of them.

Anna opened her eyes wide.

Taking in the black hair that now felt far more reassuring than blonde hair, the child lost consciousness just like that.

* * *

“Hey! Why are you fainting and making a fuss? Huh? Did I hit you? Did I do anything!”

Celos Abiran vented his temper at Anna, who had collapsed weakly and could not possibly answer.

It seemed that an ordinary person fainting at the sight of him was not particularly special.

“Damn it, that thing is not what I should be worrying about.”

The clueless rooster-comb bastard waved his hand dismissively, turned his gaze away from the collapsed Anna, and immediately spoke to me.

“I came because I have something to say.”

“It does not look like you have much.”

“What nonsense is that?”

The guy, who showed me a puzzled expression as I looked at him without saying anything, only then seemed to understand, nodded, and opened his mouth again.

“I came because I have something to say?”

Then Celos, who had glanced at my reaction, rolled his eyes once when I still gave no answer, frowned hard, and continued.

“Elder….brother?”

Though he almost chewed and spat out the final syllable.

Regrettably, this was not exactly the answer I wanted either.

At this rate, it will take all day.

I uncrossed my arms and pointed with my chin at Anna, who had collapsed.

“Bring in the maid you made faint. Carefully.”

“What? Why me? If we leave her there, they will clean her up on their own later.”

Celos spoke as if he truly had no idea why he should do that.

As if that would happen.

The Seventh Prince’s palace was always short on hands.

If a young child who had fainted was left lying on this stone floor, who knew when someone would come?

Lately, my head had already been hurting because of the sudden incidents that had occurred.

If Celos’ matter had gotten entangled here too, who knew how troublesome things might have become?

It meant that because that little kid had stopped Celos and bought time, the situation had become a little less exhausting.

I did have enough conscience not to leave someone like that on the floor until her mouth twisted.

“Unless you want your form of address to change to rooster-headed bastard starting today, just bring her in.”

Even though the look on his face clearly showed that he could not accept it, perhaps realizing from his experience so far that I would not explain any further, he grumbled and approached Anna.

Taking my eyes off the back of that huge idiot’s head, I turned my body into the room.

* * *

Perhaps he really did have urgent business, because although he grumbled, he carried Anna inside with a comparatively gentle hand.

That was only comparatively gentle, and it was by no means a soft movement, so Anna’s arms and legs, slung over his shoulder like a piece of luggage, swayed limply.

Seeing how she could not wake up even like that, it seemed to have been quite a shock.

“Lay her down there.”

Celos was about to throw Anna onto the old sofa I pointed to with my chin, but after checking my reaction once again, he at least put her down like a person.

As I checked the child’s breathing and flipped her eyelids, he looked at me with dissatisfaction and dusted off his clothes.

“If you want to mess with me, use some other method instead. Do not make me do something this disgusting.”

The rooster-headed bastard still seemed not to know why I had made him bring Anna in.

Scaring a child who was not even fifteen yet into fainting, and then trying to leave her abandoned on the floor, would be a very natural daily occurrence for him.

He will regret it later.

Turning my gaze away from the guy who could not see even an inch ahead, I checked Anna’s condition.

In any case, thanks to this child, we had stopped Celos from entering the empty room at a dangerously close timing.

Fortunately, aside from losing consciousness, she did not seem to have any particular external injuries.

It did not seem like she had hurt her head when she fell either.

She is subtly lucky.

I returned the eye I had flipped back to its place and pointed to one door at the guy who had been awkwardly standing there until then.

“Follow me.”

* * *

The small room located on one side of the office had a thick door, but it was very narrow, so it was not the sort of space where two adult men could sit.

In the first place, there was only one chair.

“What is this? Do we really have to talk in a place like this.....sir?”

When I naturally sat on the single chair, the guy looked around the narrow room and complained.

“She is the child you made faint, so we should at least show that much consideration so she can rest.”

At my firm answer, his expression crumpled with a crunch.

“What did I do? She fainted on her own.”

At that answer, I laughed with a deflated sound.

“You did not fail to know that she was so frightened she was about to faint.”

“......”

The guy agreed with my words, but his expression said he had no idea what the problem was.

In the end, I finished sighing and asked again.

“Enough. What did you come for?”

“Am I supposed to say it while standing here like this?”

“If you do not want to stand, you can walk out.”

“....Damn it.”

Though he felt humiliated by the fact that he had to converse while standing like a student being scolded by a teacher, the guy did not kick the door open and leave.

It seemed something truly urgent had happened.

There should not originally be any special incident happening to this guy at this time.

Or has the original story accelerated again?

“I asked what happened.”

“....”

When I actually laid out the mat for him, Celos merely bit his lip and lowered his eyes, unable to open his mouth easily.

At his timid appearance, which did not match the force with which he had come, I tilted my head to the side, and the guy flinched once again, then repeatedly opened and closed his mouth.

At this rate, the night will pass.

“What is wrong? Did a ghost appear while you were sleeping and scare you?”

When I deliberately threw out a sarcastic remark to make it easier for him to react, the guy raised his head sharply.

Celos, whom I had expected to immediately charge at me, asking if I was treating him like a fool, slowly lifted his head.

A little shame and fear had appeared on his face.

“……How did you know?”

What, it was real?