Get to Work, Prince! Chapter 16 - A Nightmare…? 

The house on the outskirts of the village looked shabby, like an abandoned building from the outside. 

 

Inside, it was filled with the thick scent of medicinal herbs, and the curtains remained drawn all day, keeping the interior dim and gloomy.

 

However, the house was brightened every dawn by the father’s devotion as he carefully baked bread with delicate hands, and by the mother’s diligence as she looked after her two still-young daughters.

 

Renata, who was sixteen and would normally crawl out of bed with sleepy eyes, barely able to open them properly, was unusually excited today as she picked out her clothes.

 

“Renie, it snowed all night last night. Don’t try to dress up…wear something warm.”

 

Conrad, a pale, gaunt man whose veins were visible through his almost translucent skin, spoke as he neatly placed freshly baked bread onto a tray.

 

“Mom, does my hair look okay?”

 

“Renie, you should answer your father first.”

 

“But the sponsor is coming today! Do I look more mature like this?”

 

“I understand you want to look good in front of him, but…!”

 

Conrad laughed heartily and pulled his wife’s arm to stop her from scolding their daughter.

 

The wife frowned and whispered into her husband’s ear.

 

“Honey, in the end, our daughter is the only one who’ll get hurt.”

 

“Haha, that’s how kids grow up. Besides, she’s an adult…she’ll handle it appropriately.”

 

Noticing her mother’s face growing unusually stiff, the girl quietly stood up and gathered her belongings and coat.

 

“Sweetie, you have to eat before you go!”

 

At her worried father’s words, Renata quickly grabbed a few pieces of bread, smiled brightly, and waved.

 

Before her mother could yell at her, she hurriedly left the house and securely tied a large luggage bag to the saddle of the horse waiting nearby.

 

Then, she lightly jumped onto the horse, grabbed the reins, and gave it a gentle kick.

 

The winter wind was so bitterly cold it stung her eyes; it would have been reasonable to slow down. Instead, Renata pressed her boot heels into the horse’s sides, urging it to run faster.

 

Just as the horse picked up considerable speed, snow suddenly fell heavily from a nearby tree with a loud thud.

 

“Haa…!”

 

“It’s okay. Calm down, please…!”

 

The startled horse refused to settle down easily. It reared up on its front legs, bucking wildly. 

 

In that moment, Renata lost her balance and began to fall.

 

“Didn’t I tell you not to ride alone?”

 

A tall man caught her in his arms.

 

When she didn’t feel the expected pain slamming into her back, Renata slightly opened her eyes and looked at the person who had caught her.

 

He had a much larger and sturdier build than hers. 

 

Silver hair peeked out from under the deeply pulled hood, and his voice had a metallic, raspy quality.

 

“Sir!”

 

The moment she recognized who he was, a bright smile bloomed across her face.

 

“Where did you come from… Ack!”

 

“Hah, I thought my heart was going to drop, and here you are smiling?”

 

The man she called “Sir” slowly lowered Renata to the ground, then pinched her cheek hard while grumbling.

 

“I was just happy to see you after so long!”

 

Having rushed over to catch her, he was breathing heavily. He released her cheek and abruptly turned his body.

 

Renata quickly followed right behind him.

 

“I’ll take care of the horse you rode. Come to the trading company around sunset to collect the payment for the goods.”

 

“Huh? Are you telling me to go back from here? Why?”

 

“Because you need to be punished.”

 

Renata was on her way to deliver alchemical products she had made to the ‘Grun Pieril’ trading company.

 

Tools and potions made by licensed alchemists with national certification were treated as high-value goods, but products from alchemists who hid their identities were not.

 

Since quality couldn’t be guaranteed and there was no seller information to report if the effects were fake, complaints were difficult.

 

Unfortunately, the Heinsbrun family, who had to hide their identity, had no choice but to rely on this difficult method to make a living.

 

Then one day, a sponsor appeared before Renata.

 

This person properly paid a fair price for the items she worked hard to make and even proposed regular transactions.

 

“You said you were busy, so it’s been four whole months since I last saw you! How can you do this?”

 

“Where would I take a little brat who doesn’t even listen to what I say?”

 

Renata called him “Sir.”

 

Judging by his position as the head of a trading company and his hair that looked as white as snow, he seemed quite old, so she had arbitrarily given him that title.

 

He never revealed his age or face. When she asked for his name, he only answered that his initials were ‘T.’ 

 

Even his voice sounded unnaturally hoarse, as if altered. There was almost nothing Renata knew about him.

 

In return, he also never asked her anything personal. Not even her real name or age.

 

“Little brat?! I’m about to turn sixteen, and I’ve grown taller than last year!”

 

“Why are you telling me information I didn’t even ask for?”

 

“So I can tell you that I’m all grown up now.”

 

“Even so, you’re still a kid who hasn’t become an adult.”

 

If someone asked why she followed and liked this enigmatic man so much, she would have had a lot to say.

 

He provided her with various books and documents to broaden her knowledge, took her to different places to show her the world, and offered countless other forms of support. 

 

In many ways, this sponsor was practically her benefactor.

 

So it was only natural that she followed after him like a little duckling.

 

Moreover, Renata was beginning to feel the kind of intense emotions that young ladies often develop toward their home tutors or school teachers.

 

However, she had no intention of revealing those feelings.

 

If she spoke them out loud, it would surely end in failure.

 

Even setting aside the age difference, she was no longer the young lady of a count’s family, nor did she come from a wealthy household with many servants. She could never be his equal.

 

To him, she was probably nothing more than a pitiful young girl…nothing more, nothing less.

 

“Look at you sulking. Alright, alright. You’re all grown up now, our little brat. Must feel nice getting older, huh?”

 

Ever since she became aware of her own feelings, Renata had been feeling this sense of deprivation and inferiority.

 

It was similar to the faint emotion she felt when she saw noble girls her age looking radiant on the streets, or when she passed by grand mansions that would be cool in summer and warm in winter.

 

‘He always treats me like a child…’

 

She had become this pathetic because of her desire to look good in front of the person she liked.

 

“…I’m going home.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Home.”

 

“You’re not coming with me?”

 

The girl who would normally chatter endlessly…talking about recent events or what alias she was using in her current residence…now gave only short, curt answers and kept her mouth shut like a clam.

 

Seeing this completely different behavior and her rapidly shifting emotions, he muttered, 

 

“Must be puberty…”

 

“You said you’d tell me the new name you made this time when we met. Are you not going to tell me?”

 

The man deliberately kept talking to stall for time and gestured for the luggage wagon that had been following them to come closer.

 

“…I named myself ‘Renata.’”

 

“Renata.”

 

Hearing her own name spoken by him sounded incredibly sweet. 

 

Despite her low mood, Renata hated how her heart was racing uncontrollably. She also disliked how the corners of her mouth were secretly rising on their own.

 

“It’s a pretty name. Does it have any special meaning?”

 

It was made by combining part of her real name with his initials ‘T,’ but there was no reason to tell him that. She didn’t want him to notice her feelings.

 

While Renata hesitated, trying to brush it off vaguely, he lightly lifted her up and sat her on the coachman’s seat of the luggage wagon.

 

After checking her now much brighter expression, he sat beside her, took the reins, and headed toward the city.

 

“There’s no special meaning. I was thinking of using ‘Renie’ as a nickname… Please call me whatever is comfortable for you, Sir.”

 

“Allowing a nickname from someone of the opposite sex who isn’t family usually means you want a special relationship with them.”

 

She had secretly hoped he would use an affectionate nickname, but his sharp, on-point reply made her quickly deny it.

 

“That’s not what I meant.”

 

“Good to know.”

 

…Good?