How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 35

“Apothecary, since the Second Prince falls ill so often, I’ve decided to assign an apothecary exclusively to his palace. It also seems that information about the Second Prince’s health has been leaking outside.”

“L-Leaking? Who would dare do such a thing?!”

Sedes’s beastlike golden eyes gleamed fiercely.

After hearing Evan’s explanation, Sedes was in a foul mood. Disclosing information about a royal’s illness to outsiders was one of the gravest crimes imaginable. That remained true even if the information was shared among members of the royal family.

Although no evidence had been left behind, the guilty apothecary trembled and bowed his head to the floor. The assistant apothecaries and physicians watching from nearby had retreated some distance, apparently worried that they might get caught in the crossfire.

“Why are you so frightened? I never said you were the one leaking information. For now, I intend to send some medicinal herbs to the Second Prince’s palace. Check this list, and if you have any of the herbs in stock, bring me one sack of each.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”

The apothecaries hurried into action, and sacks packed full of medicinal herbs began piling up one after another.

Sedes couldn’t entirely believe that the commoner boy could read pulses and handle medicinal herbs. However, if the Second Prince’s escort knight was telling the truth, the apothecary had apparently been won over by the First Prince.

Sedes had no personal grievances against the First Prince, but he did have grievances against the queen, so he couldn’t simply let this matter slide. Besides, the Second Prince was frequently ill, so arranging for an apothecary or physician to attend to him seemed worthwhile regardless.

While everyone was bustling about, one of the assistant apothecaries approached and bowed.

“Your Majesty, we’ve prepared all the herbs currently in stock. Shall we place orders for the ones we don’t have?”

“Are there many missing?”

“About ten varieties. Some are poisonous, and others are relatively rare. A few are rarely used, so obtaining them may take some time.”

“Poisonous herbs?”

“Yes. Everything marked on the list is poisonous. None are particularly dangerous, and some are occasionally used in medicine depending on the method of preparation. The formulas can be somewhat complicated, but skilled apothecaries use them for various purposes.”

Sedes frowned slightly at the mention of poisonous herbs. However, the items had been clearly marked, and the apothecaries themselves didn’t seem to find anything strange about the list, so it appeared there was no major cause for concern.

“Then prepare what you can for now. And what do you think of this list of herbs?”

Sedes turned away from the assistant apothecary before him and directed the question toward the chief apothecary, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

He was smiling, but there was not the slightest trace of amusement in his eyes. His expression was so menacing that it looked as though he were asking for a defendant’s final statement before delivering a verdict.

The chief apothecary instinctively closed his eyes, sensing that he was about to be dismissed.

“The herbs on the list are certainly fundamental ingredients, but most are used in mass-produced medicines. Many don’t need to be stored separately in their raw herbal form. It seems the new apothecary intends to develop new formulas from scratch, adjusting the ingredients from the outset to suit the Second Prince’s constitution.”

“His constitution?”

“Yes. The effectiveness of medicine varies somewhat depending on a person’s constitution. Just as humans and elves have different constitutions, His Highness, being a quarter-elf, would likely benefit more from medicine formulated specifically for him than from standard, mass-produced remedies.”

“Is that so? The apothecary who will be assigned to the Second Prince’s palace seems to be doing commendable work. The apothecary is still young, is he not? Do you have any advice to offer?”

“His Highness is so frail that he falls ill frequently. I hope he won’t blame himself for it, but will instead persevere and continue doing what he needs to do.”

“That’s very good advice. Is there anything else you could provide in the way of herbs?”

Sedes turned his attention fully toward the chief apothecary, rather than the assistant standing before him, and raised one corner of his mouth.

Although he was smiling, his eyes remained utterly cold, making the question sound like a request for the accused’s final defense at a trial.

The chief apothecary shut his eyes tightly, certain that he was about to lose his position.

“All the herbs listed in the note are dried. Since the new apothecary will likely be gathering other herbs as well, I don’t think there’s any need for me to prepare additional ones. However, I have some exceptionally rare tea leaves. I would like to offer those as a gift to encourage the new apothecary.”

Sedes nodded and had Evan take the tea leaves the apothecary handed over. The king’s Shadow Knights, already disguised as coachmen and porters, busily loaded the sacks of herbs onto a carriage and headed for the Second Prince’s palace.

Sedes pretended to return to his office, then changed into a porter’s disguise, mounted a horse, and followed them.

At the peaceful Second Prince’s palace, six people arrived: Evan, a coachman, three porters, and one Shadow Knight who remained concealed as a bodyguard.

With the exception of the hidden Shadow Knight, everyone was obliged to carry five or six sacks of herbs. Even the king was no exception. After all, a porter carrying no luggage would have no excuse to enter the palace.

Evan, who was leading the group, stopped a maid who was busy sweeping the stairs.

“Where’s that wildcat?”

The moment he said it, Evan realized his mistake. He had just called the boy a wildcat in front of His Majesty! Worse still, there was no reason to expect the servants to understand that the nickname referred to the boy.

Evan hurriedly tried to correct himself, but the young maid answered before he could.

“Oh! You mean His Highness’s friend? So he really is a beastman after all!”

“…No, I misspoke. But why do you think he’s a beastman?”

“Isn’t he one? Everyone among the servants has been talking about his beastlike hearing and sense of smell. When he first arrived, there were all sorts of rumors because he was so beautiful. Some people said he was a divine beast, others said he was a magical doll, and still others said he was a fox who had seduced His Highness. I thought he had to be a beastman with white fur! I thought I’d finally guessed right this time…”

Evan’s expression grew complicated. Since he was always by the prince’s side, he hadn’t even realized that such rumors were circulating throughout the palace.

“…Those rumors are going around? Anyway, where is he?”

“I saw him passing by the kitchen about thirty minutes ago, but I don’t know where he is now. He was hugging Pupu tightly.”

“…Pu— You mean the teddy bear? All right, got it.”

Evan resumed leading the way and headed toward the kitchen. Sedes, following behind him, asked in a low voice,

“That boy must have a rather unusual appearance.”

“…Yes. I can understand why those rumors started.”

“The prince never mentioned anything about his appearance… Now I’m even more curious.”

Unlike Sedes, who was becoming increasingly intrigued, Evan’s face stiffened.

Pupu—or rather, a teddy bear.

It was a combination that somehow seemed perfectly suited to the boy and completely unsuited to him at the same time.

With a vague sense of foreboding, Evan arrived at the kitchen. A servant peeling potatoes spotted him first, sprang to his feet, and bowed.

“Sir Knight, what brings you to the kitchen?”

“Have you seen the prince’s friend?”

“I saw him hiding something in the dining room about an hour ago. He was clutching a teddy bear to his chest. The other servants say he’s been wandering around hiding things in various places, but everyone pretends not to notice because he’s so cute.”

“Oh, I saw him in the first-floor lobby!”

“I saw him in the third-floor corridor.”

“I saw him heading toward the butler’s office this morning.”

“I saw him on the second floor…”

The servants gathered around them began chiming in one by one. They were all recounting sightings of the wildcat, but not a single account matched the others. It was impossible to make sense of anything.

Just where does that brat wander off all day?!

“Sir Knight, what exactly is that young master? Is he really a living doll?”

“I heard the prince was so lonely that he asked a demon to make him a doll!”

“What doll? I’m telling you, he’s a beastman!”

“I also heard he isn’t just a doll made by a demon. He’s a demon himself!”

“Did you know? He seems terribly shy, because whenever the servants approach him, he scurries away!”

“No! He must be a divine beast who hasn’t learned human speech yet!”

“Did you know that whenever His Highness is away, he always carries one of the prince’s belongings around with him? He must miss His Highness so much. He’s just too adorable!”

A magical doll? What on earth do they think of the prince?!

That brat is shy? He runs away? And what do they mean he hasn’t learned human speech?! And why is he carrying around the prince’s belongings? What on earth does he do when he’s alone?!

Evan had gone looking for Nihil, only to find himself surrounded by servants spouting the strangest nonsense imaginable. His head began to throb.

“…Enough, enough! Everyone, get back to work. Only tell me if you know where he is right now.”

“If he’s nowhere else, wouldn’t he have returned to his bedroom?”

Evan nodded. Thinking he should check the bedroom first, he quickly dismissed the servants and resumed leading the way.

Then something glittering caught his eye.

A gold coin hidden inside a statue displayed in the corridor.

“A gold coin. Did that boy hide it?”

“……It seems so.”

Evan picked up the coin, and Sedes, who was following behind him, remarked on it as though he recognized the situation. Evan furrowed his brows, slipped the coin into his pocket, and continued walking until they reached Nihil’s bedroom.

He knocked casually and opened the door. Inside was a bedroom similar in layout to the prince’s, though it was somewhat emptier.

“…Does that boy use this room?”

At Sedes’s question, Evan realized his mistake. This room had originally been intended for royalty. The boy was staying on the fifth floor, no less, in a room directly opposite the prince’s bedroom.

Evan hurriedly offered an explanation.

“He said he wanted a room close to His Highness, so the prince gave him this one. He was rather insistent…”

“You really do seem to care for that boy. Still, isn’t this room rather bare? It hardly looks as though anyone lives here.”

“……”

It was true. No one lived here.

Now that he thought about it, had that wildcat ever even entered this room?

Could he be in the prince’s bedroom right now?

Cold sweat trickled down Evan’s back.

How on earth was he supposed to explain finding the prince’s friend sprawled about in a bedroom that wasn’t even his own?

“…Your Majesty, I don’t think he’s here. And if he does behave rudely, please don’t punish him too severely.”

“I’m a porter. Who would I punish?”

“……You can punish him a little.”

Evan closed the door to Nihil’s bedroom and turned toward the prince’s room. On second thought, there was little chance the boy would be in the prince’s bedroom either. Nihil was so sensitive to the slightest presence that if he had been inside, he would have sensed Evan’s arrival and come out first.

When Evan opened the door, a familiar sight greeted him.

“Is this the Second Prince’s room?”

Sedes surveyed Rianus’s bedroom. He hadn’t expected it to be decorated in a particularly adorable fashion, but even so, the prince’s bedroom didn’t feel especially full of furnishings.

“Yes. In fact, that boy spends most of his time here with His Highness.”

“I see. So that’s why his own room is so empty. But it doesn’t look as though he’s here either…”

“Apparently n—”

BANG!

The terrace window suddenly flew open and slammed noisily against its frame, interrupting Evan just as he was beginning to feel relieved.

And then a gray head appeared…

Gray?

“Y-You! What on earth happened to you?!”