Was I too much? But just now, he was like a really big dog.
Look at him; he was still pushing his head into me. I didn’t even think he felt offended at all.
Then I looked at Rupert.
The tip of his ears was red. Was the room hot?
“Stop it, and let’s go now, Miss. We have to go to Prince Cassion.”
I was about to tell her to open the window, but Janice urged me.
She grabbed my hand that was stroking Rupert’s head.
Rupert drooped disappointedly.
“Master….”
Rupert called me with a lingering voice.
He showed a very different attitude compared to when he made a deal with me and offered me medicine.
My hands went up again out of my protective instinct as I couldn’t believe the boy in front of me was a 16-year-old boy.
Rupert straightened his back when I stroked him a couple more times, perhaps because he was satisfied.
“Please wait a little longer for the corpse. Instead, as a reward for your medicine today, I will get you the medicine compound you want. If you need anything, tell the butler.”
“That’s fine.”
Rupert drooped his shoulders, disappointed that he could not do the dissection immediately.
He looked dwarfed when he even curled up his skinny body.
“Take your reward even if you don’t need it. I also want to build a nice anatomy laboratory, not a medicinal one. I will try to prepare it as soon as possible.”
I tried to say something encouraging, but Rupert still looked down.
‘Both Cassion and Rupert, why are you all so skinny?’
Looking at Rupert reminded me of Cassion.
They were different, so was it because adults hurt them both?
‘Though they have a different appetite.’
Unlike Rupert, who ate anything well, the feisty prince with a dual personality was a picky eater.
‘I need to find a cook.’
“Master, I…”
When I was thinking of Cassion, Rupert called me.
“Oh my, you’re still here?”
My business was done, so he could excuse himself.
I felt sorry to see him standing like he was being punished.
“From now on, if you want to, you can sit down, and if you want to leave, you can just leave after we are done.”
I explained it kindly.
“Master.”
“It’s so strange to hear you call me ‘master.’ You can just call me ‘Miss’ too.”
When I became the head of Irenberg house, I should get used to being called ‘master’, but I haven’t become one yet.
“If you want, you can call me ‘miss.’”
Rupert quickly complied with my request.
I liked the attitude of people following my order without asking me the reason, as long as it didn’t hurt them. I laughed satisfactorily.
“But Miss. What should I do when you leave?”
Why were you asking me that? I tilted my head and answered.
“Do what you want to do. If you want to rest, rest or make the medicine I requested earlier. The effective pain reliever I mentioned earlier.”
Rupert didn’t easily believe that he was really helpful to me.
It was also up to me to reassure and make him believe, so I said in a relaxed manner.
‘I will tell him hundreds of times if he wants to. As long as he could make the right medicine.’
“Of course. Whatever you make will definitely help me. And to you.”
I would sell your medicine and put you on the money cushion.
Rupert’s eyes sparkled as if he had understood what I was thinking. As expected, no one in the world hated money.
“And, now that you’re my person, keep your shoulders straight. By the way, I will take your younger brothers, who are still under the smugglers, soon. Will you wait for me?”
If Rupert’s main worries disappeared, he could focus only on research.
Then he would be able to develop the magical pain reliever faster.
“Miss…”
Rupert cried.
He cried a lot. Why was he crying again? I quit looking for a handkerchief by now.
If I gave him my handkerchief every time he cried, I wouldn’t have a handkerchief to use.
It was really time for him to go out.
“Rupert, I’m going to change. Are you going to keep standing there?”
“N-N-No!”
Rupert rushed out with a red face.
***
“Let’s move quickly, Janice.”
Janice was getting off the carriage with a basket of food prepared by the mansion chef.
“I have a lot of stuff. I told you to bring more people.”
“It’s better if it is only you and me who come in and out like this to prevent rumors. Also, the back door is narrow.”
I crept to the back door leading to the third prince’s palace.
This door was used by court ladies and servants of the royal palace secretly.
It helped them to sneak when they didn’t have much work in the palace. When I tried to walk with one of the baskets that she put down, Janice asked me.
“How long do we have to sneak in and out of the palace?”
“As long as possible.”
“Why is that?”
We both knew what kind of rumor would fly around if someone found out that the heir of the Irenberg family was in contact with the third prince.
‘If it reaches the ears of Dyson or Count Corcos…’
Ugh, that would be terrible.
My body trembled.
Dyson would try to kill Cassion, and I still lacked the power to protect him.
I also didn’t have the right to side with Cassion openly.
At least I shouldn’t be caught until he decided to marry me.
“I’ll explain the reason later. Since we have a lot of stuff, let’s move first.”
There were many good things about Janice, but I liked that she was a simple-minded person right now.
She didn’t even notice that I changed the subject on purpose and packed the stuff we brought. She followed me while grumbling.
The palace was just around the corner. But what’s this ominous feeling?
As I got closer to the palace of the third prince today, I had a bad feeling.
The spacious and initially quiet palace where only Cassion and Pollock lived was frantic.
I instinctively realized something had happened to Cassion.