Chapter 5

“Uh… Prince, how many times a day can you transform? It’s not because I dislike it, but I’m just curious.”

“Woof…”

For a moment, the prince in the form of a puppy didn’t seem to want to come out from under the blanket. His crouched posture, which was already small, made his body appear even more smaller.

Why was he so petite when he used to be so tall as a human? It was a question that arose in my mind, but it wasn’t something I was particularly curious about, so I decided to let it go.

“It doesn’t really matter, but I think I should go out now. Can you wait here for a moment?”

Speaking to the prince in his puppy state was almost like speaking to myself. It would have been nice if he could at least bark or show some kind of reaction, like a cute face, but he even hid his tail sneakily under the blanket.

Even when he turned back into a human, he would be naked, so he probably wouldn’t leave this room. I looked at the stocking ball that he liked on the bed and quietly left the room.

In the dining room, Sir Janiche was already sitting comfortably on a chair, waiting for me. I cut a piece of meat pie from the basket and handed it to him.

“I never thought the day would come when I’d sit face to face with you and have a meal together. And moreover, you invited me first.”

“Living in the nameless castle tends to make you forget about things like status. Rather, the loneliness that can be felt through your skin becomes more prominent.”

The knight with black hair said calmly. However, considering that he hadn’t really do so before, why would he suddenly change?

Still, I was pleased. I didn’t know why I had been sent back to the past, but it seemed that something was changing already, and part of me felt proud.

Perhaps this time, Sir Janiche might be able to survive. On the day when the Sethna Empire invaded the Verberat Kingdom, this taciturn knight had heard the loud noises coming from the palace, went to see the situation, and never returned.

Anxious and alone, I left the nameless castle to find him and find out what was happening, only to be caught in an accident where a pillar collapsed.

“That makes sense. But isn’t the prince the same?”

I poked the meat pie with my fork and asked. Sir Janiche and I could take leave from the castle once a month. However, the prince wasn’t even allowed to do that. Although practically the entire nameless castle belonged to the prince, he had never once come down from the top floor.

Different from the rumors, the prince was probably aware of what loneliness meant. He had been grateful to me, who had lived beside him for so long, even before regressing. He was grateful I had stayed by his side without fear, asked about his well-being, give him flowers I had picked myself, and presented him with sweet cakes from the city.

“Well, probably. Actually, I’ve never really thought about how the prince might feel.”

“Have you ever actually met the prince?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve only gone up to the top floor on my first day of work. I greeted the prince outside the door and came back down.”

“What did he say then?”

“He didn’t say anything.”

Even though it wasn’t that long ago, about six months, Sir Janiche furrowed his brow and tilted his head to the side. I handed him another piece of meat pie as I continued speaking.

“Sir Janiche. Actually, I’ve met the prince.”

“…When exactly?”

Clang.

Sir Janiche dropped his fork to the ground in disbelief. His black eyes, filled with uncertainty, turned to me.

Even someone who had spent so much time close to the prince didn’t know the truth about him. Sir Janiche cautiously asked me.

“…Miss Daphne, are you okay?”

“If I were hurt, would I be sitting here sharing meat pie with you?”

“I suppose that’s true. But I’ve heard he’s quite dangerous.”

“He’s dangerous, dangerously cute, to be exact.”

“Huh? Are we talking about the same prince?”

“Then, were we talking about you?”

“Are you saying I’m not cute?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

Suddenly feeling thirsty, I gulped down my water. Sir Janiche sighed and awkwardly scratched the back of his head, then bent down to pick up the fallen fork.

“Miss Daphne.”

Then, he called my name with an uncertain tone.

“Yes?”

“Do you have a pet?”

“No, I’ve always wanted one, though.”

“Then, is there a possibility that a lady’s dog might have gotten lost and ended up in the nameless castle?”

“Would a lady taking a stroll around the nameless castle even exist… Ah.”

Did I leave the door to the dining room open? I couldn’t recall. There were essentially only two people who would be using this place, Sir Janiche and myself.

I stood up abruptly from my chair and turned around. Through the open door, I could see the puppy prince with only one eye peeking out, frozen like ice.

As soon as our gazes met, the prince disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

“Wait, Prince? Hold on a moment.”

“Miss Daphne, what did you just call that little puppy?”

“I’m sorry. Excuse me for a moment.”

Suddenly, Sir Janiche, who had straightened his back and sat down, asked. However, I had no time to explain to him and had to run out of the dining room.

When the prince was in his puppy form, his legs were short and he was incredibly fast. I chased after the prince, who was running up the stairs skillfully despite his size, much smaller than my own body.

The chase with the elusive prince ended when the spiral staircase that seemed endless finally disappeared from view. The sound of the door at the top floor slamming shut echoed loudly, signaling that it was impenetrably closed.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, feeling like I was out of breath.

“Prince, Prince?”

I banged on the door with what little strength I had left, but there was no response. Instead, all I could hear was the sound of locks being set in place. How could a tiny puppy manipulate locks like this? As I pondered this, I suddenly had a hunch that the prince had returned to his human form in this short time.

“Prince. You made a promise not to use this bedroom for a while.”

Of course, it was a one-sided request from me, but well. I thought about whether I should let the fresh air in for a moment, but the prince, who had switched back to a puppy, felt repulsed.

However, upon further reflection, from the prince’s perspective, my sudden appearance might have been a bit overwhelming. Since I hadn’t considered the prince’s perspective, was it a problem? Right, I hadn’t considered his feelings.

At first, I was planning to be satisfied just by facing him and then leaving. I was planning to gradually build familiarity, matching his own pace as he opened up to me.

What I hadn’t anticipated was the terrifying monster that the prince was described as. Since he was irresistibly cute to the point where I wanted to bite him, it was a problem.

Think about it. There was a puppy right in front of you that looked scared and timid without an owner, and was living alone in a very, very dirty place. Moreover, the puppy had white fur that was as soft as cotton and little paws as tiny as your thumbnails, yet it clearly showed fear towards you while wagging its tail.

For someone who cherished small and precious lives, it was certain that they would not want to leave them behind and take them to their room while caring for them properly.

“Its going to the top floor?”

During the moment when I was thinking about what to do and how to open the door again, Sir Janiche, who grabbed the handle of the stairs, stood behind me. Was he watching my chase with the prince and finally catching up?

His forehead was covered in sweat. It was quite a feat to climb these stairs even for a knight.But I had been going up and down this place throughout the year before the regression.

“I came here wondering what was going on. But if I heard correctly, Miss Daphne was calling that puppy a Prince, right?”

“You heard correctly, that was indeed the prince.”

“It’s not some lady’s lost pet?”

“Logically speaking, would any lady come close to the nameless castle?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Sir Janiche quickly understood. However, he still seemed to have trouble accepting the fact that the adorable puppy he had seen was the prince.

He probably knew about the story. And the image that such an expression conveyed was definitely not a cute one.

“I naturally assumed… that Prince would grow up to be a furry beast with a massive build…”

“Shh, please stop saying that. What if Prince hears you?”

“I’m sorry. I’m being presumptuous, only hearing rumors and making judgments on my own. That’s my mistake.”

“I did tell you. I said that the Prince was dangerously cute. But now that he locked the door so tightly…”

I sighed and looked wistfully at the door, firmly locked like the prince’s inner self. Sir Janiche stared at me in silence, then after a while, he asked directly.

“Prince’s breakfast is still outside. Could it be that he’s not hungry?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s already lunchtime, so he must have skipped one or two meals by now.”

“That’s not good at all. If Prince has skipped meals and anything happens, we’ll be in trouble.”

“No, considering he only skipped two meals, it’s a bit of an overreaction to call it skipping meals.”

“Miss Daphne, we were hired to ensure Prince’s health and well-being.”

“Oh.”

Only now did I understand Sir Janiche’s words. Then, he looked around for something. A knight who had previously considered the prince to be a threat had now turned to try to break down the prince’s door.