Chapter 6

“I don’t see anything that could forcefully open the door. Would it be better to find a metal rod or something to go down with?”

“Well… but Sir Janiche , is it really okay for us to intrude into Prince’s bedroom like this?”

“Of course, it’s not allowed. However, in this case, there’s no other choice, so even if we receive punishment, it might not be fully enforced.”

The knight, who seemed composed on the surface, was quietly panicking. He murmured as if he was going to put more effort in after a while.

“Wait a moment. Perhaps it’s better to leave it be today. The prince must have been quite surprised by his first time coming out of the bedroom…”

“But how did he end up coming all the way to the dining room?”

“Oh, that…”

How should I explain this? I hesitated for a moment, thinking that the prince might be listening at the door and could hear our voices perfectly.

I eventually picked up the untouched meal and motioned to go downstairs. Sir Janiche followed me silently.

As we walked down the seemingly endless spiral staircase, I explained what had happened from morning until now.

“… Miss Daphne, considering what you did today, it’s only natural that he acted that way.”

Sir Janiche raised his thick eyebrows as if he couldn’t believe it. He muttered under his breath.

“I couldn’t even see Prince properly. But Miss Daphne was hugging him, touching him, and even playing fetch with him… Were you fond of dogs?”

“Before my dog’s death, which was lively and strong, I used to raise several of them. I used to dote on them a lot.”

“But the Prince is not really a dog.”

“What are you saying? I didn’t force him to fetch things.”

“If you put it that way, I can’t argue, but…”

It was because the Prince had shown a positive reaction to me for the first time, I grumbled to myself. If Sir Janiche had seen those gem-like eyes twinkling, he wouldn’t have been able to resist throwing the stocking ball either.

We returned to the dining room. After devouring the remaining meat pies, Sir Janiche went outside the castle, and I stayed in the dining room to tidy up the uneaten food and wash the dishes.

The prince was still in his growing stage, so he must be hugging his flat stomach and whimpering by now. I don’t know how many times he went up and down the stairs in a day, but it would be better to bring him his dinner in advance.

I placed neatly cut meat pies, along with a generous serving of smoked duck, into the washed dishes. I filled the soup bowl with pumpkin soup until it was overflowing.

“Let’s just bring this today and not touch anything else.”

Muttering to myself, I headed for the top floor. Although sweat was now flowing where it had dried, I didn’t mind. I was planning to take a bath in the evening anyway.

Knock, knock.

“Prince, it’s me, Daphne. Um… I’m sorry for acting rudely today. You must have been quite surprised, so please don’t dislike me… I’m going to leave now, please make sure to have your dinner.”

However, the prince did not have dinner. It was now the next morning when I brought the newly prepared breakfast up to the top floor. I stared at the tray that was left untouched from yesterday and bit my lip.

Did I go too far yesterday? A wave of immense regret suddenly washed over me.

“Your Highness… sigh.”

I softly called out to the prince, but soon closed my mouth. Then, I noticed the surroundings.

The nameless castle was generally untidy, and the top floor was especially messy.

I had a habit of regularly cleaning my own room, the dining hall, and even Janiche’s bedroom, as I had been told by the maid I used to work with that it was sufficient work for one person. Since she was the only maid at the time, I readily accepted her advice not to exert unnecessary effort. As a result, I had naturally started neglecting the cleanliness of the prince’s bedroom and even the areas outside.

However, it seemed that I could no longer continue like this. If I were to thoroughly clean, I might come face to face with the prince again.

“Where are you going?”

“Oh no, I just want to tidy up the top floor corridor.”

I greeted Sir Janiche, who had just finished breakfast in the dining hall. Despite the monotonous daily routine that could be boring, he seemed unfazed.

Perhaps being the caretaker of the nameless castle, where no one else was seen, was his calling. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind spending the whole day idly daydreaming if I were in his shoes as well, with no one bothering me.

“Are you trying to slowly narrow the distance with the prince like that?”

“Yes, since I have nothing else to do.”

Sir Janiche was quick to catch on to my intentions, with his expressionless face and seemingly thoughtless gaze. I shrugged my shoulders lightly, clutching cleaning tools in both hands.

Sir Janiche sighed.

“I’ll help. It’s pointless if you fall while doing that.”

“Even if you say that…”

“Yes? What did you say?”

“Oh, no, thank you.”

With an awkward smile, I followed him up the stairs. It’s clear that if Sir Janiche wasn’t there, I would have exhausted all my energy just getting to the top floor.

By the way, where should I start cleaning? I put my hand on my waist and looked around, but all I could let out was a sigh. Sir Janiche, holding a duster, was fixated on the firmly closed door to the prince’s room.

“Did the prince… skip meals again today?”

“It seems so. I must have been too harsh yesterday.”

“Why did Miss Daphne suddenly decide to meet the prince?”

“Well… maybe out of boredom.”

I couldn’t say things like dreaming or going back to the past, so I had to bear the bewildered gaze of the dark-haired man.

He frowned and spoke.

“You are foolish. What if the prince had really been a dangerous monster?”

“But he’s not. You saw it yourself.”

“Of course, but… still, consider yourself lucky.”

I didn’t realize Sir Janiche was such a nagging person. Feeling disheartened, I scratched my nose, and he finally softened his stern expression.

“It seems overwhelming to clean this spacious place alone.”

“But I can’t just leave it as it is. Oh, Sir Janiche, you can go down now if you want…”

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound echoed, and we both turned our heads simultaneously. It definitely came from near the door, but there was nothing there as if nothing had happened, and the silence returned once again.

Sir Janiche and I looked at each other with startled eyes. He pointed to the door with the duster in his hand.

“Has this happened before?”

“Oh, no. Not even once.”

“There’s only the prince on the other side, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Did something happen to the prince?”

The top floor was usually silent before and after my regression. I couldn’t help but rush towards the bedroom and knock on the door.

“Prince! Are you inside? Are you feeling unwell?”

There was no response. Instead, I heard another thud! sound, which made me flinch. What was happening?

Feeling anxious, I turned around, and Sir Janiche gestured for me to step back, telling me to move aside. He took a deep breath and forcefully kicked the door.

However, the door, which seemed to shake slightly, didn’t break as easily as in movies. I looked at Sir Janiche with disappointment.

“…Come to think of it, this door is made of a special alloy mixed to confine the prince.”

“Why are you suddenly mentioning that?”

“I suddenly remembered something my predecessor said,” he retorted shamelessly. As if feeling regret, he kicked the door once again. If it was a specially modified door for the prince, it wouldn’t be of much use anyway.

That was when it happened. Whether the old stone wall had cracked, or the door had loosened the joint, Sir Janice slipped through the opening.

“Sir? Sir Janiche?”

“…Miss Daphne! Get out of here quickly!”

With an urgent shout, the door swung open wide. In that moment of confusion, I saw Sir Janiche lying on the floor, whimpering and covered in blood. There was saliva dripping from the knight’s tan skin and something grasping his shoulder with only one front paw. I couldn’t help but be astonished.

“What, what’s going on?”

Sir Janiche was lying on the floor, held captive by a gigantic beast resembling a wolf that I had never seen before in my life.

Instinctively, I took a step back. The size of the beast was exaggerated, almost unreal. With its pure white fur standing on end, it stared at me with sharp eyes.

Grrrrrr. Its large jaws opened, revealing sharp fangs.

“Miss Daphne! Step back and leave the castle! Go to seek help… Ugh!”

Sir Janiche, who had turned his head to look at me, furrowed his brow. The beast’s fierce claws dug into his shoulders.

Blood, like spilled paint, stained the knight’s uniform. I stood there, covering my mouth with my hand, unable to move at all.

That terrifying beast was undoubtedly the cute puppy that had been nestled in my arms just yesterday. But now, its adorable appearance was nowhere to be found, and I couldn’t even recognize it.

Facing such a massive creature, cold sweat ran down my back, and my whole body trembled uncontrollably. Unable to avoid its threatening gaze, I stumbled without even blinking.

“…Miss Daphne! Daphne! Snap out of it! If you hesitate, we’ll both be doomed!”

“But… but…”

“Listen to me! This monster is the true form of the prince you adored!”

“The prince isn’t a monster!”

Finally, I managed to gather my senses and speak up. As I hesitated, choking back tears, the creature, as large as a house, twitched. It slowly closed its mouth, concealing its ferocious fangs, and stared at me in the sudden silence.

“Good… prince. Please, let go of Sir Janiche,” I said with a trembling voice. Urging him to calm down, I raised both hands in the air and slowly lowered them.

I don’t know if the beast understood my words. It merely made a growling sound and showed its teeth again.

How can I handle this?

Suddenly, a bright idea illuminated my mind. Without averting the prince’s gaze, I reached into my apron pocket.