Chapter 7

“Prince! Look at this, it’s a stocking ball. You used to love it so much.” I took out the fist-sized ball and shook it around. In an instant, the purple eyes seemed to forget the current situation and eagerly followed my hand.

Even though its size had grown hundreds of times, its nature hadn’t changed. Feeling like a skilled pitcher, I threw the stocking ball with all my strength into the bedroom.

“Prince!”

Whether it was a beast or the prince, it didn’t matter. It barked loudly, completely forgetting about the situation, and chased after the stocking ball in a single breath. In the meantime, I quickly assessed Sir Janiche’s condition. As soon as he was released from the prince’s claws, he had already managed to sit up.

“Are you alright? It seems like you’re quite injured…”

“The wounds aren’t as deep as I thought. It’s just minor scratches, if you look closely.”

“But you’re bleeding heavily.”

“I think it would be better to trim the prince’s claws.”

Sir Janiche struggled to remove his uniform. His white shirt underneath was stained red, he touched his shoulder and nodded.

“Maybe he didn’t use his full strength. I can’t shake off the feeling that he was being considerate towards me.”

“But it would be better to show the wounds to a doctor.”

“What should I tell the doctor?”

“Well…”

That’s true. If news spread that the prince, who was already labeled as a monster that preyed on children, had caused harm, who knows what would happen. But since he’s of royal blood, he won’t face any severe consequences. Being imprisoned was already a form of punishment for him anyway.

I hesitated, unsure of what to do. Then, I turned my gaze towards the prince, who, with his enormous size compared to the stocking ball, was unable to bite it with his oversized snout.

He playfully nudged the ball with his black nose, making a playful sound. At first, I was so scared that I couldn’t even move, but now, he looked pitiful somehow.

It seemed like my eyes had adjusted properly. I untied the knot on my apron and handed it to Sir Janiche. After confirming that he used it to stop the bleeding, I cautiously approached the prince.

“Is the ball too small for you, Prince?”

“…Grrrr!”

“Oh my, you surprised me! What can we do about your massive size?”

The prince turned to me and let out a howl. Startled, I jumped in place. However, it seemed like he was more surprised than me. His eyes widened, and he slightly opened his mouth.

For some reason, he looked pitiful, with his big ears drooping, he let out a strange whimpering sound.

“Hingg…”

“I wish you could speak like a human… By the way, your tail is incredibly big and tempting. Can I touch it just once?”

As I cautiously reached out my hand, his purple eyes trembled. I thought he would show his fangs and threaten me or try to avoid it.

However, the prince slowly sat down, pressing his fluffy tail against the floor. His tail, which had become much more voluminous than when he was a small puppy, wagged gently.

“Since I don’t know when you might transform back into a human… I’ll quickly touch it now. Is that okay?”

As always, there was no response from the prince. But as I took another step closer, there was no sign of him being on guard.

Just judging by the length of his tail, it seemed to reach my waist. I gently stroked the prince’s tail. Someday, I wanted to become close enough to cover myself with his tail and take a nap.

The prince looked at me with a sense of wonder, as if seeing a creature he had never seen before, while I playfully toyed with his tail. The beast that had just moments ago attacked and threatened Sir Janiche seemed to no longer exist here.

He could be so gentle like this. If only I could reach his head to pet him. I couldn’t hide the faint smile that spread across my face.

“I’ve been selfishly enjoying this fluffy tail all by myself. Of course, I prefer you in your small, cute, and lovely puppy state, Prince.”

“….”

“But this side of you isn’t bad either. I really want to hold you tight and bury myself in it.”

Bam!

That’s when it happened. As if trying to avoid my touch, perhaps wanting to evade it, the tail that had been swaying gently disappeared before my eyes.

Instead, sitting on the floor was the prince, his face reddened like a ripe tomato. With his diminished stature, my gaze naturally shifted downward.

When our eyes met, the prince hastily covered his face with a flustered hand. Between his fingers, I could see his eyes, which were trembling like when he was a giant dog.

His moist lips was sullied with dirt. After hesitating, he glanced around before finally opening his mouth.

“You… you keep calling me cute all the time…”

“The floor is cold, Prince. Please get up.”

“No, I can’t! I’m not wearing anything right now.”

As I extended my hand, the prince recoiled in fright and lowered his head. He belatedly covered himself below. I looked around and turned towards the bed.

There, the clothes that had been provided for the prince were scattered haphazardly, covered in pristine dust.

They should be cleaned up in a day. Hmm, while contemplating, I headed towards the corner of the bed and picked up a bundle of fabric.

And then, I returned to the prince and covered his head with the cloth. The prince pulled down the fabric, roughly covering his body, and hunched his broad shoulders.

“I… I didn’t do it on purpose. It was too noisy outside… and I thought you might bother me again like yesterday, so I got angry.”

He glanced behind me with a worried expression. Ah, right. Sir Janiche!

I had momentarily forgotten about him, completely captivated by the prince’s charm. Sir Janiche was bleeding profusely.

I gasped and covered my mouth. When I turned around, he was looking at me with an incredulous expression, as if saying, “Are you serious?”

I cleared my throat and looked at him. Sir Janiche let out a sigh and stood up with a soft groan.

“So, it’s all because of Miss Daphne, isn’t it?”

“Oh, no. It’s not completely my fault. Isn’t it a bit harsh to blame me so much? Besides, if the prince hadn’t shown me such a cute and adorable side in the first place…”

“You have a very peculiar way of blaming others.”

“Ugh… you keep saying that I’m cute and adorable…”

The prince’s red face looked like it could burst at any moment. I forgot what I wanted to say to Sir Janiche and just stared blankly at the prince.

Was he going to transform again? But this time, there was no swirling mist or the sound of bursting air. There was only a slightly taller boy sitting there. And his long silver hair swayed along with his movements.

“I don’t know if you like it or dislike it. But seeing the corners of your mouth slightly curl up, I guess you’re pleased?”

“I… I wasn’t pleased! You keep saying strange things to me, and it makes me feel weird…”

“You’re cute… Ah, but this isn’t the time for that. Your charm is making me lose my focus.”

“Stop it! Those words…”

The prince closed his eyes tightly and shouted. It was astonishing how someone of his towering stature could be so innocent.

But that was beside the point. I suddenly noticed Sir Janiche’s wounds, as I come closer. He must have taken off his shirt at some point, as there was only bare skin around me.

I gently touched Sir Janiche’s shoulder, which he had cleaned with a handkerchief. His shoulder was well-developed with thick muscles, and there were claw marks like tattoos.

“I have a first aid kit in my room. It has everything you need for disinfection, applying medication, and bandaging. I recommend seeing a doctor, but…”

“The wound isn’t severe enough to require stitches. I’ll ask you for help.”

Sir Janiche’s gaze towards the prince was much softer than before. It seemed like he wanted to reassure the tense prince.

Where did the person who called the prince a monster go? I couldn’t bring myself to remember that he wanted to report the prince to the royal family.

“Would it be better for us to go downstairs now? Oh, what about the prince?”

“He probably just wants us to leave as soon as possible.”

“Really?”

I gave him a disappointed look. If we could spend a little more time together, maybe we could become closer than before? If the prince was a normal person, he would probably feel guilty towards Sir Janiche.

“I… I…”

The prince furrowed his delicate brows. He had been angrily questioning me about why I bothered him yesterday, but now he glanced at Sir Janiche’s wounds with a flicker of concern.

If I had known, I would have come in first and let the prince’s claws tear at me. Then I could have acted more confidently and shamelessly in the future.

“…Fine. Both of you, hurry up and leave. Get out of my sight.”

The contemplating prince dropped his head. It seemed that the level of affection was still quite low. It felt like a game when I thought about it this way.

Taming the prince, that’s it. Foster the imprisoned young prince in the tower.

With a bitter heart, I muttered nonsense to myself. Then I suddenly looked down at the prince.

Rumble.

“I… it’s not me.”

Who said that? No one had spoken first, but the prince raised his eyes with a flicker of annoyance. But in the next moment…

Rumble.

The prince’s stomach rumbled again.

“Come to think of it, you’ve been starving for over a day.”

“I… I’m not.”

“Moreover, you’ve transformed into a puppy several times, even into a huge dog.”

“A huge dog…”

Sir Janiche was surprised at my vocabulary. Ignoring him, I rummaged through the pockets of my black dress and took out a neatly wrapped chocolate.

“I don’t have anything right now, but would you like to have this while you wait?”

“…What is this?”

“It’s chocolate. According to the previous maid, they sometimes served such luxurious items… don’t you know, Prince?”

“I… I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The prince carefully examined the chocolate in my palm without taking it. Could it be that he never tasted chocolate even at his age, having lived such a secluded life?

Unable to understand, I unwrapped the packaging and placed the chocolate on the prince’s lips. Then I realized. The previous maids must have stolen the food that should have been given to the prince.

“W-What…”

“You eat it like this. Ah, give it a try.”

“Stop it. How far are you going to treat me like a child?”

The prince, who had regained his pale complexion, blushed again in an instant. He must’ve been embarrassed about interacting with others, considering he had lived a life with almost no social interaction.