Chapter 9.1

“I won’t force you. If you like it here, there’s nothing I can do. But from today onwards, I have to clean this entire floor alone… By the time it starts sparkling, my back won’t be able to take it anymore. If that happens, it might be Sir Janiche serving meals to you instead of me for a while.”

“S-Sir Janiche?”

“The knight who came with me earlier.”

The prince, lost in contemplation, gnawed at his lip. A swift retort escaped him, as if his initial encounter with Sir Janiche had left an unfavorable impression.

“I, I don’t like that person.”

“What about my back pain?”

“…Is cleaning that difficult?”

“Yes, it seems so when doing it alone.”

“Then… I’ll help.”

Oh, my goodness. I’ve never heard of a royal doing cleaning. I held my head in my hands and said, “Do you like the top floor so much that you’re willing to go that far?”

“It’s not that I like it. It’s just that I can’t leave here…”

“Who says that? The nanny again?”

“Yes.”

“What if I say you can leave here?”

“….”

The prince was surprised. I didn’t know that it was going to be this serious, but I noticed that he was subtly persuaded by my words. To the prince, whether it was a nanny or a maid’s words, the gravity of our words seemed to be equal.

“That’s right. The owner of the nameless castle is you, Prince, so you can use the whole place.”

“But… everyone hates me.”

“Who says that? At least I don’t.”

“Sir Janiche, for example?”

“He never hates you. Rather, he said something like, ‘How come I had only see that cute side of him yesterday?'”

He hesitated to say something. He pondered and mulled over whether or not to accept the term ‘adorable’ repeatedly. Meanwhile, I patiently waited, fully aware of the magnitude of this matter for him.

“…I…”

“Yes, Prince.”

“I guess it won’t work. You can’t come in.”

I had expected a surge of courage from him. However, the prince suddenly attempted to close the door. Yet, even if he were to do so, the door could no longer be locked. I tried to pry open the gap in the door once more, but I was no match for the strength of a grown man.

The prince didn’t even look at me and pushed the door from the inside. Naturally, as I was pushed out, I slipped and ended up sitting on the floor. If it continued to be this way, when will I be able to escape from the castle with him?

“Okay, I get it. Because it’s ultimately your choice, Prince.”

“….”

It can’t be helped even if it was regrettable. I picked up the broom and started sweeping the corridor. There was nothing else to do for me anyway, except for reading books. Even though it bothered me a bit when dust fell from the ceiling, the corridor was much better than before.

As I diligently went back and forth in the corridor throughout the afternoon, the prince didn’t show up at all outside the room. What on earth was he doing inside that dark bedroom? The things that I didn’t care about before became more and more bothersome now.

Soon, the landscape outside the open window turned orange, and I made my way down to the lower floor covered in dust. After cleaning myself up, I had dinner with Sir Janiche at the dining hall where he was waiting for me. We silently sliced the veal steak. However, perhaps due to exhaustion, my appetite quickly disappeared, making me put down my fork.

“Aren’t you going to eat more?”

“No. I want to go to bed early tonight.”

“What happened? Oh, right, something did happen today.”

“How is your shoulder, Sir Janiche?”

I asked about the hidden wounds beneath his immaculate uniform. His response came back casual, as if it was nothing. Fortunately, everything was fine. I smiled with relief, and we fell into a comfortable silence.

“Can I eat the remaining meat?”

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

“Miss Daphne, did you go to visit the Prince today?”

“Of course. It’s my duty.”

Now that I think about it, he was a noble, albeit fallen. Would he be okay with leftover food? I looked at Sir Janiche, who fascinatingly transferred my portion of meat to his plate. Then, I picked up the empty tray. In truth, I should have visited the top floor to take the Prince’s tray before having a meal here, however, I was too exhausted for that.

As I climbed the stairs again, my mind felt hazy. All I wanted to do was to collapse on the bed. I had a lot to do tomorrow. Maybe I should ask Sir Janiche to help me clean while I get rid of the cobwebs on the ceiling.

“Y-You’re late.”

“Oh my.”

When I climbed onto the final step, dragging my heavy body, I came face to face with the disheveled Prince sitting by the door.

Beside him, the empty dishes from lunch were placed on the tray. What’s this? What’s going on? The Prince started behaving out of character out of nowhere.

“Your Highness… were you waiting for me?”

I asked, holding back tears of gratitude. Was it possible that in just two days, the Prince recognized my efforts? However, the Prince clenched his fists and shook his head vigorously, as if to say, ‘Absolutely not.’

“It’s not like that? You’re too much.”

“…It’s you who’s mean.”

“Why me? But can’t you call me Daphne instead of ‘you’?”

Was it possible for a person’s mood to change so quickly? I was so happy to see the Prince that I wanted to run to him and embrace him right away, preferably when he’s in puppy form. However, considering how much he transformed yesterday and today, it might be too much to ask.

“Yes, ever since you left, it feels like bugs will come out of the room… there’s a strange smell, and my clothes look dirty.”