I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
Is it real?
Did I collapse just because I revealed a bit of power engraved in the soul?
‘Darn it.’
I lay on the bed, lips trembling.
If I collapsed because I exerted my power, it wouldn’t be unfair.
What I did to Viscount Poulton was just showing off my power, hardly anything significant.
And even that was a method that only worked on fellow spirit wielders.
To ordinary people, it would just seem like, ‘What’s this person doing?’
‘But I lost consciousness and even my mind… ‘
Moreover, judging by my current state, it seemed like I’d suffer for another week.
I sighed deeply as I looked at my trembling hands, a side effect.
The price of moving a little with a frail body devoid of charisma or mana was too high.
I couldn’t even muster the strength to move my body right now.
Thirsty, so thirsty.
After groaning for 10 minutes, I managed to prop myself up against the bed’s headboard.
‘But where am I?’
I glanced around the room I was lying in, puzzled.
My room doesn’t have such fancy furniture.
Since I collapsed in Arkin’s Palace, I should still be at Arkin’s Palace.
Then I looked out the window. Darkness had descended outside.
Considering I fainted around lunchtime, it hasn’t been too long since then.
A stroke of luck in misfortune.
“Oh! Lady Lottie!!”
Betty entered with a pitcher full of water at the right moment.
“Do you know how worried I was?!”
She burst into tears, tossing the pitcher aside.
“A maid called me suddenly, saying you were vomiting blood and collapsing! You’ve been unconscious for two days!”
“What? Two days?”
My voice cracked as I scratched my throat.
‘It hurts.’
I clutched my throat. It definitely wasn’t just a few hours since I collapsed.
“Yes, it’s been two days since you lost consciousness! You kept vomiting blood even after collapsing!!”
Sobbing, Betty handed me the water while I coughed and wheezed.
“I’m sorry for surprising you.”
I drank the water, rolling my eyes.
“That’s not your fault, Lady Lottie! It’s because your body is weak.”
No, this time it’s my fault.
Since there was no need to bring up past mistakes, I just drank the water silently.
“But is Arkin okay?”
That con artist should have been completely dealt with by me. There was a deep regret.
“What about Viscount Poulton?”
Of course, he wouldn’t be in a normal state.
Didn’t I mess with his mind enough?
But that was a personal punishment.
What I was waiting for was public punishment.
“I’ll tell you that.”
At the unusually calm voice, both Betty and I turned our heads towards the door simultaneously.
There stood Arkin, looking somewhat melancholic.
Betty jumped in surprise and then quickly stepped back.
“I fired Viscount Poulton.”
It was a statement that was supposed to be obvious. I waited for the continuation.
However, Arkin just shook his head.
“Arkin, aren’t you going to tell the Emperor?”
The punishment Viscount Poulton deserves for deceiving Arkin.
That should come next.
“But…”
Arkin sniffled. Tears were welling up in his eyes again.
“I, I’m afraid he’ll think I’m stupid if I tell the Emperor. He, he always says I should improve my abilities more.”
“…”
“Even my brother and sister, th-they find me annoying and don’t, don’t bother to deal with me.”
“Arkin.”
“Even if I tell them I was tricked, they’ll think I’m even more stupid!”
Finally, Arkin burst into tears again.
I looked at Arkin crying helplessly.
Why can’t this child even say that he’s in pain, that he’s lonely, that he needs help?
“Arkin, come here.”
I patted my side. Clack, clack! Arkin shuffled to the bed, making noises.
“You haven’t done anything wrong. People make mistakes, and children especially make mistakes.”
The privilege of children is to make mistakes and be wrong.
Others will catch them, and children will learn and grow from them.
I stroked Arkin’s hair.
“The wrongdoings lie with the Emperor and the Empress. They left you like this until you reached this state.”
But it wasn’t Arkin’s fault.
They let Arkin stray onto the wrong path.
No, they practically pushed him off the cliff.
Whether he did it consciously or not.
Arkin had lost his way, ending up bruised at the cliff’s edge.
“Don’t blame yourself. You tried to find answers in your own way.”
“But, I-I’m lonely…”
“I’ll be by your side. I’ll worry about you, praise you. Sometimes, I’ll hug you like this.”
As I hugged Arkin tightly, he burst into tears again. He was such a crybaby.
“During… that time…”
Arkin murmured, his voice thick with sobs.
“I’m sorry for teasing you about the dirty blood.”
At his small confession, I smiled widely.
“It’s okay, a three-year-old can make mistakes too.”
“What?!”
Arkin looked at me, then narrowed his eyes again.
“I’m ten!! You fool!!!”
* * *
‘Bigger than I thought, but not as big as I thought.’
After screaming at me for thinking he was only three years old, Arkin left the room.
However, before crossing the threshold, he abruptly turned around.
“Stay here until you’re better, you fool!”
He shouted again.
And after Arkin left, I heard from Betty that three-year-olds aren’t that big.
“They’re about this tall.”
Saying so, Betty raised her hand to the air.
“Is that so?”
That small?
I remember being surprised once by a child introduced as three years old being too big.
I couldn’t recall the exact height, and I was left with the feeling of, ‘He’s quite big, isn’t he?’ So much so that I even thought Arkin was three years old.
“Was he upset?”
“Children of Prince Arkin’s age tend to get upset. They’re young. I have a younger sibling, so I know those kids’ age group quite well.”
Betty raised her nose.
To me, whether he was fifteen or ten years old, he was still young.
“Anyway, Betty. Could you call Arkin’s servant? He’ll be here as soon as you tell him I have something for him.”
I intended to discuss this earlier, but Arkin didn’t follow.
Nodding, Betty quickly called Arkin’s servant.
“You called for me, Your Highness.”
“Yes, I sought you out. There’s something I need to receive and inquire about.”
“Something to ask me?”
The servant widened his eyes.
“Why did you lie to me?”
The servant’s expression darkened. His eyes were filled with guilt.
While others might not have known, the servant was well aware of the situation.
So he lied to me about teaching him world history.
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
The servant bowed deeply.
“If you wish to reprimand me, I will accept it graciously.”
I looked at the servant’s bowed head for a moment before speaking again.
“Let’s ask differently then. Why didn’t you tell the Emperor?”
Honestly, the servant wasn’t at fault.
If Arkin insisted on doing it, there wasn’t much the servant, who was just a servant, could do.
But…
“Even when Arkin crossed the line, wouldn’t it have been proper to inform the Emperor?”
At least, didn’t he have the judgment to request help from those around him?
“Well…”
The servant finally managed to speak.
“I requested a meeting with the Emperor several times regarding Prince Arkin’s affairs.”
The servant’s face was grim as he confessed, his hands trembling as they held each other tightly.
Even though it was just one request, I could tell how much courage he had.
“…It was declined.”
I furrowed my brows.
“What about the Empress? Were there no nannies or anyone else to inform?”
“The Empress is touring the provinces, encouraging the local lords, and the nannies passed away from illness a long time ago.”
In other words, there was no one to ask for help around.
‘The siblings didn’t seem to get along well.’
I recalled information Betty had mentioned before.
And now I looked at the servant, who seemed just out of adolescence.
‘He’s still a child.’
This young one must have had a hard time in a place where there was no senior to guide him.
And the one he’s serving is Arkin.
‘As you get older, you become vulnerable to children.’
Tsk, I clicked my tongue softly and nodded.
“I’ll inform the Emperor about this matter. I’ll make sure Arkin doesn’t get in trouble.”
“…!!”
The servant’s face brightened instantly at my words.
His expression seemed to suggest that Arkin not getting scolded by the Emperor was more important than himself receiving punishment.
“Thank you, thank you! Your Highness!”
“Save your thanks for later. Can you retrieve the list again?”
“Of course. Here it is.”
The servant swiftly handed over the list and left the room. I felt Betty quietly approaching beside me.
As I slowly read through the list, my expression hardened.
There are too many, even more than I thought.
“But, Lady Lady Lottie. What kind of list is this?”
“These are the people belonging to my palace. Your colleagues.”
“My colleagues??”