He Was Kind If I Stopped

The maidservant made up her mind, left him while he was caught in the mousetrap, and disappeared.

It was the first time in his life that he got caught in a trap set by someone else. It was a moment of trampled self-esteem.

Achilleon patted the long drawn mark on the back of his hand again. He decided to find the maidservant until this wound disappears.

Knock. Knock.

The door opened and a servant entered, bowing respectfully.

“Prince Sisef, Princess Lorette’s waiting for you at the lake.”

“Oh.”

Sisef then lifted himself up from the chair as if he remembered.

“I’ll be there soon.”

Achilleon’s eyes narrowed as he saw the panic on Sisef’s face. He seemed to have completely forgotten his promise.

“It’s not like you to keep the princess waiting.”

Achilleon said teasingly, and Sisef smiled awkwardly.

“I was distracted, I suppose. I can’t believe I forgot my appointment.”

“It’s a nice day to sail together.”

Achilleon said, staring out the window. He was right, the sky was as clear as glass without a cloud. It looked like the best place to float a boat.

“Maybe we will go sailing together sometime. I’m going now.”

Achilleon took the place of an answer with a nod. No sooner had Sisef left than Count Burns entered. He had a constant smile on his face.

“You’ve been busy with the ladies. You seem to be busier than I am.”

Count Burns waved his hand in surprise at Achilleon’s words.

“It can’t be.”

Count Burns, who came to Land with the Princes, had already been entertained by many noblewomen with his suitably well-shaped face and his peculiarly brazen personality.

He had his own rules, and kept to his own good ways, mainly mingling with widows, while leaving the wives of high-ranking nobles untouched.

“You don’t have to be coy in front of me.”

“There are many beautiful women, after all, it’s a royal palace.”

Count Burns immediately agreed and said,

“The wheel turns only when it engages. Why do the butterflies stay still when flowers are all over the place?”

The delegation from the empire was the most popular in the court.

The delegation was composed entirely of young noble men, including the Crown Prince and the Empress’s son, with titles, status, and mind dizzying appearances.

It was the same no matter which country they went to, as they loved the newly-arrived beautiful men and women. The delegation that appeared at the court created a new spring wind.

There was even a funny story circulating that the Empire intended to send beauties to other countries to do tricks.

In particular, the interest in Prince Achilleon was overwhelming.

“The entire delegation, however, is nothing compared to His Highness. The women of the court are always talking about you.”

Count Burns whistled softly. Achilleon himself was not very interested in whether or not the people around him were looking at him.

“There were rumors that were planted that changed people so the groundless rumors that were sent are going around.”

“You’ve been listening a lot, haven’t you?”

“Yes, perhaps because of the mild climate, the people of the kingdom seem to be of good character. They are not cautious. The king of Land is quite intelligent, and it seems that even a small country is quite blessed. The food is good too.”

At the storm of praises, Achilleon wrinkled his brow and said,

“I think you should take this opportunity to become a naturalized citizen. I’ll write a letter of recommendation.”

“I am a man who swore allegiance to Demophos.”

Count Burns said with a straight face, raising his hands in the act of swearing.

“My soul and body are entirely Demophos’s.”

“It’s not at all surprising that another woman’s name is in the seat of Demophos.”

“It can’t be.”

Count Burns laughed out loud.

“By the way…I’ve seen most of the beauties in the palace, but I haven’t seen one person.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Princess Hazel.”

“You mean the king’s eldest daughter?”

“Yes, I’ve heard she’s as pretty as a good breed of cat…”

Count Burns said, clicking his tongue as if he was disappointed.

“All I’ve heard is that she’s been ill and has refrained from all outside activities.”

“Is she seriously ill?”

“I don’t know for sure. However, seeing this situation lately, I am guessing that her health is rapidly deteriorating.”

“Could it be our fault?”

“…… No way.”

Count Burns shook his head absurdly.

“By the way, I’ve heard that Prince Sisef is close to the princess.”

“Sisef?”

“It seems that he is now close to Prince Lorette, but I heard that it was Princess Hazel who first developed a friendship with him. From the atmosphere inside and outside the palace, it seems that everyone is wondering where the king’s daughters are going to marry. Since he only has two daughters at the moment, the diplomatic map will change depending on who the princesses’ spouses will be.”

“That is, if he is planning to form a marriage alliance with the Empire.”

“I think it is highly unlikely that the Empress will let Prince Sisef marry the Princess of Land. I was told that there are daughters of various families who have been considered for the position.”

For years, the Empress of Demophos had been trying to find the best potential bride for Sisef. Achilleon knew that she was desperate to find a woman from the family who could give Sisef more power while listening to her well.

It was also known that she cut off the marriages that came to Achilleon like a knife. Nonetheless, it was better for Achilleon.

Having someone to protect meant increasing weaknesses. Therefore, under the guise of concentrating on the war, he spoke to the emperor without hesitation about marriage.

“I think you are probably right that the princess is ill, otherwise she wouldn’t stay in her room at such a critical time. Especially if the king wants to form a marriage alliance with the empire.”

Count Burns said, tapping his hand.

“I don’t know how much she’s hurt. But judging from the fact that the second princess is taking over the itinerary, it seems like a serious illness…. I’m sure the King is deeply concerned.”

He said while rubbing his chin.

“According to one of the maids I met yesterday, the Princess had a severe seizure not too long ago…”

Count Burns, who had been chatting the whole time, said quite seriously.

“Of course, I only met with the maid to find out what Your Highness ordered.” (*Achilleon ordered Count Burns to find out about Hazel’s ‘the maid’ information)

“And?”

“Nothing.”

Count Burns let out a small sigh of disappointment. Achilleon hadn’t expected much, so he wasn’t disappointed by his words.

Since that day of the meeting, Achilleon ordered Count Burns to secretly send a man into the palace and investigate, but it was hard to find a person with just a description of green eyes and black hair.

It was much smaller than the Imperial Palace, but the number of courtiers working in the royal palace of Land was also significant. It was even more difficult to remember and contrast their appearances and find a particular person.

“I think she’s someone who has a crush on you, rather than a spy.”

“That’s what she said.”

The problem was that it was a complete lie.

“What will you do if you find her?”

“Well…”

Achilleon said with a smile on his face.

“Apparently, I have other interests.”

Count Burns glanced at Achilleon, probing his intentions, and the moment he did, he stepped back, avoiding his cold gaze.

“Do you know how many cats there are in the Royal Palace of Land? If it’s hard to tell people apart, how about cats?”

“Cats?”

“I want to find the cat’s owner. The cat has snow white fur without a speck of stain, and green eyes.”

“A pure white cat would narrow down the scope. Do you have any other leads? It’s not as big as Demophos, but it’s pretty big here, too.”

“The tips of his ears are pointy…they curled up a little.”

“Hmm, pointy and curled……like this?”

Count Burns said, turning his ears.

“Yes.”

Achilleon nodded, thought about it for a moment, then tapped his temple with a finger.

“It’s probably a cat from the Conces family. Doesn’t the Empress have one, too?”

It was then that Achilleon noticed the similarity in the appearance of the two cats.

“It’s a breed of cat kept only in that family. It’s a species that originated there. They are popular because they look beautiful, but they are very difficult to get.”

“So it’s not everyone’s cat?”

“At least they have a connection to the Conces family, or someone close enough to receive gifts from them, or they have the power to do so…. There are many possibilities.”

“That narrows it down.”

“That makes sense. I think it’s an important clue.”

The Count thought for a moment, then said.

“By the way, I’ve heard that Princess Hazel likes cats. That’s why she’s the opposite of Lady Pais.”

“When did you hear such a rumor?”

“I’ve been asking around. That’s what I found out.”

Count Burns had been hanging out with the ladies of the court and asked all kinds of questions.

“I’m just trying to find out what Your Highness ordered.”

He raised his hand to his chest as if he didn’t mean anything impure.

“…It’s true.”

Achilleon nodded in response to the repeated emphasis of his words in an exasperated manner.

“Does raising a cat make Lady Pais sick?”

The eldest daughter of the king, and a lady-in-waiting from a maidservant background, and that alone should not be enough to keep the two of them close. Achilleon wondered why a cat would interfere with that once again.

“Princess Hazel’s cat had eaten Lady Pais’s birds.”

Count Burns said, waving his hand in the air like a cat was hunting.

“Lady Pais was furious and said she’d boil the cat right away, and Princess Hazel said she’d make a bird roast to make Lady Pais go crazy.”

“The Princess has a temper.”

Achilleon laughed in amusement.

“It is well known that Princess Hazel isn’t a normal person. But lately, her temper has diminished and she’s confined herself to the Rose Palace.”

As Achilleon listened to the Count’s words, he tried to bring back the memories of that day.

“What are you doing to Titty!”

When the voice of the woman who was shouting vigorously came to mind, a smile appeared on Achilleon’s lips

“The cat’s name.”

‘Why didn’t I think of it before?’

“Titty.”