Chapter 80
“Praise me. I even brought silver cutlery. The food might be poisoned, you know. Popular people like you have to be careful. There’s a saying that beautiful people die young. I’m worried about you because you’re so pretty.”
“Estella, as always, you’re overly worried.”
He pushed the teacup I offered him away. I held onto it, refusing to let it go.
“Ahahahaha!”
The Crown Prince suddenly burst into laughter, watching us.
“Your Highness!”
The maids behind him called out, their voices filled with indignation.
“You must punish that child! How dare she suspect Your Highness of harming the Count!”
“Indeed! You must set an example!”
“We, your servants, are offended!”
The Crown Prince ignored them and gestured towards me.
“Estella. Won’t you come over here?”
“No, I can’t. I’m the young master’s maid.”
The young master looked at me, startled, then at the Crown Prince, then back at me, his eyes darting back and forth.
“Estella…”
“Yes!”
“You know he’s the Crown Prince, right…?”
He whispered. I nodded quickly.
“Of course!”
I leaned closer to him, just in case.
“Should I do as he says?”
“No.”
He said firmly, then gestured for me to step back.
“Don’t do anything he says.”
That’s our young master! I nodded and obeyed. It might have seemed disrespectful to the Crown Prince, but only his maids seemed offended. He remained calm.
“Like master, like maid. I find your boldness charming.”
He stared intently at me.
“You haven’t forgotten, have you? My proposal still stands. Did you like the roses? Estella, they were for you.”
“Oh, for me?”
“Yes. For my future companion.”
“Oh, me?”
I shook my head.
“I’m staying with the young master.”
My only goal was to be by his side. I had never considered any other goal.
The Crown Prince, however, continued to try and persuade me.
“You can enjoy overflowing wealth and honor.”
“The young master has plenty of those! He can use magic, he has a beautiful workshop, and a wonderful flower garden behind it.”
“Even if I turn you into a human?”
“Even if I become human, I want to stay with the young master. Or rather, I want to become human because I want to stay with him!”
“What if I can turn you into a human right now?”
His eyes gleamed dangerously. I immediately understood what he meant. He was implying that he had the elixir.
The elixir, the potion that could even revive the dead. He was saying he would use it on me. Why?
Did he have an abundance of it?
“How can I believe you?”
I feigned ignorance, but my heart was pounding. The young master’s magic resonated with mine. He was having the same suspicion.
The Crown Prince had the elixir.
Then he must have been the one who stole it from the laboratory on the volcanic island.
What was he planning to do with it? Did he want to revive the dead? Many of them?
And what if he ended up creating zombies…
“Ah.”
Our eyes met. The young master subtly shook his head, telling me to be quiet. I looked straight ahead, pretending to be oblivious. I couldn’t just ask the Crown Prince, “Are you mass-producing zombies?”
The suspicious Crown Prince calmly sipped his tea. The topic of marriage wasn’t over yet.
“So Estella herself has no intention of marrying me. Then what about you, Lupin? Will you give her to me?”
“As I’ve said before, Estella isn’t something I can just give away. She’s more than just a doll to me. She’s my precious maid.”
It was the kindest thing he had said lately, and I wasn’t sure if I should believe him. Did he really think of me so highly? I was suspicious.
“Why are you so insistent on keeping Estella? I can make you another animated doll.”
“A doll with a heart is different. Estella is special.”
Mmm-hmm. That’s right. I was special. Specially pretty, specially sensitive…
“Is she special because she’s a good subject for elixir experiments?”
The young master asked in a low voice. I looked at the Crown Prince, hoping he would deny it.
So he wasn’t keeping me because I was pretty or to seduce the young master? He wanted me for elixir experiments? That wasn’t romantic at all!
“If sacrificing one or two lives can save a hundred, it’s not a bad choice. So, Lupin, will you join me?”
“You know I won’t take sides.”
“Really? You’ve been snooping around, so you must know. Lupin, I have the elixir.”
“…!”
We all perked up. The Crown Prince continued, his voice as casual as if discussing the weather.
“I don’t know if it’s the real thing or a fake. You’re the only mage in the Imperial Palace who can tell the difference. The only son of Count Lehman Zepetto, the developer of the elixir.”
“…”
The young master’s expression darkened.
“You must have your reasons for wanting the elixir. Should a mere Count like me interfere?”
He sounded like he was backing down, but his expression was menacing.
“You’re the only one I’m telling this to.”
There were a lot of surprised-looking subordinates behind him. Enough that the news would probably spread throughout the empire by tomorrow…
“The reason I’m telling you this secret is simple. Because I trust you.”
“Ha. You’re not trusting me, you’re using me.”
“Give me Estella as proof of your loyalty.”
“Are you planning to use her as an experimental subject? My doll? The doll I made and brought with me?”
Startled, I took a step back. Sparrow, who had been nestled in my skirt, chirped.
“She has to go through certain procedures to become a concubine.”
“Um… I don’t want to be a concubine. My goal is to be the Countess.”
I interjected cautiously. The young master supported me.
“My maid isn’t going anywhere. I made her for myself, and she’s with me. Estella doesn’t need any other master.”
He stood up. I packed the barely used tea set back into my bag.
“We’ll be going now.”
“This was my last offer, Lupin.”
The Crown Prince looked up at me, his gaze sending a chill down my spine.
“Estella, think carefully. You still have a chance.”
As we left the Imperial Palace, the young master dismissed the Crown Prince’s guards, saying that one powerful maid was enough. The guards, aware of my zombie-fighting skills, glanced at me and then left.
With no one around, Sparrow was free. I took him out of the bag and held him close. He fluffed his little wings and snuggled against me.
Poor Sparrow. He must be lonely without his mother. I would have to wear feathered clothes until he was fully grown.
“Why did you bring Sparrow?”
“He might have to carry out a secret mission.”
“A secret mission? What kind?”
“It’s a secret, so I can’t tell you.”
He sighed and adjusted his pace to match mine.
“That was suffocating. Umbram is always like that. He wears you down by summoning you for no reason. That’s his strategy. He barely even listened to the zombie report.”
“So he didn’t summon us because of the zombies? Does he really want to experiment on me with the elixir?”
I moved closer to him. He lowered his gaze and looked around, making sure no one was nearby. I also used my enhanced senses to check for any humans or creatures. We were alone.
“It’s just us. You can tell me. You can even secretly confess your feelings for me.”
He grabbed my hand and started walking faster.
“He wanted us to find clues about him while investigating the zombies. It was intentional. He wanted us to realize that he’s connected to the elixir. He wants us to join him.”
“My goodness. He’s more cunning than he looks. I thought he was just strange, walking around barefoot in the garden…”
“He’s trying to use the elixir against me. He knows… that I want it.”
I glanced at him. The reason he wanted the elixir was obvious. He wanted to revive the deceased Anna. I had no intention of being revived. I was already alive again as Estella, and I wanted to enjoy this opportunity.
“It’ll be troublesome now that he has the elixir. With it, he’ll become an Emperor rivaling the gods.”
Just as we were about to leave the Imperial Palace, Sparrow chirped and fluttered in my arms.
“Sparrow, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare about becoming fried?”
“Chirp!”
I had a strange feeling and turned around. Zomrat was running towards us.
“Zomrat!”
But something about him seemed… off.
“What rat is that fast? And it looks even bigger than yesterday. What’s it carrying in its mouth?”
The young master muttered, startled.
I focused, and I saw a small glass vial in Zomrat’s mouth. And flowers were blooming along the trail of liquid leaking from the vial…
“The Imperial gardener wouldn’t plant flowers along that crooked path, would he?”
“Of course not.”
Zomrat, did you steal the elixir…?