“…Dinner is ready.”

At Hallik’s words, Chamuka nodded and got up.

His slightly short sleeves were noticeable. Though he was known to have new clothes made almost every day due to his growth spurt, it seemed the seamstress’s hands couldn’t keep up with the first young master’s growth rate.

He was growing almost like a plant.

It was amazing how he showed no signs of the tremendous growing pains he must be experiencing.

“…Again.”

Suddenly, Chamuka frowned. Then he quickly turned his head between the bookshelves.

The people of the Basilinte family, who had always been expressionless, had begun to develop slight expressions over the past three years.

Mild frowns, sighs, or faint smiles at most.

Astrid was delighted, saying it was a sign that the curse was weakening, while simultaneously scolding Ferik for not being able to express more despite the curse weakening.

It seemed Astrid still had no intention of withdrawing her divorce request.

“Lord Chamuka?”

Hallik followed behind Chamuka as he strode across to the inside of the bookshelf.

And once again, he felt a stomachache at the scene that unfolded.

The Prince was standing in front of a small child with a red face.

“…Can you find your way? Should I take you there?”

The child was too young to be a servant, and judging by his attire, he seemed to be a knight’s child.

The Prince seemed to think the child was lost, but that couldn’t be the case.

No matter how young, no one with eyes would get lost and end up in the study, especially in the innermost part of the bookshelves.

Anyone could see that the child had come to see the Prince.

Hallik disliked the Prince’s charm that made people of all ages and genders fall for him. Really.

Chamuka, whose time with the Prince had been interrupted by someone else, approached them one step with an expressionless face.

“Leti.”

At Chamuka’s call, the Prince looked up.

But the Prince’s hand on the child’s shoulder remained there.

Hallik was starting to get a bit worried. For the well-being of that child, and for his own stomach.

“Ah, Chamuka. It seems the child got lost. It looks like he came in through the back door of the study.”

“I will escort him, Prince. More importantly, let’s go down to the dining room. Everyone is waiting.”

“Tan must be getting angry because he’s hungry. I should hurry. Thank you, Hallik.”

I wish he wouldn’t smile like that.

Hallik was in pain from the destructively handsome face that he saw every day but still hadn’t developed immunity to. Meanwhile, his eyes, knowing what was beautiful, were entranced and kept looking.

The people of the Basilinte family were also beautiful, but they felt more like dolls or paintings, giving a strong impression of being well-crafted.

The Prince was like the only thing with color in a static, monochrome castle.

“Let’s go.”

Chamuka naturally took the Prince’s hand and pulled him along.

Hallik saw a slight discomfort flicker across the Prince’s face.

And there was no way Chamuka hadn’t seen what he had seen.

Indeed, it wasn’t common for adolescent boys, not five or six years old, to hold hands.

When the Prince first came to Basilinte, he was so small that it was just cute whoever’s hand he held or whoever’s arms carried him, but now the Prince had grown considerably.

Though his frame was slender due to his Imperial origin compared to the people of the Grand Duchy, his height was appropriate for his early teens, and his once gaunt face with only large round eyes now had flesh and lines.

He looked exactly like a young prince from a fairy tale.

…Though reality was a bit more like a princess trapped in a tower.

Hallik felt a bit sorry for the Prince being led out of the study by Chamuka’s hand.

Of course, the Prince was sufficiently cherished and loved in this castle.

But something was a bit…

‘It’s like they’re treating a 5-year-old baby.’

Extreme overprotection and desire for control. It was incomprehensible why the Basilintes felt such wariness of strangers and separation anxiety toward a boy in his early teens.

Well, he was so pretty that one might worry someone would take him away if left alone.

“Little one, what’s your name?”

Hallik grabbed the shoulder of the child who was looking at the Prince’s back with eyes that seemed ready to chase after him at any moment and sat him down on a chair at the side of the study. Then he took out a notepad.

“How did you get here? Where did you get information about the Prince? Tell me everything about your conversation with the Prince just now, your reactions, and the situation.”

His tone was kind because the child was young, but the content wasn’t so kind.

However, if he didn’t investigate these things and report to Chamuka, only this child’s future would be sad.

“Then you won’t be suddenly kidnapped to a sweet potato field in the middle of the night, child.”

The Basilintes occasionally buried people.

They seemed to have preferences for burial places: Gaien’s was a corn field, Ferik’s was a potato field, and Chamuka’s was a sweet potato field…

Hallik fervently prayed that the dog-like second young master of Basilinte wouldn’t expand this ‘field series.’

Just imagining it made his stomach hurt.

T/N: pffft…how can one not love them? xD

***

3. The second young master is a dog. You might wonder why this is a rule that servants serving the Prince, not the second young master, need to know. The reason is simple. The second young master is only a dog in front of the Prince.

“Tan, don’t you think you should stop doing this now?”

The Prince asked while touching the collar around the second young master’s neck, which had ‘Tan’ scrawled on it.

While Chamuka was away receiving heir training, Tan, who had secured the spot next to the Prince, shook his head vigorously.

“No! Leti made it for me!”

“But people don’t usually wear collars…”

“It’s a necklace. There’s no leash attached, and no one’s pulling me around.”

As if a collar made of thick leather could be a necklace.

Hallik, watching Tan and the Prince as per Chamuka’s orders, could only shake his head internally.

“Let’s go for a walk, a walk!”

If he had a tail, it would have been wagging excitedly.

The Prince, swept along by Tan, went out to the garden, and Tan immediately rolled around on the grass. Playing on the grass looked really fun.

Since the Prince was slightly taller than Tan, when Tan threw himself, the Prince caught him in his arms.

Hallik, counting how many times Tan touched the Prince as per Chamuka’s orders, wondered what on earth he was doing.

Normally, he would be managing the castle or accompanying the Grand Duke or Grand Duchess, so why was he watching children now?

Hallik momentarily became depressed as he recalled the Grand Duke suddenly going around half-n*ked when the weather got warmer.

He had wondered who the Grand Duke was trying to show off to.

Until Astrid took the Grand Duke to the bedroom.

…So it was a seduction of sorts.

It was strange that it was a seduction, and even stranger that the seduction worked. After all, the two were supposed to be in divorce negotiations.

Hallik wanted to leave this castle and live a life surrounded by normal people. He needed a resignation letter.

Anyway, not wanting to guard the front of the Grand Duke’s bedroom, Hallik was caught by Chamuka and became the Prince’s monitor.

From his experience so far, he couldn’t tell which was better: standing in front of a bedroom that wouldn’t open for at least half a day or watching children frolicking in the fresh air and then witnessing a fight between brothers at the end.

Of course, both were undesirable, but Hallik had only two choices.

“Pat my head.”

Tan, on all fours in front of the seated Prince, pushed his head forward.

The Prince, finding it cute, patted his head a lot and even gently touched his chin and ears.

Feeling good, Tan fell into the Prince’s arms, and the Prince stroked and touched him just like one would pet a real dog.

“Can’t you take off your gloves?”

“Then Mentor will scold me.”

“Mom only scolds me. Can’t you take them off and touch me? I’ll take the scolding.”

The Prince fidgeted with his gloved hands, looking troubled.

Despite the Prince’s soft murmurs that it still wasn’t allowed, Tan lowered his head dejectedly.

“Then Leti…”

Hallik thought it was detestable.

“…Can I lick your cheek?”