Fish Don't Know About Water - Chapter 9

Counting the remaining paints one by one, I pulled the prince’s wax doll out of the trash can. Seeing the doll’s expressionless face reminded me of Prince XX’s characteristic indifferent expression.

Fine. In times like these, when supplies are dwindling, it’s good to save even one more candle. Especially since I get fewer supplies than others because I use the room alone…

Trying to think positively, I straightened the hardened wick on the doll’s military cap.

Holding the wax doll with slightly crushed shoulders in one hand, I rummaged through the desk drawer for a matchbox. Then I lit the wick on the doll’s head.

— Let’s just say I made the most expensive wax candle in the world.

Justifying it to myself, I blew out the already lit candle. The prince doll burned brightly, illuminating the room with a large flame. The carefully made military cap slowly melted away.

I sat on the desk, staring blankly at the burning doll. Just as the prince’s forehead and indifferent eyes were half-melted…

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the window from outside. Startled, I turned to the curtain-covered window.

— Who is it?

A frightened voice escaped my lips, but this was truly impossible.

My room was on the second floor! It was impossible for someone to knock on the window from outside.

— It must have been the wind…

I laughed awkwardly, holding the wax doll tightly with both hands.

Knock knock!

Again, the sound of knocking came from beyond the curtain. I swallowed a scream and trembled. Could it be a ghost…?

— Cochrun.

I heard Prince XX’s voice from beyond the tightly drawn curtain. (For a moment, I thought my heart would drop!)

I rushed to the window with wide eyes.

— Prince?

— Open the window.

When I pulled back the curtain, I saw Prince XX’s face beyond the glass. He was holding onto a pipe fixed to the dormitory wall with one hand, his knee resting on the window sill, staring at me through the glass.

Is he crazy? How long has it been since his limbs healed, and he’s already climbing buildings? I quickly opened the window.

A strong smell of alcohol wafted in. I instinctively pinched my nose and frowned.

Even during his injury, he lived with a cigarette in his hand, and now that he’s healed, he’s drinking heavily?

— Did you drink?

— Hm.

The prince replied in a voice reeking of alcohol, staring blankly at the wax doll in my hands with half-closed eyes.

— That sobered me up.

He blinked and muttered indifferently. I shook the wax doll with its melted head slightly from side to side.

— You suddenly woke me up!

— You weren’t sleeping.

— I was just about to go to bed. What are you doing climbing up the wall of a women’s dormitory at this hour? What if strange rumors start spreading?

— I’m not stepping foot inside your room, so it’s fine.

He replied, glancing indifferently around my cramped room.

— Your novel will prove that our meeting tonight was entirely innocent.

His still somewhat drunken gaze shifted to the wax doll with its melted shoulders. The prince looked slightly embarrassed, avoiding my eyes for a moment before speaking.

— I forgot about that.

— Yes. It was abandoned under the hospital bed.

— That was my mistake.

Is that an apology? He really is royalty to the core, never saying ‘sorry’ even if it kills him. I looked at him with a dissatisfied expression and snorted. He suddenly thrust a blue metal tin towards me.

— A gift.

I blinked and stared blankly at the metal tin he offered. It was a round tin with little fairies holding musical instruments. It was a cookie set from the most famous bakery in town.

— You said you wanted to eat these cookies. That’s why you were sitting in front of the bakery that day, right?

He spoke in a slurred voice, still not fully sober. I stared blankly at his alcohol-tinged eyes, unable to even think of accepting the box of cookies.

Honestly, I was surprised. That evening when I declared our engagement was off, I never expected him to remember that I was in front of the bakery to buy these cookies. (I thought he had completely forgotten about it!)

— Why aren’t you taking it?

The prince frowned disapprovingly and offered the box of cookies again.

Wait, now that I think about it. His tone has become quite rude? Maybe it’s because he’s drunk. Then I’ll do the same!

— Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.

I looked him straight in the eyes and took the box of cookies. Even though I mimicked his rude tone, he didn’t frown.

Instead, he burst out laughing. For a moment, joy flickered in his round eyes.

— You’re really something…

I blinked in surprise at his laughter. The prince could laugh like a child.

When he smiled, his usual intimidating and cynical aura completely vanished. Was it so funny that a mere noblewoman acted boldly towards royalty?

The prince seemed too drunk to even realize he had laughed out loud. He slowly stopped chuckling and spoke with his usual indifferent face.

— It’s a token of appreciation. Thanks for your hard work these past three weeks.

— It hasn’t been three weeks; it’s been almost a month…

The prince ignored my words and turned his head to look at the street. He seemed ready to let go of the pipe and land on the ground at any moment. I remembered that it hadn’t been long since he had taken off his cast and started fussing.

— Be careful!

— Your fussing will wake everyone up.

— I wasn’t fussing!

— The novel would surely describe it like this: ‘I fussed, stomping my feet, worried about Prince XX.’

So, he talks more when he’s drunk too. Just as I thought that, he turned his head sharply and met my gaze right before letting go of the pipe.

— Hey.

— Would it hurt to call me by my name like a normal person?

Even pets and servants would be addressed more kindly than this! As I complained, the prince looked at me with a cautious expression and said,

— How did you know what I might do and open the window so carelessly?

— This window doesn’t have a lock anyway.

— …I’ll have one installed tomorrow. By tomorrow morning, the whole world will know this room isn’t safe.

He clicked his tongue in disapproval and stared at me intently.

— If someone else comes knocking at the window at night, kick them out without hesitation.

It was an ambiguous statement, making it hard to tell if he was joking or serious.

I didn’t know how to react, so I rolled my eyes and put on a serious expression.

— Even if it’s you, Your Highness?

— Of course.

— This is the second floor!

— Something might break, but it won’t kill me.

He replied indifferently and reached for the wax doll melting at the chest.

— Give it back. It was mine.

— You left it in the hospital room!

— I forgot.

He easily took the wax doll from my hand.

— It’s dark on the way back, so I’ll use it as a candle.

Then, he spoke bluntly and jumped down.

— You’ll get hurt again!

I leaned out the window in shock. He landed lightly on the brick path and started walking towards a military jeep parked at the corner. He walked more steadily than I expected.

— You’re here? …What the hell is that? Where’s its head?

A young officer smoking in front of the car exclaimed loudly. Prince XX answered silently by shaking the wax doll, dripping with colorful candle wax.

As I watched him get into the car, I heard the bell signaling lights out in the dormitory hallway. I carefully closed the window, watching the car slowly drive towards the camp.

That night, I fell asleep hugging the box of cookies tightly. (How could I eat it when it’s so precious?)」

* * *

“Hey, Your Highness. He’s coming.”

Viett slowly opened his eyes, feeling someone shake his shoulder. He realized he was in the front seat of Esca’s car. It seemed he had dozed off under the influence of alcohol.

“That bastard. He really intended to cause trouble today.”

Esca said, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands. Viett moved his stiff neck and turned to look out the car window.

A man in a coat was walking towards the nurses’ dormitory in the distance.

The man was holding a small bouquet in one hand, and despite the fedora pulled down low, his identity was unmistakable.

It was their target, Crown Prince Minute Hartmann. Viett looked at his brother, who had come to the nurses’ dormitory at the expected time, with pity.

“He even knows the r-room where that woman stays… How can he still not know that C-Cochrun is the Little Lady?”

“Does a bastard with his head full of thoughts of adultery even know what information gathering is?”

Esca retorted sharply, grabbing the large binoculars he had thrown in the back seat. Looking through the binoculars at the dormitory, he suddenly cursed.

“Damn, you brothers are exactly alike.”