The Prince Is Dead, So Let’s Start Over Everything Again! - Chapter 2.9

After shaking his head a few times, the 3rd Prince regained his spirits and began to continue the conversation.

In the blink of an eye, he decided on the details such as the date of the engagement ceremony, the venue, and the scale of the guest list, as if it were nothing.

“……So you’re saying to hold it three weeks from now, in a place that’s modest yet has a quiet charm, inviting only the necessary guests while maintaining all the proper procedures and formalities?”

“Exactly. As expected of Count Lurupel.”

‘Make it classic yet modern, simple yet glamorous. Ah! The sooner the better for the deadline. It’s not difficult, so three weeks should be enough, right?’

When the 3rd Prince finished speaking, Count Lurupel had a face like a designer who had just received such a request.

However, the 3rd Prince seemed to be completely unaware of the problem.

The 3rd Prince simply ignored Count Lurupel’s trembling hands and nodded his head shamelessly yet lovingly.

Count Lurupel’s complexion worsened even more.

“I-I’m not sure about the rest, but three weeks is a bit…… It would take at least two weeks just to send out invitations to the guests and confirm their attendance.”

“Is that so? Oh dear, I believed that three weeks would be enough for Lurupel with its many talented people, but it seems I had excessive expectations…….”

The 3rd Prince openly expressed his disappointment with a gloomy face.

His appearance was so pitiful that he looked like a poor squirrel who had lost its last precious acorn deep in the mountains.

Count Lurupel seemed to have similar thoughts. His shoulders twitched noticeably.

According to my years-long written “Guide to Conquering Count Lurupel,” nothing stimulated Count Lurupel more than the sight of a cute little child, so adorable you could put them in your eye without pain, looking disappointed.

If that child was also of high status, the effect was even more pronounced.

Count Lurupel lived and died for appearances.

It was clear that by now, he must be seized by a strange desire to prove his ability as a loyal subject and excellent adult.

Sure enough.

Count Lurupel, who had been gulping down cold water, slammed his empty glass on the table and stood up.

“Three weeks! Yes! On second thought, three weeks seems plenty!”

Count Lurupel declared in a booming voice, like an orator giving a speech.

“Wonderful! As expected, Lurupel is exceptional!”

The 3rd Prince smiled brightly as he watched Count Lurupel make his losing move.

He even clapped his hands like a teacher praising a kindergartener.

Count Lurupel seemed pleased to receive praise from an eight-year-old. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

Suddenly, I thought I could understand a little why the 3rd Prince, who seemed like such an innocent child, was considered clever.

It must be that because other nobles were so stupid, the young 3rd Prince appeared relatively smart in comparison.

From my perspective as a third party, Count Lurupel was being thoroughly played in the palm of the 3rd Prince’s hand.

‘Is it really okay for such a man to be in charge of such a large territory?’

I thought as I mechanically chewed the last remaining bean.

Then, without realizing it, I looked at Countess Lurupel.

Countess Lurupel had a face that suggested she would have no regrets if she could just give Count Lurupel a good smack.

***

The Count and Countess Lurupel left the dining room as soon as breakfast was over, at the risk of being rude.

Or to be more precise, Countess Lurupel dragged Count Lurupel out.

The Count and Countess Lurupel, who suddenly had to prepare for an unplanned engagement ceremony, already looked frantic.

It was clear that we wouldn’t be seeing their faces for a while.

And that meant that I would be given freedom for the time being.

This was an unexpected stroke of luck.

‘But is he not going to get up……?’

Even after the Count and Countess Lurupel had left, I was still in the dining room. Of course, the 3rd Prince was with me.

The 3rd Prince and I had a separate business. So I had assumed that he would take me somewhere after the meal was over.

However, it seemed too much to expect such a detailed plan from this little one.

The 3rd Prince, who had been chirping away in front of Count Lurupel like a chick looking for its mother, closed his mouth and pretended to be nonchalant as soon as we were left alone.

The 3rd Prince sat quietly, saying nothing and just fidgeting with his fingers.

I watched the 3rd Prince’s behavior for a while.

Then, when I felt it couldn’t go on like this, I broke the silence first.

There was something I had wanted to ask all along.

“Excuse me, Your Highness.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I’m just asking in case, but…”

“Yes, go ahead and ask.”

“You’re not feeling shy right now, are you?”

“……Pardon?”

“Do I perhaps look excessively pretty in Your Highness’s eyes?”

Crash.

A loud noise echoed through the dining room. It was as if the world had collapsed.

Indeed, the 3rd Prince wore an expression as if his world had collapsed.

Having spectacularly spilled his now cold teacup, he frantically rolled his eyes around.

Hmm, I had my suspicions ever since he kept dropping his fork whenever our eyes met, but it seems my guess was right.

The 3rd Prince was undoubtedly at a loss because Hariella was too pretty.

‘Even if that’s the case… isn’t this a bit too fickle for someone who’s supposed to be a sub-male lead?’

When my guess was confirmed, the first feeling I had was bewilderment.

Shouldn’t a male protagonist traditionally remain chaste, not even experiencing his first love until he meets the female protagonist?

Even a sub-male lead was still technically a male protagonist.

For a male protagonist who should be the epitome of chastity to blush like this, even a passing sparrow would laugh.

Really, there’s nothing properly done in this third-rate romance novel.

“Th-Th-That is……”

The 3rd Prince was so embarrassed at having his true feelings exposed that he hung his head low.

But his ears, which had turned not just red but almost black from blushing, couldn’t be hidden. If I teased him anymore, it seemed like he might just explode.

‘Well, it’s not like I don’t understand this little one’s feelings at all.’

The 3rd Prince surely wanted to act aloof and not be swayed by mere looks.

But Hariella must have been too overwhelmingly pretty for that.

Even I had a similar experience.

When I first possessed this body, I used to pinch Hariella’s cheeks a dozen times a day.

I wanted to bite these chubby cheeks, but since that was physically impossible, I settled for pinching them instead.

“Perhaps Your Highness also wants to bite my cheeks?”

Maybe the 3rd Prince too……?

“No! I swear I have never had such a shameless thought, not even once!”

“Oh, is that so?”

Ah, I guess this wasn’t it. It’s a bit embarrassing when he denies it so strongly.

I thought the desire to bite a cute child was a universal desire of all people in this world.

I awkwardly scratched my cheek.