YMPDKMA Chapter 19

After Arnulf had visited and hurled those terrifying insults before leaving, Rupert's wariness toward me had definitely thinned. He hadn't accepted me as his person—not at all—but to quote Rupert's own words, he no longer pushed away someone who followed him around like a dog. With Rupert's restraint lifted, I naturally began trailing after Tori and Rupert, and staying close to them soon became routine.

Rupert's palace stood remarkably quiet except for the nights when he slept and the early mornings before he woke. To avoid catching the eye of someone who despised having people nearby, the servants withdrew, leaving only minimal staff. Among all those servants, only Tori and I could attend him closely. The fact pleased me somewhat. I felt smug enough to grab any passerby and crow, 'Listen, do you know how difficult it is to stay beside that brat?'

Of course, Rupert didn't trust me completely. That his guard had crumbled slightly after confronting Arnulf was actually predictable. Refusing Arnulf's proposal before Rupert's eyes proved I wasn't the Imperial Consort's ally—nothing less.

Perhaps deeply offended by my rejection, Arnulf occasionally had his ladies-in-waiting torment me. Rupert observed this with detachment, and I simply endured their clumsy harassment though I could easily have avoided it. So he had to trust me, if only a little. Setting aside the fact that my reasons for staying close to him remained unclear.

Choosing Rupert had been entirely natural. Whatever the Empress's origins, whatever Rupert's current position in the imperial household—in just over a year, he would become Crown Prince. And eventually, inevitably, Emperor.

Knowing that brutal future meant I had no need to agonize over which side to take between Arnulf and Rupert. Arnulf was nothing but a rope, glossy on the surface, rotten at the core. The nobles who tormented Rupert in ignorance would be purged later.

I mentally tallied the nobles Rupert would eliminate and closed my eyes against the moderate spring breeze. The air flowing soft across my cheeks, the spring sun warming my body—it all felt pleasant. A peaceful afternoon, regardless of my chaotic thoughts.

"Lariette."

At Tori's call, I looked up at her. She was extending her arms, trying to hand me the raccoon. I'd never seen an animal make such vivid expressions before—the raccoon was thoroughly scowling, clearly unwilling to approach me.

I wasn't particularly fond of animals myself, so I stared unenthusiastically at the creature that was flailing its human-hand-like front paws in obvious rejection.

"Yes?"

"Could you hold the raccoon for a moment?"

"Why me..."

"His Highness is sleeping right now."

I turned my head toward Rupert. Sprawled beneath the shade of a large zelkova tree with limbs spread wide, he lay utterly still, apparently in deep sleep. I let out a hollow laugh at Rupert's serene state. Didn't he feel any sense of danger despite how much Arnulf hated him? Perhaps he truly had something to rely on, to be so carefree.

"Wait, he's asleep again?"

"It's gotten warmer, so His Highness hasn't been sleeping well lately."

At Tori's mention of needing the bathroom, I reluctantly accepted the struggling raccoon. The creature wasn't even palace-managed but something Rupert kept—abandoned, if abandonment could be called keeping—in the forest, and it reeked terribly. I wrinkled my nose bridge severely and soothed the animal that was making hik sounds while extending its claws as if to scratch my shoulder.

"Hey there, Guri. Stay still."

Hik! Hik!

Such fierce resistance. Did it dislike the simple name I'd given it? I added a remark almost to myself.

"You're not named Guri because you're a raccoon (neoguri), but because you smell guri-guri (stinky)."

Hiik!

"Goodness, you're loud."

Though it couldn't understand my words, the raccoon glared at me. Why did it hate me so much?

I strode deliberately toward Rupert in case the raccoon attacked me. I didn't expect him to bolt upright and take the creature back, but at least if I got hurt by his raccoon, I wanted him to see my injury.

Rupert was a child capable of feeling at least some responsibility for damage he caused. I didn't know how long he'd retain such human emotions, but I hoped he'd harbor toward me any feelings that might restrain him from destroying Bellua. Whether guilt or regret, truly anything at all.

"Guri. Your master is sleeping. Can you be quiet?"

Hik! Hiik!

The stupid raccoon that couldn't possibly understand me kept hissing and struggling. All this fuss despite my careful handling.

"Ow!"

The black claws on the raccoon's dark paws scratched my face. I'd long since abandoned dreams of sweet domestic life with a beloved man, but still—it was my face, completely visible.

I made a tearful expression and irritably released the raccoon. Landing on the ground after spreading its body wide as if gaining momentum in midair, the raccoon scurried over and climbed onto the sleeping Rupert's stomach.

"...What."

Apparently bothered by the heavy weight settling on his stomach, Rupert slowly sat up. Golden hair that had gotten tousled from sprawling carelessly tilted forward. Though pretending to be a girl, he had zero interest in grooming. Yet his fine-textured, lustrous blonde hair had grown long without cutting, hanging like curtains over his small face.

He swept his hair back as if annoyed and whipped his head toward me.

"Want to die?"

"Pardon?"

"Who told you to wake me?"

The raccoon had definitely woken him, so why was he angry at me? I stuck out my lower lip, feeling wronged.

"Your Highness's raccoon has ruined my marriage prospects, you know?"

I'd never had marriage prospects anyway, but since I was injured, I figured I'd make a big deal of it and lied. Rupert glanced over my cheek and smiled crookedly.

"You couldn't get married even without that scratch."

"...Why, why, why not?"

"Because you look like a dumpling."

You rotten brat!

Rupert looked annoyingly pretty despite having just woken up, so I couldn't dare talk back and only cursed internally. He was a beautiful girl with an attractively fresh expression, no matter how anyone looked at it, and I did have plump cheeks like a dumpling, just as he said.

The weight would come off soon, but that wouldn't change my natural features. Rehan had been called handsome even as a child—who had I taken after?

"Come here."

While I was sighing without managing a retort, Rupert beckoned with his finger. Strictly speaking, I was nineteen, so having this considerably younger brat summon me like an animal felt deeply unpleasant, but I stood before him with an obsequious grin bordering on servile.

"I told you not to smile."

He scolded with furrowed brows. I quickly wiped the smile away at Rupert's irritation. As if finding me pathetic, he clicked his tongue and rummaged through his clothes to pull out that familiar tiger balm. He didn't seem to get injured often but certainly took care of himself—as if preparing for contingencies, he always carried the ointment. He handed it to me wordlessly, and I accepted it without reply and opened it.

"Not even a thank you anymore?"

Rupert laughed emptily as if my shameless attitude was absurd.

Well, I got hurt because of your raccoon, so what do I have to be grateful for? I couldn't snap back like that given my position, so I forced another servile, obedient smile.

"Oh my, how gracious of you, Your Highness."

"Are you being sarcastic right now?"

"Not being sarcastic at all. Really! Very! Thank you, Your Highness."

"I'm giving it to you so your dumpling doesn't burst and spill its filling."

I tried not to listen to his unpleasant words and thickly smeared ointment on my cheek. The product worked well whenever I used it—the scratch seemed to fade smoothly. Satisfied with the ointment's efficacy, I returned the half-remaining container to Rupert.

"How am I supposed to use something you've already touched? Disgusting."

"But I'm clean?"

I kept myself properly clean twice daily, as befitting Belnerny nobility. Actually, Rupert, who rolled around carelessly on dirt without hesitation, was probably dirtier than me. Slightly offended that he ignored my thorough hygiene standards, I asked curtly, and he shook his head as if he didn't believe me.

"Clean, my ass. You keep it."

It's expensive, so even better if he's giving it to me. I nodded eagerly and pocketed the ointment. My thrifty spirit that wanted to sell it and save money stirred, but I determinedly resolved to either give it to Rehan or use it all on myself. Don't economize, Lariette! Be extravagant! Extravagant!

Fingering the ointment that still had plenty left despite generous application, I looked at Rupert. Having half-risen, he was moving the raccoon from his stomach to his lap. The creature purred, extending its front paws as if unwilling to leave him even slightly.

Rupert didn't particularly treat the raccoon well, yet he monopolized the creature's tremendous affection. Tori and I were the ones who fed it, bathed it, and made its nest in the sunniest spot in the forest, but the raccoon showed its adorable smile with tongue sticking out only to Rupert.

The way both corners of the raccoon's mouth lifted resembled a human smile—I found the fact that animals could smile utterly fascinating. Twitching its black nose and rubbing its equally black front paws together while fawning on Rupert was classic sycophantic flattery.

A sycophantic raccoon. *Ganshin-guri for short. It smelled guri-guri and its inner nature seemed equally guri-guri—truly a sinister creature. Rupert seemed pleased by the servile creature's fawning and stroked the raccoon's head with an indifferent touch. The creature chirped softly in satisfaction.

"The raccoon is so docile with Your Highness."

"It's mine."

Translator Note:

간신 (ganshin) = treacherous vassal/sycophant in historical contexts. Basically characterizing it as sycophantic raccoon who's stinky inside (shady) and stinky outside.