Chapter 102: Stevie

"Yeah, that place was really good," Lake said.

"Seriously. Total hidden gem. I wanna come back again," Relf added.

"The lunch special means it changes daily, right?"

"Man, I’m looking forward to it. Let’s come again sometime. It’s always bad making Lord Robby treat us every time—next time it’ll be on me."

"Right. We need to come up with some excuse to get out of the palace."

"What would work...? Maybe I could say I’m selecting new trees to plant inside the palace grounds?"

"I’m jealous! Hmm... I can’t think of anything right away. Let’s discuss it later."

"Got it! Looking forward to it!"

On the way back to the palace, the two of them were still buzzing with excitement. Ughhh, seriously, what did these two even come here for?

I returned to the palace still dragging my heavy mood behind me. The pair cheerfully said:

"Today was amazing! Please call us again!"

"I didn’t get to meet former Captain Browning this time, so I’ll keep coming until I do!"

Everyone was so damn happy.

It was still too early for the afternoon break, so I went back to my room and spaced out. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me."

The one who entered was Stevie. Her expression was stiff, but she had come back after all.

"Stevie! You came?! I was waiting— I was really worried about you."

Stevie bowed her head politely at the entrance.

"Lord Robby... I’m sorry for making you worry."

"Yeah, I really was worried. How was your brother? Did you manage to see him properly?"

Stevie stayed silent for a while, then:

"Yes... but he was... pretty badly damaged. I couldn’t even tell if it was really him at first. But he was wearing the ring that my sister-in-law—my brother’s wife—had exchanged with him, so that’s how I finally knew... sniff..."

A single tear dropped onto the floor as she stood there. I took a step forward to rush over to her, but—

"Don’t come near me! You mustn’t!"

"Huh? Why?"

"I-I’m... I’ve decided to quit working here. My brother is gone, and my sister-in-law is returning to her parents’ house, so I’m going with her... I came to say goodbye!"

"What?! Why?! Why are you quitting?!"

Stevie thrust her palm out toward me as I tried to step closer, shaking it frantically.

"I’m so sorry! I’ve already made up my mind! My brother is gone, and someone useless like me can’t do any real work anyway! I’ve decided to quit!!"

"Hey, wait! Stevie, don’t rush into this! There’s plenty of work for you! You’re not useless at all! Let’s talk—talk to me!"

I tried to run over to her, but Stevie bowed once more and said,

"Excuse me!!"

Then she ran out through the door.

"Eh? What? Why...?"

Stevie had suddenly appeared, dropped that bombshell, and vanished in an instant. I clearly needed to sit down and have a proper conversation with her... but where even was Stevie right now?

If I said I wanted to see her during the day, Cass would probably bring her, but that would mean talking in front of other people, so I wouldn’t be able to have a deep conversation. That left only one option: sneaking into Stevie’s room at night.

Which meant I’d have to ask Lily where Stevie’s room was. Would Lily come tonight? Maybe I should assign her to night duty...? What should I do? If I didn’t hurry, Stevie would leave the palace... But I’d already called her for night service once before, so it should be okay to call her again, right? No, my thoughts were all over the place. What do I do?

Ahh, this is just like back in my previous world when I was a salaryman. There was a girl in the same department I thought might have feelings for me too. After a drinking party, we walked to the station together and I was really nervous, but I felt like our relationship was getting pretty good. Then one day she came to say goodbye—her mother had gotten sick, so she was quitting the company to go back home and take care of her in her mother’s place. I wanted to tell her how I felt, but I couldn’t do it at the office with people around, and I didn’t know her LINE ID. I thought about asking the office busybody but couldn’t bring myself to, and time just slipped away. In the end, she was gone.

Was this the same situation?! Back then, I couldn’t tell her because I thought it would cause problems for her family if she didn’t go home. But if she had felt the same way I did, maybe things would have turned out differently even if we were apart. It might have all been my one-sided assumption... but I don’t want to live with regrets again.

Even when I went to the accounting bureau in the afternoon, I was completely distracted and the time flew by. Dinner tasted like nothing.

Who’s on night duty tonight? Will Lily come? Please let it be Lily! Normally I’d be happy if Linda came, but tonight I really wanted Lily.

I waited, growing more and more anxious.

"Good evening. I’m here for night duty. Excuse me."

Lily had come!

—-

"Lily, did you hear? Ah, no—Stevie came during the day! She told me she’s quitting her job!"

Even I could tell I was panicking; my words were tripping over each other.

"I am aware. That is why I was assigned to night duty tonight," Lily replied in a calm, composed tone.

"Ohh! As expected, that’s Lily for you!"

I accidentally spoke with more excitement than usual.

"Lord Robby, please calm down. When you heard that Stevie wanted to quit, what did you intend to do?"

Her voice was soothing, like someone calming a restless horse. Right, deep breaths. I’d gotten overly worked up just from seeing Lily.

"Isn’t it obvious? I want her to stay and not quit!"

Lily nodded.

"Understood. Then, if Stevie decides to continue working here, what will you do?"

"Huh? What will I do...? Just have her keep working as she has been, right?"

This time Lily shook her head.

"It is not that simple. If you stop her from leaving, Stevie will be strongly aware that she stayed because Lord Robby asked her to. Is that acceptable to you?"

"What do you mean by ’strongly aware’?"

"It means that by choosing not to quit this time, Stevie will likely think she is committing to staying by your side from now on. Are you fine with that?"

Yeah, I think that’s fine... but is there something wrong with that?

"Are you asking whether I intend to make Stevie my wife or partner?"

"Yes. If I were in Stevie’s position, I am already of a certain age, so there would be no talk of you taking responsibility. However, Stevie is still young. Until now she has depended on her brother. If she stays, that dependence may simply shift to you. Are you prepared for that?"

Is it really that big of a deal?

"...It’s fine. I’m still only ten, so I can’t promise ’until death,’ but I intend to stay with her for the long term."

Lily let out a soft chuckle.

"I am not asking about something so far in the future. Five years or so would be sufficient. A maid who has received the prince’s favor usually receives appropriate special compensation. If the relationship continues, she can later become a wife or concubine—provided that you, Lord Robby, hold a proper official position. You would need enough income to support Stevie. Whether your current work in the accounting bureau can sustain that long-term remains uncertain. By then, Stevie will have matured a little more and gained a better understanding of the world. She has lived under her brother’s protection until now. She likely wants to stay under someone’s care. I believe she seeks emotional stability by relying on another person."

So Stevie wasn’t just a slightly eccentric girl—she was also emotionally immature. And Lily was telling me, who looked like a ten-year-old on the outside, to support her. From Lily’s tone, it seemed she would help look after Stevie too, so it probably wouldn’t mean Stevie would be glued to me forever.

As for me, I was planning to keep working at the accounting bureau to secure our livelihood, but from Lily’s perspective, my performance there might not be considered passing. It’s true that right now I’m just doing calculations. A prince of the kingdom spending all day doing math even after becoming an adult might earn the label of "useless prince" in the eyes of others. Well, I’ve already been branded a failure prince anyway, so it’s not like my reputation can get much worse.

"Also, yesterday you were summoned by Lord Richelieu, correct?"

Lily suddenly changed the subject. Does this have something to do with Stevie?

"Yes, but was that a problem?"

"It is not a problem per se, but it has drawn the attention of the princes who are aiming for the next crown prince’s seat."

Well, that makes sense, but what about it?

"Until now, Lord Robby’s reputation within the palace has not been favorable, but now everyone will be watching you closely. They may observe your actions and try to draw you into their own factions."

"If that’s the case, then yeah... but I really don’t want that. What if I just declare that I don’t want to get involved?"

Lily chuckled again.

"That would be difficult. How exactly would you make such a declaration widely known? Post it on a notice? That sort of thing is simply not feasible. You said something similar to Lord Richelieu before, didn’t you? However, I doubt he took it as your true feelings—he probably saw it as mere modesty."

"Really...? You think my feelings didn’t get through?"

"I believe so. And even if Lord Richelieu did understand, he would likely prioritize political usefulness over your personal wishes."

I felt like I was starting to grasp what Lily was trying to say.

"What exactly does ’political usefulness’ mean?"

"If Lord Richelieu decides to support one of the princes as the next crown prince and feels that prince lacks useful pieces, he might assign you to that prince’s camp."

"Ehhh? I don’t think I have that kind of influence. I’m just a ten-year-old youngest prince."

"Yet Prince William came to visit you, didn’t he? I believe that was an attempt to bring you into his faction."

"Really? I can’t imagine Prince William thinking of something like that..."

"Whether it was Prince William’s own idea or someone else’s suggestion, I do not know. Rushing straight to you was not ideal, but recognizing your potential value was a sharp observation."

I let out a long sigh.

"I wonder which prince Lord Richelieu wants to make crown prince..."

"That is unknown. He has not made any such statement yet, as far as I know."

"Really? Doesn’t it get decided the moment Lord Richelieu says something?"

"Lord Robby, the most important factor is His Majesty the King’s will. Lord Richelieu would never speak on the matter while His Majesty has said nothing. That would be overstepping his authority. His Majesty’s intentions take precedence."

Lily gently scolded me. Right, of course. That’s only natural.