Chapter 97 - 24: Let Him Wait

Chapter 97: Chapter 24: Let Him Wait

She wasn’t feeling well.

She had taken the day off.

She needed to rest...

Since everyone had arrived, Victor gave a brief explanation before starting the class. After hearing the news, Veronica and Leo were a little worried, but their moods were generally stable.

But Chris, who knew the "truth," was on pins and needles.

He often zoned out in class, but even by his standards, his performance today caught Veronica’s attention on several occasions.

As a sister with absolutely no patience for fools, just glancing at the elementary mistakes her little brother was making today was enough to make her temples throb.

Finally, during a break, Veronica walked over to Chris. "What on earth is wrong with you? You’ve been acting weird all morning, especially after you heard Lilia was taking the day off."

The name "Lilia" was the last straw.

In Veronica’s experience, her younger brother’s seemingly docile and obedient nature was a complete facade. It was as if he couldn’t understand what people were saying. No matter whether she was asking a question, offering encouragement, or scolding him, he would just absorb it all without giving any feedback whatsoever.

If not for all the signs indicating that Chris’s intelligence and hearing were perfectly fine, Veronica might have tactfully suggested the Queen ask a court magician to examine her beloved youngest son.

However, to her surprise, Chris’s already tense body jolted when he heard her question.

"I’m fine..."

Chris clenched his fists.

He wanted to pretend everything was fine, but the image of the girl’s delicate yet haggard face grew ever clearer in his mind.

Chris couldn’t take it anymore. He gritted his teeth. "Veronica, please, ask the teacher to excuse me!"

Veronica: "?"

She was about to ask why, but Chris had already bolted past her, vanishing from the training grounds in the blink of an eye.

Leo, who had witnessed the entire exchange, was dumbfounded.

He had just been hoping to enjoy a bit of fresh gossip. Who knew he’d get to see a scene like this?

This was the first time he’d ever seen Chris be so decisive!

"What did you do to him?" Leo couldn’t help but ask.

"How should I know?"

Veronica looked completely exasperated.

’This little brother of mine... does he really have an intellectual disability? I have no idea what he’s doing.’

Or...

Veronica frowned. "Could his bizarre behavior today have something to do with Lilia?"

...

Lilia was completely unaware of what was happening at the training grounds.

Upon returning to her chambers, she snuggled into her large, soft bed, closed her eyes, and fell into a baby-like sleep.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before she suddenly heard voices outside her door.

It was Rebecca and another maid.

They were intentionally keeping their voices down, but as her magic progressed, Lilia found that her perception of the world around her was also steadily improving.

’This must be the Spiritual Enhancement Victor mentioned.’

"...Prince Chris refuses to leave. He says he won’t go until he’s seen Princess Lilia," the maid said, sounding at a loss.

Rebecca’s voice followed. "But Her Highness is resting. She just fell asleep a little while ago. How can we disturb her over something so trivial?"

"Th-then what are we supposed to do?"

The question clearly stumped Rebecca.

Lilia sat up in bed and called for Rebecca to come in.

The young, uniformed maid entered and immediately began to apologize, her expression full of regret. She said they shouldn’t have been discussing things right outside Princess Lilia’s door and disturbing her rest.

Lilia told her it was fine and asked for the details of the situation.

"Prince Chris arrived about ten minutes ago. He said that since you took the day off, he was worried and wanted to come check on you."

Rebecca explained, "We’ve already told him you’re fine, just sleep-deprived. But for some reason, he hasn’t left. I think he wants to see you before he’s willing to go..."

Lilia nodded. "So he’s still waiting outside now?"

Rebecca replied, "Yes..."

"Has he done anything else? Like pressuring you to wake me?"

"Well..."

Rebecca thought for a moment. "I don’t believe so."

Lilia understood. She rolled over and lay back down.

Rebecca blinked. "You’re not going to see him?"

She had assumed that after getting the full story, Lilia’s next move would be to send Chris away.

But, from the looks of it...

’Her Highness seems to have no intention of doing so at all?’

"Why should I?"

Lilia yawned. "If he wants to wait, then let him."

"Maybe sitting out there for a while will make him feel a little better."

"?"

Rebecca’s face was a mask of confusion.

’Sitting outside... will make him feel better?’

’He sounds like some kind of masochist...’

With that, Lilia closed her eyes. Rebecca immediately pushed aside her many questions, whispered, "Rest well, Your Highness," and silently exited the room.

That was right.

’Whatever Prince Chris was thinking or planning had nothing to do with them. Princess Lilia needed to rest, not force herself to entertain someone inconsequential.’

’If he wanted to wait, he could just wait outside.’

And so it went.

From morning, to noon, and then into the evening.

The daylight shifted from pure white to a warm orange, coating everything in the chambers with a gilded edge.

By now, Chris still hadn’t seen the person he was waiting for.

The maids standing by were not as composed as Rebecca. They waited with bated breath for a potential summons from Chris, all while exchanging looks of disbelief.

’This is Prince Chris we’re talking about!’

’The King and Queen’s most beloved Little Prince!’

’In the entire Royal Court, not even Princess Veronica would dare to give him a sour look. Yet their own master, the Little Princess who had only just been acknowledged, was making Prince Chris sit here and wait for so long!’

’And what they found even more shocking and incomprehensible was that Prince Chris wasn’t showing the slightest hint of impatience. On the contrary, he seemed to be taking it all in stride!’

’He was even smiling when he spoke to them earlier.’

’This...’

’Could it be that Prince Chris’s affection for their princess has reached the point where he’s perfectly happy to be left hanging like this—even enjoys it?’

Just as the maids were lost in thought,

a series of footsteps sounded, and several figures entered the antechamber.

In the lead was Veronica, clad in a sharp dress. Beside her was Leo, who looked around curiously, though he couldn’t stop his expression from twisting into a look of disdain.

Following behind were their personal attendants, who carried gifts in their hands. Upon entering, they placed the gifts on a nearby tea table at a gesture from Veronica.

Only then did the maids snap out of it, rushing forward to greet them. "Princess Veronica! Prince Leo!"

Veronica gave a slight nod. "Where’s Lilia?"