The Extra Wants To Live

Returning to the palace, Carl smiled faintly at the person who greeted him.

"Why do I find myself laughing more and more unpleasantly every time I see you?" Carl asked.

"Isn't it your mood rather than your laughter that's unpleasant?" Nero, dressed in a fancy uniform, frowned as if he had chewed sand at Carl's words.

But because there were so many eyes watching them, they couldn't chat any longer.

As a prince, Nero was giv the task of returning the Emperor's flag on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, who was very busy.

After receiving the flag from Catherine, Carl got off his horse, walked up to Nero, and handed him the flag.

The cheeks of the courtier who was preparing his speech trembled at the action that still completely ignored the detailed procedures.

"You've grown taller again," Nero remarked.

"Hav't you gott smaller, brother?"

"You cheeky bastard. Did you buy him a prest?"

"Oh, I didn't buy a gift."

"...this…." Just before Nero could say something to Carl's words with a smile, Carl took a big step back.

Nero glared at Carl, th followed the procedure and handed the Emperor's flag to the Count Palatine, and Carl's return was completed in a slightly chaotic atmosphere.

Nero walked up to his younger brother who had completed his mission admirably and put his arm a his shoulder.

"You really didn't buy it? If you tell me straight up right now, I'll let you have it."

"Yes. I told you I didn't buy it."

"… Th what about my bracelet?"

"Didn't you give it to me?"

The brothers whispered softly with smiling faces. Although it was a picturesque sight, the corners of Nero's lips trembled with suppressed irritation.

'This fucking bastard,'

Nero thought, clching his teeth while wrapping his arm a Carl's shoulders.

Carl, walking with a leisurely gait, put his hands in his jacket pockets, took something out, and placed it in Nero's hand.

The necklace was made by stringing crystals together and creating a small bird shape with gold.

"… You said you didn't buy it."

"Yes, I didn't buy it. I received it as a gift from Lord Davron. I also have a hood."

"… … ."

Nero frowned as Carl handed him the hood he had roughly tied a his shoulder beath his cloak.

"Did you receive this as a gift too?"

"No, I just asked for one."

"I really want to hit you."

"The bracelet was put to good use."

"… Okay, th that's good."

Nero let out a deep sigh and th chuckled. While the numerous eyes and ears of the palace were on edge, Nero smiled conttedly and wrapped the hood Carl had giv him roughly a his shoulders.

He held up the necklace to the sunlight and hummed softly.

"What kind of bird is this?"

"I'm not sure about that. I heard that in Tumari there is a tradition of sharing trinkets as a promise, so there might be another half somewhere."

"Hmm… Nothing awkward will happ, right?"

"Wouldn't there be someone who would come all the way to Himmeln to see your mother and ask her to return it?"

"That's true too."

But if Nero knew the idtity of the necklace, he wouldn't be able to laugh.

It was an item that Davron looted from the corpse of an emy he killed during battle in the past.

Of course, it was at least 30 years ago, and it wasn't that valuable, so there's absolutely no reason for it to go away.

---

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Lilly asked.

"This time, I really didn't hurt a single hair. I was so bored that I finished the work in one day and spt my time going to banquets, going for walks, and doing other things," Carl replied.

"Thank God." Lilly caressed Carl's cheek and ears, th smiled in relief.

"I also have a gift for Lilly."

"Huh? A gift?"

Carl smiled at Lilly, who seemed embarrassed.

"I received some fine cloth from Tumari from Lord Davron as a gift. I will use it to make Lilly's dress."

"I told you to make yourself clothes lord Carl's, instead of mine. The clothes have already become too small… … ."

"I said I'll make it wh they grow up and stop growing. If I make it now, I won't be able to wear it for ev a month."

As Lilly caressed Carl's clothes that looked like they were about to burst, Carl laughed, hugged Lilly, and walked away unsteadily.

Carl also felt a sse of accomplishmt wh he saw that Lilly was worried and sorry, but also secretly happy.

"Oh, now that you mtion it… ."

Carl said as if something had occurred to him. Looking up at Lilly, Carl oped his mouth.

"Ev so, you can still contact the Felt family, right? They're still working as administrators."

"Yes… that's true, but..." Lilly nodded her head, as if she was slightly displeased or ev uncomfortable.

Lilly could not possibly feel good about Felt, who did nothing for Carl, whom she raised like a son. And now, how could they help Carl?

"If possible, could you sd me a letter?"

"I could sd letters, but would they really help?"

Lilly spoke, keeping her distance from Felt as if drawing a line betwe them. Carl considered it fortunate.

Well, Carl didn't seem to care about Felt at all. It was ough to use it well once while it was still clean. To do that, he needed to give them a little hope.

"Of course it would help. Lilly, could you sd me just one letter?"

Th, after it got dirty, what…

'I have to handle it well so that no troublesome things happ.'

Shouldn't a rag that's too dirty be thrown away?

If you keep it with love and affection, it will only attract bugs.

---

The letter that Carl st to the Felt family through Lilly was quite plausible.

The letterhead was also good, and the elegant handwriting that had be practiced for a long time was as elegant as a painting.

Adding to this the archaic writing style he had acquired while reading the precious books stored in the imperial library, his letters almost seemed like works of art.

Lilly did not look at the contts of the letter Carl had writt. She simply put it in the cheap, plain velope she usually used, as Carl had asked her to do.

The only differce from usual was that it was carefully sealed in case someone read it in the middle of the process.

Of course, they couldn't use expsive beeswax, so Lilly sewed the velope small and sealed it. Lilly found it strange that Carl was so atttive, and also a little frighting.

It was not for anything else, but because she was worried that Carl might be thinking of jumping into politics, which was nothing but a crucible of desire, and that he might be put in danger because of it.

He said he was attacked by an assassin during the last hunt too… That was all Lilly worried about.

She just wanted Carl to grow up healthy and in a safe vironmt.

If only she could take Carl and run away from this hellish place.

But Lilly knew that she couldn't.

In that case, wouldn't it be better to just stay quiet and act like a dead mouse? Ev though she thought that way, Lilly couldn't bring herself to tell Carl.

Lilly shouldn't say those words to the most noble member of the empire, especially to Prince Carl.

Because she was just a maid.

And how could Lilly stop Carl, who had spt his tire life lying in bed like a corpse, from moving forward so vigorously?

Lilly was just glad that Carl still needed her. .

It would be nice if she could give him a little more, a little better, but it was sad that Lilly had nothing. In the room where Carl once couldn't leave ev for a momt, there was now more time without Carl.

Carl had be so busy lately that he came home late at night looking tired, washed up, changed clothes, wt to sleep, and th wt out early in the morning.

Carl pretded not to be tired and to be calm, but Lilly could see his expression clearly.

Perhaps Carl was so relaxed wh dealing with Lilly that his true feelings were revealed.

It was both happy and sad.

So, from now on, Lilly would spd her days alone in this small room, praying for Carl's safety, and wh he returned, she would greet him with a smile.

Because that was the only thing Lilly could do for Carl.