SVPW 09

Chapter 9

It had been about thirty minutes since I sat in the garden, gently rubbing Ludwig’s belly.

“Whine… whiiiine…”

Ludwig suddenly got up and began circling restlessly in one spot.

“Huh? Why all of a sudden… Oh—wait, could it be?”

It seemed like the signal had come!

“Ruby! Is it time?!”

“Ruby?”

“It’s Ludwig Spencer Verdi the Third’s nickname.”

…There was such a short and simple nickname, and yet I had been carefully calling him Ludwig Spencer Verdi the Third this entire time?

Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing right now!

“Alright, Ruby! Hurry and find a spot in the bushes and push!”

“You’re doing great!”

“Oh my goodness, really? Is it finally happening?”

As Prince Michael and I crouched down and clapped while cheering for Ludwig, the maids who had been working nearby began gathering one by one.

“Yes, yes! That’s Ludwig’s favorite bathroom spot!”

“Oh… it’s finally happening!”

It really seemed like we were about to witness the long-awaited (?) moment.

Ludwig, apparently too busy to care about the attention pouring down on him, circled around the bushes for quite a while, sniffing here and there. Finally, he chose a spot and lowered his posture.

His rear hovered delicately close to the ground, and soon he squeezed his eyes shut and started making strained noises.

Ludwig’s body trembled slightly, and I clenched my hands nervously.

My lips felt dry.

‘Why am I this nervous over something like this!’

But the funnier thing was that I wasn’t the only one.

Prince Michael beside me had both fists tightly clenched, staring at Ludwig as if his neck might snap from leaning forward.

Behind him, the maids were also holding their breath, silently cheering with their expressions.

It was truly a bizarre sight.

‘Pfft.’

Everyone in the Third Prince’s palace was kind of cute.

“It’s out!”

At that moment, Prince Michael shouted.

His voice rang out loudly, like someone yelling “I found it!” in the mountains.

“Oh!”

When I turned my head, Ludwig—his mission accomplished—was proudly walking toward us.

It was as if he knew he had lived up to everyone’s expectations.

“Wow, his complexion even looks different after doing such a big job!”

“What on earth did he eat?”

“Seriously.”

The maids chattered as they looked at Ludwig, who seemed much livelier after relieving himself.

“Ludwig!”

Prince Michael ran toward him. Ludwig wagged his tail and ran straight into the prince’s arms.

To be honest, Ludwig didn’t look as miserable as he had earlier when he was lying down whining—but he still seemed somewhat weak.

Still, Ludwig probably wanted to tell his owner something.

That he wasn’t hurting anymore.

That there was no need to worry.

That must be why he forced himself to look energetic and ran over like that.

Just looking at their smiling faces was enough for me, a beast-person, to feel their emotions clearly.

In Prince Michael’s arms, Ludwig licked his cheek repeatedly while wagging his tail.

‘The maids said he stayed up all night taking care of the puppy.’

Ludwig must have wanted to recover quickly after seeing that.

“Good job, Ruby.”

I smiled and praised Ludwig as well.

And now, the only thing left was…

“Now check what he ate!”

Right. That.

Even if he hadn’t said it in such a loud voice, I already knew exactly what I had to do.

“…I have to check the poop.”

Yes.

I had to inspect the poop that Ludwig had worked so hard to produce.

* * *

“Here~ Try some well-boiled vegetables. I had the chef warm up only the freshest ones. Meat would still be too much for you.”

“Your complexion looks good now! You’ll probably be able to eat normal meals soon!”

Ha ha, ho ho, laughter filled the garden—Prince Michael, the maids, and Ludwig enjoying themselves.

“Ugh! The smell!”

Meanwhile, in a corner of the garden, there was me—holding a piece of cloth over my nose and poking at dog poop with a stick.

The temperature difference in the same garden was simply too extreme.

“Ugh… Is it because it’s been sitting for days? The smell is… ugh.”

Even through the cloth covering my nose, the scent was overpowering.

But I knew something.

The longer I dragged this out, the more miserable I would become.

So I grabbed two sticks and diligently began poking through the poop.

There had definitely been an unusual aura earlier—there might be a gemstone inside.

“What did you swallow, Ruby?”

His name was even the name of a gemstone I liked.

Wasn’t that practically a divine sign that he would be my savior?

Even while digging through dog poop, I found myself grinning foolishly.

Anyone who saw me right now would probably think I was insane.

“…Huh?”

Then suddenly, the tip of the stick hit something hard.

“This is…”

“Did you find what the problem was?”

At the same time I gasped in surprise, Prince Michael’s voice came from behind me.

His gaze followed the stick—and his face immediately twisted.

Apparently, he didn’t have the stomach to look at poop.

“That’s…”

Then his expression suddenly changed to shock.

“Do you recognize it?”

“It’s a button.”

“A button?”

The small round object was indeed a button.

Michael’s eyes sharpened as he looked at it.

“But it’s not mine. All of my clothes have the imperial crest.”

Prince Michael rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Would Ruby have any reason to swallow someone else’s button?”

“This child never leaves the palace, so how could he…”

Prince Michael shook his head.

Then the maid Ella suddenly clapped her hands and jumped into the conversation.

“Your Highness! What if—!”

“Do you know something?”

“A few days ago, remember? A thief broke in! There were suspicious footprints near your treasury room! Ruby barked and chased the thief away!”

A thief from a few days ago…

Were they talking about me?

My heart skipped.

“I remember. It was a strange day. The Tears of Cleia from the exhibition hall disappeared, and someone tried to break into my vault too.”

That was strange.

I had stolen Cleia’s jewel…

But I had never entered the Third Prince’s palace.

“What if Ruby bit the thief’s arm and swallowed the button then? The guards said Ruby grabbed the thief’s arm!”

“…That’s possible.”

So on the day I entered the imperial palace, a thief had broken in here too?

“If we find out which tailor made this button, couldn’t we catch the thief?”

“It would certainly be evidence.”

Prince Michael and Ella exchanged glances and nodded.

‘What’s going on…? It sounds like another incident I know nothing about…’

My mind grew complicated.

If a thief had broken in here that day too…

What if that thief stole my gemstone?

I lifted the button with the sticks and dropped it into a bowl of water.

Plop.

Then I took it out and wiped it clean with a thick towel.

“…What kind of emblem is that?”

“Looks like some kind of leaf. But a petty thief’s button wouldn’t have a meaningful crest like a noble family.”

Even though he was young, Prince Michael still spoke with the blunt confidence of royalty.

“That could be true.”

If it was a mass-produced button, finding the owner would be difficult.

“Anyway, I think my job here is done.”

Regardless of whose button it was, I had come up empty-handed.

“Right. Thanks to you, our Ruby is feeling better.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

I wrapped the button in the towel and handed it to Ella.

If it wasn’t the gemstone I needed, there was no reason for me to keep it.

Besides… it smelled suspicious in more ways than one.

After everything was finished, Prince Michael said to me:

“Is there a reward you want?”

“A reward?”

Suddenly I remembered what Ella had said earlier—about how generous the Third Prince was with rewards.

“Well… what kind of reward?”

“Anything. Actually! I could tell the head maid to transfer you to my palace.”

“Ah, no! That’s a bit…”

I wasn’t even a real maid!

And I didn’t want to get tangled up with palace politics.

Money would be better!

“…Well, you are the Crown Prince’s maid…”

Strangely, the confident Prince Michael suddenly looked dejected.

“By the way, Your Highness, why don’t you call the Crown Prince ‘brother’?”

The question I had been wondering about since yesterday slipped out.

Michael’s body flinched.

Then he answered awkwardly.

“Th-that’s because… he’s… scary.”

Scary? The Crown Prince?

Well, he would become a ruthless emperor in the future…

But right now he seemed kind enough.

He even treated my injuries and tried to take care of me.

If I remembered the original story correctly, the Crown Prince only turned dark after the rebels killed his siblings.

In other words, he definitely valued family.

Maybe the imperial siblings were just distant with each other.

“Your Highness likes the Crown Prince, right?”

“H-how did you know?!”

Michael looked at me with wide, startled eyes.

“Well… it’s obvious.”

Every time he talked about the Crown Prince, his face flushed and he twisted nervously.

Anyone could see he liked him.

But he was too scared to approach him…

I didn’t want to meddle, but somehow I wanted to help this little prince’s one-sided affection—at least with a small piece of advice.

“You both like animals. Why not use that as a way to get closer?”

People who keep pets always bond quickly over animal talk.

“…D-do you think he’d like that?”

“Of course. Recently he’s been raising that… ahem… cute ferret, right? Maybe invite him for a walk together.”

“Ferrets go on walks?”

Michael blinked.

“…Yes. Probably. Or you could invite him to visit Ludwig.”

“Then… could you maybe… arrange it for me?”

“…Hmm.”

I’m not even close to him, you know.

“You should ask him yourself. He’d like that more.”

“R-really?”

Michael scratched the back of his neck.

“Yes.”

In my opinion, Prince Michael was a lovable person.

Sure, my bias might come from believing that someone who sincerely loves animals can’t be a bad person.

“No matter the age difference, a brother is still a brother.”

In the original story, the Crown Prince sought bloody revenge for his siblings.

There was no way he hated Michael.

“Just be brave.”

Why had I come here to find a gemstone, only to end up meddling in someone else’s family matters?

“Alright.”

Prince Michael smiled brightly.

Well… seeing a smile like that made it worth it.

His head looked so soft and fluffy that I almost patted it like freshly baked bread—but I managed to stop myself.

Then Michael puffed out his chest and declared:

“As your reward, I grant you the right to meet me whenever you wish!”

“….”

Wait.

Was that really a reward?

“Ludwig too!”

Michael grinned sweetly.

Seeing that face, I was completely defeated.

‘Well… I came here to find a gemstone for my own greed anyway.’

Maybe it was better to leave things like this.

I smiled back at Prince Michael.

I thought it was a happy ending.

The puppy was safe.

Prince Michael was happy.

Even though I hadn’t found the gemstone.

But that was before I met a woman in the corridor on my way back.

“Who are you?”