And the biggest problem was the fact that he had no memory of that beastly night.

One more question was thrown to Gustaf, who stood awkwardly.

“Where is she now?”

“Who are you talking about?”

Claud hesitated for a moment.

He couldn’t bring himself to throw the word “crow” at Gustaf.

The word that finally emerged from between his lips, which resembled a bitter smile between his big hands that shook his head and tousled his hair, was a sigh of relief that resembled a laugh.

“…The Dowager Princess.”

It was the title of the Dowager Princess. However, Gustaf’s face brightened as soon as he heard that word.

“She went to the forest to look for herbs.”

“Herbs?”

Claud’s eyebrows narrowed sharply.

“She went out of the mansion without my permission?”
I apologize for going out without permission; I was wrong. It’s not like me to lose my mind anytime and still…

In response to the abrupt change in expression, Gustaf chuckled softly. “Are you worried?”

Claud’s unscarred half-face noticeably softened. His languidly narrow eyes wrinkled all at once.

“Worried?”

“Isn’t that so?”

It wasn’t conveying any significant meaning. Nevertheless, Butler Gustaf grinned, recalling the memory of Yuan leaving.

“It was within walking distance, and you had obtained permission, Your Highness,” he said.

“Me?”

Ah.

‘I’m planning to go out with Henna tomorrow.’

‘So.’

‘…That’s right.’

Claud’s head quickly flashed with the short memory from last night.

He had thought that “here” probably meant the vast garden as extensive as the mansion at most.

‘Next time, I should ask precisely.’

Claud’s face stiffened with that thought.

‘…Why should I ask precisely? Shouldn’t the person seeking permission tell precisely? I shouldn’t have to ask.’

Seeing Claud visibly upset, Gustaf, with a sudden drop in mood, suggested, “If you’re curious, would you like to go out? It’s right in front.”

“Curious.”

Claud, letting out a wry smile, shot a subtly sensitive gaze outside the window.

The sun was at its zenith.

Gustaf nodded as if to say, ‘That’s right.’

It was something that couldn’t happen.

“I’ll inform Hille-nim for the morning examination.”

Claud, who had been leaning against the wall with his fist clenched and his body slanted, began to pace around the spacious room.

Not understanding English, Gustaf pretended not to see his restless master and closed the bedroom door, leaving.

Unnoticed, lunchtime had already passed.

Yuan smiled proudly, looking at the basket filled with chickweed. This medicinal herb, also called green dandelion, had much larger and deeper green flowers compared to ordinary dandelions. When the thick stem was split, a white fluid oozed out. When the stem and flower were crushed together, it could be used as an herb not only for disinfecting wounds but also for cleaning.

Although it was found in mountains, fields, and streams, its color was similar to weeds, so one had to open their eyes and search for it.

“Madam!”

“Hille-nim.”

“You can go with me for this!”

“You need to take care of His Highness, and this is not something I will share with Hille-nim, but I obtained it separately for my own use.”

“Yes? I feel disappointed?”

Physician Hille, along with Henna, was one of the people Yuan liked the most in this mansion. Since gaining favor with Yuan, who had previously been a difficult patient, Hille’s original duty of treating Crown Prince Claud Yufpris became much more manageable.
Hille, who had been appointed with great effort, found it easier to treat Crown Prince Claud Yufpris, his original duty, after Yuan arrived. Of course, it was because Yuan was a member of the famous “Pellesse” family, and sometimes, when discussing medicine or pharmacy, they could talk as if meeting an old friend.

“Where are you going to use it?”

“Only you will know about this, Hille-nim.”

Even though there was no one else around, Yuan lowered his voice to a minimum and whispered into Hille’s ear. Yuan planned to create a special medicine by blending several herbs with good purifying effects from this chickweed. Although he couldn’t make everything in this magnificent and enormous mansion clean, he could create a medicine that could clean a small western annex by himself.

“That’s truly a genius idea. With that, you might be able to erase anything! Why not add some ash water? I can ask the stable keeper to make a slightly larger brush for you.”

“I already asked Majarang to make a brush a little bigger than a toothbrush.”

“You’re quick, as always.”

Excited, Hille, with her round glasses lifted, ran to the medicinal storage. Seeing her lively movements, Yuan couldn’t help but burst into laughter without realizing it.

Bam!

At that moment, a sound of something colliding came from the upper part of the garden where she had been standing. Yuan was surprised, frozen with the basket in hand, then looked up.

Whoosh!

Now, as if with no intention of hiding, the blackout curtain inside Claud’s bedroom window, which had been wide open, made a loud noise and covered the interior.