Crown Prince Sells Medicine

‘Scolding with a whip?’

Raciel was taken aback by the maid’s unexpected plea.

“What? Scolding with a whip? It’s just a broken glass from dropping a single cup. Just a little spilled honey.”

Worrying about a whipping for such a small mistake, the maidservant lay flat on the ground.

Raciel’s expression hardened.

“Could it be?”

‘Raciel, the Crown Prince and the owner of this body. Did he ever whip the maidservants? Judging by the maid’s frightened attitude and reaction, it might be true.’

He asked to confirm.

“Have I ever whipped you?”

‘Please say no.’

‘Please tell me I’m not that kind of trash.’

He desperately wished inside.

Did his wish come true?

“N-no, Your Highness.”

The maidservant shook her head vigorously.

“Your Highness has never personally held a whip.”

“…Huh?”

Raciel has never ‘personally’ held a whip?

‘Wait a minute, could it be?’

“Then, by any chance… Did I order someone else to do it?”

“….”

“Really?”

“Ah, it was only because I had made a mistake. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Feeling interrogated by him, the maid’s face grew more and more sullen.

Raciel’s expression also hardened even more.

“So, it’s true.”

He couldn’t believe it was actually true. Raciel had ordered others to whip the maidservant.

Crown Prince Raciel.

He thought he was just a sickly and weak person.

‘What have you done?’

A myriad of questions arose.

He looked at the maidservant again.

“Let me ask you one more thing. What mistake did you make at that time to deserve being whipped?”

“Th-that was…”

“It’s okay. Tell me.”

“I accidentally splashed water…”

“What?”

“On your highness’s sleeve… I splashed water, and the sleeve got wet…”

“Wait a minute.”

“…”

“Are you saying you were whipped just because you accidentally splashed a little water on my sleeve?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Goodness.”

Looking at the maid’s attitude, it seemed she was not lying. It was absurd and unbelievable.

‘What kind of person were you, Crown Prince Raciel?’

Suddenly, the novel ‘Devil Sword Emperor’ came to mind.

In that novel, Crown Prince Raciel was just a minor character who appeared briefly in the beginning. As a result, his presence and mentions were limited.

There were no detailed descriptions of his daily life or how he was perceived by those around him. His character was simply summarized as being frail, suffering from various illnesses, and eventually dying young.

This was why he had only envisioned him as a pitiable, sickly character. However, when he uncovered a deeper layer and caught a glimpse of his more intricate persona…

‘Was he more of a trashy person than I thought?’

Seeing the maidservant trembling in fear over a small mistake, he could somewhat guess how Crown Prince Raciel must have been in his daily life.

He felt bitter and clicked his tongue.

“Enough. Stop begging and get up. I won’t scold you with a whip.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Get up.”

The maid stood up at the speed of light. However, she still seemed frightened and continued to glance nervously in his direction.

“I’m fine, so just clean up the broken glass and go.”

“Ah, yes, Your Highness.”

The maid hurriedly moved, looking slightly bewildered by the surprisingly (?) easy forgiveness. Raciel, watching her, couldn’t help but say a word.

“Don’t hurt yourself by cleaning up hastily.”

STARTLE!

The hand of the maid, who was about to pick up the broken glass in a hurry, flinched.

“You can use a broom. What are you going to do if you hurt yourself while trying to clean up with your hands?”

“…I apologize, Your Highness. I almost dirtied the precious floor with my filthy blood.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“I won’t let my blood spill on the floor even if I’m bleeding, Your Highness.”

“That’s not what I’m saying…”

“Please, just not the whip…”

“That’s not my intention…”

In the deepening misunderstanding, only the desperate sweeping continued hastily.

Finally, the maid, who had cleaned up the broken glass and spilled honey, hurriedly retreated like the wind. No, she fled. She even tearfully expressed her gratitude when he told her there was no need to bring more honey.

“…”

Her fleeing figure conveyed the demeanor of someone escaping from a madman who had imprisoned her.

‘Crown Prince Raciel, what on earth…’

He became curious at this point. Fortunately, there was someone left nearby who could answer his questions.

“Gardin.”

“Yes, Your Highness. You called?”

“Yes, I did. But the thing is…”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Why are you looking at me with such a strange expression?”

It wasn’t an exaggeration, but the look in Gardin’s eyes as he looked at him was quite peculiar since a while ago. It was like the gaze of someone who witnessed an unexpectedly heartwarming sight.

For some reason, that bothered him even more.

“And one more question. Why was that maid like that?”

“Um, wasn’t she moved by Your Highness’s magnanimity and retreated?”

“Tsk. Don’t give me that sugar-coated talk.”

“Yes?”

“Even that maid said so earlier. She said I had ordered others to punish her with a whip.”

“Yes, she did.”

“Actually, I’ve been very sick lately, and my memory is a bit jumbled. That’s why I’m asking. It wasn’t a huge mistake, and it was just because a few drops of water splashed on the sleeve.”

“…Yes, it was.”

“So I’m asking again, have any of the other maids or servants experienced similar incidents?”

“Your Highness.”

“Answer my question first.”

“…Yes, they have.”

“Were they also punished with a whip? Did I order that?”

“Yes, Your Highness… But, we believe in you.”

“Believe? In what?”

“Because there were rumors that you were generous and benevolent in your childhood.”

“So you’re saying I wasn’t like that when I grew up?”

“No, that’s not your fault.”

“Then?”

“It was the wicked disease that tormented you and made your mind foggy.”

“Tsk. That’s just an excuse.”

“No, Your Highness.”

Gardin vehemently denied what he said and shook his head. But still, that seemed like a plausible yet sugar-coated statement.

Raciel frowned.

“To be honest, my memory has declined a lot lately because I’ve been unwell. I can’t remember past events well. So I want to hear the details.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What kind of person was I? To you, the maids, and the servants here.”

“Of course, Your Highness…”

“Tell me objectively. Don’t lie. I’ll check with others too. If there’s even a little lie, then I’ll boil a strange potion right in front of you and gulp it down?”

“Yes?”

“The contents of the potion will depend on my mood.”

“Your Highness?”

“Now, tell me. What kind of person was I?”

“That, that is…”

The effect of the self-hostage threat (?) was tremendous.

Gardin’s mouth opened up smoothly.

♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

After about half an hour of conversation, it was over.

Amidst the abundance of testimonials and first-hand reports, objective assessments, and contemplation, Raciel was able to arrive at a dispassionate conclusion.

‘Crown Prince Raciel was a hypersensitive and tyrannical boss.’

He wasn’t fundamentally a bad person.

He was said to have been quite decent during his childhood.

But he became more and more sensitive as he suffered from the disease.

‘At first, he seemed to be getting a little sensitive, but eventually, he crossed the line too often.’

Gardin’s testimony portrayed Crown Prince Raciel as an epitome of hysteria, with a tendency to get infuriated at the slightest provocation.

He was known to yell loudly, hurl objects, and express various forms of irritation. His wrath extended to the point of ordering the whipping of maids and servants, although he did not execute the punishment himself, delegating the task to other servants.

As a result, the palace staff was constantly on edge in the presence of the Crown Prince, fearful of inciting his anger and enduring severe consequences.

Crown Prince Raciel’s authoritarian behavior and hysterical outbursts were of an enormous magnitude.

‘He punished them for breathing too loudly. He didn’t let them sleep for two days because he heard a sneeze while sleeping. He starved chefs, servants, and maids for a day and a half because one type of sauce was missing during a meal. He even slapped them for not wanting to hear the rustling of clothes. What a person.’

The absence of any form of resistance or rebuttal against the tyrannical behavior of the royalty made it even more unbearable for those who were oppressed by it.

‘It was the worst.’

Now he understood the reaction of the maid he had seen earlier. He also recalled the guards who had easily believed his crude excuses that night when he had accidentally set off a water bomb while testing the Circle Slot.

‘At that time, I made an excuse that I broke the bottle because I was angry. But Crown Prince Raciel had been doing such things since before. That’s why the guards naturally believed my excuse.’

Ironically, the excuse he had made was the usual behavior of Crown Prince Raciel. A bitter smile escaped him at this peculiar coincidence. But on the other hand, there was something he couldn’t understand.

“But Gardin.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I’ve heard what you said. Thank you for being honest. But, there’s still something I’m curious about.”

“Please ask, Your Highness.”

“Well, I can understand why other servants and maids are afraid of me. But why are you not?”

“…Yes?”

“I mean, when I think about it, you said I acted so harshly. But so far, you haven’t seemed to be intimidated or afraid of me.”

“It’s because I believe in Your Highness.”

“What?”

Gardin’s response came without a moment’s hesitation.

It was absurd to hear.

“Believe? What in me?”

“Well, originally you were a kind person…”

“So?”

“I believed that once I cured your illness, you would return to your former demeanor. Recently, my belief has begun to be rewarded.”

“Rewarded?”

“Your recent behavior, Your Highness.”

“…”

“I don’t know how you’ll take this, but you’ve changed. You’re changing. It started the day you were writing in your diary, then coughed up blood and fainted.”

“Ah, that day?”

That day would be when he entered Raciel’s body. However, Gardin, who didn’t know that fact, spoke with a somewhat emotional tone.

“Since that day, Your Highness, you have changed. Your speech and actions have become a bit… rough and outside of etiquette, but you haven’t shown irritation toward me or the servants and maids. Not once.”

“Hmm. So you liked it?”

“It was heartwarming.”

“Heartwarming?”

“I’m still grateful to the heavens.”

“You should be grateful to me, not the heavens.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“That’s right. That’s it.”

“…”

“Anyway, you’re happy that I’ve changed?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Even if I hurt myself with a needle or something, right?”

“Well, that…”

“Or if I boil poisonous herbs and take a shot, right?”

“…”

“You must be so happy, Gardin.”

“…”

Gardin’s face crumpled, but upon closer inspection, it presented an unusual spectacle. Despite the circumstances, a slight, affectionate grin persisted at the edge of his mouth.

‘Maybe I’m the same.’

It seemed likely.

Although he teased Gardin like this, he was grateful. How could he not be grateful in front of the sincerity shown by such a loyal person? Raciel tried to hide his true feelings and laughed mischievously.

“Phew. Anyway, what a mess during the meal. Let’s finish eating the bread. By the way, Gardin, have you had dinner?”

“I haven’t eaten yet, Your Highness.”

“Do you want to eat together?”

“…Pardon?”

“Here, it seems like there will be some bread left.”

“Your Highness, I…”

“Just take it.”

“…”

Raciel sliced a piece of bread in half and handed it over to Gardin, who hesitated upon receiving it. Observing Gardin’s hesitation, Raciel couldn’t help but smile.

At that moment, he made a silent promise to himself. He swore that the Gardin in the novel, who met his demise by remaining faithful, would not suffer the same fate in reality. Raciel pledged to ensure that neither of them would perish, nor would they be unjustly blamed and sentenced to death. They would survive, no matter what it takes.

The very next day, the emperor’s summon arrived at the palace.