I Became the Abandoned Prince Whom the Saintess Is Obsessed With

4 – Infamous is My Power

Even after the rain had stopped.

Elaine remained kneeling with a blank expression for a while.

No matter how much she thought about it, it was unbelievable.

The sudden pouring raindrops were like that.

And the multiple rainbows that appeared within them were also like that.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

The smooth transition of colors was so beautiful that it took her breath away for a moment.

To the point where it could bring back even the forgotten smile, erasing even despair.

So.

The disappearing rainbow took away her smile once again.

In a way, it was a very natural thing.

Elaine raised both hands.

It was because she still couldn’t believe that the rain, which had now stopped, had been there at all.

“……”

She looked around in a hurry.

Just a moment ago.

A lot of water had fallen from the sky.

But now.

There was not even a small puddle in sight.

There was no trace of rain ever coming.

Everything felt like a dream.

As if no drop of rain had ever fallen from the beginning.

Maybe she was possessed by a ghost or something.

Even the blowing wind felt fluffy.

What on earth was it?

Why did such a thing suddenly happen?

There was only one guess.

It must have been magic.

If someone didn’t use magic.

There was no way to explain this situation.

Without a doubt.

To drive away those who tormented her and stood by.

It seemed clear that someone unknown had used magic.

Elaine stood up from her seat.

Because she had been kneeling for a long time.

Her numb legs trembled.

There were deep wounds beneath her knees, but now was not the time to worry about such things.

She anxiously looked around.

It was to find a magician who had performed a miracle.

That was when she discovered a small otter made of water.

“……!”

It was about the size of a palm.

Resembling a kingfisher with a long body, a long tail, and four stubby legs.

That tiny thing.

It quickly ran towards her, climbed up her legs, and playfully jumped up and down.

“Don’t, don’t do that…! It tickles, you know….”

Then, it leaped from leg to leg, planting kisses on both knees.

“How could this…!”

As if by magic, the pain disappeared.

Even the previously grazed wounds healed in an instant.

It was a miraculous event.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a fish, flapping his delicate fins and swiftly flying through the air.

And in that moment, Elaine saw it.

The fish, in front of her.

Someone wearing a black hood was running behind the mansion.

Elaine hurriedly headed towards that place.

She was certain.

The miracle that had come to her today.

Surely, it was the doing of that suspicious person.

That man, dressed entirely in black, flipping his hood, was without a doubt the magician who had helped her.

***

It didn’t take long for Elaine to reach me.

Breathing heavily, she looked at me in silence.

And after a brief silence.

In a trembling voice, she asked.

“Was it you who used magic…?”

“….”

Since there was no intention to provoke, I remained silent for the time being.

“Did you save me…?”

I simply nodded.

“Why? Why did you help me?”

Curiosity mixed with caution.

Her voice was trembling.

And so were her questions.

Still, I remained silent.

Undeterred by my silence, Elaine continued to ask questions.

“Who are you…?”

It was the final question thrown at me.

The question I had been waiting for the most.

And at the same time, the question I feared the most.

As if determined to get an answer this time, her blue eyes stared at me intently.

I wordlessly removed my hood.

With just that.

The amount of information that could be conveyed was by no means small.

***

Looking at the man in front of her,

Elaine’s eyes widened in surprise.

Under the silver hair that shone like a blade.

Two emerald eyes, filled to the brim with a recording-like intensity, stared intensely at her.

“You are the waste, the Prince of Waste…!”

Elaine couldn’t continue her words.

Who the man in front of her was.

She knew very well as well.

The Prince of Waste, who had tortured people around him with all sorts of evil deeds and even killed several people to secure his position.

Eos Caldebrion.

There was no doubt.

The man in front of her was undoubtedly the infamous Prince of Waste from the Mersen Empire.

Elaine unknowingly took a step back.

It was the effect of his infamy.

But the reason her eyes were trembling was not just because of fear.

“Why on earth did you…?”

Why did this wicked man, of all people, save her?

The desire to know that was stronger than her fear.

“No need for introductions, princess.”

His voice was as cold and ruthless as his icy gaze.

It was enough to make her hands clench tightly against her chest, feeling the fear.

Elaine was certain.

The reason that man came here.

Undoubtedly, it was because he had some purpose.

It seemed highly likely that even the act of saving himself was for the sake of fulfilling that purpose.

“What do you want from me…?”

“I want you to help me.”

I was actually slightly surprised by his excessive honesty.

But even so, it was just a ridiculous statement.

Help? How could someone like me, who was nothing more than the illegitimate child of a viscount and a maid, help a prince?

It was a statement that she couldn’t understand at all.

“What exactly do you want me to help with?”

“I want you to heal me when I’m seriously injured.”

Elaine was dumbfounded.

Heal? She couldn’t use magic, nor did she have any divine power.

How could she possibly heal someone by any means?

If she had such an ability in the first place.

If she had, she wouldn’t have been living as a maid, suffering under the viscount.

“….”

It seemed that he wasn’t the evil person she had heard about.

It seemed like he kept saying things that didn’t make sense.

It looked like this man was not only wicked, but also insane.

So the conclusion was clear.

She was grateful for his help, but for her, who had neither status, wealth, nor power,

there was no extraordinary ability to help the crown prince.

“Thank you for your help. However, I don’t think someone like me can assist Your Highness.”

With a polite refusal, Elaine bowed her head and sincerely expressed her gratitude.

“……”

As if he had already anticipated such a reaction, the crown prince turned around without saying a word.

***

As expected.

It was not an easy task to bring in the holy maiden.

The biggest obstacle was, of course,

the fact that she was currently unable to awaken her divine power.

Her low social status,

and the lingering sense of defeat that unknowingly occupied her heart, were the challenges I had to surpass in the future.

Of course, it wasn’t completely fruitless.

By driving away those who tormented her with rain and using Aqua for healing, I succeeded in relieving some of my debts for now.

Do not rush.

After all, a person’s heart is not easily obtained.

For now, it is more important to use my hand to ensure that she is no longer tormented.

And then, perhaps.

I should start with Katiya Bart, Elaine’s peculiar older sister.

I flipped my hood back on.

Then, as quickly and discreetly as possible, I headed towards Katiya’s bedroom.

I had already used quite a bit of mana.

So I only used my invisibility sparingly, in short bursts, when necessary.

Even passing right by someone, no one noticed me.

Clunk-

The moment I entered the bedroom and closed the door.

Katiya’s mouth was already sealed shut.

It was the result of sending Aqu beforehand.

She sat in the chair, unable to move or utter a sound, her face filled with terror as she looked at me.

Perhaps she was in the middle of drinking tea.

On the table in front of her was a white cup from which steam was rising.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Because Aqu had permeated her body, she couldn’t even stand up.

The urgent scream echoed only within my throat.

Looking down at her,

I slowly removed my hood.

An unexpected moment, the appearance of a brutal intruder in an unimaginable place.

It was bound to leave a strong impression.

Her face, already pale blue, turned charcoal black as she recognized my identity.

I didn’t need to confirm it.

Seeing the rare combination of silver hair and green eyes, she instantly recognized who I was.

Looking at her,

I pressed my index finger against my lips.

There was no need to make a sound.

Just that alone was enough.

Katia, dripping cold sweat, nodded urgently like a startled hedgehog.

Even though I opened my mouth,

She didn’t scream, nor did she speak first.

That’s the kind of notorious reputation it had.

When accumulated enough, it could naturally draw out specific behaviors from others.

In addition,

By immobilizing the body or preventing even a sound from escaping.

I gave her the hint that I could kill her at any time if I wanted to.

The fear she feels now is as intense as that of a deer waiting for death with its neck bitten by a lion.

I sat across from the trembling Katia.

“I won’t allow any remarks. If you understand, just nod.”

Katia obediently nodded.

“You know very well who I am.”

She squeezed a smile with trembling eyes.

“From now on, don’t torment Elaine anymore. Fire that maid Anna. Then sincerely apologize to Elaine. And in the future, treat her like a younger sister.”

At the end of each sentence, her head immediately nodded. Sometimes, she nodded her head rapidly two or three times in a row.

“If you disobey me or if today’s events leak outside, it won’t end with just words next time. Do you understand?”

Katia, with a tearful face, nodded her head vigorously with all her might, trembling all over.