The Crown Prince murmured contentedly and closed his eyes again.
“How could there be such a wonderful dream?”
His personal knight was having his hair ripped out, and that was a wonderful dream?
It was a reaction completely outside Max's expectations.
“Gaaah! Your Highness!”
Max, who had looked relieved a moment ago, believing his master would save him once he woke up, writhed in agony once more.
“Sir Max! April is talking to you!”
I grabbed his hair again and shook it mercilessly.
Only then did the Crown Prince seem to regain his senses and reopen his eyes.
“Hm? Wasn't it a dream...?”
Tilting my head innocently at Max, I spoke sweetly.
“Oh my? His Highness is awake. Sir Max? You're not answering. Does your stomach hurt? Shall April take a look?”
“Khk... It's not his stomach, it's his scalp that hurts. Max's scalp. Max's hair has become... quite neat.”
Even to me, it was obvious that his hair had become noticeably thinner.
Did I care?
Not at all.
The Crown Prince, who had been quietly snickering, finally gave up trying to hold it in.
“Pfft... Ahaha. Ahahahahaha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
Sian and Yeniel stared at him as though he had gone mad.
Once he burst out laughing, he simply couldn't stop.
Like a dam breaking and unleashing a flood.
He was laughing so hard he seemed on the verge of suffocation.
I mean, Max was a little funny, but why was he laughing so hard all by himself?
I looked at the Crown Prince with cold eyes.
“Hahaha! Ahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!”
As he tried to sit up on the bed, only to clutch his stomach and collapse again, he reminded me so much of my brother that he somehow looked pitiful.
The Crown Prince's affection has increased dramatically!
The Crown Prince's affection has increased dramatically!
The Crown Prince's affection has increased dramatically!
The Crown Prince's affection has increased dramatically!
The Crown Prince's affection has increased dramatically!
Even those notifications felt pathetic.
In The Archmage's Mansion, the Crown Prince had actually been pretty cool.
Most of his illustrations depicted him as dignified and charismatic.
My brother had always challenged the so-called Empress Ending—the ultimate ending from Yeniel's perspective.
“You can't get it on your first playthrough. You need at least a second run, see the True Ending, solve every event perfectly, raise your stats, collect lots of hidden items, max out the Crown Prince's affection, and trigger all the hidden events!”
“How many times have you succeeded?”
“Starting now. This one's my first attempt.”
“You've lost your mind.”
It was a memory that felt strangely nostalgic, as if it belonged to years ago.
The important thing was that the Crown Prince my brother had obsessed over so passionately...
The Crown Prince who casually let himself be carried along by me, a supposedly airheaded noble lady.
The Crown Prince who laughed when Max lost his hair.
Let's stop there.
If I thought about it any longer, even the tiny bit of mystery he still possessed would completely shatter.
The Crown Prince's affection has increased dramatically!
The Crown Prince's affection has increased dramatically!
The reason Max was finally freed from my grasp—after nobody had bothered to save him—was thanks to Yeniel.
“Lady April. I need to examine His Highness. Could you hand me the first-aid kit beneath you?”
“Yes!”
At Yeniel's request, I immediately released Max's hair.
Yeniel's affection has increased dramatically!
Her affection went up.
Taking the first-aid kit, Yeniel approached the Crown Prince.
There was way too much hair stuck to my hands.
I should wash them.
I walked over to the basin in the room and cleaned my hands.
When our eyes accidentally met through the mirror, Max quickly looked away.
He must have learned a lot from today's incident.
Now that I'd taught him a valuable lesson, I felt relieved knowing he probably wouldn't recklessly interfere again, even after becoming stronger.
At that moment, the status window updated.
Yeniel's suspicion has decreased by 10%.
Total Suspicion: 0%
Why this time?
Yeniel wasn't even looking at me.
She was completely focused on checking the Crown Prince's condition.
We prepared to depart once more.
“Thank you. It's thanks to all of you. Lady April found the first-aid kit, while Sian and Lady Yeniel measured the dosage. Max... I don't remember much, but I know you worked hard as well.”
The Crown Prince praised everyone.
“Your Highness...!”
Max teared up at the words of gratitude.
No one paid him any attention.
A shiny bald patch about the size of a coin had appeared on the crown of his head.
The Crown Prince quickly organized the situation.
“First, I've heard the explanation. Our objective is to open the large door leading to the next area outside. According to the phrase, 'Grant eternal rest,' we need to gather the doll fragments.”
Sian placed the doll's head I had brought and the doll's legs Max had retrieved on the table.
“The head was in Room 207. The lower body was in Room 212. The torso should be in this room, correct?”
“Yes. Have you found the torso?”
At Sian's question, the Crown Prince shook his head.
“No. We were unable to find it.”
“What? It wasn't here?”
Max looked shocked.
“After entering this room, I remained conscious for about twenty to thirty minutes. Lady Yeniel and I searched the room together. Lady Yeniel is meticulous. Sian tends to overlook things occasionally, but Yeniel usually doesn't.”
I finally understood why he had specifically brought Yeniel with him.
Well... Sian couldn't even find the hidden cabinet.
Even when I called him, he had been lost in his own thoughts.
On the other hand, Yeniel seemed flawless.
Wasn't she the capable, problem-solving heroine in the game?
“If it's not in this room, could it be somewhere else?”
Sian seemed deep in thought.
“Were there any keys or clues that would allow access to another room?”
“There weren't. None at all.”
Yeniel answered firmly.
Then—
If it's the doll torso containing the heart, it should be in this room. The appearance condition is for someone to fall asleep and have at least one person dream.
A thought surfaced in my mind all on its own.
Rooms 201 and 204 through 206, as well as 208 through 211, can't be entered anyway since there are no keys.
My train of thought abruptly halted.
Why had I thought that?
I hadn't learned it from anyone.
I hadn't read a guide.
It felt as though I had personally played through this game dozens of times and confirmed the fact myself.
But I've only cleared the game twice.
The first time, following all of my brother's advice.
The second time, focusing solely on combat and rushing through the shortest route to set a speed-clear record.
Combined, my total playtime was only a few hours.
“I want to take a nap.”
Even so, I smiled brightly and spoke.
Because I had a strong feeling that was the correct solution.
Everyone from the heroine's group looked surprised.
I was supposed to be the cheerful mascot.
A harmless, pretty airheaded noble lady who lightened the mood and never caused trouble.
I rarely demanded anything.
So it was unusual for me to make a direct request like this.
“Because my naptime has already passed.”
“I see. Lady April wants a nap?”
The Crown Prince replied, amusement lingering in his voice.
“Yes!”
I gazed at him with innocent eyes.
“Then we'll do that. Everyone is tired, after all. My body hasn't fully recovered either... We'll rest for a while before moving on. We're not in such poor condition that the monsters outside will immediately catch us.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness! This Max shall attend to you!”
There were three rooms in total.
This large bedroom, and the two smaller rooms connected to it.
I immediately hurried over and linked arms with Yeniel.
“Lady Yeniel! Let's stay together. We're friends, aren't we?”
“I'll share a room with Lady April.”
As Yeniel said that, Sian pointed toward one of the other rooms.
“Sir Max and I will take turns sleeping while keeping watch beside His Highness.”
“What kind of unilateral decision is that?! ...Unlike Sir Sian, I happen to require rest.”
Max raised his voice in protest.
Then his gaze landed on me.
Almost instantly, he lowered his voice.
I hadn't even been thinking about anything.
What a coward.
