Chapter 49
The pocket watch on the table had already passed the fifty-minute mark.
There were only ten minutes left until the time the baby ghost had warned us about, but the tapping of the hammer still sounded slow and elegant.
“…Your Highness, can you please hurry? We only have ten minutes left.”
It felt a bit strange to be ordering around a prince of the Empire.
But what choice did I have? The ghost was scarier than royalty right now.
“This is already my fastest.”
Prince Claude tossed the hammer aside and grabbed his water glass.
He emptied it in one go, his throat moving roughly as he swallowed.
“Tell the ghost—if it gives me more time, I’ll repay a hundred times the gold.”
As he tilted his head toward the sky with a face that said you heard that, right?, the baby ghost smiled faintly.
“…Um… the baby ghost says, if that gold could save his nanny, he’ll think about it.”
Prince Claude’s eyebrows furrowed deeply as he picked the hammer back up.
“The nanny? That old lady sleeping like she’s dead?”
“Yes, but… her condition is… a bit complicated…”
I trailed off and glanced at the clock. Only five minutes left.
Once that time passed, the ghost would transform into a vengeful, terrifying spirit.
As I nervously watched the ticking second hand, something came to mind—the Mana Herb I’d seen in Prince Claude’s castle.
In my past life, wizards who brewed and drank Haribdella lived longer than regular people. Anna once said that a butterfly fed with it grew as big as a sparrow.
“…Maybe… it might work.”
Clenching my fist, I looked up.
“I’ll find a way to cure your nanny’s illness. So please… let us fix this door before today ends.”
The baby ghost said nothing in response.
It silently floated back into the room.
Then, with only one minute left, it came out again—just barely in time.
Cough, cough. The old nanny’s rough coughing echoed from the next room, and the ghost’s eyes filled with sadness.
“It’s time for me to go now. I really wanted to see the door fixed before I left… but it’s okay. Just make sure it gets done today. And please take care of my nanny…”
“I promise. Don’t worry.”
The baby ghost smiled faintly and quietly floated down to the floor.
As it slowly disappeared, its soft voice whispered in the wind:
“I won’t be able to come back. So please… one last thing…”
“…?”
“Find me… and bury me. So I can watch over nanny from the sky.”
I blinked as the wind blew through. When I opened my eyes again, the child had vanished.
“I won’t forget your request. Please… rest in peace.”
I whispered my farewell, hoping the ghost could hear.
Prince Claude, who had been watching me, slowly turned his gaze toward the sky.
“The baby ghost… is it gone now?”
“Yes, it says there’s no more time limit. Just finish the repairs today.”
“That’s good.”
He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the small hammer again, which looked tiny in his strong hands.
Without a word, he resumed hammering—tap, tap—nailing in one after another without blinking.
When he nailed the last piece, the door looked pretty stable.
Sweat rolled down his noble forehead from how hard he was working.
I kept wiping it for him, but finally, I decided to bring out a long towel instead.
After I wrapped it around his neck, he looked just like a carpenter.
Of course, no carpenter would look that handsome or radiate that much noble charm.
“I think it’s done now.”
“No, it’s not good enough.”
Claude spoke briefly, his eyes sharp and focused.
He grabbed more nails and started hammering again, doubling the layers.
It was like he wanted to build a wall even monsters couldn’t break through.
Water droplets slid down his sharp jawline like sweat.
His white shirt clung to his abs, and his long legs were outlined by wet pants.
It was all very… intense. I tried not to stare, but my eyes kept drifting.
His toned thighs and small muscles moved beneath the fabric—my mouth slightly opened in awe.
And his back…
The faint outlines of his back muscles moving under the wet shirt were oddly mesmerizing. I found my mouth dry.
As I secretly admired his back, he tossed aside the hammer and shrugged off his shirt.
I gulped, unable to take my eyes off the sculpted muscles.
The steady thud, thud of hammering even sounded kind of seductive at that point.
When Claude finally finished the repairs, he wiped his head with the towel and turned to face me.
His messy black hair was soaked, and beneath it, those glowing red eyes appeared.
His sharp, cold expression—careless and a bit wicked—was strangely enchanting.
I’d never found a sweaty man this attractive before.
I was mesmerized, and as I stared, his eyes slowly lowered to meet mine.
Our eyes met. My face instantly heated up, and I quickly spoke to break the tension.
“…The wind’s chilly… aren’t you cold?”
Just as I said that, a lukewarm breeze blew by.
Cold? In this weather? What was I even saying…
Embarrassed, I looked away.
Claude kept wiping his sweat, staring at me the whole time.
“I train with swords in the forest even in winter. I won’t be cold. But—what was that request you mentioned earlier?”
“The baby ghost asked to be buried, so he can watch over his nanny from the sky.”
“…”
Claude’s long lashes lowered quietly.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
“I’ll take responsibility for finding the baby ghost’s remains. You focus on healing the old woman.”
That surprised me.
Royalty usually sees commoners as worthless.
But this was the same prince who was known to be ruthless in his past life, who beheaded dozens…
And now, he was showing kindness to a ghost?
[…I will definitely protect… my mother… and Princess Flora…]
I remembered the names he always cried out during his fits.
The ones he loved and tried to protect were already gone.
Maybe he could understand how the ghost felt about his nanny.
I looked at Prince Claude again.
Cold, cruel, sharp-tempered, and arrogant—and yet, those red eyes suddenly felt warm, like sunlight.
“The roads are too dark for a carriage. I’ll stay there tonight.”
Claude’s low voice cut through the moment.
“…There?”
I didn’t think there’d be space in the old woman’s house for someone as tall as Claude.
As I looked around, he tilted his chin slightly.
Following his gaze, I saw a nearby inn that looked decently clean.
“Oh, that place should be fine for a night. Then, sleep well, Your Highness.”
I bowed politely and reached for the old lady’s door.
“Why are you going in there?”
His sudden question made the back of my neck prickle.
Why else? Did he expect us to sleep together in that tiny inn room?
I forced a bright smile.
“Well, as you know, the old woman hasn’t woken up yet. I need to keep watch tonight.”
“You said earlier that she passed the critical point.”
That caught me off guard.
I looked up at him, confused, and his lips curved smoothly.
“Let’s go. Tonight, I’m the one facing a critical moment.”
“…?”
I was about to ask what he meant, but I shut my mouth.
A critical moment?
It sounded like nonsense, but I couldn’t flat-out reject him.
After all, I was his personal pharmacist.
And more than that, his pale, sickly appearance really stood out.
He was tall and strong, but his skin was ghostly pale, and his lips were dry.
If he didn’t take Lazeren soon, he might really be in danger.
Maybe even tonight.
After thinking it over, I slowly smiled and opened my mouth to speak.
