Chapter 31
“Professional help?”
Konstantinos looked confused.
“You know, people who help others find mental clarity and stability? This is a well-established practice in my previous world, as studies show that mental health problems are quite common.”
“Mental health problems?”
Cielo nodded and eagerly explained further.
“A mental health disorder is a way of thinking or behaving that leads to serious stress or problems in daily life. Examples include obsession, depression, and anxiety.”
The prince seemed genuinely interested in the concept of obtaining professional help for individuals dealing with mental health issues.
“I didn’t realize these issues were genuine. The professional help you mentioned sounds like a valuable option…”
“Ahem.”
The two individuals once again lost in their own thoughts, are jolted back to reality by the sound of Alistair clearing his throat to capture their attention.
“I apologize.”
“Ah, sorry…”
Cielo replied, a touch of embarrassment evident as he ate a strawberry.
The Head Butler took a deep breath and took charge of the discussion.
Alistair assured him that there was no need to worry about Castiel, as he would personally monitor any unusual activities involving the prince’s cousin.
Regarding the maze, instead of showing frustration, the prince seemed fascinated by the fact that he had successfully reached the center, where the garden was situated.
“The maze is accessible to all, however, those who have attempted it in the past often found themselves trapped for days, leading many to advise against it unless one truly relishes the excitement of exploring the unknown.”
Alistair explained.
“But what is the purpose of the garden at the center? At first, I thought it might be a hidden passage to somewhere else, but it seems quite ordinary.”
Cielo asked while sipping his tea.
“It’s meant for my daughter.”
“Pfft!!”
In disbelief, he spat out the tea he had just sipped.
Alistair seemed to have anticipated this reaction, as the tea didn’t reach the prince but instead hung in the air as if an invisible barrier was blocking it before falling down.
Cielo looked at Konstantinos with wide eyes.
Isn’t he too young to be a parent!?
He considered asking this question, but given Konstantinos’ position in the Imperial Family, it wasn’t particularly surprising that he married young. Moreover, having a child is part of his duties.
Though it was rather strange that he hadn’t heard of any madam or princess living in the Haunted Palace. The attendants in the Haunted Palace appear to be without purpose, as the prince is frequently absent or occupied in the West Wing. If the prince were truly married, wouldn’t his wife be the one managing the household instead of Alistair?
“Lady Mango is formally acknowledged as the ward of His Imperial Highness.”
Alistair offered some clarification, to which Konstantinos replied.
“Should I choose to adopt her, Mango would attain the title of Imperial Princess. However, the Nobility would not permit commoners to integrate into the Imperial Family, hence she can only be recognized as my ward.”
His visible distress indicates a strong affection for his adopted daughter.
‘Doctor Happy did mention topics related to orphans, adoption, and wards.’
When he asks about the prince, she describes him as a kind-hearted person who takes in orphans as wards.
At that time, he didn’t think much of it, assuming the doctor was merely flattering the prince. He didn’t see it as a sincere remark.
‘Has he adopted many?’
The only name that was noted by Alistair and the prince was Mango, with no other names mentioned. This likely stemmed from their conversation about the maze and the secret garden, which the prince had specifically designed for his daughter, possibly explaining the lack of other names.
“The maze changes its layout every day. My daughter has a penchant for adventure, which is why I created the maze. Additionally, she felt uneasy having tea with me in the rose garden, prompting me to establish a secluded garden where she could enjoy her time without the concern of being observed.”
This was the first time Konstantinos spoke about a topic without any external prompting, revealing his deep affection for his daughter as he seemed eager to share his thoughts about her.
‘I find the name “Mango” for his daughter quite baffling, but it seems that Konstantinos indulges her, which makes it somewhat acceptable.’
Cielo’s view of the prince gradually changes. He shifts from seeing him as just another NPC to acknowledging him as a distinct individual with unique characteristics.
“I believe that concludes our meeting for today.”
Alistair declared after three hours of discussion.
Cielo stood up, stretching his arms and legs after being seated for the last ten hours.
“We have yet to discuss the reasons why you went to the greenhouse, despite your awareness that the garden was situated outside the palace.”
“About that…”
This relentless prince just won’t drop it!
“I have a meeting scheduled in one hour, therefore, I suggest we defer this discussion to a later time.”
“…Alright then.”
With a sigh of relief, Cielo shifted his attention to Alistair.
“May I go back to my previous room? I’d like to do my daily exercise and skip breakfast since I’m not feeling hungry.”
Since he had already been granted a day off from his responsibilities, it was perfectly fine for him to postpone his return to the main palace.
‘I usually stay in my room when I have no tasks to attend to.’
No one would notice his absence.
“Of course.”
Alistair acknowledged this with a nod.
With their approval, Cielo left the office. The grandiose West Wing reminded him of how much he had missed being there.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
‘I wonder if Newcastle is around…’
It had been a while since he last saw that person, which led him to change his plans and head to the library instead. Unfortunately, Newcastle was neither there nor in the dining area.
‘I guess he’s still in that place that seemed to worry Alistair.’
With a slight shrug, he opted to visit Dr. Happy instead. As usual, he found her in the infirmary near his old bedroom.
“Hello, Doctor.”
“Oh my, Cielo!”
Dr. Happy beamed as she approached him, giving his shoulder a soft pat.
“It’s been a while!”
“Yep, it certainly has.”
He returned a slight smile as he closed the door. Dr. Happy gestured for him to take his usual seat, and he obliged. His eyes wandered to her desk, which was strewn with papers.
‘I heard she was involved in an experiment?’
“What have you been working on?”
He asked, curious.
“I’m glad you asked.”
She looked pleased as she showed him a bottle filled with a silver liquid that sparkled in the sunlight. It was quite eye-catching.
“What is this?”
He questioned while observing the bottle. It didn’t look like a potion and the liquid seemed too thick to be easily consumed.
“It’s a hair dye!”
“…A dye?”
At first, he was confused by her choice to make hair dye. However, his confusion quickly turned to stunned when he discovered that the dye was silver—a color that didn’t exactly match his hair but was still in the silver family.
“Did you make this for me?”
“That’s right! Since you’re hesitant to dye your hair, I thought that having a silver-white dye would give you some freedom.”
This means that he wouldn’t need a shawl or a hat to cover his hair.
“You…”
Cielo was taken aback by the lengths the doctor had gone to for him.
Doctor Happy radiated happiness as she spoke.
“Could you grant me a few more months to complete this? Your hair is very vibrant, and this specific product won’t be able to achieve a color similar to yours.”
“I greatly appreciate it.”
He genuinely means what he says.
“I’m aware of that.”
Doctor Happy responds, and they both chuckle together for no obvious reason.
***
When Cielo returned to the main palace, he was greeted by questions from Fisher, Jane, and Rene about his well-being. It seemed that everyone was aware of his adventurous nature, which had led him to get lost in the maze for the entire day. Fisher had taken it upon himself to inform others of the situation, and it was Tree, also known as Alistair, who eventually came to his rescue.
Now, he found himself once again alongside Fisher, working on trimming the roses.
“… .”
Cielo felt a sense of discomfort, even though he had already apologized for the trouble he caused. This unease was likely intensified by Fisher’s unusual quietness, as he was usually quite talkative.
Just as Cielo was about to offer another apology, Fisher broke the silence.
“I reported your absence less than an hour after you didn’t return, yet Head Butler Tree didn’t come to find you until nightfall.”
His voice was devoid of any emotional nuance, making it hard for him to gauge whether he was feeling anger or not.
‘Did he think Alistair was bullying me?’
For someone who doesn’t know the real identity of the person behind Tree’s disguise, this assumption is quite plausible.
He was about to say that Fisher had misunderstood the situation, but the elderly gentleman interrupted him before he could finish.
“Are you…”
Fisher stopped trimming the plants as he spoke to him.
“No, it’s… forget about it. I’m just glad to hear that you’re safe, my boy.”
“Really?”
Cielo tilted his head in confusion, convinced that Fisher had something he wanted to say.
“If you’re sure…”
He couldn’t finish his thoughts when Jane arrived to escort him, having been called by the Head Gardener.
“Ah, I see.”
Alistair couldn’t offer an excuse on his behalf since he had left during his shift, and the responsibility for punishment lay with the Head Gardener.
“You should go. That woman will definitely make a scene if you’re late.”
“Alright…”
He felt a pang of regret for Fisher. He was supposed to be the older man’s assistant, as he was becoming too old to handle the tasks alone, yet he hadn’t been able to help him for the past two days.
As he walked quietly down the corridor with Jane, Cielo took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with her.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, what made you decide to take me to the Head Gardener on my first day here?”
Cielo hoped Jane would be open to explaining her reasoning.
Jane glanced briefly in his direction before answering.
“It was the deputy butler.”
“Who is that?”
He was unfamiliar with any deputy butler in the palace. To his knowledge, Alistair managed everything in the palace.
“You haven’t met him yet. He was the previous Head Butler before Sir Tree took over two years ago, after which he was demoted to deputy. He’s rarely seen, but he still manages some of the palace operations.”
If he was indeed the one who instructed Jane to introduce him to Head Gardener Shaha, knowing she would dismiss him, it indicated a clear disfavor towards him and an intention to remove him from the scene.
“I see. Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it.”
He should ask Alistair about the man when he gets the chance.
Jane paused, wearing a slight frown as she confronted him.
“…I am unsure of your true motives, but it’s evident that you are not an ordinary person. I hope you will avoid the foolish choice of associating with the wrong people.”
Thus, she suspected him of being a spy. Alistair had already warned him about this, so he was not surprised by her doubts.
Without waiting for his response, Jane continued on her way. Cielo followed her in silence, neither confirming nor denying the accusation.
When he arrived at the Head Gardener’s office, she quickly scolded him, voicing numerous complaints and even berating him, but he barely paid attention.
It had been a long day.
At around 10 PM, Cielo made use of the newly created “door” to enter the West Wing.
This “door” wasn’t actually a door. It was an intricately carved inscription on the wall that mimicked the appearance of a door. It operated like a teleportation device, but with one key difference: it could only transport him to a single destination—his old room in the West Wing. Furthermore, its usage was restricted to once a day due to the palace’s limited mana supply due to the One Exit Room, as the inscription couldn’t gather enough mana for multiple activations.
When he arrived in the room, it was filled with books he had borrowed from the library, along with various notes. Cielo was diligently searching for a way to create inscriptions without needing to see mana, which drove his intense practice in memorizing ancient languages. He even trained in these languages while blindfolded.
On his bed are another drone and controller, this one he imagined the most advanced and expensive one since they make less noise. The other drone was with Konstantinos and he said he would give it to the Research and Magic Department so that they could find a way to recreate it and make something more efficient.
‘I have no particular concern regarding their actions, provided that the prince has submitted it to my name.’
Cielo hummed as he pulled out his diary.
Written inside, he has a collection of items he plans to recreate.
The great benefit of his magic is that as long as he understands how the items from his world work, knows their names, or even has a mental image or drawing of them, the mana can reproduce them. He is not hindered by a lack of knowledge about their creation.
‘I can replicate dishes too as long as I know their ingredients.’
Unfortunately, he has a limited understanding of the culinary traditions from his previous world, mainly due to his restricted diet and the hospital’s control over his meals.
Still, he had dreams of recreating a phone or computer, however, the lack of an internet connection in this realm makes those efforts pointless. However, he will certainly not give up the idea. Once he completes his contract, he plans to introduce the concept of the movie, internet, and media to this world.
What sets them apart from all other available choices? Mainly, for his own entertainment.
While this goal is ambitious and challenging, the ongoing conflict makes safe travel difficult. Therefore, it is more sensible for him to focus his efforts on this initiative, as it ultimately holds greater potential for rewards.
“Let’s see…”
He aimed to create firearms, as his studies indicated that such weaponry was lacking in this world. The locals relied entirely on traditional weapons like swords, spears, and bows.
Cielo had long dreamed of mastering firearms, and the prince had tasked him with producing military-grade weapons. However, given the ongoing conflict, he decided to focus on developing tools that would aid the war effort but wouldn’t take a life. He wanted to remain uninvolved, even indirectly.
Cielo already had a reasonable explanation prepared for the prince in case he questioned why he couldn’t replicate weapons from his own world.
As a result, he aimed to design items that would improve the quality of life for everyone instead. However, he needed the prince’s approval to move forward with these creations, as they would require the use of the One Exit Room. It’s worth noting that his plan is not entirely foolproof, with a 99.9 percent chance that Konstantinos would be displeased.