At midnight, Ett snuck out of her chamber and returned to her study, lighting up the oil lamp and finishing the records piling up. Thankfully, there aren''t that many that need immediate implementation yet.
The lamp continued to burn even until early morning.
There''s even a hawk sound in tune.
Caw Caw.
Cough.
"Excellent."
Now, her experiment had improved a bit.
If it''s before, half an inch would fill her handkerchief, and then she faints. However, as she goes on, it improves by about less than a centimeter before she faints again. Well, it''s better than fainting like before. She gave it a few times again.
"This risk is alright."
Who experiments better than her own body? As if it''ll die anyway. It''s not yet time.
One thing that she figured out is that she can last for an hour or two with just about three inches the size of her little middle finger as long as she doesn''t think of anything and does not stress her mind with whatever content she reads, which most often did not work and still, she faints.
What to do? There are times when her ADHD kicks in.
Therefore, as an alternative, she needs to rest for an hour or thirty minutes before getting to go back to her ass again. The problem is, she''s a natural slacker!
If she rests for fifteen minutes, it''ll be thirty, then one hour, then three hours, then a whole day! More so, there''s no boss, unlike if she doesn''t work, she''ll have no food.
"Come to think of it, I''m running out of handkerchiefs."
Bah.
Just as Ett was about to take another handful of records, she heard a rustle.
"Huh, and was that a gasp?"
She rose from her seat.
Did something pass by the door?
Ett wasn''t sure if she saw things as she caught a shadow of something in her peripheral vision, just like how those aggravating cockroaches passed by her line of sight, and almost every time she sensed it, they were there.
"..."
Ett sat back down after a few seconds, looking at the closed door. Yeah, it might have just been her imagination.
So far, the maids eliminated the cockroaches she saw here, and some herb or whatever they use to get rid of those cockroaches in her room is adequate.
Yeah, she might just be seeing things.
Do cockroaches rustle loudly and gasp so secretly?
"No."
Ett fell from her chair, took her lamp, and opened the door.
There was no one.
The entire aisle was deadly silent.
"Must be some maid."
Yeah, they might not want to disturb her or someone who''ll tell the Physician she''s staying up late.
Ett closed her door and returned from her seat; she continued to do her task, counting the times she fainted and how much she was able to control the duration of her fainting process.
This time, it was about nearing civil dawn when she woke up.
"Oh my."
She slept for more than two hours. Well, the mantra did help a little bit.
"Hm. My body feels limp."
And her lower body feels paralyzed.
It''s not like she could complain.
As a child, Ett lacked the hours of sleep for this body. Still, everything has a sacrifice! She''ll sacrifice some sleep time for now and experiment more on how much she can think and do without coughing blood and fainting whenever she feels tired.
It may be ridiculous, but hey, there was progress. Even if it''s tiny, it''s still an improvement.
"Tsk, now I remember there''s still that ball."
Aiya, for a moment, Ett regretted suggesting such a proposal.
Of course, after confirming a possible candidate for Guren, then screw every ball. In short, she wants to keep an eye on a proper candidate while Guren still hasn''t found anyone he likes, much less the heroine.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.This time, there will be a change.
"Ugh, no."
Ett shouldn''t act cupid when she senses a thick odor of scheming plans from these documents. Aiya, concentrate, concentrate. Be calm and keep it cool.
She breathed in and out only to cough.
"Sneezing? Blood, do you want another hole to free yourself?"
Stupid, it should be on the mouth. Ett forgot, sticking a handkerchief inside her two noses.
"Geez, where was I?"
"Ah, yes, another noble from the Ostenian Duchy''s faction, presenting yet another proposal."
''Trash.''
Even trash deserves to be disposed of in a ''noble'' manner. Let''s get this over with quickly."
Ett jotted down the noble''s name, swiftly setting it aside to focus on the following document.
***
Meanwhile, the person Ett was searching for was still wide awake in his chambers.
He retracted the hands covering his mouth as his heart beat loudly.
That was close. So close.
Lativ was forgotten and finally appeared after being stuck in a chamber where Butler Xiwen would teach him everything he must do.
"V-Veridian..."
The same hair and eye color as His Majesty, and the appearance of the little lady was quite--- "Ahh! I''m in pits." Lativ sweated nervously. He knows his situation.
This is a circumstance in which it could make the Emperor slit his throat. He dug into a secret that the people, not anyone, do not know, but this place knows.
"What should I do? What should I do?"
Butler Xiwen only warned him not to stroll around out of mere curiosity, but he did not warn him not to go to the opposite wing of His Majesty!
Stupid! A retard! Why did he think it was a good idea to secretly stroll and learn more about the palace in the middle of the night?
He should not be so stubborn and curious; he should have taken Butler Xiwen''s advice not to stick his nose to something he shouldn''t be concerned with.
"This is terrible."
It was like this: as Lativ tried to familiarize himself with his surroundings, he became interested in what lay beyond the opposite wing.
As a child with a strong sense of curiosity, he can''t help but be tempted to know more about the mystery of the palace that even the higher officials do not know.
No one is on guard, and everyone is sleeping. It is the perfect disguise to explore the hidden lairs of the palace. Yes, the moonlight can be his guide. After all, these palaces have expansive windows.
Instead, he noticed a faint light seeping from a study room.
Lativ immediately wondered if this was one of the Emperor''s secret hideaways, one still beyond his reach.
Curiosity stirred, and he approached, hoping to glimpse the elusive ruler. But what he saw startled him—a girl, her long, disheveled hair partially obscuring her face, sat at a table, surrounded by papers, writing with quiet focus.
He didn''t even mind the two handkerchiefs inserted in her nose.
Lativ''s feet instantly felt anchored to the ground, a shock running through his core. He gasped softly.
She must have sensed something; the young girl lifted her head. Panicking, Lativ darted behind a curtain, holding his breath, desperate not to be seen.
Please don''t come. Please don''t come. Please.
Lativ caught a full view of her features as she turned her face toward the light. A second gasp almost escaped him, but he clamped a hand over his mouth to silence it.
Ethereal.
It was the only word that came to mind. Lativ feared blinking, worried she might vanish like a fragile illusion. His gaze lingered, tracing her every movement; even the frown that creased her brow was captivating. Stop.
Before long, the door closed, and the light faded with her withdrawal.
"Stop. This is bad."
But the moment Lativ laid eyes on her, his heart raced uncontrollably faster and fiercer than ever, even during his grueling training sessions. Even now, the pounding was relentless, each beat echoing through his chest like a war drum.
Something strange stirred in his stomach, something he couldn''t quite name. His vision narrowed until all he could see was her, as the rest of the world seemed to blur and fade.
Oh, boy, he thought with a hint of irony. He had laughed when his friends spoke of such things, teasing them mercilessly. Now, it felt like fate''s punishment.
"This is what they call love at first sight?"
Lativ tossed and turned in his bed, unable to find peace. Finally, he rushed to the window, staring up at the half-moon with a troubled gaze, his hand clutching his chest as if he could grasp his restless heart.
"That girl... she must be the princess!"
The hidden princess that no one spoke of her presence as cold as winter itself, capable of freezing anyone with a single glance.
"Oh, Father," he whispered to the night, "what should I do? Forgive your reckless son, for I''ve fallen into something far greater than I ever imagined."
"Mother, I caught a terrible cold this time."