I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Even though I was supposedly there to assist with the bath, the servants brought Mercedes and me individual chairs and placed a cloth screen between us for privacy.
“Ugh!”
The only problem was Cesar. He had managed to follow us this far, but the moment he heard the clinking of bath items, he visibly tensed and cowered.
‘A bath. A blissful ritual to wash away the grime of body and mind. Bathing has always been a welcome activity for me. Using hot water costs money.’
Hot water meant expense. When I was living on the streets, even washing felt like a luxury. So, I never even considered the possibility that someone might dislike bathing.
One of the servants hesitantly approached him with a bucket of water.
“No!”
At the same time, a sharp sound echoed through the room. Cesar had reacted violently, splitting the bucket in two. It was, of course, the sinister claws on his left hand that had sliced through the sturdy wooden bucket.
Just how strong was he? Not only the bucket but also the stone wall bore long gashes, and naturally, the servant holding the bucket was injured as well. Blood dripped from between the folds of his sleeve.
“Ugh. Damn it, this little…!” The servant cursed roughly, regardless of our presence. He then raised his hand as if to strike Cesar.
At that moment, Mercedes jumped up and shouted, “Stop it!” Her voice, laced with a metallic edge, cracked with irritation. She then quickly turned to me. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Pardon?” I had to ask, unsure of her meaning. Unfazed, she muttered in a distraught voice, “Oh, he hates it so much….”
A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me. I quickly examined her expression. Mercedes, after pacing anxiously, picked up a pile of linen cloths and went around the screen to approach Cesar.
“Nnngh…”
She spoke to the whimpering Cesar in the sweetest, gentlest voice imaginable. Soon, a white linen cloth enveloped Cesar’s body. “There, Your Highness. Come here. Let’s stop this now and go back to our playroom.”
‘Stop? He hasn’t even washed properly yet. The dust he was covered in earlier is still there. How can we end it like this?’
“Wait a moment.” As I hurriedly called out to her, Mercedes turned to me with narrowed eyes. “What is it?”
“We can’t just end it like this.” A long silence followed. ‘Why is she acting like this?’
Just then, I saw her lips twist into a wry smile. “But our little prince hates it so much.” The tips of Mercedes’ fingers, gripping the linen cloth, trembled. She moistened her lips a few times before finally spitting out in an agitated voice, “Do you really insist on this…?”
The tremor in her voice, thick with unshed tears, forced me to hold my breath. Her whispered words to Cesar pierced my eardrums: He hates it so much, how dare you do this to our little prince, and so on.
The hot water had created a thick, almost suffocating, layer of steam. The figures beyond the mist were blurry. I sensed a disturbing energy emanating from them.
“You really want this, even though His Highness hates it so much?”
A feverish glint sparked in Mercedes’ eyes. The intensity of her gaze, filled with a fierce possessiveness bordering on resentment, was overwhelming.
But I couldn’t back down. I widened my eyes, took a small breath, shook my head, and said in a firm voice, “Cesar.”
As I called his name, his red eyes, which had been darting around in the steam, focused on me.
“…Cesar… Your Highness?” Mercedes’ voice wavered, broken with despair.
Watching her, I understood. It was her love for him. However, it was a distorted, skewed kind of love. The eyes of a mother overflowing with a sticky, obsessive, and clinging affection.
Mercedes had undoubtedly kept Cesar under her thumb, showering him with the boundless, unconditional love typically given to a young child. While most people rejected him, she accepted him. She was the one who offered him only love. However, whether that had a positive influence on Cesar was uncertain.
Perhaps this was the reason he remained stunted, withdrawn, and unable to grow.
So, I spoke resolutely, “Come here.” He immediately left Mercedes’ embrace and scurried over to me. Mercedes’ face was etched with a deep sadness. “What are you planning to do?”
