I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 35
Chapter 35
I voiced my thoughts. “I made a promise to the Empress. To help Cesar become… human.”
“What does that even…?”
Yes, human. Surely this wasn’t the state the Empress desired for him. So, I had to be cruel to be kind. Even if that weren’t the case, Cesar needed to change if he were to live a normal life. His current state was certainly not it. I had to believe that. Therefore, it was right to disregard Mercedes’ opinion.
“Cesar needs this right now.”
A flurry of emotions flickered across Mercedes’ face. After a long silence, she sighed, “……Do as you please.”
Then, she turned sharply and left the bathroom. The other servants followed her out.
Her final, chilling expression left me uneasy. She was the only one in this entire palace who had offered me any help.
‘Perhaps this is for the best.’
I thought I wouldn’t have stood a chance against her if she had outright refused. It was Mercedes, his nanny, who had cared for Cesar all this time. Their bond was immeasurable. She likely resented me, a newcomer, barging in and trying to change him. That’s why I was grateful for her complete surrender in this situation.
‘Yes, that’s all well and good, but still, people need to bathe. Don’t they?’
In the end, only Cesar and I remained in the large bath.
“Well, this is how it’s turned out….” I shook my head. ‘I need to focus. I need to do what I can.’ First, identify the cause.
So, I asked Cesar, who was huddled in a corner, draped in a linen cloth, “Why don’t you want to bathe?” He simply shook his head vigorously. I knew he didn’t want to, but I needed to understand precisely what he disliked.
“Bathing feels good. Your body gets warm, you feel refreshed, and you smell nice, too.”
“Ugh…” Judging by his furrowed brow, he still didn’t like the idea. But I continued my impassioned plea. “Look, it feels so good to soak in warm water. It relaxes your muscles.”
I dipped my hand into the water-filled tub and swirled it around. He watched with a flicker of interest, his gaze following my hand. ‘So, he’s not entirely uninterested….’
“Do you perhaps dislike being bathed by the servants?”
“Yes.” It was an immediate answer. Of course. They were the same servants who had abused him. I remembered how they had tried to touch him earlier, even with Mercedes and me present.
Judging by their attitude, they had likely tormented him under the guise of assisting with his bath.
“If you don’t like being served, you need to learn how to wash yourself.”
“Yes…”
Bathing was a daily necessity. We couldn’t continue like this every time. Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be good if he knew how to wash himself?
It was like the saying about teaching someone to fish rather than giving them a fish. I could teach him. Though I wasn’t sure if I could do it successfully.
In any case, I rolled up my sleeves. ‘Let’s try something.’
“I can’t bathe you every time.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, try to wash yourself… Okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
He was still agreeable, but why did I feel so uneasy? ‘You can do it, right, Cesar?’
I tried to start by having him get into the tub, but that’s where the problem arose.
“No.”
Thanks to His Highness’s refusal to enter the tub, we were at a standstill.
“But you need to get in here for this to work.”
He was certainly clear in his refusal. The way he vehemently shook his head made it obvious. ‘He’s so much work.’
‘Then I need to change tactics.’ I needed to start by getting him comfortable with water. Slowly, I scooped up some water in my hands and gently sprinkled it over his forearm.
“How does that feel?”
“Ugh.” His body flinched as the water touched him, but what startled me was his left hand, which had suddenly spread open. That hand, covered in dark, scaly patches.
The hand that was a joint longer than his other hand, and undeniably menacing. I knew firsthand how dangerous that hand could be, and a chill ran down my spine. Hadn’t one of the servants been injured by Cesar just moments ago?
‘Come to think of it, he didn’t react to that man’s blood.’
I had assumed he would be drawn to any blood, but that wasn’t the case. Or was it because he disliked that particular servant? Or perhaps…
