Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 161

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Heir Can Wait—Let Me Just Heal / Chapter 161

Lion regarded the Second Imperial Prince with deliberate calm, holding his gaze steady.
To soften now, to bow and say “Oh my, I’m terribly sorry!”—that would be amateur.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, but I assure you I haven’t lied.”
…….

He pressed forward without flinching, brazen as brass.
The Second Prince had likely already grasped, from their conversation moments ago, that there had been no falsehood in what Lion said.
Indeed, Lion hadn’t uttered a single lie.
He had merely orchestrated a situation ripe for misinterpretation.
And perhaps…

‘That bastard figured it out the moment he left the room.’

Hadn’t he said he would return?

‘Even if he’d been deceived, he could have simply not come back if he was angry about it.’

Yet here he was, coming back deliberately to accuse Lion of lying—which surely meant he was far more interested in Lion than a casual grudge would warrant.
Perhaps he’d already placed Lion on his list of suspects: “the person presumed to be Lion Asteri.”
Though admittedly, that sort of interest was quite different from what ordinary people tended to show.
Lion studied the Second Prince calmly.
A formidable pressure emanated from him.
Different from his grandfather’s presence.
If he had to describe it…

‘More like a beast than a man.’

Wild animals sometimes grew vicious when wounded—you’ve seen it, surely.
They’d puff themselves up, bark and snap with escalating fury, bracing for the next blow.
And that pressure radiating from the Second Prince was exactly that.
A dangerous sense that he might tear Lion’s throat out at any moment.
Lion, having lived such a jagged life, couldn’t fault him for it.
Yet despite it all, the man hadn’t been able to resist his curiosity—he’d come back of his own accord.
Which meant…

‘I need to make him even more curious.’

He had to become an object of fascination, not mere goodwill.

“Well, I won’t pry into your affairs, so why don’t we simply drink tonight? Hotel Ester’s brandy is quite renowned for its quality.”
“How am I supposed to trust you?”
“Ha. There’s nothing not to trust about me.”

After all, when Demons had descended upon the city, wasn’t Hotel Ester the safest place to be?
At that, the Second Prince’s aggressive posture seemed to soften slightly.

“Fine. But we play by my rules—one question per drink.”

……A drinking game from the start?
This one was no pushover.
A hearty laugh escaped him unbidden.

“Fair enough! Three drinks—how hard could it be?”

Three glasses of cocktail could always be handled later with a Hangover Cure Potion.

* * *

Lion had momentarily forgotten that the world rarely bent to a single person’s will.
Getting here had been simple enough.
The problem was that the bartender, clearly experienced in such situations, had guided Lion and the Second Imperial Prince to a more discreet room.
Even that would have been fine.
It was a small space where the two of them could talk freely, furnished with various spirits, a chessboard, and even a billiards table.
But that was where the real trouble began.
The bartender had produced not a cocktail, but an elegant brandy.
The liquid, stained a deep caramel brown, looked every bit the potent spirit.

‘Three glasses of this?’

He’d need to keep his wits sharp.

“Conversations held here remain confidential, so please feel free to enjoy yourselves.”
“…Thank you.”
“I hope you have a pleasant evening.”

The bartender bowed with genuine warmth, then quietly pulled the door shut behind him.
The room fell completely silent.
Occasional murmurs drifted in from outside, but they were too muffled to make out.

“…Well, this is how it turned out. Though I’ll admit, it’s better for privacy this way.”

The Second Imperial Prince seemed to agree.
Lion placed thick, smooth ice in a glass and poured a modest measure of brandy, then handed it over.

“It’s a strong drink, so perhaps take it slowly…oh.”

The Second Imperial Prince downed the undiluted spirit, ice still unmelted, and immediately moved to ask his next question.
Lion quickly held up three fingers.

“Let’s limit it to three questions.”
“…Then I’ll ask the first one now.”

Sharp as a blade, that one.
Not that it was surprising — the Second Imperial Prince would want to use all three of his questions to extract information of real value.
Lion, on the other hand, had different priorities.

“Do you possess Holy Power?”

…Holy Power?
Lion found himself momentarily thrown by the question.
He’d certainly detected the curse, but that didn’t mean there had been any change to the Prince’s body.
Lion wasn’t a priest, after all.

‘Wait.’

There was something that nagged at him.

[If you wished, you could walk the path of a priest at any time.]

The fact that he’d received the attention of a god.

‘…No. Stop it. It was just a reaction to the Holy Water I’m carrying.’

Lion deliberately pushed the thought away before answering.

“No. I do not possess Holy Power.”

At those words, the Second Imperial Prince let out a hollow laugh.

‘How can he answer so calmly about that?’

Normally, no one would respond so composedly to a question about Holy Power.
They might feign confusion, or jeer at him for being drunk.
For ordinary people, it was a question that had nothing to do with the conversation so far.
Yet he answered without the slightest hint of disturbance…….

‘That means he either possesses Holy Power, or at least has some connection to those who do.’

He could be from a devout household, or perhaps connected to high-ranking priests.
Kayl began systematically eliminating the faces that came to mind.
They weren’t among them.
But…….

‘There was a rumor not long ago.’

A Divine Messenger who had made a great contribution to the Unfinished Sanctuary.
According to his ‘special’ sources of information, that Divine Messenger had vanished without a trace, the reason being his family’s concern.
But wasn’t that strange?
If it were truly a Divine Messenger with genuine power, the Temple would never have let him go so easily.
Which meant his household wielded considerable influence…….

‘People who possess that level of power are usually wealthy.’

Wealthy enough to visit Hotel Ester, at any rate.

‘This is the most likely possibility for now.’

In fact, he was almost certain of it.
Otherwise it made no sense—why else would he seek him out and mutter on about some absurd business of watching out for gamblers to draw attention?

‘And his body’s vigor returning during all this.’

As the Second Imperial Prince fell quiet, gathering his thoughts, Lion refilled his empty glass and posed a question.

“Drinking alone will upset your stomach. Is there perhaps a snack you prefer? Or some food?”

Was he asking that as a question?
When the Second Imperial Prince’s head lifted, Lion nodded.

“Yes, that was a question.”

In truth, Lion didn’t have many questions left to ask in this round.
It seemed it would take considerable time to climb higher with the Second Imperial Prince.
At least, not tonight.
Better to ask about his preferences instead.

“……Not really. I don’t take much interest in food.”
“My goodness!”

Here in this world, there was so much delicious food, yet he lived never knowing its taste.
Lion felt genuine sorrow and drank down a strong liquor.

‘Ugh.’

The harsh spirits scraped down his throat.
He could feel exactly which passage the alcohol was traveling through.
The brandy’s potency was on an entirely different level—his head spun dangerously.

‘Thank goodness I agreed to just three glasses.’

Otherwise he’d have been found here unconscious, and……
If that happened, he’d have had to endure Ricshel’s nagging for all eternity.
While Lion shuddered involuntarily, the Second Imperial Prince emptied another glass.
Wow—is he made of steel?
Well, given his ties to the Underworld, he might have built up a tolerance to poison.

“Are you interested in power?”
“Oh, no. Not at all.”

Lion answered without a moment’s hesitation.
He’d said it countless times before, and he meant it every time—power held no interest for him whatsoever.
If anything, he wanted to distance himself from it as much as possible.
In truth, the Second Imperial Prince wouldn’t have arranged this private meeting with him at all if not for a touch of sympathy and the matter of the Curse.

‘He would’ve just met with Ricshel once and called it settled.’

To tell him to stop grinding up my brother.
To conduct himself wisely.

‘……I wanted to say that, but now it’s gotten complicated.’

Knowing the full picture made harsh words difficult to summon.
Lion reached for a piece of cheese to soothe his bitter taste, popping it into his mouth.
As the creamy cheese melted softly across his tongue, it soothed the burning path the harsh brandy had carved down his throat.
And it was clear that……

‘The flavor was excellent.’

Its distinctive nutty, creamy aroma mingled with the brandy, creating a sophisticated richness.
That’s probably why spirits were sometimes incorporated into food and desserts alike.

‘But I still can’t stomach brandy by itself.’

Meanwhile, the Prince poured his own drink and downed it in one gulp before firing another question.
To look at him, anyone would think he was drinking water. Lion was just thinking this when——

“So then, how should I convince you to my side?”
“I’m sorry?”

Lion stared blankly at the Second Imperial Prince.
Was he already drunk?
Or was the Prince the one intoxicated?

‘Convince me to his side? What are you talking about?’

Lion was already a member of House Asteri.
And Ricshel, the Heir, was already following the Second Imperial Prince, wasn’t he?
Wait.

‘……Could it be that he doesn’t know I’m Lion Asteri?’

He didn’t know that?
This had become awkward in a different way entirely.
Lion had naturally assumed the Second Imperial Prince would have deduced his identity.
To put it frankly—though it was a bit embarrassing to say—surely there was no one else here peculiar enough to be called eccentric.

‘Who on earth did he confuse me with?’

The fact that he was so openly attempting to sway him suggested he didn’t think Lion was aligned with the First Imperial Prince’s faction or noble-born.

“I’m afraid I have no intention of becoming involved in power struggles.”
“Then why are you crossing swords with me like this?”
“You’ve asked three questions. Now you must answer mine.”
“Hmm.”

The Second Imperial Prince visibly relaxed after that final question.
Lion had expected it would take considerable time before they grew close, but it seemed that concern could be set aside.
Yet…

‘I’ve drawn his interest far too much.’

Lion’s plan had gone slightly awry.
Originally, he’d meant to stoke only a passing curiosity here, then days later when Ricshel and the Second Imperial Prince met, have them recognize each other and grow closer, before subtly broaching the subject of the curse. But now…

‘Damn.’

In this situation, remaining an enigma might have been the better approach.
Either way, he needed to end this conversation quickly.
Lion poured two drinks’ worth into a glass and downed them in succession, then fired off two more questions in rapid succession.

“What would you do if I were your enemy, asking such questions?”
“A foolish question. If I were truly your enemy, I wouldn’t have asked in the first place.”

He was already certain Lion was on his side.

“My final question: why are you trying to recruit me when you have no intention of lifting the curse?”
“An interesting deduction.”

At those words, Kayl let out a low chuckle, bringing his hand to his face.
Then, with a smooth motion,
he removed his mask and rolled up his sleeves.

“Half right, half wrong. My brother’s petty ‘malice’—I have no intention of lifting that. But one thing…”

The Second Imperial Prince didn’t finish, but Lion understood.

[Curse Mark]
-You were cursed by someone the moment you were born.

This person.
There wasn’t just one curse.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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