My Unrestrained Lives-Chapter 35: Unwelcomed Visitors (1)

Surrounded by towering shelves of books, wrapped in the quiet scent of paper and worn leather, and bathed in the soft, steady light of the lamps hanging along the walls, the library felt still and warm with thought.

In that hush, the sound of a page turning... light and dry, like a leaf brushing gently across stone, could be heard every now and then.

In this relaxing space, on the ground beside a small pile of books, Ellis sat quietly, reading.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t concentrate on the book in his hands like usual.

Silas had gone out since morning... and still hadn’t returned.

Her grumbling, yet strangely calming presence... especially when she nagged and tried to persuade him to sit on a chair and read at the table, was, of course, one of the reasons his focus wandered. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But that wasn’t all.

This wasn’t the first time she had needed to leave him alone, after all.

Every so often, when they needed something for this abandoned palace, she would go out on her own.

But she always told him how long she’d be gone. And she always kept her word.

That consistency, that strictness in such things, had marked all of his nearly five years in this world. And it was precisely why... he couldn’t stop worrying now.

Because this was the first time, she’d been this late.

But it’s just around one hour, and something unexpected could have happened, so she was delayed slightly, and would come soon, right?

That was what Ellis wanted to think.

But he strangely had a bad feeling nagging at him... telling him that maybe things were not that simple.

It was now just a few months away from his fifth birthday, and Ellis wanted to spend them peacefully, if possible.

But maybe it’s really not meant to be?

Shaking his head, Ellis closed the book in his hand and put it at the side, along with the piled books.

He decided to go out of his palace for the first time, and look for Silas on his own.

... But just as he stood up, he felt Silas’s presence enter the field of his detection, through his still activated skill.

And he couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

... But maybe he sighed too early? Because he soon noticed how her expression was filled with a barely concealed hostility. And most importantly, she was not alone, there were actually two others slightly behind her, walking alongside.

Who are they? He wondered.

Because it was not like he didn’t have any visitors during his stay in the current palace. But he was always informed by Silas of their identities beforehand... even though all of them were other maids, or some staff working in the other palaces, and they just had a small business here unrelated to him.

This time is clearly different though. Silas’s expression told him that, so Ellis was prepared to go toward her and see what’s going on immediately. But when he noticed that Silas was actually heading in his direction, he decided to just continue waiting for her.

And it didn’t take long before Silas, bringing with her the two unwelcome guests... two maids, one tall and ugly, and the other short but with a somewhat acceptable face, and was standing in front of him.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Silas said while bowing her head.

She greeted him with respect like always. But noticing how, behind her calm exterior, she actually seemed to carry turbulent emotions... and most importantly, had called him Your Highness, something she had long since stopped doing, even in front of others— made Ellis’s expression change even more.

A maid who failed to become a knight in the end, and an abandoned prince... made it so that no one found it strange when she called him master. And while others might have shown disdain, they still didn’t comment on anything.

So, what’s wrong now? What’s happening? And who are they?

While he wondered, as many thoughts ran through his mind, Ellis didn’t stop to arrive at a conclusion, and instead took action immediately.

He childishly ran toward Silas, hugged her legs, and said, "Silas, what took you so long?"

Silas’s expression was naturally slightly bewildered at the action and behavior she saw for the first time in her master. Still, she didn’t point it out, and instead, her stiff expression softened as she said, "Sorry, your highness, it’s just that there was suddenly a change of plans after I left, and I had to go to the main palace."

"So, I took more time than needed."

Ellis, who had been burying his head between Silas’s soft thighs, trying to imitate what he considered childish, raised his head slightly at the words he heard.

Main palace, the only one called that in this royal ground where every other palace had a name, was the one the king resided in. So were these two maids here under his father’s... no, the king’s order?

But the king doesn’t live there alone, so, maybe there’s no need to jump to conclusions too quickly?

Ellis, thinking of other possibilities... like maybe they worked under one of the king’s women, or possibly one of his siblings, decided to continue acting.

He clumsily raised his head and looked at Silas...

No, he tried to, but was unable in the end, as her huge breasts stood as a thick barrier between them.

So, he pulled himself a little further back and finally managed to catch a glimpse of Silas’s eyes.

"So, they are...?" he asked.

"Yes-" Silas had barely started to confirm his suspicions, when one of the two other maids interrupted and said, "I humbly pay my respect to your highness."

While Ellis wanted to say, ’Where is that fucking humbleness you’re talking about?’

He didn’t, and just stared at her while standing beside Silas now. Along with that, he tried not to show his angry expression at the insolent maid, who actually continued nonchalantly.

"We work at the main palace, and under the order of the head maid, we came to start working here."