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Translator Note:
This is a long long long chapter.
So...... Bear with me, please (/▿＼ )
Thank You!
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Chapter 9 – Goodbye for Now
"Wow! Look at this, Princess!"
We were in a room, where there were many gifts sent to me.
Lily, who was sorting out the invitations in the corner, heard the noise Hannah was making, so Lily diverted her attention. But, even before Hannah said anything to me, I was already uneasy about what I saw before me.
"Oh my. Such a beautiful bird."
The cloth was removed and a white cage was revealed. The round cage was intricately made and various delicate patterns looked very luxurious at first glance, but what made me tremble was the blue feathered bird inside.
Hiiiikkkk.
A bird sitting quietly on its perch flapped its wings slightly as if it sensed our gaze. Em, is that just my feeling? Why do I feel like I've seen this bird somewhere? With its cute yellow beak, round black eyes, and graceful tail feathers that stick out behind it. For some reason, this looks very similar to the bluebird I saw at the bird market when I was out with Lucas. Hey, is this just me? It's possible that this is another bird that looks similar, right?
"Besides, you'll be surprised to find out who gave you this bird."
Hannah held out a small card, expecting my reaction. I took it very reluctantly. And when I unfolded the paper with this majestic looking gold leaf pattern, inside……………
[I sent it with feelings of longing to remember our short meeting in the past.
—Izekiel Alphaeus]
Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!
As soon as I checked the contents of the card, I screamed in my heart.
"This is from Young Master Alphaeus! Seeing him send a gift like this, he must have fallen in love with the Princess at the Debutante Ball!"
Unaware of my feelings, Hannah got excited and said nonsensical things like that.
No! That's not what it means!
It was clear that Izekiel thought I was the one he saw at the bird market at that time. No, how could he know? He just looked at my back. How could he be sure that it was me? Besides, the clothes I'm wearing are different from usual! Did he send this bird with the intention of 'I know what you did that day!'
Is that what it means!?
"Hannah, pay attention to what you say in front of the Princess."
"But that's true. The Princess is very beautiful and charming, how could Young Master Alphaeus not be tempted by the fact just because he is Young Master Alphaeus?"
"Well, of course that's true."
Even Lily agreed with Hannah's words, she showed a very happy expression. Wow, after all this time, I can finally see Lily's motherly smile again! Those warm eyes, like a mother looking at her beautiful growing daughter. I was overcome by a strange feeling of guilt, as if I had become a daughter who was hiding her mischief from her mother.
"Emm. Ah, I want you to hide the fact that Young Master Alphaeus sent me a gift."
"If that is the Princess' wish."
Lily answered with a smile, but for some reason, Hannah wore a confused expression. When Lily and I saw someone with an expression like that, we looked at her suspiciously. Then, she opened her mouth.
"Princess, I never told anyone. But, actually, I accidentally dropped the card when moving the cage. And there were several servants passing by, maybe they saw the signature on the card..."
Da#n it. In that case, that means the servants already know that Izekiel sent me a gift.
"Hannah, how could you be so careless in handling the goods sent to the Princess!"
"My apologize."
"From now on, I will replace the Cleaning Servants with someone else."
"Ah!"
Lily scolds Hannah, but what's done is done. In a short time, there must have been rumors among the servants that spread widely.
Then, at the next Tea Party, the girls will find out all this. Oh no. But, even so, I've forgotten who the person who will trouble me the most is when this rumor spreads.
"That Alphaeus kid sent you a gift?"
It's crazyyyyyy.
I almost spat out the tea I was drinking when the person in front of me asked that question. Looking at his face, he clearly knew that the rumors circulating in the Palace were true.
Claude tilted the teacup in his hand and raised the corners of his mouth coldly.
"Every action he took was unreasonable. It's like he just picked up bad habits in Arlanta."
Sigh. You're obviously smiling, but why is your smile so scary? Seeing the cold air blowing across his body, I couldn't tell anymore whether I was in a garden with warm sunshine or a snowy field with a blizzard blowing over me. Why do you look so disgusted when I get a gift from Izekiel?
I smiled a little awkwardly at Claude who looked gloomy.
"Hmm. But it seems like it's no different from other gifts sent by other Young Masters or Young Misses. It's just a gift sent out of friendship. It doesn't have any other meaning."
It would be a big problem if Claude found out what happened in my private library or the facts about what Izekiel discovered when he snuck into my private library. Oh my, please let me hide 'that' until death takes me.
"He really is the son of that snake, he has a presumptuous mind."
However, Claude continued to criticize him until the end. I was surprised by what he said while snorting.
"It's clear that the boy misunderstood because you danced with him in debutante."
Cough, cough. No, why are you suddenly talking about that? That was half a year ago. And like you said, we only danced once. Is not it? But, why do you even say that he misunderstood and had presumptuous thoughts? Well, come to think of it, even when I was dancing with Izekiel, Claude was looking at Izekiel with a scary gaze. As I expected, he hates Albie and his son, Izekiel!
"Besides, how dare he pretend to do something wrong and break into your private library. What a bold brat."
"Uahhh!"
I opened my eyes wide in surprise. I mean, Claude knows about it! I think the knights hid that fact because they were afraid of being scolded and didn't want to get into trouble! And, Lucas wasn't the type to dare tell Claude about something like that. Besides, since I didn't say anything, of course Claude shouldn't know! So, fittingly, not long after that incident, all the knights in my library were replaced at once……!
"I was generous enough to let him live, and then he played a sneaky trick on you."
Claude's eyes looked so scary that I became uneasy. Hey, is there going to be a funeral tomorrow? It looks like this will be a very dangerous situation. But, it's not my fault, right?
"The Princess's beauty resembles Lady Diana, and day by day, the Princess grows more beautiful like a blooming flower. So it can't be helped."
And Felix who was next to me, who had been listening to our conversation all this time, actually poured oil without giving a warning.
“In the future, when the Princess appears at the Imperial Event, the number of Young Masters who will fall in love and woo the Princess will increase drastically.”
So don't be angry because things will definitely happen, that seems to be what Felix meant. Maybe Felix was trying to calm Claude down in his own way.
Felix had a fatherly smile, like Lily's, a smile that seemed to be looking at his grown daughter. Haa, but not at times like these! Danger! Felix, run!
"In the future, the Princess will also leave His Majesty to look for a good partner. Even if the Emperor's Son-in-law is brought into the Palace, the amount of time spent together with His Majesty will definitely be reduced significantly."
However, Felix didn't seem to understand the meaning of my desperate gaze. Instead, he kept pushing himself to say all that. It seemed that Claude, who had now placed the tea cup on the table, was now looking at Felix with the coldest look in his eyes.
"Ah. I guess it's the lonely fate of them as parents. I've been worried about how His Majesty will soothe loneliness when it comes..."
"Felix."
"Yes?"
Finally Claude called Felix in a low voice.
"Shut your mouth if you don't want to die."
Felix froze at the terrible sound.
"From now on, don't appear in front of me while drinking tea."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What are you doing? Leave quickly if you don't want to die."
Sob, sob.
Felix left the park with a confused and sad expression, perhaps in his opinion, he had done nothing wrong.
Aaahhhh, that means now I have to deal with Claude alone! Ouch. But initially, even if Felix were here, he wouldn't help.
After sending Felix away, I glanced at Claude who looked increasingly scary. Then, I controlled my expression and released a melancholic voice.
"Do I have to do something like a wedding? I don't want to."
Sob. It was hard to pretend to be offended by Felix's words. Let's talk a little more.
"Dad, I don't need anything like that. I prefer to be alone with you like now, do I really have to get married?"
Then, when I glanced at him, I saw that Claude, who had been listening to me in silence, was now reaching for his cup of tea that was on the table.
"There is no Imperial Law that forces you to marry."
Good. He took the bait!
I'm excited. I immediately agreed with Claude's words.
"Then, I won't get married. Dad, I will live with you until I grow old and become a grandmother!"
Then, as I laughed, "Hehehee." The sharp aura around me softened a bit.
"Even if you say that now, maybe later you will say that you want to get married."
"Ah, that can't be it. Even now, the person I like the most is you, Dad."
The spring breeze started blowing from somewhere. When I realized it, for the first time today, I saw Claude's eyes warm.
"You're good at saying embarrassing things."
You pretend like you don't care, but actually your mood improves, right? Right? Besides, just by looking at his attitude like this, I became suspicious. No, I mean… He is, could it be, the reason why he doesn't let men come to my Tea Party…
"If that Alphaeus kid bothers you again, let me know. I'll make sure he doesn't pull any more nonsense."
Hearing that, I will definitely tell you about Izekiel!
"The same goes for the other boys. There seems to be a lot of naughty boys among the youths these days. So be careful."
"Ahaha."
"Reply me."
"Yes."
I just broke out in cold sweat and laughed at Claude's gloomy eyes. Crazy, at this rate, the people who send me gifts will be sent somewhere far away.
Have you ever heard of that place? The name of the place is the Jordan River.
As if peace had been restored, I saw Claude tilting his teacup casually. Then, I moved my fork to the dessert in front of me. Sob. My beautiful cakes, I will eat all of you today.
"Dad, do I really look like Mom?"
Yum, Yum. I asked while munching on the cheese cake that was in front of me. That's because, Felix said earlier, and all this time Lily has also often told me that I look more and more like Diana. Of course, talking about Diana in front of Claude was taboo. So all this time, I was very careful not to mention that name until now.
But it seems like it's fine now. It could be, this is an optimistic thought stemming from my misunderstanding, but I don't feel like Claude will kill me. No matter what arrogant actions and words I say to him, no matter how big a mistake I do to him.
"Why are you asking me that?"
Trak.
The sound of Claude putting down the empty teacup echoed very loudly. The voice flowing through my ears felt cold enough to slightly cool the temperature of the warm sunlight. But, as I expected, he didn't punish or scold me.
"I don't know. I've long forgotten the faces of people who died a long time ago."
After saying that, he turned his head and looked at the garden flooded with yellow sunlight. Green vegetation swayed to and fro due to the shallow breeze. Claude's blonde hair, which was also blowing in the wind, looked like fragments of falling sunlight.
I just smiled faintly at Claude, and Claude just ignored me with his indifferent eyes.
"Daddy, I have 1 request."
But, the Fairy Sister I see in my dreams every night always looks so beautiful.
"This is a request that only you can grant, Dad."
However, I know that there are secrets that he doesn't want to reveal to anyone. So, I decided to ignore the fact that Claude was lying.
"There's no problem getting an early birthday present. So, will you listen to my request?"
I smiled at him until finally I saw my reflection in the reflection of his eyes which were turquoise because of the reflection from the green grass.
***
"So this is the da#n bird that was rumored to be."
Here is someone who is in a bad mood.
"What do you mean by da#n bird!?"
I shouted in disgust at Lucas who came into my room without hesitation at night. No, I mean, is that the only thing you can say when you see this beautiful bird? Of course, it was worrying that Izekiel knew about my secret journey, but this bird didn't have any faults! Moreover, this blue bird is very beautiful!
"Tch. Isn't this just a blue bird? At least it should be an eagle that can be useful. Not even a blue bird like this."
Lucas snorted as he looked at the blue bird curled up in its cage —it was asleep. Ughhh. This man is truly heartless! How could he say something like that when this bird looked so beautiful!
"They say that if this bird is looked after well, it can become a messenger bird!"
"Messenger? That's just nonsense. Once he encounters a predator while flying, he'll be devoured in one bite."
Hey, don't say scary things like that to my bluebird! That little animal must be loved!
Lucas is still as arrogant and sassy as ever. But today, instead of blaming and scolding him, I just pouted and said.
"Are you really going to leave today?"
"Why? I can't go?"
Lucas took his eyes off the cage and turned to me. Unlike me who wears pajamas as usual, Lucas wears casual clothes that are different from usual. It was similar to the clothes he wore when he came out of the Palace together with me.
"No. I'm going to sleep now, so hurry up and go."
Even if I tell him not to go, will he really not go? Then, why would I try such a useless thing? I answered coldly —because I felt a little hurt. I already knew that it was useless after hearing his answer to the question 'Are you really going to leave today?'. For some reason, I felt angry. But, no matter what I think, Lucas will still go today. He sets out to find a magical supplement that will make him the Archmage of the Century —he self-proclaimed as a Archmage again!
"How long will it take to find the World Tree?"
I asked Lucas lightly. According to what I heard from him the night I quarreled with him the other day, he said the World Tree would bear fruit once every 500 years. And the fruit of the World Tree is a magical supplement in the form of a crystal of pure magic power. If absorbed, the fruit can strengthen Lucas's lacking magic power.
"Well, I already knew the approximate location a long time ago, so I'm sure I can get there in a reasonable amount of time."
Lucas, this guy, he's been grumbling all this time that his magic power is decreasing every day. Keukkkk . Even so, I'm still happy that he found a supplement for his magic power besides Blackie. After I thought about it, Lucas did say that there was a way to replenish his magic power but it took a long time, he must have meant the fruit from the World Tree. When I heard about the World Tree for the first time, I wondered if this was a fantasy story? But, after I remembered that in this world —precisely in the Palace Lake there was a lotus flower that had tentacles, I immediately dismissed my doubts about the existence of the World Tree.
"Then go early. Why are you leaving at such a tight time? What if the fruit is no longer there?"
You said the World Tree doesn't bear fruit every 5 years, not every 50 years, but once every 500 years! So, if you don't get that fruit, then you'll be targeting my Blackie again! Isn't that crazy? Huhuhuuu.
Lucas looked at me with a strange look for a while. What? Why are you looking at me like that? Hiikkkk , there's no way he could read my thoughts about Blackie, right? Then, when Lucas averted his gaze from me and blurted out the words, I felt strange.
"I don't know why. Even though I don't have much time, I should have gone sooner."
That's weird. Why do you talk like that? It just made me see him as a very strange person.
"Well, even though it's very late, at least I can still pick up 1 fruit that has fallen."
I knew how frustrated Lucas was about his lack of magic power, so I was worried that he would experience disappointment if he didn't get the fruit. But now, Lucas said that it didn't matter if he got the fallen fruit, as if it wasn't a big deal.
"It's okay. You said you already know the location? If you teleport there, you won't be late."
Of course, the place where the World Tree was located was a place so far away that it could even be called the End of the World. So, he had to use teleportation several times, and he said that it would be difficult because he couldn't use magic while in the World Tree's territory.
"You said it was a place that normal people couldn't go even if they were willing to die for it. That's why no one would pick the fruit, right. In that case, quickly leave and come back immediately."
I felt sad when Lucas said that he was leaving, maybe it was because I had a bad feeling about him leaving. Even though in the past, I thought I would feel relieved if he left.
"Okay. I have to go immediately."
Lucas smiled at me and held out his hand to me. When I felt warmth on my forehead, I realized that Lucas was repairing my magic power one last time before he left. Wow, it turns out he has this kind of meticulous side…………
"If there's a lot of useless magic piled up when I get back, then I'll eat Blackie."
Huh!? What did you say!?
"So, if possible, play with the 'new kid', don't play with Blackie. That's the only reason I didn't get rid of the 'new kid'."
Oh no. Even though the atmosphere was still good and warm, why did you suddenly threaten me with Blackie? And why are you the one deciding what to do with my bluebird?
"You are……"
"I go."
But, before I finished my words, Lucas had disappeared.
"Haaa."
Son of a bit#h! How could he suddenly just leave without giving me time to say something! Dejectedly, I waved my hand in the direction where Lucas was until a moment ago. I don't know why my forehead feels cold, maybe because the warmth that was there, suddenly disappeared. He said it took a long time to go to and come back from the World Tree. Does that mean I won't see his face for the next few months?
"That kid. Make sure to fulfill your dream of becoming an Archmage."
I suppressed my regret and I prayed that Lucas' wish could come true. Anyway, goodbye for now. Thinking those thoughts, I couldn't sleep well tonight.
***
2 weeks have passed since Lucas left. I didn't realize it until now, it turns out the void Lucas left was bigger than I thought. I kept thinking about Lucas, even when my window was rattling —I thought it was Lucas.
"You seem to have become lonely because Sir Mage is gone."
"Sir Mage only went to collect materials for his research. He will be back soon."
Externally, it was announced that Lucas had gone to search for magic materials for the Palace Tower's ongoing research. Even so, I still clicked my tongue and thought 'Tch, he actually prepared the excuse for a long-term business trip carefully'. Ah, but, I guess he's not manipulating people's memories with that strange spell anymore. So, should I feel proud?
"Princess, I'm your friend too. And I'm here with you, right? Look at this, I brought a book to study with you. Let's go inside."
I tried not to show it, but Lily and Felix kept comforting me as if they knew that I was sad about Lucas leaving. Felix tried to take me to the Study Room, sparking my enthusiasm for studying. Sob. But I really don't want to study right now.
"Woof."
It was at that moment, a soft fur ball touched my hand. As soon as I lowered my head, I saw golden eyes that were round like coins looking at me brightly.
"Have you eaten all the food?"
Of course, Lucas told me to play with the blue bird instead of playing with Blackie, but I couldn't play with the bird because I was afraid it would fly away as soon as the cage was opened. So who should I play with?
The blue bird that I named 'Bluie' some time ago was indeed beautiful and cute, but after a while I became bored because I couldn't do anything with it. Apart from that, as if it knew that my heart was empty, recently Blackie had been acting up a lot in front of me. That's why, it was hard for me to ignore Blackie.
“I'll stay with Blackie for a while before coming in. Just a moment!”
As I expected, Lucas was very thorough. When I asked Lily and Felix something like that, they still felt doubtful, and they even looked at Blackie with worried eyes.
"What is it?"
Me and Blackie sent blinking eye attacks at them. In the end, the two of them didn't tolerate me wanting to play with Blackie.
"You should come in immediately."
"Princess, you don't need to worry. I will be by your side."
"Sir Robane, thank you again for today."
Blackie and I looked at Lily and Felix who were acting like newlyweds with cold eyes. Will they really get married later?
"Felix, you can go too."
"No. Now Sir Mage is away. So I, the other friends of the Princess must stay by your side."
I see, huh? I mean, you seem more energetic than usual.
"Blackie, let's take a trip there with Felix."
"Woof!"
Well, there's nothing I can do anyway. And Felix also had no choice but to accompany me for a walk. I smiled brightly while stroking Blackie which was charmingly rubbing itself against my leg.
"Princess, let's go."
Even now, I don't know. The fact that this peace is the calm before the storm.
***
"It's been a while. How are you?"
I invited guests to the Emerald Palace after a long time.
Of course, the guests were girls who had been invited to my Tea Party before, and this time I still couldn't invite a single guy. What can I do? Claude said he wouldn't let me hang out with guys, if that happened, the guys would have to get past Claude first. Huhuhuuu. No, I mean, of course Claude never said that. That's just my opinion.
"Princess, even today you look very beautiful!"
Ah, I'm so embarrassed. These girls praise me with eyes shining brightly. So I praised them in return with a smile on my face. Hmmm. It's not like I made it up. But, these girls are really cute and beautiful. I like them. Relax, I suppress the smile that keeps trying to creep up. Then, I approached the person who had seen me and greeted her first.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Magritta. The weather is nice today, isn't it?"
I know where she's looking. The dark blue ribbon swayed in my hair in the wind. A soft satin ribbon, which Zenith gave me the other day. That ribbon is what currently adorns my hair. Before today's meeting, Lily had done her job well. Ahem.
"Today, let's go to the Flower Garden. The yellow roses have bloomed very beautifully."
I didn't say anything about this ribbon because there were many other eyes here, but I gave Zenith a grateful smile. Then, a bright smile spread across Zenith's face.
"As long as it's with the Princess, I don't mind going anywhere."
Zenith looked shy for some reason, I averted my gaze from her bright blue eyes and took the first step.
"So it's like this, when the festival starts, how about we go see it together?"
"Ah, come to think of it, there was a Festival Celebrating the Founding of the Empire after His Majesty's birthday."
The time I spent with the girls today was quite enjoyable.
Their eyes lit up when they talked about the festival which would take place in about 4 months.
"I'm sure the Princess will also participate in this year's Celebration Festival. I'm really looking forward to it."
Indeed, as they say, starting this year —more precisely because I have debuted, so I also have to appear at Obelia's Official Events. Just thinking about it makes me worry. But, this was the Celebration Festival —a celebration of Obelia's founding, of course it was a grand event that couldn't be compared to debutantes. What should I do?
Of course, Lily and Felix already told me. What I had to do was just, stay close to Claude at all times —just like a sack of barley.
"Is the Princess going to the festival too?"
Right at that moment, for some reason, Zenith asked me with sparkling eyes —so did the other girls. Ughhh, critical hit. Why are you asking with such a cute expression!?
"I'm not sure yet."
"Ah. Actually, I was only allowed to participate in this festival. So, I thought it would be nice if the Princess could come too."
Hearing Zenith's words, the other girls said as if they just realized.
"Oh, yes. Come to think of it, I've heard that Miss Magritta has a weak body, so you had to stay in the Residence since you were little. Isn't that right?"
Then Zenith was silent for a moment, then answered with a slightly faint smile, "Yes". Oops. It was clear that it was an excuse made by Albie. The magic that hides the gem's eyes must have a duration, Albie can't just let Zenith out carelessly. So he made up such an excuse to hide Zenith in his Residence.
When I recalled the contents of <Lovely Princess>, I felt some dislike towards Albie. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I saw Albie's face. What has he been up to lately? Hmmm. But, seeing him allow Zenith to go out and participate in the festival, did he decide to let Zenith be more free than before?
"Huh? What is that?"
Just at that moment, Lily Girl who was eating a muffin suddenly looked somewhere and asked a question. Everyone, including me, followed her gaze. Come to think of it, earlier I heard a noise from over there……………
"Woof!"
Oh my! Those familiar sounds and blurry objects!
"Kyaaaaa!"
"Oh my, what is that!?"
"It's a monster! A monster has appeared!"
N-No! That's not a monster, that's my Blackie!
However, the girls were already shocked by Blackie's appearance, they immediately jumped from their seats and started running away while screaming.
"Princess! Quickly dodge!"
"Wait! That's not a monster!"
Zenith ran towards me and immediately grabbed my arm. Sob! I told you, my Blackie is not a monster!
"Blackie!"
I let go of Zenith's hand and ran towards Blackie to calm the girls down. Seeing me like this, I wonder if Zenith is widening her eyes right now? The other girls had already fled behind the trees over there. Oh! There are also girls hiding behind Felix's back!
I looked at Felix, he looked as confused as me. He shook his eyes wildly at the girls behind his back.
"Woof!"
"Ah! Princess!"
Blackie jumped on its short legs and lunged at me. I heard a frightened scream from behind, but I couldn't say anything because Blackie had already started licking my face.
"Oh my! The Princess has been attacked!"
No! If Blackie was a monster, would Felix really just stand by and watch me get captured by a monster like now?
“Yeah, yeah, Blackie is a good kid, right?”
"Woof!"
Da#n, static electricity again!
I guess I should calm Blackie down. I took a breath and said.
“Blackie, sit down!”
Set.
Then, the black ball of fur that seemed to be shaking for a while moved away from me and sat down on the grass with a frown. Oh, my goodness. Good thing Lucas taught Blackie to sit and be quiet! It turns out this is very useful. I never told Blackie like that whenever I played with it, but now I had to calm Blackie down because there were a lot of people here.
"Yes, good. My Blackie is indeed a good boy."
Gently, I stroked the soft fur of Blackie who was sitting on the grass. But, why did Blackie, who was supposed to be playing in the park, suddenly enter the Flower Garden?
The answer was answered by Hannah, who was currently running this way.
“My apologize, Princess! It seems Blackie smelled the chocolate cake I just brought…”
So, after smelling chocolate cake from the waiter who had just brought us snacks for us to eat, Blackie ran here to look for that chocolate cake? Oh my, my Blackie is really good at smelling things.
"P-Princess? What's that?"
Oh! I forgot that Zenith was behind me. Come to think of it, Zenith was the only person who stayed close to me, and she even tried to protect me when Blackie lunged at me. Wow! Of all the girls here, the only person who tried to save me was Zenith! This is quite interesting. Though, Zenith was definitely afraid of Blackie, just like the other girls!
"Umm, it's my pet."
To be precise, it is my sinsu. Of course, my Blackie was very beautiful and cute when it was little, but now it has grown bigger and continues to grow day by day. And now, it has grown to almost half my height.
"It's a cute, gentle kid."
Haha. I stroked Blackie, feeling embarrassed.
"I see. That is the Princess's pet."
Zenith wiped her chest as if she was relieved. Seeing that, I was a little touched. Oh my. I will never forget the courage you showed me today! When Zenith grabbed my arm and told me to dodge quickly, she really was a great girl!
"When you look at it like this, it does look very kind and gentle."
Oh my. Zenith could see my Blackie's true face.
Blackie really is… Is this why they say that owners become happier when their pets are praised? Besides, no bad person likes small animals!
"If you don't mind, may I pet it?"
Zenith is truly brave.
"Of course."
I was touched because at least 1 person recognized my Blackie's cuteness. Blackie still sat quietly, blinking his eyes calmly. I looked at Zenith who was carefully approaching Blackie with curious eyes.
"Woof."
Blackie didn't avoid Zenith's touch. I saw Zenith stroking Blackie's head, and I looked at this incident like a mother who was proud of her child who was behaving well.
Oh, my, my sweet Blackie. Should we give you a snack since you've come all this way?
Seeing me and Zenith, the other girls approached me hesitantly. By now, Zenith had completely relaxed and continued to stroke Blackie's head. I also reached out my hand to pet Blackie.
Bzzztt!
But, right at that moment.
"Eh!?"
The moment my hand touched Blackie, a pain stronger than before flowed through my hand to my heart in an instant. It felt like something was emerging from within. It was something like hot lava coming out of my stomach. When I saw Blackie's round golden eyes, I couldn't hold back the feeling of nausea any longer, so I covered my mouth with my hands.
"Ugh!"
Geez. This familiar feeling, is it possible, no, impossible, it's impossible…
Drip. Red liquid dripped onto the green grass. Zenith who was next to me immediately shouted.
"Princess!"
Hoeekkk. Once again, blood spurted out of my mouth.
I heard a startled scream from behind me, I couldn't hold it in any longer, I finally collapsed on the grass.
Bruk!
"Ah!"
As soon as Zenith's hand touched me, a bright white light flashed like lightning before my eyes. Cring. Cring. I heard tens to hundreds of sounds, sounds like fireworks going off —either from inside me, or from outside.
"Princess!"
Felix's worried scream was heard in the distance. I realized that the bright white light spreading around me prevented other people from approaching me. Come to think of it, Zenith bounced away right when he touched me.
Pyaaasssshhhhhh! Cring!
What is happening to me now, is similar to what happened when I was a child, but at the same time, it is very different. I managed to raise my shaking hands. However, the only thing I could do was move my fingertips very lightly over Blackie's body. Blackie's jet black fur was now stained with the blood I spat out. There's a commotion around here. However, the pain was so intense that I couldn't open my mouth or eyes. And finally, I completely lost consciousness. In an instant, dense darkness came to trap me.
***
It felt like a deep sleep in winter. Even though my body felt very heavy, my head felt surprisingly light. Even though my body is asleep, my consciousness is awake. But, this is strange. I was still in darkness, my heart was also beating fast. What's this? It felt as if there was a big hole inside me. I think I'm missing something, but I don't know what it is. So, I felt frustrated and very sad.
Ah, why do I feel like this? I feel like something has disappeared from my hand. I looked at my hands, but I still couldn't see anything because it was very dark. However, that feeling didn't last long. Now, I felt that my heavy body was slowly becoming lighter, as if I was being dragged to the surface.
"Princess!"
And as soon as I opened my eyes, I could see familiar faces waiting for me.
"Princess, are you okay? Do you feel sick somewhere?"
I had just woken up and Lily was already asking questions.
"Oh, my goodness. The heavens are helping us. I thought something would happen to you……"
I tried to say something, but I couldn't make a sound. Then, as if knowing my condition, Lily poured water from the bottle on the table.
"How long have I been asleep?"
Ugh. What's wrong with my voice? This sounds like a frog's voice. I don't know exactly, but I'm sure I slept for quite a while.
"10 days have passed."
Felix was the one who answered me, not Lily who was crying. Oh, it's not as bad as I thought. Didn't I sleep for more than 40 days before? I thought it was more serious than last time, but apparently not?
"Is Lucas here?"
I looked around me, my whole body was buried by the blanket. But, they both kept their mouths shut.
I noticed this faceless silence.
"Daddy?"
An unpleasant feeling began to scratch my heart. The two of them still didn't say anything.
"Daddy?"
Slowly, the anxiety in my mind began to penetrate my heart. After I asked again in a hoarse voice, Felix opened his mouth.
"His Majesty…………"
***
"Princess!"
I tried to leave my room even though these two people tried to stop me. But, my body has been unconscious for 10 days. So, I couldn't move according to my wishes.
"Princess, I beg you! You can't do this. Please go back to bed."
Lily cried again and grabbed my arm, but I pushed Lily's hand away. I have to go see Claude now. If I don't see his face now, if I don't see that he's okay, I don't know what I'm going to do.
'His Majesty hasn't regained consciousness after fainting 10 days ago.'
What am I hearing? Are you all lying to me?
'Because there was no way to calm down the raging magic explosion…… And, obviously we'll lose you if we waste any more time. So, His Majesty…'
You risked your life to save me? That sounds ridiculous. It was such a waste, that I couldn't stop myself from confirming it with my own eyes.
"I'll take you."
As I pushed Lily's arm, I tried to walk unsteadily. Then, Felix carried me. Lily couldn't stop me anymore, and she quietly followed Felix and me behind us.
I went to Claude's room with Felix carrying me. Finally, when he dropped me off in front of a familiar door, Felix opened it for me and spoke.
"If His Majesty sees that the Princess is awake and fine, His Majesty will definitely be happy."
After saying that, he also said other things to me, but I ignored him and walked inside and my eyes were fixed in one direction —like an obsession. Claude's bedroom felt as quiet as usual. However, Claude, who always slept on the sofa, was now lying on the big bed and his eyes were closed.
"Daddy."
This is very strange. Why is this person sleeping in a bed with a comfortable appearance like this? It was as if he wouldn't wake up forever.
"Daddy."
I approached Claude, a little closer. His golden hair and his sleeping face —it was clear that this was indeed Claude. However, his face looked a little gaunt and his lips looked dry —different from the last time I saw him. Besides, he doesn't wake up no matter how many times I call him. Suddenly, I became unable to breathe.
I couldn't do anything, but stupidly, I just stood here like an idiot and kept shaking my body.
"Wake up."
I don't like this.
"Daddy."
But there's nothing I can do.
"Dad, wake up."
I grabbed Claude's arm and continuously called him.
The room was so quiet that I felt like I was choking. The heavy silence felt like it was crushing my head. I lowered my head next to Claude, and slowly exhaled.
Twitch.
Suddenly, I felt a movement at my fingertips. I thought it was just me, but then Claude's hand moved again. I also raised my head. Then, I saw a pair of eyes trying to open, the pupils tried to focus several times, and then the eyes looked at me.
"D-Dad."
I called him again, lifting my upper body which was half leaning on the bed.
Oh, I know that. This guy wouldn't die just because of something like this.
"You……?"
And finally, Claude actually looked at me with a focused gaze. Then, Claude opened his mouth slowly and said.
"Who are you?"
I froze, feeling overwhelmed by the cold water that poured over me.
***
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