Chapter 18:
When I whispered softly, he flinched, his shoulders twitching.
I leaned in and whispered to him in a sinister tone.
“Do you think running to Daddy to tattle is faster than my fist?”
“…!”
“Didn’t it hurt when I accidentally headbutted you just now? Imagine how much it would hurt if I meant to hit you properly.”
As I said this, I deliberately made a fist and opened it again. The Second Prince inhaled sharply.
“And the more important thing—you’d better know—I’ll hit you even if you’re with Father Kuncha and I don’t like what you do!”
“…!”
Showing my clenched fist, the Second Prince’s entire body shook white as a sheet.
Rubellio had never received such an explicit threat before, so he was completely bewildered.
I pretended to pat his shoulder gently.
“So, let’s try living a bit more nicely from now on, okay?”
With a casual expression, I grabbed Rubellio’s trembling hand and pulled him up.
“Here, take my hand and stand up!”
The attendants rushed over to steady him.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“Rubell, your chin is red!”
Sigh… should I just end this at a childlike level?
It’s childish, but I have to match him.
Being the good one I am, I eventually decided to grant Rubellio a small mercy, letting him leave on his own feet—but I pretended to be surprised and shouted loudly.
“Oh, wait, did you just… pee yourself, big brother?”
“…What?!”
I pointed at the crease between his legs. He looked at me with wide pupils, then instinctively lowered his head.
Apparently, he finally realized that the yellow stain caused by Karus had landed in a… convenient spot.
Technically, it was closer to the thigh, but from a distance, it could look like something else.
Rubellio immediately protested, his face full of shock.
“No, this…! It’s not what you think…!”
“Wow, you’re already eight years old! But you peed on the floor!!”
I shouted loudly so that anyone passing nearby could hear. His eyes started moving violently, and his face showed more mental damage than before.
“I-I’m still seven! No, that’s not important—it’s just… that got on me earlier from someone else…”
“It’s okay! No need to lie about being embarrassed!”
Yes, I couldn’t hear anything else! I was going to say whatever I wanted!
“The palace is huge, so accidents can happen! Especially for kids, it’s hard to hold it sometimes. Mistakes happen. Right, Margaret?”
Every time the Second Prince tried to speak, I shouted, “It’s okay! It’s okay!”
“Sigh… Adel’s nice, so I won’t tell anyone. Father Karus and Margaret will keep it a secret. So it’s fine!”
“Eek…! You really!”
Rubellio, realizing no explanation would work, turned beet-red until he finally hurriedly left.
“I’ll get you back later!”
Oh, “get you back later.” That was really childish.
“C-Come on, Rubell!”
Third Prince Heliman and his attendants ran after their masters.
Good, the meddler is out of the way.
From what I know, Rubellio was a bit of a neat freak, so it must have been embarrassing for him to be misunderstood and stuck in that state on the main road.
“Kkik, kkik?”
“Kkiyu!”
Huh?
Then Pio and Kino, who had been perched on my shoulder watching everything with interest, suddenly whispered to each other.
They jumped down and started chasing after the princes, running in a flurry.
“Oh? Wait a second…!”
“It’s fine. Just let them be.”
The last time I saw Pio and Kino, their faces were twisted into mischievous grins.
Margaret tried to chase them in surprise but stopped with a click of her tongue.
Sigh… I wonder what mischief they’re planning now. How did such mischievous familiars end up under such a good master like me? Tsk tsk.
“Th-Thank you for your help, Third Princess.”
Meanwhile, Karus seemed completely fooled by me.
His eyes, looking up at me, were glistening, shaking slightly.
He looked like he was seeing a small hero.
Well… even though I got into a standoff with a seven-year-old and felt the reality check, at least it was rewarding.
I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and jumped onto Karus’s back, who was still kneeling.
“Th-Third Princess?”
“Father Karus, carry me.”
“Your Highness, I will carry you!”
Margaret shouted urgently.
But I held on to Karus like a leech, using my limbs to cling tightly.
Maybe I had acted a bit immature just now, so I whined a little more deliberately.
“I’ve walked all the way here from the palace on my own. My legs hurt.”
“Excuse me? The distance from Lord Roxhan’s palace is quite far, why…?”
“Well, I turned five yesterday!”
Proudly shouting that, Karus smiled faintly and lifted me up.
Good, good. They don’t suspect anything strange.
Karus waved off Margaret, who was about to take over, saying it was fine.
“Your Highness, please don’t pay attention to what the princes said earlier. It’s absolutely not true.”
“Yes, Your Highness! Don’t let their words bother you.”
Then Karus cautiously spoke to me.
Margaret nodded, clearly moved as well.
It seemed to be about what the Second Prince had said earlier—calling me an unlucky child.
Probably because the palace’s protective barrier had malfunctioned on my birthday, allowing a strange bird to intrude and the Rosarium to catch fire…
But such rumors would vanish as soon as I awakened my sexual energy, so it wasn’t worth worrying about.
“Mm, it’s fine. By the way, Father Karus, were you on your way to give that to Yulma?”
I tried to divert the topic naturally, not wanting him to fuss over me if he sensed I was upset.
“Ah… yes. I heard the sap from the Red Dog Urine Tree collected at dawn is good for Yulma.”
Ah, no wonder it smelled so strong—it was Red Dog Urine Tree sap.
Because I spilled some on Rubellio earlier, the bottle was now about half empty.
‘The shape of the container is slightly different from two days ago, but the auspicious energy… Kuncha must have given that.’
The name and smell were off-putting, but Red Dog Urine Tree sap is a potent aphrodisiac, quite valuable.
‘I didn’t know it was good for Yulma as well…’
Karus seemed a bit bitter about the half-empty bottle Kuncha had given him.
I glanced at his sulky side profile.
He had no energy today.
Maybe because I had helped him clear things out three days ago, and the rest two days ago had gone to Kuncha?
‘But why can I see his energy even though I haven’t awakened my sexual power this cycle?’
Could it be… this really is my last chance, and the difficulty has been slightly lowered as I wished?
‘Wow, that would be great!’
Hope suddenly surged, lifting my mood, and I felt like being playful.
I decided to put aside unresolved questions for now, grinning as I urged Karus along.
“Then let’s go quickly! Yulma must be hungry.”
“Ah, yes!”
Karus, the naïve person he was, obediently started walking toward the Divine Garden.
He was moving along with me, unaware of anything strange.
I really don’t get it.
How could the Fourth Prince have been born under someone so gentle and easygoing like him?
Mother aside, our Emperor La Belica isn’t a snake but a wild beast.
Flap!
“Caw!”
“Ughk!”
Suddenly, a bird’s cry sounded from above.
Karus flinched and gasped loudly, making me jump as well.
Embarrassed at his overreaction, he hunched his shoulders and blushed.
“Ahem… a sudden loud sound…”
Chicken-hearted…
I glanced at him disdainfully and looked up.
A small strange bird had flown into the barrier surrounding the imperial capital, colliding with it.
Every time it hit, yellow sparks flew, making it look like a meteor fell even in daylight.
But unlike before, it wasn’t a flocking species, so it wasn’t particularly dangerous.
“They’ve been quiet for a while, but the beasts are causing a ruckus again. Three days ago, I almost lost my life.”
“Yes. But with Lord Roxhan here, we can feel at ease.”
Normally, magical beasts including strange birds sometimes get trapped in barriers like moths to a flame.
But after Mother replaced the personnel guarding the barrier and reinforced it thoroughly, it should be safe for a while.
Of course, some people were unjustly dismissed…
‘But there’s no proof they were controlled by the black magic stone.’
At that moment, a divine beast was spotted flying inside the barrier.
The strange bird was quickly captured and quieted.
“Lord Roxhan is amazing. I wish I could even be half as good…”
I heard Karus mutter with admiration and replied flatly.
“Impossible.”
“Y-Yeah, I suppose…”
Oops, maybe I cut him off too sharply without thinking.
The reckless princess’s self-centered life plan continues.
