Delight walked unhesitatingly in the direction of the sound, and Zaire followed behind.
In an instant, they both approached me.
“Pr-Princess? Why are you here?”
Zaire, with his glasses dangling from his nose, looked down at me.
“How did this child get here?”
Delight’s brow furrowed. It was clear from his face that he couldn’t understand why I was here when I should have been in my bedroom.
“Where is Monia? Is no one with her?”
While Luciel and him were arguing, even the attendants and knights had withdrawn. In the midst of all this, the child was left alone.
No matter how much Delight and Zaire looked around, I was the only one here.
‘Phew, at least he can escaped safely,’
I thought, recalling how terrified Serdin looked when Delight’s threatening voice rang out a moment ago.
I had come here as planned, but facing Delight now could lead to a dangerous situation.
Frozen with fear, Serdin couldn’t move and just stared at me with empty eyes.
I gave him another firm push.
Finally, he snapped out of it and left the garden. Meanwhile, I approached Delight to buy more time.
I moved awkwardly, slipping and wriggling like a worm, but at least I could still move.
‘By now, he should be in a safe place.’
I remembered Serdin’s dark hair and fiery red eyes. Though I didn’t have to help him,
‘I brought him here, so I should ensure his escape.’
As I considered returning with Delight, Zaire spoke up.
“Judging by your dirty knees, it looks like you crawled here.”
I had intentionally rubbed dirt on my knees. It wouldn’t make sense if I were too clean.
“Does it make sense for a child who just learned to flip over to crawl all the way here?”
But Delight was still suspicious. After looking around, Delight spoke lowly,
“Zaire.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Search the area thoroughly. Catch anything, even an ant.”
Delight’s demeanor turned icy. It was naive of me to think he’d overlook this.
If they searched the area now, they’d find Serdin nearby. I needed a more convincing reason to divert Delight’s suspicion.
“Could it be that you wanted to see the Emperor?”
This misunderstanding suddenly crossed my mind, but it was the best option available.
“Uu-!”
I raised my arms towards Delight, demanding to be held, and smiled brightly.
“Ha-ha, it seems the Princess came here to see you, your Majesty.”
Zaire said, amused by my actions.
“Even a baby can recognize their parents.”
“That makes no sense…”
Delight was skeptical.
“She’s alone and not crying, so it doesn’t seem like anyone brought her here by force.”
“Really?”
Delight’s ears perked up, his eyebrows twitched, and his cheekbones raised.
“But it would be difficult for the Princess, who can’t even walk yet, to crawl all the way here,”
Zaire remarked, shaking his head.
“No, it’s possible if she missed me desperately.”
Delight’s smile broadened, and he seemed to grow even more enthusiastic.
And so, the misunderstanding worked in my favor, allowing Serdin more time to escape.
“If you miss someone desperately, you’ll find strength you didn’t know you had.”
“Pardon?”
“I know this better than anyone because I’ve experienced it myself,”
Delight said proudly.
Experienced it?
Could he be talking about that incident from the past?
Delight once did something incredible in his childhood. Determined to win a bet against me, he climbed to the top of a mountain despite having a broken leg, hiding his injury the whole time.
As soon as he reached the summit, he collapsed, and I had to carry him back home. Even though he suffered for months afterward, Delight was proud of his accomplishment.
“She truly is my daughter,”
Delight said, beaming.
You think it’s possible because I takes after you? I don’t take after you at all…!
Regardless, it was good if Delight accepted this explanation. He lifted me up.
“Did you come all this way because you missed Daddy?”
Delight asked. I responded by smiling brightly and hugging his neck with my short arms. His laughter was pleasant to hear.
“Why do I feel embarrassed?”
Delight kept touching his twitching lips.
Phew, that worked.
***
Meanwhile, Serdin safely exited the garden. Walking aimlessly in a daze, he heard a voice in the distance.
“Oh my, where on earth are you…!”
Hugo was frantically searching for him.
“Over here,”
Serdin called out weakly.
“Prince Serdin!”
Hugo instantly recognized his small voice and rushed over to him. Despite being surrounded by enemies in a foreign land, Hugo was devoted to his young master, the Prince of Ilnord, who was held hostage in the Promian Empire.
“Here I am,”
Serdin said, collapsing as Hugo approached, drenched in cold sweat from the tension. Hugo was shocked by his appearance.
“Prince, I was so worried!”
“But nothing happened,”
Serdin said, laughing weakly as the tension left his body. Hugo let out a sigh of relief but couldn’t hide his worry.
Realizing that Serdin had gone to see the Princess, Hugo had been terrified something might go wrong.
“Why did you go there?”
Hugo asked, but Serdin remained silent.
“Don’t go there again. It’s dangerous!”
Hugo’s voice rose in concern, but Serdin stayed quiet. Hugo sighed, then turned and knelt down.
“Get on my back. I’ll take you to your quarters.”
“There’s no one to encounter from here to the quarters. It’s alright,”
Hugo assured him.
Serdin, who had been self-reliant from a young age, especially avoided showing any signs of weakness in public.
Hugo’s reassurance allowed Serdin to relax and let Hugo carry him. Feeling the small, warm weight on his back, Hugo stood up slowly. Eventually, Serdin buried his face in Hugo’s back.
***
“Ah, there’s good news,”
Delight said suddenly as he carried me around the garden and back to the bedroom. His cheerful tone made me instinctively uneasy.
“No one will bother you anymore.”
Huh? What did he mean?
The person bothering me was right in front of me. Confused, I tilted my head as Zaire sighed deeply.
“Oh my, sending him away just like that. It would have been nice if he stayed for at least a week, or even a month.”
Zaire said, unable to hide his disappointment.
‘Has Luciel really left?’
So, their argument wasn’t just a temporary retreat but a complete departure from the palace?
If I had known, I would have tried to stop him!
What kind of argument would cause him to leave like this?
Seeing Delight’s satisfied face made me furious.
What was he so happy about?
This madman!
How could you let Luciel go like that?
I should have insisted they stick together no matter what.
Ugh, frustrating.
Seeing Delight’s relaxed smile made my blood boil. I formed a small fist and punched him as hard as I could.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
But my punches were so weak that they barely did anything. My short arms couldn’t even reach his back properly, only managing to pat his shoulders.
If Luciel has already left, when will he come back?
He might return after a few days, right?
He might have left in anger, but he should come back to resolve things.
When I was living in the mountains, Luciel would come and go without notice, and I didn’t mind his visits much. But now, his departure made me anxious.
Zaire pouted and complained,
“It took almost three years for him to come this time. What if he never returns?”
…Damn it. Three years. That means it might be another three years before he comes back!
Ugh, this damn disciple!
Smack!
I hit Delight on the back of his head with all my strength.
“Oh, princess.”
Zaire tried to stop me, looking flustered.
Smack.
I hit Delight again, and once more!
Even then, my anger wasn’t soothed. I glared at Delight, who only laughed as if my hits didn’t hurt at all. He even leaned forward, offering his back, smiling like an idiot.
It seemed he actually enjoyed being hit by me.
