* * *
A noisy and bustling night.
Everyone spends time with their loved ones, friends, and family and celebrates those who were rescued. The sad thing is that there were more than fifty painting wizards whose lifespan was already short and would soon die. Out of respect for them, cots are placed at the festival site
“Thanks to you, it was resolved easily.”
“No. It’s not because of me; it’s the power of the bell.”
The chief of Kun, the princess, Lacius, Daphne, and me—five people were drinking on the second-floor balcony of a house that provided the best view of the festival. To prevent any possible accidents, members of the Edmund Kingdom were barred from entering, with strict guards posted at the entrance.
If more than half of them ended up under Terran’s protection, Terran would have the right to question the Edmund Kingdom. Considering the state of their princess and the prince, it seemed like their downfall was imminent even if left alone. However, knowing princess-unnie, she would likely use this as leverage to put pressure on Edmund.
Kanut is held in solitary confinement in a dungeon about three floors underground, with elite Kun warriors guarding the perimeter. All the bird masks were captured and hung on cross stakes. To me, familiar with religions in Korea, they looked like crosses, but for them, it was a traditional punishment device for criminals.
Though stoning was strictly prohibited as the punishment was yet to be decided, spitting on them was allowed. Each person took turns spitting, leaving the bird masks in a deplorable state.
“After such prolonged suffering, we need to show the victims the torture and execution of their tormentors. Only then will the victims be able to start anew.”
The princess downed a strong drink without ice and placed the glass heavily on the marble table. The chief of Kun raised his eyebrows as he put ice into a glass.
“But he is the guardian of Dragonas. Other tribes will surely protest. It’ll be troublesome.”
“If we kill him quickly, he’ll already be dead, and they won’t have anything to say.”
“And if a new guardian doesn’t appear? That would be a real problem, Dioles.”
“Who was it that cursed and hated the dragon?”
“… … It’s a tradition. Tradition can’t be helped.”
“I know the desert values tradition, but don’t you think breaking tradition creates new ones? After all, even we will be just the past to future generations.”
That’s true.
My sister’s arguments were so precise that I couldn’t find an opening to interject. I decided to just rest comfortably in Lacius’s embrace, enjoying the breeze from Lacius’s fanning.
Like a fragile thing that might fly away if blown too hard or be crushed if held too tight, Lacius was very concerned about me expending my lifespan again and decided to take care of all sorts of things for me himself.
One of those tasks was fanning me. Perhaps because his arms were so muscular and strong, he didn’t tire at all, even after fanning me for an hour.
“Lashin, I want that.”
“Dried figs?”
“Mmm.”
When I nodded, Lacius stopped fanning for a moment and hugged my waist, who was sitting on his thigh. Then he reached out his other hand and picked up a fig and brought it up to my mouth. I accepted them eagerly, watching the ensuing war of words between princess-unnie and the chief of Kun.
“… Unbelievable. Don’t you know how to eat with your own hands?”
However, the chief of Kun looked at me and Lacius with disbelief written on his face. Because of this, the war of words stopped for a moment. Feeling mischievous, I deliberately wrapped my arms around Lacius’ neck and pulled him closer.
“If you’re jealous, just say so. No need to be petty.”
“What?”
“Oh my, did you hear that? I must have thought out loud without realizing.”
It seemed that Daphne and the leader of the Kun clan weren’t quite as close as Lacius and I yet. Daphne had been silently looking at me and Lacius with envious eyes. Then, when the chief of Kun chided me for eating from Lacius hand, her shoulders flinched. It was clear that she was envious.
“Daphne, why don’t you come over here?”
Of course, princess-unnie caught those signs faster than anyone else. As Daphne approached her, princess-unnie wrapped her arms around her delicate waist and held out dried figs.
“Here, say ‘ah’.”
“Dioles.”
“Say ‘ah’. Hmm.”
The chief of Kun called out her name in frustration, but Daphne obediently opened her mouth like a little bird. Dried figs fell into her small mouth and disappeared. Princess-unnie then stroked Daphne’s puppy-like fluffy hair with a very satisfied smile.
“Sometimes men can be so uncharming. If you ever think I’m better, you can always leave that guy and come to me.”
Oh my, unnie, your flirting meter is off the charts!
Daphne’s face also turned red, as if she had been consumed by the princess’s older sister’s charm. Lacius laughed lowly, his chest vibrating, and I kissed his cheek briefly, adding to the playful atmosphere.
The only one left feeling frustrated was the chief of the Kun clan, who now found himself sitting alone. Until now, I had thought the fake Geisha was fun to tease, but I did not feel that way toward the head of Kun. However, it has been proven right now that the fake Geisha was simply a clone of his. He was very fun to annoy.
“It’s time to return to Terran. This stay in Lakurum has been too long.”
“That’s right. Some of the other royal families have already returned to their countries.”
“Well, we did achieve our goals here… so it wasn’t entirely unproductive.”
The princess smiled and glanced at me, her gaze briefly flickering at the bell I had placed beside me.
‘Eh, was the bell your goal all along? From the beginning?’
Though I couldn’t fully grasp unnie’s intentions, it was surprising. Even I, who had read so many books, didn’t even know something like this existed, so how did the princess know? Of course, the princess’s knowledge of this world is much greater than mine.
“Nia, try it on me. That.”
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