Chapter: 606
It’s already been ten days since the Crown Princess started visiting our mansion.
“Did you come again today?”
“Yep.”
Finally, Erich, who had been waddling around the room, walked out.
Erich, the weakest among the ladies, fainted on her wedding day and had such a fragile constitution that her honeymoon ended in just a week—obviously, she took a while to recover. After spending a cozy week, she had to struggle for ten days. Such a rare sight that no other lady could match.
‘Is this what they meant by setting a record?’
Seeing Erich finally looking somewhat peaceful made me smile. While other ladies might have struggled during couple time, none were so weak that daily life became impossible. Even with a sore back, they could still make it to the dining hall for meals.
But Erich just stayed in her room, lying down alone in her rest. Such an unreasonably fragile sight.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just worried that if I poke you, you might collapse.”
At my words, Erich chuckled and poked my side.
“Do I look that pitiful and innocent? Do you think I’d fly away if you didn’t keep me close?”
“Not fly away, but rather drop dead it seems?”
Despite my correction, Erich puffed out her chest with pride.
Wrong. She’s already not listening to my words.
“By the way…”
I gently pinched Erich’s cheek as she continued to poke my side. I couldn’t hold her lips if I wanted to get an answer.
“Are you okay to move around now?”
“Y-yeah…”
Satisfied with her response, I quickly let go of her cheek.
That’s enough. There was someone anxiously waiting for Erich to come out of her room.
“The Crown Princess was looking for you. I said you went somewhere else for a bit since you seemed sick.”
“Huh? The Princess?”
“Yeah.”
With my dull reply, Erich shrugged her shoulders in pride.
“Hehe, I guess the Princess has fallen for my charm!”
“Such chaotic times we live in.”
It’s a pity that the Crown Princess, who should not be involved with the wrong people, has gotten entangled with one. Not enough that she should only see the good in the world at such a young age.
‘…Is she looking for me because of Mom’s friend?’
I soon began to guess why the Crown Princess was looking for Erich.
The most plausible theory is that she’s seeking Erich because she’s a close junior to the Empress. If we consider it that way, the Crown Princess might even see Erich as an aunt.
‘This girl is the future Empress’s aunt.’
Thinking this way made me slightly dizzy. I wondered if the Crown Princess, receiving the gentle and clear education of the Empress, could withstand the spicy flavor that is Erich?
For a moment, I worried about the future of the Crown Princess and the Empire. I hope the Crown Princess doesn’t pick up anything strange from Erich.
As usual, the Crown Princess, accompanied by Pedi, brightened up with excitement upon seeing Erich.
“Woof! Go to Auntie!”
– Woof?
The term “aunt” seemed to confuse Mochi for a moment, but she quickly approached Erich, sensing the cue.
What an impressive sight every time I see it. It seems like she’s never heard the word aunt before.
“Auntie! Hello!”
“Hello, Your Highness!”
With the Crown Princess’s cheerful greeting, Erich bent her knees and smiled brightly.
“Auntie! I missed you!”
“I missed you sooooo much too, Your Highness!”
“But why didn’t you come to see me?”
The Crown Princess puffed her cheeks like she was sulking, and I slyly glanced at Erich.
Since there’s a connection between Erich and the Empress, it’s natural there’s one between the Crown Princess and her too, but I never expected her to receive such affectionate treatment from the Crown Princess. Not just any aunt, but quite a close one.
“Hehe, I’m sorry! I really wanted to see you, but I had things to do!”
“I don’t care! You’re a bad aunt! I heard you were going to let me ride a dragon!”
The Crown Princess was adorably complaining, making me smile uncontrollably.
‘What does that even mean?’
She’s gonna let me ride a dragon? What on earth does that even mean?
If someone else said it, I would think they were making a simple analogy, but I couldn’t do that. The Crown Princess is a member of Livnoman, who has close ties with dragons, and the individual who mentioned getting her a ride is none other than Erich, the symbol of chaos.
I believe it couldn’t happen, but what if the dragon the Crown Princess mentioned is a real dragon? What if, unbeknownst to me and the Empire, Erich is secretly raising baby dragons?
‘I shouldn’t be feeling uneasy about this.’
Suddenly, a wave of self-loathing hit me. I know logically there’s no reason to feel this way, but the anxiety wouldn’t go away.
“Then I’ll make it up to you for the time I couldn’t see you!”
“Waaah!”
Meanwhile, Erich and the Crown Princess were bursting into laughter as they continued their conversation.
“Our Princess! Fly! Fly!”
“Waaah!”
Then, while holding the Crown Princess at her waist, Erich raised her arms high to let the Princess feel the thrill of the upper air.
‘So that’s what it was.’
I felt my mind ease quickly. Instead of a dragon, it was a fantasy version of playing airplane.
It’s understandable that since there are no airplanes as means of transport in this world, it’s localized, but isn’t it too savage a name for children’s play? Wouldn’t it have been better to have softened it to butterfly or eagle?
“Fly!”
“Waaah!”
Erich’s hands and the Crown Princess’s body separated for a moment.
The Crown Princess’s body soared through the air.
Then it landed back into Erich’s embrace.
…
“Hey, dude!”
After blankly witnessing that spectacle for about a second, I rushed over.
After all, it wasn’t just a name that gave the game the theme of dragons. This was really a game that could be as deadly as dragons.
“Ugh, why are you yelling all of a sudden?”
“Exactly! It’s too noisy!”
However, despite my reasonable reaction, both Erich and the Crown Princess merely shrugged.
“Auntie! Again!”
“Sure!”
“Not happening!”
I was astonished at how the tiny pure soul was getting swept away by this huge insanity.
‘What kind of fun is there in that?’
If it goes wrong, my neck would get thrown into the mix as well!
Having forced an end to that heart-stopping dragon ride, I wandered around the mansion with the emotionally distressed Crown Princess on my back.
Although I felt a bit bitter, transcending just crawling with the children to being a proper human felt better than the precious Crown Princess being flung around in mid-air.
“Soft! Softer than the puppies!”
“I’m honored.”
Well, I placed a cushion between my back and clothes, so it had to be comfy. I don’t have the fluffy fur that Mochi does.
“Minister.”
“What?”
“I just got out of my room today…”
Then Erich, who was crawling alongside me, murmured in discontent.
“Your Highness. Auntie wants to carry you too.”
“Really!?”
Of course, not even a bit of that complaint would be entertained, so I threw Erich under the bus.
Where does she get the audacity to complain like that? Do they not know who’s keeping their legs moving?
“Auntie! Can I ride you too?”
“Um… well…”
“Can I not…?”
Seeing the sparkling eyes of the Crown Princess, Erich squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.
“Today is centaur playtime!”
“Woohoo! That sounds fun!”
Judging from the Crown Princess’s expression, it seemed like she didn’t even know what a centaur was, but she was excited about the term “play.”
Yeah, if you’re an aunt, you should definitely play like that, not tossing your precious niece into the air. What kind of aunt launches their niece into the sky like that?
‘While the Crown Princess liking such a risky ride is also a bit abnormal.’
Watching Erich and the Crown Princess disappear into the distance, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
It’s normal for someone to be scared when their body is floating in mid-air. That is a universally expected reaction, regardless of gender or rank; any child would naturally exhibit such behavior.
But instead of being scared, the Crown Princess just burst into laughter. It’s like she was born with the incredible courage of both Livnoman and Nyuren blood.
“Master.”
As I got back on my feet and shook the dust off my knees, Sincerity rushed over.
“What?”
“Jangsaeng said to leave him alone and has hidden somewhere.”
Hearing that Jangsaeng, who had been getting beat up by the triplets, was finally escaping made me chuckle.
He must have been sufficiently tortured to the point of having his limits deadened while being subjected to such relentless torture by my cute daughters. What could possibly be wrong with enjoying some fun with them? But given the extent of the abuse, it wouldn’t be surprising if he reached his breaking point both physically and mentally.
“Is he inside the mansion?”
“Of course. With that build of his, there’s no way he could sneak out.”
“Then that’s fine. Let him rest today.”
It would be cruel to catch him right after he managed to escape his torment. It would be reasonable to let him relax for a day.
“Hmm.”
“Is something wrong, Master?”
“You seem to have grown a bit?”
At my words, Sincerity spread its modest wings and opened its beak.
“Did you notice? I’ve been eating a lot lately, so I’ve gotten a bit bigger!”
While it sounded like a direct way of saying he put on weight, I chose not to mention that. He seemed happier than ever, so I wouldn’t ruin that vibe.
“But if Jangsaeng is hiding, who is playing with the kids?”
After giving Sincerity a thumbs up for flapping its wings, I turned the topic naturally.
Jangsaeng was the triplets’ number one pick for playing. If their number one picks disappeared, they might either be searching desperately for him or looking for a new favorite.
“They are showing interest in Plenty. He has a lot of wool.”
‘Plenty, huh?’
I recalled the spirit who had transitioned from famine to abundance.
Fluffy fur, sweet eyes, and a size that resembles a cute little ball of wool when curled up.
“That works.”
Not bad. That spirit would be perfect for playing with the triplets.
At least it’s a spirit that can buy Jangsaeng some time to cool his nerves.
*
I wandered around the mansion with my honorary niece on my back.
‘I’m exhausted…!’
I felt a teardrop almost spill. I’m just out of the room today! I’m a poor lady who just barely started digesting the Minister’s love!
How could I make my beautiful, delicate, wretched lady do physical labor? That’s just cruel!
“Wow?”
“Your Highness?”
While grinding my teeth and crawling around on all fours, my honorary niece seemed interested in something.
“Auntie! Over there!”
As I turned in that direction, I noticed a mat laid in the hallway was suspiciously lifted.
‘What’s that?’
Did it get lifted while someone was running about?
No, it wasn’t on the part where the servants walk, but nearer the wall. It looked like someone had forcibly lifted it to squeeze underneath.
…
“Your Highness.”
“Huh?”
“Shall we see what’s underneath?”
“Okay!”
At my suggestion, my honorary niece responded without a moment’s hesitation.
Indeed, my honorary niece was completely under the spell of my charm. If I’m this charming, then why is the senior preventing the meeting between me and my niece?
“Stay back!”
As I approached alongside my niece, a frightened voice came from underneath the mat.
“Please let me rest! I’ll collapse from overworking at this rate!”
That was Jangsaeng’s voice.
“Why are you underneath there?”
It was an unexpected voice. Wasn’t he the exclusive pet of the triplets?
“Wow! A black puppy!”
“Don’t come over!”
Regardless of my confusion, my niece’s eyes sparkled at Jangsaeng’s voice, and she dashed over.
Oh. It seems my niece also liked him, just like the triplets.
‘He’s quite popular.’
With an appearance like his, it’s no wonder.
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