Chapter: 743
Everything’s hard at first, but after that, it gets easier.
It’s a little silly to complain about a kid coming over to play, but anyway, the prince’s visit to our mansion was not just a one-time event.
“Tebbu! We’re here!”
“Aww!”
“Welcome, Your Highness Crown Princess. I’m glad to see Crown Prince is healthy as well.”
“Uuu!”
Every third time the Crown Princess visits, the prince tags along. Today, the prince was snugly tucked in the head maid’s arms, grinning at my greeting, flapping his arms excitedly.
Each time I see him, it makes me smile for no reason. Until now, all the blonde kids I knew were impactful in different ways—like the Emperor, the Second Prince, and Ainter. Now, my heart has added the prince to the list of ‘blonde kids.’ Just look at how cute and pure he is!
Thanks to that, my feelings of annoyance I used to have when thinking of the Emperor are fading away. I mean, my heart is calming down because I’m now thinking of the prince, not just the Emperor.
“Your Highness, I have prepared someone to attend to you today.”
“U-uh!”
The prince tilted his head at my words.
It’s quite amazing that not yet one year old, the prince seems to understand me. Is he a genius, or did he just happen to tilt his head randomly?
‘Is this how kids are?’
Thinking back, the Crown Princess and even my own kids seemed to understand a bit of what was said to them from a young age.
Of course, when I’d speak in long sentences, they’d blink their eyes blankly or show no interest, but when I’d speak briefly, they’d react in their own ways—laughing happily or tilting their heads curiously.
Or maybe they were just picking up on the expressions or tone of voice rather than the content of the words being said.
‘Who cares, really?’
Pushing down the sudden question, I held out my concealed hand. Regardless of whether the prince understood me or not, he was sure to be delighted by this next act.
“Today, I present you with your attendant, Peep!”
“I’m humble, master. How far has my name fallen…?”
The little creature perched in my hand—no, Humble murmured in a bitter voice.
“Uuu!”
But that bitterness didn’t reach the prince.
Among the spiritual beasts, Jangsaeng was on the smaller side, but Humble was even more overwhelmingly tiny. The moment this small, precious creature appeared, the prince’s eyes sparkled, and his sluggish arm movements became more vigorous as he waved them in the air.
“I’m glad you like it.”
With such a passionate reaction, my smile deepened.
As expected, the anticipated response came through. I always knew offering Humble would please the prince.
“Your Highness, would you like to touch it?”
“U! U!”
As I gently nudged Humble forward, the prince stretched both his hands toward it, as if throwing a tantrum to have it now.
“Be careful how you handle it!”
“Master, how about watching that splendid hand movement again? If you get caught by that hand, I’ll—aargh!”
Before Humble could finish, he was caught in the prince’s grasp.
Being a little child, he seemed to be lacking in strength control, so Humble let out a horrific scream. However, based on my experience, that scream was more of a performance combined with a little dramatization for playing with the kids.
‘No matter how much he lost his divinity, he was once a god.’
Spiritual beasts have indeed fallen from immortal beings to mortal forms, from majestic gods to cute little animals. However, as evidenced by them speaking human language, these guys are far from ordinary animals.
One of those distant characteristics is their robust physique. If they weren’t as sturdy, about three or four of the spirits would have gone to Enen’s side by now. They’ve been through quite a lot these past few years.
“Hang in there.”
So, I silently cheered on Humble from within.
You can endure this, Humble. You are the pride of our mansion.
“Tebbu, Tebbu!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I need an attendant too! Attendant!”
“Sure! Who would you like to play with today?”
“Jung-gyeol!”
I nodded eagerly at the Crown Princess’s request.
Jung-gyeol, once known for his gluttony, is now a hikikomori leisurely investing half his day sleeping. Among our spirit beasts, he’s the laziest and yet the most relaxed.
However, because he takes the form of a little fox, he’s often used as a living fur scarf by the children.
“Actually, Jung-gyeol fell asleep waiting for Your Highness.”
“Really!?”
Of course, it was a lie. Jung-gyeol isn’t the type to wait around playfully.
“Of course! He would be so delighted if you woke him up since he waited eagerly for your arrival.”
“Wow!”
But what can I do? If it means bringing a little happiness to the Crown Princess, then I need to sacrifice Jung-gyeol.
Although the Crown Princess won’t just play with Jung-gyeol, if she chooses him as her attendant, he will be the primary focus, easing the burden on the other spirit beasts and reducing their whining.
“Jung-gyeol! I’m here!”
The Crown Princess ran off beyond the corridor, not even knowing where Jung-gyeol was.
After watching her happy face with the head maid, I received the prince nestled in the head maid’s arms.
“Thank you for your help today, Master.”
“There’s not much to ask. It’s only right for a Master to assist.”
Snuggling close to my chest, the prince blinked his eyes.
“Aww!”
As if to say he’d be back after a quick break, he waved one hand vigorously at the head maid.
The other hand was, of course, still holding onto Humble.
*
The plain view of a mansion is just so much fun!
It was already nice, but it’s even better with Carolus here!
“Jung-gyeol feels the same, right!?”
“…Yeah. I guess.”
Just as the Crown Princess cheerily said, Jung-gyeol who was dozing off jumped up in surprise as I arrived.
Even Jung-gyeol seems to agree with me. Everyone must love Carolus!
“Big sister.”
– Arf!
“Pedi! Pidi!”
“Where’s Carolus?”
Pedi’s words brightened my day. Pedi likes Carolus too!
“Carolus is with Peep!”
“Peep?”
“Humble! But today he’s Peep!”
Since Tebbu called him Peep, then today he’s Peep for sure!
“Then let’s go meet Peep.”
“Yup!”
– Arf!
So we agreed to that. I wanted to play together with Pedi and Carolus.
So, we had lunch, played, ate cookies and chocolate, and then returned to playing again,
“Uuuu…”
“Carolus?”
Now it’s time to go home, and Carolus seemed off.
“It seems like the Crown Prince took a liking to Peep.”
“Peep?”
At Tebbu’s words, I looked at the Peep that Carolus was holding.
Peep is so cute! Just adorable, and I like Peep too. Not just Peep, but also Titi, Jangsaeng, and the others are all fun too!
“Carolus! We have to go home now!”
“Uuuuu…”
Upon hearing my words, Carolus shook his head vigorously and lay down on the floor.
“Oh dear. It seems you want to play more.”
“Carolus! No! We have to go home!”
“Uuu!”
It seemed like Carolus was feeling a bit upset, so I got a bit annoyed too.
I want to stay longer at the Tebbu house! I want to keep playing with Pedi and the other kids and the animals!
But Dad and Mom said they’d be back home for dinner. It’s important to have dinner together…
“Carolus! Get up!”
“Uuuuu!”
“Hey! If you keep this up, Peep might get abandoned!”
“No, why is it I get blamed here…”
Trying to lift Carolus, but he felt heavy.
Wow, Carolus is amazing! He was light before, but now he’s heavy! He’s growing up fast!
‘Oh no.’
I laughed a bit, but laughing isn’t right. Mom said to be serious when she gets mad.
But… Carolus growing up fast… isn’t that a good thing…?
“I guess there’s no helping it.”
“Huh?”
I looked at Tebbu’s words.
“I can’t give Peep to the Crown Prince, but instead, I have something to give him.”
“In place of it?”
“Yes. Of course, there’s also something for the Crown Princess, so I’ll give them together.”
Tebbu, saying he has a gift, vanished and soon returned with two small dolls.
“These are dolls of Jangsaeng and Peep. Do you like them?”
“Yup! They’re cute!”
“And what about you, Your Highness?”
“U…”
Carolus also looked at the dolls that Tebbu brought and released Peep from his hold.
Of course, Carolus is such a good child!
*
A somewhat unexpected report came in.
“The prince threw a tantrum at the Minister’s mansion.”
“It wasn’t a tantrum; it’s just that he showed great interest in the animals kept by the Minister—”
“You don’t need to sugarcoat it. It’s perfectly normal for a little kid to throw a tantrum.”
At that, Lord Roman, who was reporting, lowered his head in silence. It would be burdensome for him to say the prince had thrown a tantrum in front of me.
However, despite Lord Roman’s feelings, my thoughts on this unexpected behavior didn’t change. The prince, who usually smiles brightly and enjoys company, throwing a tantrum—that’s not a common occurrence.
At the same time, it made me happy. After all, the fact that the prince has something he likes enough to throw a tantrum about means he’s growing up. I had been a bit worried that he only smiled all the time.
“Lord Roman.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
“Do you know why the prince has taken a liking to the Minister’s mansion?”
“Well, it seems to be because of the animals kept by the Minister.”
“Is that so.”
Nodding at the explainable matter, it made sense. The Minister’s animals can talk, and they possess intelligence not much different from humans. It must be fascinating even for adults, let alone children.
“It seems he showed a particular interest in the chicks.”
“Chicks?”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
I inadvertently directed my gaze towards the yard.
Nugget, Pride, Oven had worked hard to breed over the last few years, and a substantial number of eggs have hatched into chicks, which have since grown into fully mature hens. There are dozens of chicks bustling around in the yard now.
“There are plenty of chicks here as well.”
“But only the talking chicks belong to the Minister.”
That wasn’t wrong. I nodded again this time.
After Lord Roman left, I reached out toward one of the chicks scurrying about in the yard.
– Peep!
Even a common little chick immediately recognized its owner who feeds and takes care of it daily, and it hopped onto my hand, chirping away.
A talking chick. A talking chick…
“Kefellofen.”
– Peep?
“Livnoman.”
– Peep peep!
Hmm.
‘This isn’t going to work after all.’
Out of curiosity, I tried teaching the chick a few words, but it only continued to chirp.
It’s a shame. It would have been great if the chick that the prince liked was also at the Imperial Palace.
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
After petting the chick a few times, I gently set it back down in the yard.
It’s regrettable I can’t give the prince a gift, but obsessing over something impossible is foolishness.
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