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Chapter 14
Nearly Blew Up the Royal Palace While Trying to Swat a Mosquito
Pzzzt!
Crack—pzzzt!
The loud, crackling sound of electricity startled me, leaving me momentarily stunned.
“Oh no, this is not the time to just stand around!”
I quickly snapped out of it and called loudly for Her Highness, the princess.
“Your Highness!”
The maid trembled uncontrollably, worried that something serious had happened to the princess. I reassured her and assessed the situation.
“There’s no sign of intrusion from the outside. Then, what on earth is happening inside?”
My thoughts were spinning, so I decided it was best to act before it was too late. If the princess were in danger, I had to rescue her immediately.
“Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness!”
Normally, one cannot enter a royal chamber without permission. But given the urgency of the situation, I risked the breach and opened the door.
Bang!
Inside, smoke filled the room so thickly that visibility was almost impossible.
“Damn it, I can’t see a thing.”
I quickly raised a sleeve to cover my mouth and coughed repeatedly.
“I need to clear all this smoke first!”
Fearing the princess might suffocate, I hurriedly opened the windows wide and waved my cloak around to disperse the smoke.
“The smell of something burning is terrible.”
I focused all my strength on driving the smoke out, flapping the cloak so hard that it made a rough flapping sound.
“Something must have gone wrong with the princess’s safety.”
Determined, I continued to chase away the smoke, and gradually, the princess’s bedroom—once shrouded in thick, acrid fog—began to return to its original state.
“Your Highness!”
Soon, armed knights poured in. Clad in silver armor, they had been startled by the loud noises and rushed over, faces a mix of anxiety and tension, assuming there had been an external intrusion like me.
Cough, cough…
“What a mess.”
I couldn’t stop coughing and turned sharply toward Essian’s voice. He was still on the far side of the lingering smoke, and upon spotting me, visibly relaxed.
“Your Highness! What happened here?”
Essian looked helpless at the sight of me clutching Poppy, grimacing from the smoke and the smell of something burned.
“Are you all right?”
He knelt on one knee near the bed, placing a hand over his chest as a gesture of respect.
“…Yes, of course.”
I avoided making eye contact, uneasy because I was at the center of this incident.
“Search every corner of the room immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
After confirming my safety, Essian immediately commanded the knights.
“Your Highness, you need not worry further.”
He glanced at the remaining wisps of smoke lingering in the room with a serious expression.
“We will find the assassin and punish them severely.”
His face hardened, and he gritted his teeth with a grinding sound.
“N-no need for that.”
Please, don’t. The menacing aura radiating from him made me feel utterly helpless.
“What do you mean?”
Essian’s usually gentle voice now carried weight, and the knights nearby swallowed nervously.
“Damn, was it a mistake to leave the window open earlier?”
I hesitated, noticing the knights waiting by the wide-open door, and my head throbbed as I recalled the panic of the moment.
“I never imagined a mosquito could enter the room.”
An inconvenient visitor—Poppy shooting a beam at a mosquito.
“And recognizing the mosquito as an enemy…”
Flash!
I shivered recalling how Poppy relentlessly targeted it.
Pzzzt—!
The bright yellow beam shot straight from his snout, hitting the mosquito dead-on.
“Stop! I said stop!”
Chaos ensued. Only after the target was reduced to blackened ashes did Poppy calm down, drawing unnecessary attention.
“The intruder in my room wasn’t an assassin—it was a mosquito.”
Just one mosquito escalating into such a big event—it was exasperating. I confessed the truth before things worsened.
“It seems this little one was trying to catch the mosquito while I was asleep.”
Thunk—.
I tugged Poppy’s face, feeling awkward, and he whimpered.
“That over there is the proof.”
The spilled evidence couldn’t be undone, so I pointed to the dark remains right in front of me.
“I’ve lived a long time, but this is my first time seeing a thing that perceives a mosquito as a mortal enemy.”
I pressed my face against Poppy’s soft fur, shedding silent tears in my heart.
“From this, I realize Poppy’s power is unnecessarily immense.”
I buried my face in his fur, thinking:
“Truly a weapon worthy of alchemy. With this, we could even contend with gods.”
Surprised as I was, I decided to make practical use of Poppy’s strength from now on.
“Your Highness, if you wish, I will inform His Majesty.”
Meanwhile, Essian carefully maintained eye contact with me.
“To prevent this in the future, we shall hire a pest exterminator.”
Concern filled his expression as guilt weighed on him.
“I am truly sorry, Your Highness.”
Having finished speaking, Essian shouted to the knights:
“What are you waiting for? Go report this to His Majesty immediately!”
“Yes, Sir!”
They moved decisively.
“Damn.”
Report to Jeff? My unease grew as the situation escalated.
“Jeff won’t make a fuss, will he?”
Even when I had just opened my eyes as a baby, Jeff never left me alone.
Back when I could barely move, he was always in my arms. I shuddered imagining his reaction.
“He used to abandon all duties just to see me.”
As emperor, he’d forego all dignity, crawling on the floor in the nursery to act as my ‘companion.’
“Once he’s informed, he’ll undoubtedly cry and sniffle.”
Knowing his personality, I braced for the impending disaster.
“Already exhausted.”
Head throbbing, I stared at the door, certain that opening it would trigger a nightmare.
Patter-patter-patter…
Soon, footsteps ran quickly down the corridor. I instinctively knew Jeff was approaching the bedroom and swallowed nervously.
Bang—!!
“Darjeeling!!!”
But Jeff’s reaction was slightly different than I imagined. I expected his usual fussing and exaggerated worry, maybe even a kiss, but he appeared pale, weak, and terrified.
“Your Highness… ugh!”
Ignoring everything else, he barreled past several knights.
“Is he angry?”
Despite his age, the noise he caused warranted strict words from the emperor.
“Jeff, remember? I didn’t scold you even when you broke your favorite vase.”
Could he actually scold me now? I was a little nervous; he’d never raised his voice like this.
“I absolutely hate being nagged.”
I braced myself for whatever he might say.
Whoosh!
“Do you know how worried I was? I feared something might happen to you.”
Tears glimmering in his eyes, Jeff took me from the maid and listened to Essian’s explanation.
“I’ll make sure mosquitoes never dare come near your room again.”
“Yes, understood.”
Patting my back in comfort before lecturing—if it were me, I’d scold first. Jeff truly was a natural fussbudget.
Rumble—.
“Would you like to eat something?”
Of all times, my stomach had to remind me it was hungry.
Embarrassed, I kept quiet, then reluctantly looked up at Jeff.
“Yes. Let’s eat quickly.”
“Simple-minded fellow.”
Seeing Jeff’s expression improve, I chuckled silently.
“The royal kitchen has prepared something special for tonight. You may look forward to it.”
“Really?”
Hopefully, it’s not just specially-prepared potatoes.
“Every meal, it’s just the potatoes, and I get so annoyed.”
I hoped tonight would pass peacefully, and lazily used Jeff as a prop to walk faster.
“Hmm~ Actually, today is a special day. It’s an anniversary.”
On the way to the dining hall, Jeff’s excitement returned, humming a tune. Whatever anger he had was gone.
“If it’s an anniversary, there should be lots of sweet desserts.”
No matter—soon I’d have my favorite dishes. My eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“I can already smell the sweetness.”
Images of dazzling desserts flashed in my mind, and my excitement soared to the stars.
“Your Majesty, as you commanded, we’ve prepared specialties from each continent.”
“Yes, thank you for your effort.”
Finally, we arrived at the dining hall.
“Oh!”
After the chef appeared, bowed, and left, my attention was entirely captured by the magnificent feast.
It felt like seeing an angel appear in ancient times, radiating brilliant light from behind their wings.
