Chapter 57 - Chicks Following Chicken Mabel
57. Chicks Following Chicken Mabel
Whether the news came in late, it wasn’t until late that Daddy came to me.
“…the freak!”
“Not a fweak but an unknown perthon. Not a raid but a sighting.”
“Are you ok-.”
“Ah’m okay.”
Perhaps it was easy to deal with Daddy because I had already been through this with Oscar. Daddy, who was interrupted every time, sighed and looked all over my body.
“You’re okay.”
He was relieved after confirming that there were no scratched on my body. Daddy asked me,
“So, why was my baby in the library?”
It seemed like he was saying ‘you can’t even read’ in his eyes. It was unfair for me, who learned all the letters with self-studying, but I couldn’t reveal that fact.
“Uung. I wanted to see pictuwe books.”
“Picture books? Did you say picture books?”
“Uung?”
“Picture book. Picture book… yes.”
‘No, wait a minute.’
An ominous premonition came up. During a conversation, when Daddy suddenly muttered to himself and began to think about something, an unavoidable headache would arise.
‘Surely, not again?
As if he had made up his mind, Daddy nodded and proclaimed dramatically.
“I will give you all the picture books in the world.”
“…huh?”
“Hey!”
He didn’t listen to me and left the bedroom, calling out to someone loudly.
“Daddy!”
I called Daddy anxiously, but he quickly disappeared without looking back. I stared at my daddy’s back disappearing in an absurd state.
I came back to my senses late.
‘Tree, I’m sorry!’
One more karma was added today.
“I. If I die, I’ll go to hell, right…?”
As I was struggling with the trees that would be innocently sacrificed, I realized that there was nothing I could do. This was because there was no one who can stop Daddy, who made me Emperor even after insisting that I didn’t want to.
How on earth does that kind of nonsense come up in his mind? He’s my dad, but I couldn’t understand.
“Sigh.”
I have to donate the picture books later.
While there were no people in the bedroom, I brought out the genealogy of the Imperial family that I had stolen from the library from the secret hiding spot.
I didn’t need to see my ancestors from the beginning, so I opened the last page.
“Mabel, Ma-be-l… here is it.”
Mabel Gardenia Ermano. And on top was Oscar’s name. I went up one space and looked at the Ermano family.
“Ooh. It’s here!”
And I found just one. Honestly, I was dubious, so I didn’t know I would find it like this. I thought it might not exist.
[Dylan Levy Langard. Renezumi Shu Langard.]
“Good. I only need one, so…”
What I was trying to do was to leave the throne.
Oscar didn’t want to become Emperor even if he had to die, so I had to find another person because being Emperor wasn’t fit for me!
I couldn’t hand the position of Emperor to someone I didn’t know, so I had to find someone who had Ermano’s blood. Cousins.
I didn’t know the circumstances of the Langard Empire, so I didn’t know which of the two was the successor, so I needed to investigate. At least one of the two wasn’t the successor, right?
Just in time, Aiden knocked on the balcony window.
“Come in.”
“What are you looking at?”
“The Imperial Genealogy. There wath something I needed to find. So, about that…”
I put my hands together and looked up at Aiden safely. Then he flinched and stepped back.
‘Why’s he doing that? Are my eyes burdensome?’
I loosened my hands and squeezed Aiden’s hem. It was because it looked like Aiden might run away. Aiden glanced at the hem that was caught in my hand and at my face.
“Aiden. Please do me a favor.”
“Yes?”
“It’s a veeerrryyy impowtant job. If you do it, I’ll give you a grapefruit jam cookie.”
“I don’t need it.”
“No. I’m asking for a personal favor so I have to pay!”
Aiden’s face was dark somehow. Was it because he didn’t want to accept my request?
“You don’t have to do it if ith annoying…”
It’s difficult to find gather birds these days, but sometimes, I can get information if I gathered them somehow.
I quietly let go of Aiden’s hem, and he hurriedly grabbed my hand. Aiden’s hands were cold, so I was surprised without realizing it. Aiden looked down at me.
“It’s not bothersome.”
“……?”
“Not even a little.”
Actually, I felt a little sorry, but it was fortunate that it wasn’t bothersome. No matter how much Aiden’s a knight, our real relationship wasn’t just a master-subject relationship. There was no reason for him to accept my request unconditionally.
“Thank you for saying that.”
“So, what are you requesting?”
“So. Can you investigate Langard Empire? Especially Dylan Levy Langard and Renezumi She Langard.”
“If it’s Langard, the Empire in the west?”
“Ung.”
“I understand.”
Aiden accepted my request without asking anything else. This eliminated the need to call the birds.
‘The birds are scary these days…’
They tried to peck me for not meeting them often. Following the birds, the chicks were also overwhelming.
On the contrary, look at Aiden. Never once did he try to peck me like a bug. Thank you for Aiden.
For some reason, I waved Aiden’s hand while laughing.
“If you do a good job, I will give you a wot of cake!”
“……”
Then, Aiden’s expression darkened again.
‘Is my request actually burdensome…?’
I had to consider seriously whether I was asking for a useless request.
***
Letters to the Emperor flooded in after the founding banquet.
Gustav, who took and checked them, was close to dying.
‘If you don’t want to die, stop sending these!’
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were just insignificant letters saying hello? Unfortunately, most of the letters were proposals. They were impatient to push their sons into the Imperial Family.
“It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel…”
Her Majesty must have been unbearable cute. Especially at the founding banquet, Mabel was a legend. She was so lovely that everyone fell in love with her, so it was enough to become the center of topic at once.
Gustav smiled happily as he recalled Mabel laughing happily.
After a while and coming back to his senses, Gustav looked at the letters.
Gustav had already learned his lesson when he was in a similar situation when Mabel was just one year old.
‘It’s firewood.’
Gustav constantly threw the letters into the fireplace as a substitute for firewood. If Esteban discovered the proposals, only death would await. Gustav wanted to live a long life.
On a spring day, the fireplace in the office was burning hotly. Gustav, who opened the letters eagerly, picked out the proposals and burned them, and then there were only two letters left in his hand.
One was an invitation to a tea party from Emily Javier, and the other was a letter from the Holy Kingdom of Abelardo.
The invitation to the tea party was only said to be sent with best regards, so he let it be lightly. The problem with Abelardo’s letter. Gustav opened it with slight tension. However, unlike his expectations, it wasn’t much.
“Oh, it just a report of the dispatch of new priests.”
It was an agenda related to the Emperor’s education from the agreement three years ago. It was said that a new priest was recommended by the King, Michael Abelardo.
The Holy Kingdom isn’t far, so the priest will arrive soon.
“The priests who’ve come so far have been unpleasant.”
Soaked in aspiration to teach her Majesty well and take her to Abelardo, they all walked in out of their minds. On the contrary, the baby Majesty would finish class with a laugh. What kind of class took place?
“This time, since the priest has been recommended by the king himself, something must be different…”
Gustav muttered quietly and threw the rest of the proposals into the fireplace.
***
“Hmm. Ah’m conflicted…”
I stared at the invitation to the tea party, holding my chin in my hand.
Unlike her cute appearance, Emily’s handwriting was very fluid.
Gustav, who was lingering in the back, added insistently.
“It’s about inviting Your Majesty to a tea party.”
“I see…”
Pretending not to read was quite tiring. I had a strong need to invite a teacher to learn or do something. Even if I went the the library, I had to pretend I can’t read, it’s so annoying.
“Gustav, you know. Ah don’t like Duke Javier.”
“The same for me.”
“But ah like Enrique.”
“……!”
Gustav’s eyes opened wide, and he suddenly began to swish around.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid Young Master Enrique will die.”
“Why will Enrique die?”
“There is such a thing. Your Majesty doesn’t need to know.”
“Ch.”
Looking at Gustav, he didn’t give me a reason. I sighed and looked at the invitation again.
The relationship between Enrique and I was good because we kept exchanging letter. Emily was also kind and cute.
Apart from disliking Duke Javier, the children were really lovely and cute. However, Duchess Donovan’s advice continued to linger in my mind. It meant that it would be better not to get close to the Javier family.
“The date of the tea party is still away, I don’t want to reply right away.”
“Date? Did I tell Your Majesty the date?”
Oops. I hurriedly corrected my expression and looked up at Gustav with a stern face.
“Gustav told me earlier. Stupid. Did you fowget?”
“I did…?”
“Yes. You told me earlier!”
As expected, a person who spoke loudly would win an argument. Gustav scratched his head while muttering ‘I did…?’ and walked out the bedroom.
‘Sorry, Gustav.’
I put the invitation in the drawer and sat down on the bed. Then, the kitty, who was taking a nap curled up, rose her head and shouted.
[What is it!]
“What is?”
[I feel a strong energy. What? Who is it?]
“A strong energy?”
[Oh, it’s gone.]
It was just then, when I was about to question the kitty’s unknown words. Gustav, who had just left the bedroom, returned.
“Your Majesty. A guest has arrived.”
“A guesth? Right now?”
“Yes. The priest from Abelardo has just arrived.”
***
On the left, Daddy. On the Right, Oscar. At my feet, the kitty. And behind me, Lissandro and Aiden were lined up. All together, we headed classroom.
“Why are you all coming? Ith just a few moments.”
I stopped and looked around, dissatisfied. Then Daddy replied, avoiding my gaze.
“Isn’t it natural for the father to follow the daughter, Mabel?”
“Hm.”
As I looked back at Oscar, his shoulders lowered and he replied sadly.
“I’m worried about you, Mabel…”
“Hm.”
[What are you looking at! I’m going because of the energy from before, okay? I’m not following you, okay?]
Aiden and Lissandro were my escorts, so it was natural for them to follow me, so I didn’t question them.
“Sigh…”
Can I really control these humans and the vassals? I wasn’t confident.
The gazes following us on our way to the classroom were really burdensome.
‘This… it’s that. Chicks following the mother chicken.’
Having become a mother chicken, I entered the real world with a heavy sense of responsibility.
“Now, sit down.”
As I stretched out my arms, Daddy lifted me up and sat me down on the throne. Abelardo’s priest, who was standing by, came inside as the humans and vassals took their seats.
The first thing I noticed was the gorgeous gold-colored hair. His head was lowered, so his face was invisible.
‘What the. Why is he so familiar?’
I looked closely at the priest, who tilted his head and introduced himself.
“God’s grace dwells, Yelium. I am called Hael, a servant of God.”
I tilted my head to the other side. It was a voice I heard somewhere.
“Raise your head.”
I gratefully ordered. And gradually, his face was revealed. I gasped and pointed at the man.
Golden hair and red eyes.
He was definitely the unidentified man I saw in the library.
“Him!”
When I tried to shout that he was intruder, a man seemed to gesture to be quiet.
“…him?”
Daddy, whose eyebrows were narrowed, asked quietly. I cried out without knowing that I had to fix it somehow.
“-frog.”
Frog…
(T/N: In Korean, him is 개 and frog is 개구리.)