Translated by Jyzciel

It's been 43 days since I started living in the countryside.

I found myself in a situation I couldn't quite comprehend. Feeling a bit lost, I could only manage a hesitant smile.

Yesterday, I ended up hosting the Little Emperor at my place for the night.

No one from his entourage bothered to pick him up or even came searching. And before we knew it, the day had drawn to a close.

At that point, I decided to let him experience the life of an ordinary person with a homestay vibe. So, we made hamburgers for dinner together. He seemed to really enjoy them and even asked for seconds.

He casually mentioned that he needed to learn how to make hamburgers for the palace cuisine. Maybe there will come a day when hamburgers become part of royal cuisine.

After that, it seemed like everything was a series of surprises for the Little Emperor. He was puzzled by the small size of the family bath, and he marveled at the fact that hot water came out when you turned the faucet.

Surely, he must be used to bathing in a very large bath, something like water gushing out from a lion's mouth? But everything he saw seemed fresh and enjoyable. I was glad he was having fun.

Since there were no pajamas for a young boy, he ended up wearing one of my oversized T-shirts. It hung loose on him, looking rather cute.

When I finish from the bath, the beautiful boy was sitting on the veranda, savoring ice cream while gazing at the stars. It was a picturesque scene in itself, but there were droplets falling from his hair.

"Oh... you should really dry your hair properly; you might catch a cold."

I hurriedly wiped the boy's hair with a bath towel. He then mumbled shyly.

"Sorry..."

"Mm." I gently dried his hair with a hairdryer.

Apparently, he usually gets his hair dried by magic. Perhaps wind magic?

After that, we played cards together until bedtime. We lined up our futons side by side and decided to sleep together. It felt a bit like a school trip, and it was quite enjoyable.

At the head and foot of the futon, Kinako and Kuro-mame are lounging comfortably. Schnappy apparently wanted to join in as well, but it was a definite no.

He's probably back at his usual spot, sulking.

When we were about to call it a night, we got into our futons and turned off the lights. Even though it should be too dark to see, I felt like I locked eyes with the beautiful boy, who had a serious expression.

"Lady Rinsakura... Thank you." He said, expressing genuine gratitude.

"Thank you for the enjoyable time as well."

"I will never forget today for the rest of my life." I hesitated for a moment in response.

Usually, it would just be a casual invitation to come again and make pancakes together. However, this person probably knows that a second time is unlikely to happen, and I couldn't bring myself to lie about it.

"I might remember today every time I eat pancakes." I added, trying to lighten the mood.

I deliberately said it with a playful tone, and I heard him swallowing nervously.

"That would be an honor." The Little Emperor seemed delighted, squinting his eyes.

And now, here we are.

Is it normal for the entire house to be surrounded by an unknown royal guard within seconds of opening the shutters? Moreover, all their weapons and gazes were directed at me. It's a different kind of fear from the time with the Giant White Snake.

Schnappy must have resisted.

He was wrapped in a shining net-like thing, completely immobilized.

Yet, he was still desperately struggling to come to my side, and then someone was trying to stab him with a spear to stop him!

"Hey, don't rough up my pet out of nowhere!!" I couldn't help it!

I complained to the self-important hawk beastman, but he completely ignored me. If it's come to this, I'll speak up!

"Why are you suddenly coming into someone's house? What's your intention?" Then, for the first time, the hawk beastman lowered his eyebrows and spoke.

"What's your intention?" Huh? Me?

Just as I was about to retort...

"Lady Rinsakura, what's happening?"

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, the little emperor appeared on the veranda.

"Your Majesty! It seems you were captured after all!"

"Huh?" Wait, am I being accused of kidnapping the Emperor!?

I turned pale at that thought.

"I, your faithful servant Gladeon, have come to punish the insolent and save you, Your Majesty." Saying that, the hawk beastman uncle gazed at the Little Emperor with sparkling eyes.

"..." The Emperor ignored him and smiled at me.

"Good morning, Lady Rinsakura. What's for breakfast? I'm already starving."

Even though no one said it out loud, everyone present must have thought, "Huh?" Eighty percent of the soldiers were like, "Huh? Did the captain just get ignored!?"

The captain himself was genuinely like, "Whaaat?! Your Majesty, why?" His reaction was so easy to read right now.

"Oh, um... What should we have for breakfast? But firstly, who are these people?"

"It doesn't matter." He completely ignored them and led me to the kitchen.

"Captain... get a hold of yourself."

"Captain, please come back!"

Encouraging voices could be heard from the courtyard.

"Hey... this can't go on like this, right?"

"..." The little Emperor looked away with a guilty expression.

"I don't know what happened to bring you here, but I believe causing worry to someone is still wrong."

"Lady Rinsakura..."

"When you go back, talk properly with the Captain."

"Mm..."

After having breakfast, the Little Emperor decided to return promptly.

Misunderstandings were cleared, and Schnappy was safely released.

"Lady Rinsakura, I'm truly sorry." The captain was excessively apologetic.

"Sigh..."

「Gyarororororo!!」

I was angry too, but Schnappy's rage was even more intense. It seemed like the Royal Guard might be wiped out at this rate. So, playing the peacemaker, I found my anger settling.

Perhaps for Schnappy, losing was far more frustrating... Since this day, the treatment of Schnappy towards Noam and the other Knights has become noticeably harsher.

Also, those referred to as the kitchen staff, protected by the Royal Guard, began visiting frequently. I wish Schnappy would stop engaging in battles every time they came.

How much stronger will this child become, I wonder...

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