Zap! Crackle!

Zap— Crackle!

Startled by the loud friction of continuous electrical currents, I stood there in a daze.

‘Oh my, this is no time to be standing still!’

Soon after, I came to my senses and called out to Her Highness the Princess in a loud voice.

“Your Highness!”

The maid, fearing something terrible might have happened to the one she served, trembled uncontrollably, unable to calm down. I tried to reassure the maid while assessing the situation.

‘There are no signs of intrusion from the outside. Then, what on earth is happening inside?’

As my mind became cluttered with all sorts of thoughts, I decided to take action before it was too late.

If Her Highness was in danger, I needed to rush to her rescue immediately.

“Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness!”

However, it was forbidden to enter a royal’s room without permission.

Nevertheless, considering the urgency of the situation, I braved the impropriety and opened the door.

Click—.

“!”

The interior of the room I faced was filled with smoke, making it difficult to see anything.

‘Damn, I can’t see a thing.’

I quickly covered my mouth with one sleeve, coughing repeatedly.

‘First, I need to get rid of all this smoke!’

Thinking that Her Highness might suffocate in this state, I hurriedly opened the windows wide and took off my cloak, waving it around.

‘The burning smell is awful.’

I focused on driving out the smoke with all my might, flapping the cloak so hard it made rough fluttering sounds.

‘Something must have happened to Her Highness.’

I gritted my teeth as I tried to dispel the smoke, and thanks to that effort, Her Highness’s bedroom, which seemed like it would be forever covered in a hazy and acrid fog, gradually regained its original appearance.

“Your Highness!”

Shortly after, armed knights came rushing in. The knights in silver armor had all come running in alarm at hearing the loud noise, and like me, they seemed to think there had been an outside intrusion, their faces a mix of anxiety and tension.

* * *

Cough, cough—.

‘What a sight this is.’

I couldn’t stop coughing, then suddenly turned my head toward the direction of Asian’s voice. He was beyond the hazy smoke that hadn’t fully dissipated yet, and when he spotted me, he looked greatly relieved.

“Your Highness! What has happened here?”

Asian, frowning at the terrible smoke and burnt smell, was at a loss seeing me tightly hugging Poppy.

“Are you alright?”

Asian came to the front of the bed, knelt on one knee, and placed his hand on his chest in a show of respect.

“…Ah, of course.”

I trailed off, unable to meet his eyes. This was because I was at the center of the cause of this accident.

“Search every corner of the room immediately.”

“Yes!”

Having confirmed that I was safe, Asian quickly gave orders to the knights.

“Your Highness, you need not worry any longer.”

Asian, glancing at the smoky haze still lingering inside the bedroom, spoke with a serious expression.

“We will swiftly find the assassin and deliver severe punishment.”

His expression then hardened, and he gritted his teeth with a grinding sound.

“Th-There’s no need for that.”

Please don’t. Feeling the murderous aura seemingly flickering dark red, I became even more dejected.

“How can you say that?”

As Asian’s usually gentle voice grew stern, the nearby knights gulped.

‘Damn, was it a problem that I briefly opened the window earlier?’

I hesitated, then saw the knights waiting at the wide-open door in the distance and felt a headache coming on. I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them, recalling the urgency I felt at the time.

‘I never thought a mosquito would enter the room.’

Poppy, firing a beam at the unwelcome guest, the mosquito.

‘More than that, to think it would recognize a mosquito as an enemy.’

Flash—!

Remembering how it wouldn’t stop attacking makes me break out in a cold sweat.

Zap—!

I couldn’t forget the moment when the bright, vivid yellow beam shot out from its mouth, hitting the flying mosquito dead on.

‘Aaah, stop! I said stop!’

It was utter chaos. Poppy only calmed down after its target had been burned to a crisp and turned to dust, drawing unwanted attention.

“It wasn’t an assassin who invaded my room, but a mosquito.”

It’s miserable to have such a commotion over a single mosquito. I revealed the truth before the situation could escalate further.

“It seems this one was catching a mosquito while I was asleep.”

Squeak—.

Feeling embarrassed as I spoke, I pulled Poppy’s face hard, causing it to let out a cry.

“The evidence is right there.”

The spilled milk couldn’t be unspilled, so I pointed at the black mark right in front of me.

‘I’ve lived a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen an object recognize a mosquito as an assassin.’

I silently shed tears in my heart while pressing Poppy’s body firmly.

‘This incident has shown me that Poppy’s power is unnecessarily great.’

I buried my face in Poppy’s soft fur and thought.

‘As expected of an alchemical weapon. With this, I might even be able to face off against a god?’

Separate from my surprise, since things had come to this, I decided to use Poppy’s power here and there in the future.

“Your Highness, if you wish, I shall report this to His Majesty.”

Meanwhile, Asian continued to meet my eyes as he carefully spoke.

“To prevent such incidents in the future, we will hire a pest exterminator.”

Finally, with a face full of worry, he looked guilt-ridden.

“I am deeply sorry, Your Highness.”

After finishing his words, Asian shouted towards the knights.

“What are you all doing? Hurry and report to His Majesty!”

“Yes!”

Everyone moved quickly with a stern attitude.

‘Damn it.’

Report to Jeff? I felt uneasy as the situation continued to escalate.

‘That Jeff, isn’t he going to make a fuss again?’

Jeff had never left me alone even during the period when I had just opened my eyes.

In the days when I could barely move and had to lie down, he always carried me close to his chest, so I dreaded to imagine how he would react when he heard the news.

‘He often neglected his official duties and came to see me.’

Wasn’t he the one who threw away his imperial dignity and crawled on the floor of the playroom, pretending to be a horse himself?

‘No doubt he’ll be a blubbering mess when he gets the report.’

Knowing what kind of person he was, I anticipated his reaction to this situation and waited for the impending disaster.

‘I’m already tired.’

Caught in the illusion of a throbbing headache, I stared intently at the door. I was certain that the moment it burst open, a nightmare would begin.

Pitter-patter—.

Soon, the sound of someone running quickly down the corridor could be heard. I swallowed, sensing that Jeff would arrive at the bedroom before long.

Bang—!!

“Darjeeling!!!”

But Jeff was slightly different from what I had expected. I thought he would make a fuss as usual, excessively worrying and giving kisses, but his appearance as he searched for me with a pale face was infinitely weak and terrified.

“Your Highness… Ugh!”

He, who had no awareness of his surroundings, forgot his composure and even pushed past a few knights with a thud.

‘Is he angry?’

That aside, even though I’m young, I caused such a commotion that it echoed loudly, so I thought that as an emperor, he might have some stern words for me.

‘Jeff, you haven’t forgotten, have you? I didn’t get angry even when I broke that vase you cherished.’

But would he really scold me? I felt a bit tense since he had never raised his voice like that before.

‘I absolutely hate being nagged at.’

I became nervous, not knowing what Jeff would say.

Hug.

“Do you know how worried this father was? I was afraid something might have happened to you.”

Jeff, with a loving face and tears in his eyes, took me from the maid and heard the whole story from Asian.

“I’ll make sure that mosquitoes never dare to come near your room again.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Even patting my back to comfort me first. If it were me, I would have nagged first, but Jeff was indeed a born doting parent.

Growl—.

“How about eating something?”

But why did my stomach have to growl at this moment?

I was embarrassed and kept my mouth shut, frozen, then reluctantly looked up at Jeff slightly and said.

“Alright. Let’s go have a meal quickly.”

‘Simple fellow.’

Does he really let it go like this? I inwardly chuckled as I saw Jeff’s complexion improve.

“The imperial chef paid special attention to tonight’s dinner. You can look forward to it.”

“Really?”

I hope they didn’t pay special attention just to the potatoes?

‘I’m already annoyed enough that they discriminate against potatoes every time we eat.’

I hope today passes peacefully. I immediately used Jeff as a mount, too lazy to walk.

“Hmm~ Actually, today is a special day. It’s an anniversary.”

On the way to the dining room, Jeff, who had quickly regained his smile, chattered in an excited voice. Seeing him even humming, it seemed the emotions shown earlier had completely disappeared.

‘If it’s an anniversary, there will probably be lots of sweet desserts.’

Whatever, anyway, soon my favorite dishes will come out, so I should enjoy them to the fullest! My eyes sparkled brightly.

‘I can already smell the sweetness.’

Images of splendid, sweet desserts flashed through my mind, and my expectations rose to the point of piercing the universe.

“Your Majesty, as you commanded, we have prepared specialties from each continent.”

“Good work.”

Finally, it was the moment we arrived at the dining room.

‘Oh!’

After the chef appeared, greeted us, and disappeared, all my attention was focused on the feast that dominated my vision.

It felt like seeing the radiant light emitted from behind the wings when angels occasionally appeared in ancient times.