Chapter 35

"Come on, drink! Good job today!"

"...Thanks."

"Hehe."

There was another pleasant thing.

Dad decided to become Cheshire's guardian, and since then, we've been able to take classes together.

Our schedules were the same except for two classes.

I received special math tutoring from the tower master Oscar, and Cheshire was...

'Learning swordsmanship from Dad!'

I chuckled as I watched Cheshire drink the water.

If Cheshire started learning swordsmanship from Dad two years earlier, she might become a Swordmaster two years sooner.

'This, this... Is it really this easy?'

Everything was proceeding smoothly, just like the original story.

"Cheshire!"

"Yeah."

"Come over here."

I gestured. Cheshire bowed her head and lent me her ear.

"Remember, we promised to do that thing today, right?"

"What? Oh."

Cheshire made a reluctant face.

"Why don't you just go with Uncle?"

"No way! You promised me!"

"...Alright."

Cheshire reluctantly replied.

"Hey! Why are you two whispering? What did you say?"

Leon butted in.

"Hehe. No, no. We didn't say anything."

"Didn't say anything?! Come here. Tell me what you said!"

"Kyahaha! Ah, stop it!"

I ran away as Leon chased me.

Today was the start of Children's Day Festival.

* * *

"Are you ready, troops!"

"Yes, Commander James Brown!"

"......"

At dusk.

Dad, dressed as a commoner, and I, along with Cheshire, secretly slipped out of the mansion.

Dad, looking down at the two little subordinates standing side by side, smiled and turned around, shouting, "Forward!"

At the same time, Dad transformed into James Brown.

It was the symbol of the extras, with brown hair and brown eyes, which I hadn't seen in a while.

"Is this okay...?"

"It's fine, it's fine!"

"Let's have fun today!"

Dad and I led the worried Cheshire out into the city.

"Hyaaa!"

On the first day of the festival.

Unlike the noble townhouses, which seemed unaware of the festival, the commoner residential area was bright and noisy.

Shimmering lights hung from every street, and street vendors selling candies and snacks waved happily.

Children, holding their parents' hands, were immersed in the festive atmosphere and laughed happily.

'Wow, this is a real festival! The nobles are too busy pretending to be sophisticated to enjoy it like fools!'

I smiled inwardly, glancing at Cheshire, who tried to hide her excitement.

I suggested to Dad that we come to the festival today for Cheshire's sake.

'The day Dad took Cheshire to the festival... I can't forget it! What a touching episode!'

In the original story, Dad and Cheshire didn't have a warm father-daughter relationship from the beginning.

Well, it was natural. After losing his daughter, Enoch Rubinstein's personality became as cold as the northern duke, and Cheshire was naturally aloof.

But as you know, Enoch Rubinstein isn't a cold character to the core.

Even though he wasn't affectionate, he always cared for Cheshire and tried to be a real father to her, despite his awkwardness.

“‘Festival.’

‘...Yes?’

‘There's a festival. Outside.’

‘Oh, yes.’

‘......’

‘......’

‘...Let's go out.’

‘Huh?’”

“Puhuhuhu.”

I laughed, recalling the conversation between Dad and the taciturn Cheshire in the original story, which was completely different from now.

"Princess! That's so cute! Should we wear it? What do you think?"

"Wow! I want to be a rabbit! A rabbit!"

We bought headbands with animal faces from a street vendor and put them on, then continued walking.

I was a rabbit, Cheshire was a leopard, and Dad was a bear.

We ate fruit skewers dipped in sugar and watched a clown's magic show, and time passed quickly.

"Hehehe. It's so much fun. I feel great."

"Having fun, Princess?"

"Yup! Cheshire, are you having fun too?"

Cheshire, walking next to me with a heart-shaped face painting on her cheek, nodded.

"...Yeah."

"Hehe."

At that moment.

The front seemed to be buzzing, and six uniformed guards appeared.

And the handsome man with black hair standing at their center was...

'Axion Uncle?'

A face I hadn't seen in a while.

Axion Uncle, the Holy Knight Commander who had been hit with a baton by Mr. James Brown when he appeared, was there.

We almost simultaneously noticed each other.

Axion, seeing Dad, approached quickly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Commander. Working hard, I see?"

Dad greeted him slyly, and the guards behind him widened their eyes.

One guard stepped forward.

"Such a cheeky guy! Don't you know who this is?"

"Enough."

Axion dismissed the guard and glanced down at me.

"Hello!"

"......"

Recognizing us sneaking out to enjoy the festival, Axion sighed deeply and said,

"...My, friend."

"Huh? Friend?"

"Never mind. Why are you wandering around the commoner residential area, acting so undignified? Are you planning to enjoy yourself before your face is recognized?"

"Commander, you're a busy person. Why are you here for security management?"

"It's not that. I'm just investigating something personally."

"Investigating?"

Axion ran his hand through his hair, looking tired.

"Recently, there have been frequent reports of child disappearances in the commoner residential area. I came to investigate."

"What?"

Dad's expression darkened.

'Hmm, there's nothing more meaningless than commoner crime reports...'

I thought, listening to their conversation.

The commoner residential area was practically a lawless world.

Crimes were governed by imperial law only when nobles were involved.

Even if commoners reported assaults or disappearances to the guards, they wouldn't investigate.

'Indeed, what a wonderful uncle. Axion.'

A noble who uses his power to investigate commoner crime cases is like a unicorn in this despicable world.

'Well, only a person as righteous as this can be one of Dad's closest confidants.'

While thinking, Axion finished the conversation and started to walk away.

"Please don't do anything that will get you recognized and quietly enjoy yourselves. The return ceremony is tomorrow."

"We'll be careful. Thanks for the work."

"Uncle!"

I called out to Axion. He paused and turned around.

Running up to him, I took a mint candy from my bag that Dad had bought and placed it in Axion's hand.

"...What is it?"

"It's a refreshing candy. Eat it and stay strong."

"......"

"Bye then!"

I left the stunned Axion and returned to Dad.

Holding Dad's hand, we started walking again, and ahead of us, a crowd had gathered.

"Here, the grand prize is none other than 'Princess Lala's Shoes'! The participation fee is only 5,000 ter! Sign up now for your beloved daughter!"

The announcer's loud voice echoed, and a large banner hung on the stage.

<With Dad and Me>

It seemed to be an event with prizes.

But the grand prize was Princess Lala's Shoes.

'The girls will go crazy.'

The famous fairy tale "Princess Lala's Adventure" had become a hit, and Princess Lala merchandise was popular throughout the empire.

Princess Lala's magic wand, Princess Lala's compact, Princess Lala's shoes...

For reference, these were the shoes I had sung about wanting last year but gave up on because they were too expensive.

"Strong mothers can also participate! The second prize is a 'Rabbit Friend Bunny Bunny Pajama Set'! For adults and children!"

"Princess."

"No, Dad. It's okay. I don't like Princess Lala anymore."

"This is a divine revelation."

"No, it's fine, really."

Dad quickly took my and Cheshire's hands and led us to the stage.

On the stage, about ten teams of children holding their parents' hands were already there.

"Oh, are you the last participants? What are your names?"

"I'm James Brown."

"Mr. James Brown. But..."

The announcer, writing Dad's name on the participant list, pointed at Cheshire.

"<With Dad and Me> is an event for children! You can't leave your child out. According to the rules, all children you brought today must participate. Is that okay?"

"Uh?"

I frowned.

From the way the announcer mentioned that strong mothers could participate, it was clear they would make the participants carry children and stand up or do something like twirling an elephant's trunk...

"Carrying two children will put Dad at a disadvantage!"

"Oh, there's nothing we can do. Little princess. It's the rule."

Cheshire, sensing the situation, interjected.

"Excuse me. I'm not his son..."

"Oh, it's easy! Don't worry, don't worry! Dad will win everything!"

"Kya!"

"Ah."

Dad, with a confident expression, patted his chest and placed me on his horse and Cheshire on his arm.

...Is this really okay?

Although I wasn't interested in the Princess Lala shoes, my competitive spirit was still ignited, and I quickly surveyed the competitors.

Then.

Thud, thud, thud.

A sound like the earth shaking came, and a shadow fell over me.

I slowly lifted my head.

'Wow.'

A huge man with a thick, dark orange beard appeared.

"Hehe. A young gentleman has brought his cute siblings. It's a nice sight. Let's have a fun match, shall we?"

"Oh. You have a great build."

2 meters, no, almost 3 meters tall. His biceps, visible through a tight black sleeveless shirt, were as big as Dad's face.

One punch from that fist would mean certain death!

I was shocked, looking at the size difference in the hands of the two men shaking hands.

'What is this, a monster...?'

How can we beat this guy?