Chapter 39

Pai leaned forward to bend, but Laub stepped in.

"I'll do it."

He gently picked up Lirika, now able to hold her steadily.

Pai, partly to support Attil, said,

"If you're curious about what they were talking about, ask His Highness."

"Oh, right."

Lirika nodded. The group quickly arrived in front of the Black Dragon Chamber. The black, glittering dragon carved on the door was a piece of onyx craftsmanship.

"Now put me down."

When Laub set Lirika down, Pai opened the door himself. The inner entrance was already open.

Bran came out to greet them with a light step.

"Welcome, Princess."

"Hi, Bran."

After greeting, Lirika curtsied.

"Hello, Prince."

Attil's eyebrow arched at the formality. However, he didn't say anything. He had his reasons.

"Sit down."

When Lirika sat, Bran soon brought out a long glass filled with ice cream. Layers of wild strawberries preserved in sugar were stacked between the vanilla ice cream.

At the top was a sugar-made wild strawberry candy. Lirika couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Wow—"

A hint of pride flashed across Attil's face. He extended a long silver spoon.

"Here."

Lirika took the silver spoon, and Attil explained.

"Just lightly break the candy and eat it."

Lirika tapped the wild strawberry candy with the spoon, and it cracked, releasing a red syrup. Lirika marveled again.

The day was still hot, so the coldness of the lemon sorbet quickly dissipated. She had even broken into a light sweat during the walk. Lirika enjoyed the wild strawberry syrup vanilla ice cream with delight.

"It's really delicious."

At Lirika's exclamation, Attil bit his lip and said,

"I knew it."

Lirika looked at Attil. As expected, he was trying to suppress a smile. When their eyes met, his expression softened.

"Is it good?"

Lirika nodded obediently.

"Yes."

It's delicious, so it's delicious!

"Take your time, Princess."

Bran, standing beside her, worriedly added. Lirika's movements slowed. She didn't want to get a stomachache.

"Has the bleeding stopped?"

"Yes."

Lirika nodded and turned to Laub.

"I had Sir Laub throw him onto the roof of the cottage."

"Oh."

Attil, though thinking it was a superstition, didn't say anything. He found his little sister's cuteness in her enthusiasm. He glanced at Bran, who smiled.

Bran had prepared this ice cream. Attil's trust in his aide naturally increased.

When Pai sat down, Bran brought out two glasses of iced tea. Lirika asked,

"Your Highness, you're not having ice cream?"

"It's fine. You eat more."

At his words, Lirika tilted her head and then scooped up a spoonful of ice cream.

"Still, sir."

Attil was taken aback but then opened his arms. Lirika ran over and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you."

Attil pressed her cheek and said,

"But don't forget that he's a boy."

We are family, connected. He's different from someone outside the family tree.

That much needed to be clear.

Lirika nodded.

"I understand."

"Really?"

"Yes, Attil always comes first."

At Lirika's straightforward words, Attil bluntly nodded.

"Got it, then."

As she tried to pull away, Attil asked, "Why?" and lifted her onto his lap. Bran, who had been standing, quickly brought over a cup and spoon.

Lirika tilted her head back to look up at Attil, who lifted the spoon and asked,

"Shall I feed you?"

"No."

Lirika quickly snatched the spoon. The sound of the silver spoon clinking against the glass was cheerful.

Lirika said,

"By the way, Attil."

"Yep."

"We're going to the Sky Palace. What do you talk about when you meet people there?"

"Just talk."

At Attil's indifferent response, Lirika frowned. Her small heel lightly tapped Attil's shin.

"Oh, not that. What do you really talk about? I want to greet people properly when I see them, so I need to know how to converse."

"Do you really need to greet them?"

"If you keep ignoring them, won't your reputation suffer?"

"It's better to not deal with them at all than to do it half-heartedly. Anyway, you'll have to deal with them once you're over ten."

Attil's indifferent words made Lirika nod after some thought. He was right. She might just get swept away if she tried to greet them now.

'I'll study hard for the next two years.'

When she turns ten, she will have to appear in public, whether she likes it or not.

'I need to avoid making mistakes then.'

When her peers look at her with bright eyes, she'll feel guilty, but for now, she'll have to keep it this way.

'With Diare and Fjord, I won't be bored.'

Thinking of Diare made her heart warm. Always honest, clumsy but trying to consider her, Diare was adorable.

Most of all, his lush dusty pink hair was a color that anyone would find lovely. Of course, if she reached out to pet him just because he looked cute, he would probably bite her.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ah, Diare."

"Does he bother you?"

Attil's question made Lirika laugh.

"No."

She leaned into his chest.

"Still, it's nice to know that if I'm bullied, someone will come to my side."

"You said you envied that. So if you're bullied, call me. Got it?"

"Yes."

Lirika nodded. There probably wouldn't be anyone in the palace to bully her, but still.

* * *

A few days later, Uba returned as her mother had said. The items he brought back on his ship caused a huge stir.

Among them, Uba first visited Lirika with a few plants and rare items.

"Uba!"

Lirika ran to him with a wide smile. Uba, who had been kneeling, also smiled and took off his hat to greet her. The feather on the brim was still magnificent.

"I greet you, Princess."

"Me too, I'm so happy to see you again! I'm glad you're safe."

When Uba reached out to lift Lirika, Laub stopped him.

Laub's gray eyes were fierce. Lirika, like a host who hadn't said, "We have a guard dog," was flustered.

"Laub, it's fine. Uba, this is my bodyguard, Laub. This is Uba, the adventurer I invested in."

Laub slowly blinked and then smiled faintly as he greeted.

"I am Laub Wolf."

Uba also greeted.

"I am Uba."

'Ah, another awkward moment.'

Laub's face showed a sense of discomfort. It was hard to point out, so Lirika decided to observe a bit more.

Uba smiled.

"Your bodyguard is right. I'll come back when my identity is more established."

Uba lowered his hand and bowed. His polite tone continued.

"I came to you first, Princess, as you were the one who made the largest investment. Please choose the first item."

"Me? Not Mother?"

"Next will be Her Majesty the Queen."

As Uba stood up and gestured, the attendants quickly laid out the items. They were small potted plants, minerals in boxes, and wooden fruits.

"I couldn't bring everything, so here's a list."

Bran took the list Uba offered and unfolded it for Lirika. Lirika looked at the list curiously and then at the items.

"This is pretty."

Pointing to a mineral that sparkled like a snowball, Uba said,

"It produces beautiful blue flames when lit. They are very bright and last a long time."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Amazing..."

Lirika poked the stone with her finger and then stopped. Such a wonderful and beautiful item should go to her mother. Lirika pointed to a plant with only leaves.

"What's this?"

"This one has a large root like a radish, and it's very sweet."

"A sweet radish?"

"Yes."

Lirika stared at the plant. It wasn't flashy or pretty, so it should be fine if she kept it.

If she planted it around the cottage, she could eat a lot of sweets. When they buy their house later, she could plant it then.

"I'll take this one."

"Understood."

Uba smiled contentedly. Lirika looked at him and said,

"I actually want to hear your adventure stories, but you're going to Mother, right?"

"Yes, if you invite me again, I'll bring all the sweet radishes from the ship."

"Okay!"

Lirika nodded. Uba bowed deeply and then left. Lirika looked at the potted plant.

"Is it very sweet? Bran, do you know sweet plants?"

"I know that sugar is made from sugarcane grown in the south."

"Plants are used to make sugar?"

Surprised, Lirika asked, and Bran nodded.

"Yes, if you're curious, you can look it up in the encyclopedia."

"Sure, I will, I will."

As Lirika prepared to go to the library, Uba met with the Queen.

The items he brought back on three ships were all valuable goods.

Rudia flipped through the list with a content smile. But as she went through it, her expression darkened.

'There's no sugar radish?'

One of the most profitable items from this voyage was the sugar radish. In the south, they had sugarcane, and in the north, they had sugar radish.

Thanks to this, the price of sugar became cheaper, and demand skyrocketed.

And the northern territories enjoyed special benefits.

'And foolish people might start cultivating only sugar radish instead of wheat and rye. Excellent.'

But this plan wouldn't work if the sugar radish couldn't be obtained from the flood.

'Maybe I should be satisfied with coffee? Perhaps my involvement changed the story. I'll bring it on the next voyage.'

Rudia smiled.

"You've really worked hard, Uba. Except for the items I want, let's share the profits according to the contract."

"It's all thanks to Her Majesty the Queen."

Uba bowed deeply.