Chapter 52

52

"Sherina!"

"Uh-huh."

Why again!

I glared at the princess as I answered, then sighed deeply when I saw the child's cheerful face.

Does she see me as nothing more than a doll?

"Which one of these is prettier?"

First of all, you, who are setting up a fashion show by lining up merchants in someone else's mansion, are the prettiest.

You said that the most shameless person in the world is the most confident and beautiful, and that's you.

On one side, there were boys' clothes, and on the other, girls' clothes, filling the room.

Moreover, the dress the princess held out to me looked like the same dress to me, with only a slight difference in color. It was just a difference between a light blue and a slightly darker blue.

"Which one...?"

Despite my skeptical expression, I obediently pointed to one of the dresses.

"Right! Of course, this one is prettier! I knew you'd know, Sherina!"

"Pfft, they look the same to me. What's the difference?"

"Sherina, you're amazing. You're just like my little sister!"

No, that's not it at all.

'Princess, you were clearly pushing this one a bit more forward.'

You were clearly giving me the answer, and you chose it! Be a bit more honest.

"Sherina, come to the palace next time."

"No."

I immediately shook my head at the prince's presumptuous words.

I'm already struggling just being in the Clownton family.

I don't want to deal with the fierce emperor at the palace.

The previous emperor, who had conquered the continent, had silently stood by the side of the emperor for 20 years to unify the continent, and then in the next 10 years, almost eradicated the traces of war.

However, the first impression of the emperor who achieved such feats was "Huh?"

He didn't seem scary at all, nor did he have any majesty, and his gestures and tone were much lighter than I had expected.

But I could tell from the sudden surge of killing intent that it was the affectionate demeanor of a predator hiding its claws.

I heard that the current emperor had been rolling on the battlefield since he was young, by the side of the previous emperor.

The emperor, who had seen the seeds of a ruler in the prince from an early age, retired early during the war.

Thus, the current emperor ascended the throne at the age of 17.

"R-really? Why!"

"I'm busy."

Why did you put me with such kids?

I want to go see the ruins too.

"Are you busier than me, the prince?!"

Can't I go if I have a top-grade magic stone?

If it's an hour away, I could make two spatial transfers with my A-grade magic stone.

By now, those people should have arrived and killed the guardian of the ruins, so it should be fine to just take a quick look around.

The thought of spending a few more hours in this cramped space with these brats made my stomach churn.

"Ellie, I'm hungry..."

I'm not that bad, right?

"Snack time."

"Snack!"

The princess jumped up from her seat.

"Miss, Vera has brought pudding!"

Absolutely not.

"Vera!"

The moment the sweet smell filled the room, I opened my arms wide and greeted Vera with a big smile.

Each of the prince, princess, and Kaishan had a servant and a maid.

Although the snacks were all different, the one thing they had in common was that everyone became quiet. My ears finally felt a bit less sore.

Vera sat me in a chair, knelt on one knee, and offered me a spoonful of pudding.

"Ah, here."

"Ah-."

It really melts in your mouth.

Soft, sweet, and chewy, it perfectly suited my taste. The generous drizzle of caramel syrup made me feel even better.

The sudden snack time ended in a flash.

Vera kissed my forehead, told me to have fun, and left me in this space again.

As the servants and maids left, the prince strode over to me.

The prince, who had a very mischievous look on his face, awkwardly crossed his arms as he looked at me.

"So, how many classes do you take?"

The prince, with crumbs on his lips, asked me.

Crumbs fell from his lips every time he moved them.

Embarrassed, the prince rubbed his lips vigorously, turning bright red.

"Uh?"

What is he talking about at this happy moment?

"I take 10 classes! Are you busier than me?"

No, I don't take any classes at all.

By the way, didn't that conversation end earlier? You really can't let things go, can you?

But it's impressive that he takes 10 classes at such a young age, around 17 or 18.

I could never do that.

When I glanced at him, he had a strange expression, a mix of resentment and pride.

'Because he's royalty.'

The quality of what he learns must be different from that of commoners.

I shook my head at the sudden thought.

Sigh, being with these kids really drains my energy.

"I'm busy."

I waved my hand dismissively and put a lollipop in my mouth.

I need to go back to my room and do a spatial transfer.

"Where to?"

"To the study room."

I'm off to the land of happiness.

I really didn't like the poor pronunciation.

I returned to my room and took out the magic stone.

My plan was to do a spatial transfer to determine the location and then another to reach the ruins.

'If I could just chant the spell, I could probably go there in one transfer.'

Fortunately, unlike my previous body, this one hasn't fully accepted the dark magic power, so it's relatively easy to draw magic power from the outside.

'Should I try chanting it again?'

Even if it's a bit awkward, the verbal command can still work.

I moved my lips several times and, after a deep breath, opened my mouth.

〈Jonsontan...〉

The ancient language came out poorly.

Let's stop.

'Open the hidden path beneath the inviolable space of the earth, a binding oath that transcends time, and the constraints of the subordinate space.'

I closed my eyes and thought of the spell in my mind.

It's weaker than a verbal command, but it's better than nothing.

Yes, compared to the old days when I could barely float with gravity magic, this is a huge improvement.

The magic power of the magic stone seeped into me.

I simultaneously drew as much external magic power as possible to conserve the magic stone's power.

A purple magic circle appeared on the floor.

"Sherina!"

The door burst open, and the spatial transfer began.

My body was enveloped in light, and Kaishan, who had entered my room, was looking at me with wide, rabbit-like eyes.

"Stop it!"

'Oh, no.'

Just as the spatial transfer was about to end, Kaishan leaped onto the magic circle and pulled me into his arms.

The scenery changed as my body fell backward.

Crack.

Kaishan was holding me tightly, as if he thought I was in some kind of danger.

His grip was quite strong, probably due to his consistent sword training.

'It hurts, you brat.'

As I tried to hit his shoulder, Kaishan tightened his grip on my arm.

"I'll protect Sherina."

I paused.

I stopped the arm I was about to swing and let it drop.

With his face buried in my shoulder, he was trembling and talking confidently.

It was both cute and pitiful to see him fumbling with the wooden sword at his waist.

However, Kaishan didn't run away.

Despite being so scared that he was trembling, he was determined to protect me.

If the person he's protecting now becomes his enemy later, it would be a bitter pill to swallow.

Thinking about Kaishan, who might stand against me someday, I should push him away now.

'I might really start to care for him.'

That would be a problem.

"Sherina, are you okay?"

His red eyes met mine.

They were trembling, but he didn't look like a crybaby.

I thought he was just a kid who got scared over nothing...

"Fine."

I reached out and gently brushed Kaishan's bangs.

'I'm proud of you.'

At least he risked his life to protect his half-sister. Sharent Clownton would be impressed.

If he tried to save his half-sister and the real one got hurt, he would naturally be shocked.

'Your life is more important than mine.'

This kid doesn't seem to understand the difference between right and wrong, though.