Chapter 49
Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Imperial Tea Party
- Sneak, sneak...
I stared blankly at the cat that had appeared on my bed, then glanced around cautiously as I inched my feet toward the exit.
'Peep always comes in through the window I leave open, but this stray cat is a different story, isn't it?'
According to Mother, there was a barrier in my room that wouldn't let even a single hair of any unpermitted being enter.
But wasn't this cat lying smugly on my bed without my permission?
"Meow?"
Which meant that cat wasn't just some ordinary stray.
It could be a spy disguised as a cat, or an assassin after my life!
- Piiiiiiiiing!
My thoughts reached that point, and without further hesitation, I activated the large burglar alarm hanging on the wall.
Of course, despite its grandiose name, it was just the whistle Mother had placed for me to blow vigorously if an intruder appeared.
"...Yawn."
But even as the ear-splitting sound echoed through the room, the golden cat occupying my bed merely yawned with an expression full of utter annoyance.
- Boom!!!
As I stared at it in disbelief, suddenly a massive explosion rang out, and my door collapsed forward amid a cloud of dust.
"Kairen!"
The figure who appeared was Mother, standing at the doorway in slightly disheveled pajamas, panting roughly as if she had rushed over.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
She scooped me up into her arms in a panic, checking me over from head to toe before shifting her murderous gaze toward the bed.
"...Ha?"
A moment later, Mother made a dumbfounded face, her mouth slightly agape as she glanced at me.
"A, a stray cat came into the room."
"......"
"M, Mother said to tell you right away if there's an intruder..."
Somehow feeling like I'd done something unnecessary, I mumbled awkwardly. Mother frowned for a moment before suddenly stroking my head.
"Yes, good job."
"...Phew."
"If anything like this happens again, tell me immediately."
Still held in her arms, I peeked up at her and only sighed in relief after confirming Mother's faint smile.
"I'll chase that cat out, so step outside for a bit."
She set me down on the floor and once again fixed her icy gaze on the cat atop the bed.
"Please don't be too harsh with it!"
"......"
"It really looks like a poor lost cat!"
Fearing Mother's hands might get rough, I hurriedly defended the cat, but her expression remained unchanged as she nudged me out the door.
"...Fine, I'll give it a try."
Poor cat. I did my best, so I hope it doesn't resent me too much.
"Haa..."
Astridje sent out Kairen—who kept peeking back at the cat until the end—and closed the door before letting out a deep sigh and walking toward the bed.
"Somehow, you always cross the line."
She glared at the cat, who had been lounging in a sloppy pose until then, muttering coldly under her breath.
"Meow?"
"Planning to deny it to the end, are you?"
But as the cat tilted its head with an expression that said it had no idea what she was talking about, Astridje's eyes suddenly flushed red.
- Whoosh...!
The next instant, the quill pen on Kairen's desk rocketed toward the cat at an insane speed.
- Crunch...!
But just before the nib could touch the cat, a golden flash suddenly filled the room, followed by the sound of something being crunched repeatedly.
"......"
As the light faded, what appeared on the bed was a massive lion with a golden mane, large enough to fill the entire bed, mane fluttering.
"...You know this counts as treason, right?"
The lion spat out the quill it had been chewing onto the floor and, astonishingly, spoke in a tone dripping with annoyance. Astridje's face turned murderous as she aimed the remaining quills at the bed.
"So the golden-haired one was you, Justina."
"Haha, who else could it be?"
"The hero's power granted to you wasn't meant for petty burglary like this."
Even in that situation, the Emperor—who had reverted to human form—lounged sloppily on the bed and began making excuses while gazing calmly at Astridje.
"I was merely inspecting a minister's residence as Emperor."
"......"
"Haha, so you should've told Kairen the imperial family's secrets ages ago."
Astridje shot back with a look of disbelief.
"It was your imperial family that designated that information as a taboo known only to the family head."
"What, that's kinda touching. You actually kept such a taboo."
"Taboos exist for a reason. Breaking rules on a whim leads to the collapse of the system."
The Emperor scratched his ear with a bored expression at Astridje's sound argument, then grinned slyly.
"Well, thanks to that, I even got groomed by Kairen yesterday. Every nook and cranny."
"Tch."
"Well, now that I've been caught, it'll be impossible from now on."
And a brief silence filled the room.
"...You're really the intruder, right?"
"Haha, have you been fooled all this time?"
"Hard to believe. You, who's so consumed by laziness that you've abandoned state affairs—what could possess you to do this..."
As Astridje began her interrogation with eyes full of suspicion amid the silence, the Emperor awkwardly changed the subject.
"Anyway, it's been a while since I've been in this room."
As the Emperor continued, Astridje's eyes darkened slightly, her pursuit halted.
"Back when you were holed up in this room without friends, I was the only one who snuck in like this to play with you."
"Don't bring up the past."
"Hm, so even our memories are just stories of the past..."
As Astridje clearly exuded discomfort and cut him off, the Emperor sighed and shifted topics again.
"Then how about a slightly different story? Something about the present."
At the same time, the Emperor's expression turned faintly serious.
"The Holy Church's movements are unusual."
Astridje's face grew serious as well.
"Reliable intel says a prophecy has come down to the Holy Church for the first time in centuries."
"That's new information to me."
"And because of that prophecy, the Holy Kingdom has split into two factions."
In the now-heavy atmosphere, the Emperor quietly crossed his legs.
"So, be careful."
"......"
"A massive, invisible current might soon sweep over the world."
Gazing steadily at Astridje, he added quietly,
"And your son is likely to be caught right in the center of it."
The moment those words ended, a faint murderous intent flickered in Astridje's eyes.
"But he's really your biological son, right?"
"......"
"Probably no one is closer to you than I am, and I've never even seen that husband of yours..."
The Emperor, watching Astridje silently, suddenly asked out of curiosity.
"Get out if you're done."
Before he could finish, a quill tip grazed his cheek and embedded in the wall. His eyes widened slightly as he let out a wry chuckle.
"...Haha, you flip out the moment that topic comes up. Just how many berserk switches do you have?"
But Astridje had already turned her head as if issuing an eviction order.
"Well, I have no intention of denying that Kairen is your biological son. Those crimson eyes inherited without a contract are proof enough."
Though it was somewhat rude toward the Emperor, he didn't mind as he rose and walked quietly to the window, continuing,
"Still, you should properly come clean about the truth of the incident ten years ago someday. Astridje."
The moment those words ended, the room filled with light again, and the Emperor transformed back into a small cat, slipping out the window in an instant.
"......"
In the brief silence that followed in Kairen's room, Astridje quietly walked to the window and murmured lowly while gazing at the sky.
"...The moon is bright tonight."
Her expression was slightly downcast, unlike her usual unflappable self.
Several days after the golden animal invaded my room and caused chaos, the day of the Crown Prince's tea party arrived.
"Heave-ho."
After bidding farewell to Mother and the servants as I left the Belverk Ducal House, I predictably fell asleep in the carriage and stretched as we arrived at our destination.
"Welcome, Young Master Kairen."
"The imperial tea party is this way."
As I blinked in a daze for a moment, imperial maids opened the carriage door and bowed.
"P, please take good care of me!"
"...Y, yes."
Unlike the Belverk maids, they seemed a bit intimidated by me. As I followed their guidance, a system message popped up before my eyes, steeling my resolve.
[Chapter 2 Main Quest]
> Make 3 or more new friends (0/3)
> Rewards increase with additional achievements!
The Crown Prince's tea party made me a bit uneasy, but according to the invitation, it should be packed with promising talents.
Thus, it was the perfect venue to clear the newly updated Chapter 2 main quest.
Well, even without the system quest, more friends were always better.
I'd just ignore that obnoxious Crown Prince as much as possible and make a ton of friends.
"Um, over there."
With my resolve firm, I stepped into the imperial tea party hall with slight tension, but...
"Th, this is the right place for the imperial tea party...?"
My enthusiastic greeting faltered as I froze in bewilderment.
"......Huh?"
The tea party hall, supposedly full of promising youths, was utterly empty, dust swirling in the air.
"......"
And the only one there was the Crown Prince, sitting slumped at the head of the massive tea table with a dejected expression.
"Hah."
As I stared in confusion, he suddenly lifted his head, eyes widening as he shot to his feet.
"You came, Kairen!"
Tears even welling in his eyes, he spread his arms and approached me.
"Haha, my new friend!"
"...Ack."
"I knew you'd come! Hahaha!"
Wait, no way. Did no one else show up to the Crown Prince's tea party except me?
"Let's have some fun today!"
As I backed away with that thought, I spotted the maids signaling me desperately with pleading faces and sighed, stopping in place.
'I wanna go home already.'
Not the sort of thing a kid not even ten should say, but it looked like I was screwed.