Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Day and Night #6
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“Look at this. Butterflies are fluttering around.”
Mirna seemed in high spirits as she strolled down the flower-lined path bathed in warm sunlight.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had smashed a mirror and thrown a fit just that morning.
Maybe she was doing it on purpose.
She was putting on a deliberately bright front to show everyone she was fine. It was entirely plausible.
Tap, tap.
“Hey, what the hell is up with her? What's her game? She looks like some flower-brained miss straight out of a fairy tale...! It's creepy...! Next thing you know, she'll want to have a tea party...!?”
After walking the path for a while, Elga finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
Elga was trembling as if Mirna's uncharacteristically ladylike demeanor had given her goosebumps.
It was understandable—Elga was used to Mirna's usual haughty airs, but today she was like... well, a girl who had stepped out of a storybook.
That casual, rough-around-the-edges Elga must have hated it.
But to Aira, who had once been an elegant and cheerful princess, today's Mirna seemed like a perfect match. Aira pointed toward a distant pond.
“There are pink lotus flowers blooming in that pond over there. I often come out for walks to see them. They're fully open today.”
“How beautiful. Lotus flowers blooming profusely on a pond gently reflecting the sunlight.”
Aira and Mirna had barely spoken before. Mirna had never been fond of Aira or the Tarantara family.
“Look over there. Aren't those mandarin ducks floating around?”
“Lady Draco, those aren't mandarin ducks—they're thunder ducks. Be careful not to mix them up.”
“Thunder ducks?”
But today, they looked like fast friends. Aira hadn't changed, so it must have been Mirna.
It was common for someone who had done something shocking and impulsive to overcompensate with exaggerated behavior they'd never normally do.
Like a couple breaking up and hitting the clubs they’d never usually go to, shaking it off in some self-soothing frenzy.
That was when Mirna spoke up.
“How about we sit in the shade here and have a tea party?”
“Eek—!”
Elga finally snapped, letting out a shriek like a nymph who'd been flicked on the forehead. As everyone's eyes turned to her, she cleared her throat with a loud “Ahem.”
“Looks like lunch isn't sitting right. Need some fresh air. Hey, Theo. Come over here and pat my back.”
“Ah.”
“Hurry up—.”
With Elga growling at me, I had no choice but to step away.
But before I did, for Mirna who had suggested the tea party and Aira who seemed to agree, I pulled out a parasol and mat from my squirrel storage inventory and spread them on the ground.
* * *
“Hey, what the hell is this? You all plotting behind my back? Are you messing with me? Wanna die?”
We had rounded a corner out of sight. Now alone, Elga unleashed a torrent of questions at me.
“That Mirna—she's like a totally different person! Is she doing it on purpose? To mess with me? You were talking to her alone earlier. Explain what's going on.”
Peek.
Elga poked her head out from behind a tree.
Her blue eyes reflected Mirna and Aira under the tree shade, elegantly laughing “Hoho” as they spread out the parasol and mat, chatting away.
━Thunder ducks are so round and cute. I raised a few in the palace gardens.
━I should get some for my villa too.
Seeing that, Elga dragged her palm from her forehead down her face.
“They're chatting about thunder ducks now. What the hell do thunder ducks have to do with anything? You all planned this without me?”
Elga seemed convinced it was all a scheme to prank her. From her perspective, maybe. But I was just as baffled.
“Honestly, I have no idea what's going on either.”
“Mirna's acting like a whole different person, and you expect me to believe you know nothing, Theo Gospel? Don't lie.”
“......”
Elga's trust in me was rock bottom. She was dead certain I was behind it, pulling strings from the shadows.
What did she think I was, anyway?
“I really don't know anything. But it seems like Lady Mirna has some circumstances she can't talk about. We'll figure it out in time.”
“So you're saying you're innocent too?”
“Yeah.”
Not one hundred percent, but close enough.
If we stayed away too long, it might cause misunderstandings. I dragged the still-grumpy-looking Elga back to the parasol.
Aira spotted me and said,
“Theo, the palace entertainment officer. On such a fine day, sitting in the shade makes me wish for a fun game. Got any ideas?”
Aira was asking for a new board game.
She must have gotten bored of the last one, Magic Bull. Good thing I'd made a bunch in my spare time.
I pulled some wooden blocks from my inventory. Aira asked,
“What's that?”
“You stack them up like this.”
Rustle, rustle.
I skillfully built the stack. Elga, still sour, snarked,
“It's just block-stacking. A kids' game. Why pull this out?”
“It's not just stacking. You take turns pulling out blocks one by one. Whoever makes the tower fall loses.”
Jenga, in simple terms. To a 21st-century guy like me, it was old hat, barely entertaining. But to these bored young ladies, it'd be fresh.
“Pull one by one? Lame, but kinda clever.”
Even Elga, who had mocked it as plain old stacking, seemed a bit intrigued.
She picked up a block and asked,
“Hey, what's written on these blocks?”
The one Elga held read: “Spin around three times and bark like a dog.” Punishments I'd painstakingly written for the loser.
“If you pull the block that makes it fall, you do whatever's written on it.”
“What? Then we gotta check them all out first?”
Just as Elga reached for the blocks,
Aira flicked her hand—whoosh—and they all formed a neat, rectangular tower. She'd used telekinesis to build the Jenga tower perfectly.
“Hey, I wanted to see the writing.”
“Knowing the punishments spoils the fun. Games are exciting because you don't know what's coming.”
“Hmm—.”
Elga grumbled in reluctant agreement. I explained the rules simply.
“No telekinesis or magic. Hands only. And rebuilding the tower if you knock it over counts as part of the punishment.”
And so, probably the world's first Jenga began. Hopefully, it'd calm Elga, Mirna, and Aira down a bit.
Sloooowly.
“......”
Even grumbling Elga focused intently as she pulled a block.
When everyone's immersed in a game, I finally get a breather.
Like a mom handing her kid a smartphone?
It hit me: these playful games were a great way to tame the young ladies.
「Proper Guidance!
Gained ‘Trainer’ job experience. +50」
「Friend of Beasts!
Job: Trainer level up.
Trainer Lv. 8 → Lv. 9
Your hand is the whip. Praise is the rewarding carrot.」
Trainer experience after ages. Nice.
With the level up, I could observe more leisurely.
Slide.
Aira delicately pulled a top block with her slender finger. She made it look effortless for a first-timer.
But the thrill is in the shaky bottom ones, twisting out the precarious blocks. Spotting that, Elga targeted the base—
Crash!
The tower finally toppled. Mirna held the last block. She looked stunned that she'd caused it.
But Elga was more dramatic.
“Serves you right, Mirna. So, what's the punishment?”
We all eyed the block in Mirna's hand. It read: “Flick on the forehead for everyone.”
“Perfect. I've wanted to do that forever.”
Elga snapped her fingers against Mirna's forehead.
Snap—.
“Ow—!”
The clear ring echoed improbably from a forehead.
Mirna rubbed her reddened bump, eyes tearing up. Elga had hit too hard. I figured she'd complain, bracing to cover my ears.
But,
“Alright, next round then. I won't lose this time.”
Mirna surprisingly accepted defeat gracefully and started rebuilding. Elga, who had flicked her, looked puzzled, furrowing her brow.
“What? That reaction's so bland. Kinda suspicious.”
“Punishments are part of the game. You thought I'd get mad over that? How immature, Lady Lioness.”
“Whatever.”
The game continued until we were hooked on Jenga.
As evening dusk settled, the tea party wrapped up. Time to head to our rooms.
Mirna, gazing at the sunset, said wistfully,
“How about dinner together?”
She'd played hardest all day and still brimmed with energy.
“I'm good. Got training.”
Elga bailed first.
Aira, yawning beside her, wiped sleepy tears and said lightly,
“I'm sleepy from all the chatting today. Let's do this again sometime.”
With that, we tidied up. Everyone had snacked during tea time, so they skipped dinner and headed to bed.
At her door, Aira grabbed my arm quietly.
“Keep an eye on Lady Draco tonight.”
“Watch her?”
“Yes. People acting out of character often meet sudden ends.”
I'd heard sayings like “change your habits and it's time to die.”
Even Aira, who hadn't said much today, knew Mirna was off.
“Got it. I'll keep watch.”
With her order and my own concerns, I decided to spend the night in Mirna's dorm.
“Sir Theo. I'll lay out bedding on the floor, so sleep there.”
“Understood.”
“I'll wash up quick. Wait here.”
Mirna headed to the bathroom. But she soon peeked out at me, something wrong.
“No toiletries at all. Got any?”
“Ah.”
We'd tossed them when cleaning up the broken mirror earlier. I quickly bought toothpaste, toothbrush, and such from nearby and handed them over.
Mirna emerged after washing.
“You can use them now, Sir Theo.”
“Thanks.”
I was about to wash off the day's sweat under the blazing sun when I noticed something off about the toothpaste tube I'd just bought.
Slide.
The tube in my hand was neatly squeezed from the very end.