I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Kiruen’s deputy and childhood friend, Melin, asked.

“Captain-nim, why are you using up all your vacation days?”

“Just because. I’m going to meet a cute kid.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“I wish I did.”

“If it’s not a boyfriend, why are you so excited?”

“Am I excited?”

“You’re obviously very excited.”

Melin narrowed her eyes. This was a very suspicious situation.

“If it’s a cute kid, is it younger than you? What do they look like? What’s their personality? Tell your older sister everything.”

“It’s not like that.”

Kiruen sat down on a chair and pondered for a moment before opening her mouth.

“What would an eight-year-old girl like?”

“Ah, are you also one of those famous doting aunts, Captain-nim?”

“Something like that.”

The two women, who had lived their entire lives as warriors with swords in their hands, put their heads together and pondered.

“Since it’s a girl, lightweight armor would be good, right?”

“No. She’ll be offended if she receives that.”

“Offended? Why?”

“Don’t you remember? I cried a lot when I received lightweight armor for my tenth birthday.”

“Ah, right, I remember. Why did you cry back then?”

“It felt like I received it because I couldn’t wear heavy armor. I cried because my pride was hurt.”

“Ah……!”

Kiruen made a face as if she had gained a profound realization.

“Now that I think about it, that could be it.”

“Think back to when we were young. What was the gift that made us the happiest?”

The two made eye contact.

Because they were friends and comrades who had spent their entire lives together, their hearts connected at once.

They shouted simultaneously.

“The Zhanmadao we received for our eleventh birthday!”

“The giant Zhanmadao we received for our eleventh birthday!”

That Zhanmadao was actually too big and heavy for an eleven-year-old to handle, so it wasn’t practical, but it made them feel great.

“The Zhanmadao was a gift of style and swagger. It had an aura of intimidation.”

“Right. We should go with that. As it happens, she’s very well-developed for an eight-year-old, so she won’t be much different from when we were eleven.”

The two women gave each other a thumbs-up, convinced they had reached the perfect conclusion.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Isabel was a little bewildered to receive the Zhanmadao as a gift.

‘She’s giving me such a huge sword?’

It looked so vicious that she didn’t even want to touch it.

Even its name was Zhanmadao（斬馬刀）.

‘But she brought this gift because she was thinking of me……’

Isabel, who was sensitive to people’s gazes, could read Kiruen’s eyes.

What was contained in Kiruen’s eyes was pure goodwill.

‘I have to pretend to be happy.’

She decided to focus on the heart of the person who prepared the gift rather than the gift itself.

Thinking that way, her heart calmed down, and joy surged in.

“Thank you, Unni. I’m so touched that you prepared such a wonderful gift for me!”

Seeing Isabel’s reaction, Kiruen felt a sense of pride.

This was the privilege of the gift-giver.

Indeed, the Zhanmadao was undoubtedly a gift of style and swagger. Seeing how much she liked it proved it.

‘Next time, I should give her a super-sized halberd（axe-spear） as a gift.’

Kiruen, having successfully completed the gift-giving ceremony（?）, tilted her head.

“But this is a rather unfamiliar combination, isn’t it?”

“My older brother said he wanted to have dinner with you, Unni.”

Kiruen looked at the 3rd Prince, Kaman, with a puzzled expression.

Kaman’s expression was not good.

“It doesn’t seem like the 3rd Prince-nim has ever done anything like that.”

“His expression is just fierce, but his heart is actually warm.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes. He really likes you, Unni.”

Kaman still seemed to be in a bad mood, frowning slightly as he sat in his chair.

No matter how she looked at it, he didn’t look like someone who had feelings for another person.

Kiruen read his expression.

‘Is he suffering severely from Eighth-grader Syndrome?’

He was at the age where that could be the case.

He was always cold, but he seemed particularly cold today.

“It’s good to see you again, Prince-nim.”

Nod.

The 3rd Prince, Kaman, simply nodded his head in response.

Kaman was always like that, so it wasn’t particularly new.

“I heard that Kiruen-unni was Older Brother’s swordsmanship teacher?”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I just taught him swordsmanship for a few months.”

Looking at Isabel, who was sending her a ‘You’re amazing! You’re really, really amazing! You’re the best!’ look, Kiruen felt a great sense of satisfaction and contentment simultaneously.

This was undoubtedly the power of the Zhanmadao.

‘I made the right choice giving her the Zhanmadao.’

Isabel continued.

“I don’t know for sure, but that was probably the best moment of Older Brother’s life.”

“……Don’t define the best moment of my life as you please.”

Isabel was not discouraged by Kaman’s cold attitude.

“Let’s have dinner together!”

“Why should I?”

“Because we’re family.”

Kiruen felt a little sorry for her.

‘The words Kaman hates the most are family, affection, and things like that……’

It seemed that Isabel was trying very hard to become close to Kaman.

But in Kiruen’s eyes, her methods were completely wrong.

Because Kaman was not a person who valued abstract values like family affection.

‘But it’s a growing pain she has to go through once.’

The Bilotian Imperial Family was very different from ordinary families.

Family love, friendship, and things like that. It was a bloodline that was too cold and harsh to expect such things.

‘I hope Isabel doesn’t get hurt too much……’

Isabel, unaware of Kiruen’s feelings, smiled brightly and said.

“Yuri is preparing a wonderful dinner.”

“……”

“It’ll be super delicious.”

“……”

“You’ll probably regret it a lot if you don’t eat it.”

Isabel approached Kaman, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him along.

“If it’s not delicious, I won’t bother you anymore, Oppa. I promise.”

“……”

Kaman didn’t seem particularly happy, but he didn’t refuse outright.

‘I have to eat anyway.’

Kaman saw the back of Isabel’s head as she walked briskly, holding his wrist tightly with her tiny hand.

Even though she was holding on tight in her own way, she was still very weak.

‘She’s so weak that it’s embarrassing to even shake her off.’

He relaxed his body, recalling the moment she had fallen backward earlier.

Sensing that, Isabel’s steps became lighter.

“Hehe, I’m excited.”

It was a realm that Kaman couldn’t understand.

What made this little girl so excited?

‘Is she that serious about food?’

✦✦✦✦✦✦

As Isabel had confidently claimed, the meal Yuri prepared was excellent.

It was good enough to be compared to the Imperial chefs.

He could kind of understand why Isabel was so excited.

Kaman wiped his mouth with a napkin and said.

“It’s quite good.”

The desserts that came out after the meal were especially impressive.

It was a sweetness that even Kaman, who didn’t particularly like desserts, would remember.

Isabel rubbed her stomach and smiled brightly.

“Ah, I’m full!”

“I’ll get up now that the business is done.”

Kaman didn’t like this feeling of being swayed by Isabel. It felt like his inner thoughts were being stolen.

“Oppa, I have a question. Did Kiruen-unni teach you swordsmanship that well?”

“……”

Kaman looked at Kiruen.

It was Kiruen who felt embarrassed.

“Your Highness. I just passed by for a while……”

“Kiruen was an excellent warrior.”

She was also talented at teaching. Until she assaulted her superior, she was a promising talent.

“Then can I learn swordsmanship too?”

Since she couldn’t practice Bilotian swordsmanship, she wouldn’t be as skilled as ordinary royalty, but that didn’t mean she had a disease that prevented her from holding a sword.

Holding a sword was perfectly possible.

“King Valkio said it will take him three days to arrive. Can you be my teacher for just that long, Unni?”

Isabel said that while watching Kaman’s reaction.

To Isabel, Kaman was a fish.

‘Take the bait!’

Kaman didn’t have many happy memories.

If he tried to recall a few good memories, it would be the picnic he went on with his mother when he was young. And the few months he learned swordsmanship from Kiruen.

That was Kaman’s only memory.

That was the area Isabel was touching upon.

“I wonder if I’m worthy of teaching Your Highness…… I think I need to get permission from that Viaton guy…… I mean, Sir Viaton, who’s in charge of Your Highness.”

Kiruen was already eager to play with her niece（?）.

Kiruen jumped up from her seat.

“I’ll go get permission through amicable conversation and agreement. Please wait a moment.”

She said amicable conversation and agreement, but she couldn’t understand why there was a murderous aura in her eyes.

Isabel decided to quietly ignore the murderous aura.

Kiruen, who returned a few minutes later, said that she had smoothly obtained permission.

Kiruen, happy to be able to play with Isabel, burned with passion.

“Now that we’ve eaten, shall we try some training?”

“Yay!”

Isabel also jumped up from her seat.

She said excitedly.

She hadn’t thought much of it until now, but it suddenly became interesting.

The young body found every experience new and enjoyable. Isabel said with genuine excitement.

“Older Brother, come with us!”

“Why should I?”

“Because it’s the first time I’m holding a sword and learning.”

“So what?”

“It would be nice if the person who’s with me at the first moment is family.”

“It’ll be a memorable gift!”

Kaman frowned.

Her constant nagging was very annoying, but she also looked like a baby sparrow.

“Can’t you be with me? Please? Please?”

Maybe she looked like a baby kitten too.

That was also his old self, the one that was now gone, in his diary that had burned to ashes.

Kaman wasn’t aware of it, though.