I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 138

Chapter 138

At dawn on Isabel’s ninth birthday.

Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim saw the cake that Yuri was holding and was slightly startled.

“Oh my……”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve never seen you bake before. Did you make this yourself?”

“……”

Dailtha-nim only looked at Yuri with an icy cold expression.

Yuri flinched and lowered her head.

‘Is, is she angry?’

It was Viaton who rescued Yuri.

“Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim, why are you so embarrassed?”

“……I don’t know what you mean.”

“It’s obvious you’re embarrassed right now.”

“I don’t want to hear nonsense this early in the morning.”

Dailtha-nim turned around and walked away.

Viaton chuckled, but Yuri was still a little worried.

“Is, is she angry?”

“Don’t worry, Yuri. Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim is very embarrassed right now. You know that Dailtha-nim wasn’t always the Chief Attendant, right?”

“I know. She was a great knight who commanded the Imperial Sword Unit, the Black Whale.”

“Because she didn’t follow the elite course as Chief Attendant from the beginning, there are some things she’s not good at. You know that?”

Viaton bent down and whispered very softly.

“When she first learned baking, she broke all the baking tools.”

“Ch, Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim?”

“Yeah. She swore she would never, ever bake again.”

That’s why they never saw her baking.

“But looking at what she made, she must have practiced a lot.”

“You mean the Chief Attendant practiced? I, I’ve never seen her like that.”

“She must have practiced in the early morning when everyone was asleep. You know Dailtha-nim is a terrible perfectionist. She probably didn’t want to show herself failing.”

“……”

“But how embarrassed would she be if you saw her with the cake? She probably wants to hide in a mouse hole right now, doesn’t she? Isn’t that right, Yurimore Bakery’s CEO Yuri?”

Viaton was quite busy from dawn.

It was a small party, but he prepared it with all his heart.

So that Isabel could be happy.

Geomrim Academy strongly criticized Viaton’s actions.

They claimed that the Chief Aide to the Emperor was wasting his energy by focusing on unnecessary things.

“Yeah, so what.”

Viaton didn’t care.

He was slightly influenced by Honey Badger.

“Am I doing this right, Honey Badger?”

『Wrong.』

“Then how do I do it?”

『IDC.』

“IDC? That’s good.”

It was a very unfamiliar word.

He had never heard it before, but he liked the sound of it.

Although Honey Badger and Viaton always bickered, today they were in perfect sync.

『Call me, Tutor Honey Badger.』

“But what are you hiding in your fur?”

『Secret.』

Viaton narrowed his eyes.

Something was hidden in his fur, and he could feel a strong flow of mana from there.

‘As expected, he’s not an ordinary honey badger.’

Even though the interpretation magic wasn’t active, he was expressing himself so freely.

And he even secretly raided the Imperial Palace’s treasure vault.

‘What is your true identity?’

However, he didn’t show it.

For now, he was a colleague preparing for Isabel’s birthday party.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

I think I overslept a little.

“Yuri?”

At this time, Yuri would come and open the window and tidy up my bedding. But today, Yuri was nowhere to be seen.

I got up.

“Where did she go?”

Knock knock. I heard a knock.

It wasn’t Yuri, but Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim.

“Chief Attendant?”

“I will be attending to you in Yuri’s place today.”

“Why? Is Yuri sick or something?”

“No, that’s not it, but there was a very big incident at the Yurimore Bakery, so she took three days off.”

Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim tidied up my bedding and took Yuri’s place.

The Chief Attendant was as taciturn as ever.

“Please sit down.”

I sat down on the chair.

Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim stood behind me with a large comb. She seemed to want to comb my hair.

“I have a short cut.”

“You still need to comb it.”

And then I knew.

Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim’s combing, which seemed perfect in every way, was a little clumsy compared to Yuri’s.

Of course, it didn’t mean she lacked skill.

Because the comparison was with Yuri, objectively, the Chief Attendant was proficient in everything.

“Um, what is it, Chief Attendant?”

“I won’t remove the broccoli. Broccoli is not green poop.”

“No, it’s not that.”

I asked cautiously.

“What day is it today?”

I wanted to check if I was mistaken about the date, even though it couldn’t be.

“Today is April 27th, 522nd year of the Imperial Calendar.”

“Then what day is it today?”

“Traditionally, April 27th was the day when preparations for the midterm settlement in May began in earnest.”

“No, not that.”

“The temperature is a bit lower than usual. The weather is nice.”

Humph, who doesn’t know that.

“I’m done. I’ve applied Alliav oil, so you should refrain from making any big movements for about 10 minutes.”

“Yes.”

“Then please rest comfortably.”

Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim opened the door and went out.

It was just like any other day.

The Arena Palace was quieter than usual.

“Tsk.”

I felt a little sad for no reason.

Last time, Dad congratulated me at 00:00.

“Dad’s not in the Imperial Palace either……”

Mom and Dad said they had a very urgent matter and left the Imperial Palace in a carriage at dawn.

Honey Badger was nowhere to be seen, as if he had gone out to play.

Sir Viaton keeps disappearing somewhere, as if he’s dating Lady Karin these days.

“He promised me he’d always be tired.”

I felt gloomy for no reason.

I went back to bed.

I don’t have anything scheduled today anyway, so I should just take a good nap!

But I have Alliav oil on my hair, don’t I?

It was a hair oil that disappeared automatically after 10 minutes, but it had the characteristic of causing significant contamination to its surroundings before it disappeared.

If I just lie down, it will be difficult to wash the sheets.

“Humph!”

This was revenge.

Revenge for everyone forgetting my birthday.

Feeling grumpy for no reason, I ended up making the mistake of just lying down on the bed.

But something strange happened.

It felt like the Alliav oil was seeping into the bed.

‘Huh?’

I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like some kind of magical reaction was taking place.

“Uh oh? Uh oh oh? Uh oh?”

Suddenly, the bed floated up.

“W, wait! Bed!”

The window opened and the bed suddenly started to fly.

“꺄아아아아악!”

I screamed.

For some reason, the bed soared high into the sky.

I grabbed the blanket tightly to avoid falling.

It seemed like I was being punished for throwing a tantrum.

“I, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

The bed flew so high that it went through the clouds.

‘Uh oh?’

And then the bed started to fall back to the ground.

‘Leaving, leaving me behind?’

I felt like I was going to fall to the ground too.

I had never learned flight magic, but I had to use it to survive.

‘Huh?’

Even though I didn’t cast any magic, I didn’t feel like I was falling anymore.

My fear disappeared completely.

When I came to my senses, I was in someone’s warm embrace.

Up here in the sky.

“……Dad?”

Only then did I come to my senses and look around.

『Cloud Carpet, welcome.』

Honey Badger was standing on the cloud.

Honey Badger didn’t seem to be afraid of the clouds at all.

But as I felt in the Elbe Mountains, I’m afraid of heights.

“Dad, don’t let go. If you let go, I’ll cry. Really, don’t let go.”

When I hugged him tightly, Dad seemed pleased for some reason.

I mean, I’m being serious, but I don’t know why he’s so happy here.

“The child is so scared, what happened, Duke?”

“But Your Majesty is happy right now, aren’t you?”

“……Not really.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a smile without murderous intent in 20 years.”

“……”

I heard that this Cloud Carpet was a surprise gift created by Sister Rovena, Grandpa Teyselon, Sir Viaton, and Lady Karin.

I heard Mom’s voice.

“Isabel is scared, so let’s go down for now.”

Thanks to Mom’s intervention, I was able to return to my room.

Only then could I come to my senses.

“Shall I put you down?”

“No, I want you to hold me.”

If I went down like this, my legs would give out and I would collapse.

As the Princess of Bilotian, I couldn’t show such a weak side.

For some reason, Dad seemed to be enjoying it though.

I was able to see the faces of the people gathered here while being held in Dad’s arms.

‘Mom, Dad, Honey Badger, Sir Viaton, Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim, Grandpa Teyselon, Narmore, Brother Sermon, Brother Kaman, Brother Michael, Duchess Sister Rovena, Lieutenant General Armitel-nim, and…… even Holy King Rahella-nim and King Valkio-nim?’

Sir Viaton stepped forward.

“I’ve organized it with a small number of people, as you wished, Princess.”

“……You call this small?”

“Yes. Usually, a banquet with less than 100 attendees is considered a small and modest gathering. It’s very simple.”

However, the attendees were too impressive for it to be considered simple.

Sir Viaton continued.

“Ah, it’s not over yet. There’s someone else who wants to celebrate your birthday, Princess.”

The door opened.

I saw a girl holding a cake.

She was a very pretty girl with emerald hair and eyes.

“Lia!”

We hugged each other and shared our joy at seeing each other again after a long time.

Yuri, who had said she was on a business trip, was standing behind her.

“Can I hug you too?”

“Of course!”

It was full of my beloved family and friends.

A sense of fullness that I had never experienced in my previous life welled up from deep within my heart.

‘Is it okay for me to be this happy?’

Suddenly, I had a bad feeling.

They say there’s a very wicked god in this world who breaks the wings of those who fly high when they are happiest and makes them fall.

That’s when it happened.

A knight I didn’t know came running in, panting.

“Your Majesty!”

“I ordered you to postpone your report unless it was urgent.”

Looking at the emblem on the knight’s chest, he was a knight belonging to the Black Whale.

He knelt on one knee.

“There is something I must report urgently.”

“Is it good news or bad news?”

The knight bowed his head.

“It’s bad news.”

He continued cautiously.

“I think the Chief Aide and Chief Attendant Dailtha-nim should hear this as well.”