Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 187
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 187. How Brave to Begin Ascetic Training from the Northern Region (1)
“Rise and shine, strong and mighty!”
I woke at dawn and cradled a leopard-print Birkin bag crafted by Taeul Jinsa’s designer hands. I’d seen deities and immortals who took interest in fashion carrying this bag around occasionally, and it looked absolutely stunning. Since it was made by Taeul Jinsa, who was an acquaintance of Netcha, technically it was a counterfeit, but I’d only glimpsed it a few times in passing and could barely tell the difference—besides, few people in the Mortal Realm would recognize it anyway. Most importantly, since an Immortal had made it, the craftsmanship was extraordinarily meticulous and durable.
“Pisha, everything’s ready, yes ma’am.”
Baaaa!
Kisomalos was just bringing his body, but had Choco already finished packing? I wondered what was so fast, only to discover that Choco had brought nothing but a sword and a single hip pouch.
“What about clothes? You’re going to manage with just that?”
“We’ll buy new ones if they get dirty.”
“Undergarments?”
“We’ll buy them if needed.”
She’d chosen the local procurement method. If something wore out, she’d simply buy a replacement—this was what the Duke’s House children were like.
“But Pisha, why are you bringing so much?”
“Because I can’t sleep unless it’s a silk nightgown.”
“Your everyday clothes aren’t silk though, are they?”
“No, these are all custom-tailored to fit my body perfectly. If I wear anything else, it’s uncomfortable. When I lift my arms like this, ready-made clothes have gaps at the shoulders.”
“This is what being a Princess means.”
Hey, that’s what I should be saying! We called each other bourgeois and wrote a letter to leave for Father. The thought that Father would monopolize a spectacle he couldn’t witness made Choco grin from ear to ear.
“Emily! Give this to Father later if he looks for it!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
I’d finished packing too. Just as I was about to head out, the Emilys suddenly blocked our path. They seemed to want to ask where we were headed, since I was doing something unscheduled.
“Ah, our destination. Well, if we go to Astiages, we’ll get caught at immigration. So I’ll just become a hostage of the Imperial Family.”
“…Pardon?”
“After that, I’ll escape the Imperial Palace, find Kirke, and come back.”
“Um, so to summarize….”
The three Emilys on weather duty today huddled together and rechecked my itinerary.
“So you’re going to Astiages now, becoming a hostage, then escaping the Imperial Palace, traveling throughout Astiages to find and secure Kirke, and then returning to Kisomalos?”
“Exactly! You understood perfectly!”
“Oh, um, yes, ah, oh….”
The three Emilys, mimicking the Chief Chamberlain with little sighs, huddled their heads together again and whispered before asking me a question.
“Then until His Majesty finds you, Your Highness, should we keep silent about this?”
“Mm, that would be better. No need to cause unnecessary commotion.”
“Yes. We shall do so.”
The Emilys saw me off, and Choco, I, and Kisomalos boarded the Princess Palace’s armored vehicle heading to the Airfield. When I announced we’d be taking off on the Kisomalos Royal House’s private airship, the Captain and First Officer emerged and another round of “um-oh-ah-yes” began.
“So you’re departing now to secure your status as a hostage of Astiages, is that correct?”
“That is so.”
“And His Majesty knows nothing of this—it is entirely the Princess’s independent decision?”
“You understand well.”
“Um, oh… ah, yes.”
Since the Captain and First Officer weren’t Imperial Family, they made me sign a document to avoid facing Father’s wrath. I wrote that this flight was entirely the Princess’s independent decision and that all responsibility lay with Vishnabel Lorowi Kisomalos. Only then did the airship finally begin to lift off, and I quickly took motion sickness medicine.
“Haha, hahahaha!”
After flying for a couple of hours, Choco woke me, saying a telegram had arrived. She reported that Father seemed absolutely furious, and then she boldly read the threatening message aloud.
“Chiron says he’s going to kill both me and Kisomalos!”
“Wait, why me?!”
“And he’s blocked all the bank accounts that I and the Princess can withdraw from, so he’s demanding you return immediately.”
“Don’t worry. I anticipated this and brought plenty of money with me.”
With what I had, I could stay at a five-star hotel for a month. Surely I wouldn’t fail to find Kirke within that timeframe.
I pulled out the Elrod from my bag and used it to locate the direction where Kirke was. It still pointed northward. So she really was in Astiages, then.
We casually ignored Father’s words and flew at full speed toward Astiages. After another six hours of flight, we arrived at the Imperial Capital Airfield, and the Captain identified our affiliation through radio signals before landing. Since he’d announced we were a Kisomalos Royal House aircraft, the Guard Corps had already lined the perimeter around the airship.
“Your Highness, would it be possible for you to use our airship again when you return? We’ll wait here the entire time.”
“If we go back like this, we’ll be executed by our Emperor!”
Sigh—I didn’t even know where I’d find Kirke yet. They wanted me to come all the way back here? That sounded rather troublesome. I calmed the Captain and First Officer, then hinted they should hide at the Ljubljana Golden Temple. Once I returned to Kisomalos, I’d defend them well, and Father’s anger could be avoided.
“Then we’ll trust only you, Your Highness!”
“Please save us! Please, Your Highness!”
They should trust me. Besides, I couldn’t return like this anyway—I’d need to be taken hostage and negotiate with the Empire’s Emperor before we could take off again. I explained this to them and urged them to flee the moment we got clearance.
“Alright, let’s go, Choco! And Merton too!”
“Yes!”
Maaah!
We exited the airship with the carefree attitude of people on an outing. The moment my feet touched the airfield, about a hundred Guard Corps members simultaneously aimed their guns at us, and they all seemed exceptionally alert, as if they’d heard some rumor.
“Arrest me! I, Vishnabel, Princess of Kisomalos, have come to become a hostage of Astiages!”
As I declared my purpose of entry and held up my passport high, the immigration officer rushed toward me, sweating profusely. The woman who hurried over with entry documents and stamps asked again whether I’d truly come to become a hostage.
“You’re absolutely certain you’ve come to become a hostage? That is to say, to be held prisoner by the Astiages Imperial Household?”
“Indeed!”
“Ugh, ah, yes, hostage, understood. I’ll record the purpose of entry as such.”
The woman opened my and Choco’s passports and stamped them with the Astiages Empire seal with loud thuds.
“Well, um, have a pleasant trip.”
“Much obliged!”
“We’ll enjoy ourselves thoroughly!”
After clearing immigration, we stepped outside the airfield to find a tank and Astiages soldiers waiting to receive us. After the soldiers finished a lengthy speech about their duty to protect Astiages citizens from us, they shackled both Choco and me, then threw us into what looked like an armored cash transport vehicle—essentially a mobile prison.
“Please forgive any discomfort, Your Highness. We’d rather not go this far either….”
“It can’t be helped. I understand. Let’s just get moving.”
The Kisomalos forces had ransacked the Imperial Palace once, so the military had no choice but to be cautious. Moreover, the confirmed individual from that incident was Shirley, my attendant, and the person who’d slaughtered the Imperial Palace Guard Corps was suspected to be Choco here. The military had every reason to be alarmed.
As we were transported in the iron cage, we grew bored and all sang rounds together. If there’s one, there’s one. If there are two, there are two. If there are three, there are three. La la la la la la la la la la la.
After singing several rounds with Choco and Kisomalos, just as we were about to start singing “Now the wheat and barley grow,” we arrived at the Astiages Imperial Palace surprisingly quickly.
The moment we entered the front courtyard, I spotted a fluffy cat and gestured for it to come over, but an Imperial Guard member half-sobbing shouted at us.
“Please, just move along quickly!”
What did I even do? Why is he crying? It’s making my heart ache. I reluctantly waved goodbye to the cat and headed toward the Audience Chamber. This place really was just as I remembered it.
Lost in old memories, I walked down the corridor and crossed the threshold of the Audience Chamber, where I met Emperor Astyages. In the chamber, besides the Emperor, there were Imperial Princes and Princesses who appeared to be his children.
“Ha… you really….”
The moment he saw me, the Emperor let out a deep sigh. Then, abandoning all formalities between imperial families, he spoke to me with raw emotion.
“What are you trying to do now, you absolute lunatic.”
No. Again? I haven’t caused any trouble here, so isn’t it strange to attach the word “again” to it?
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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