Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 19

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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 19. Don’t Call Me a Ruffian Unless You’re Prepared to Date a Hundred Lovers (7)
It wasn’t the sort of spectacle one saw every day, so I held the water bottle horizontally and pressed my face close to Emily’s. Direct observation was forbidden, but a brief glance through such thick glass should be permissible.
Anyway, hmm—I’d overheard something during yesterday’s morning assembly while complaining.
The ringleader of those thugs swarming the Imperial Palace and spoiling for a fight was said to be Aelset, one of the three great powers of the Imperial Kingdom. They were pro-Imperial Family, placing great importance on bloodline.
If they reasoned that I should fall into Aelset’s protection rather than another’s hands, they might have judged it beneficial for the realm.
Looking at it that way, Prisoner’s true intentions became easy to discern. This strike was precisely the greatest evidence that Lorowi had sided with Chiron.
Lorowi, who prioritized the safety of Vishnabel Lorowi Kisomalos above all else—truly the one in the Imperial Kingdom for whom my welfare was most precious—stood alongside Chiron. This meant that my will aligned perfectly with Chiron’s will.
So that’s why they sounded the sirens and issued evacuation warnings to minimize casualties.
It was, in effect, a demonstration explosion. And the fact that my Aunt had poured ten billion Lakma worth of divine power into this display attack meant the new Emperor was exceptionally pleased.
In other words, it was a threat: lay a finger on her, and you’ll face off against Lorowi.
Craaaaaash!
Wow, the Imperial Palace’s city gate really flew spectacularly!
No matter how much Lorowi wanted to flaunt her vitality, there was no need to obliterate a third of the Imperial Palace. Construction work would be endless for a while.
“Quite impressive, isn’t it?”
“Yes! Marquis Lorowi is truly remarkable!”
With this, Aelset’s subordinates would probably settle down. What concerned me more were those currently maintaining neutrality.
Disloyal wretches, the lot of them.
No matter how much of a blockhead the Emperor might be, he’s still the legitimate heir of Kisomalos—yet there’s no movement whatsoever? They’re just sitting idle, waiting to see which side wins before joining us.
“Listen here, you shameless bastards.”
“I’ve committed a grave offense, Your Majesty!”
“Not you, Emily.”
So straighten your knees. I’m in the blanket too! I’m getting dragged along!
I’d already been swept up by the sudden movement, my head buried in Emily’s chest.
I beat Emily as much as her transgression warranted, then crunched on a biscuit. I’d intended to share, but given the magnitude of her mistake, I withheld the treat.
Baaah… bleat, baa, bleat, baaah….
What? That sheep followed me all the way here? I was quite startled, but since the creature clinging to me would be bothersome, I decided to move to a different spot with Emily.
After rolling the blanket back up and rising from my seat, the sheep plopped down in place with a feeble cry.
Baaah…! Baa! Baaah!
That sheep seems to be crying a little, doesn’t it?
But that’s none of my concern.
Paying it no mind, I gathered my things with Emily and relocated to beneath the Zelkova Tree not far from there. After taking a leisurely nap, I headed to the Princess Palace’s Dining Hall to get lunch.

✦ ✦ ✦
Ahhh! Food tastes like honey when you eat it after climbing a mountain!
If my Aunt had witnessed it, she would have been horrified by how ravenously I devoured my meal and even grabbed dessert. I was even carrying an entire bucket of ice cream to share with Emily, when I spotted a familiar face lingering in the hallway of the Princess Palace.
“Marshmallow!”
“Your Highness! I’m relieved to see you looking well!”
“You, of all people! How did this happen? Marshmallow should be in prison! Did you escape? You actually ran away?”
Want my help? Here, grab a spoon and share the ice cream with me.
“An escape? No, Your Highness. When Chiron ascended to the throne, he granted special pardons to several inmates from the Political Detention Center.”
Ah, right. There were plenty of people locked up there, including Marshmallow, purely for the crime of disrespect toward the Emperor. Once the execution date was set, the pardon went through at the same time.
“By the way, you’re carrying quite a load.”
“Yes. I’ve been assigned a new task.”
“Hmm.”
So he got a cushy position at the Imperial Palace through some connection?
But if it’s the Ministry of Finance, that’s near the area my Aunt cleared out. This is the Princess Palace.
“At the suggestion of Tania Listo, I’ve been assigned to oversee part of Your Highness’s lessons.”
“Oh…”
Hand back the spoon. Once we stood under the same banner, but now we meet as enemies.
You’re going up, I’m going down. Our paths diverge.
“Wait!”
I tried to hand off the ice cream bucket to the servants and make my escape, but Marshmallow brazenly blocked my path. His movements were surprisingly quick for someone of his build.
The man pulled something like a pipe tobacco from the bundle of goods he was carrying and put it in his mouth.
“Whoosh!”
Then something remarkable happened.
Wait—there’s a ball on top of the pipe! A ball that looks like a ping-pong ball is floating and won’t fall!
What is that! How did you do that!
What’s the principle?
“Wow! Wow, amazing!”
“If you beat me at a card game, I’ll give you this toy! If I lose, I’ll abandon the lessons and withdraw gracefully!”
Really! If I win the game, you’ll give me the toy and skip the lessons? That’s an absolute win!
You’re really okay with this?
“I’ve always been on Your Highness’s side. Please trust me.”
Hmm… well, that’s true.
Marshmallow had always taken my side. He was the kind of person who would become a doormat if I asked him to. So he wouldn’t betray me.
“Fine! Come along. What kind of card game?”
“Something like a memory game. The rules are simple.”
Hmm… somehow I feel like Marshmallow is smart enough to put me at a disadvantage.
I invoked my status as the legitimate heir of a 500-year dynasty and insisted that Marshmallow play with a handicap. After all, it would be absurd for an adult to play on equal terms with a child.
When I demanded that while I flip two cards per turn, Marshmallow should only flip one, he hesitated for a moment before agreeing and taking the spoon back from me.
“A study room isn’t necessary. Let’s play somewhere comfortable for Your Highness.”
“Excellent! Go tidy up my bedroom!”
I could just spread a blanket beside the bed and eat ice cream while we played.
I distributed spoons to Emily and the attendants, then began the game, scooping ice cream directly from the bucket.
They said it was a game similar to nerve exhaustion, but the rules themselves were simple. Red cards had numbers written on them, and blue cards had corresponding words. For example, when I flipped a card with the number 4, I just had to flip the matching blue card to claim it as mine.
The pairs weren’t predetermined—it seemed that if I just made the connection sound plausible enough, I could take the cards.
Since I’d already flipped the red card, I flipped the blue card next. It bore the name of Laplace, one of the four absolute deities who created the world. When I connected it to the number 4, Marshmallow clapped and declared the card was mine.
“7012, so 7012… Uh, wasn’t the First Industrial Revolution around this time?”
“Unfortunately! The First Industrial Revolution began after the 7200s! Now it’s my turn.”
Ugh, this game is killing my brain!
The connections worked however you wanted, but the numbers could represent years, quantities, or even dates, so the possibilities were endless. And whether I got it right or wrong, Marshmallow would launch into these exhaustive explanations that made my head feel like it was about to explode.
What kind of game lasts nearly two hours without ending!
Fed up, I flipped the red card sharply. I saw the number 1031 and immediately flipped the blue card.
“Herein! The day the deity enshrined in our home visits the underworld!”
“Correct! Since Your Highness has collected more than half the cards, you’ve won!”
Finally! It’s over!
Though I’d won the game, I was completely drained and collapsed on the floor.
Marshmallow placed that toy mouse in my hand and bowed respectfully.
“Then, today’s lesson concludes here. I shall see you again tomorrow.”
“….”
Wait… what?
“…!”
Did I just get tricked again?

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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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