Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 44

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 44. The Fatal Weakness I Never Knew Because I Only Lived in the Imperial Palace (4)
I hummed cheerfully as I entertained the Imperial Kingdom’s nobility, and once the banquet reached its peak, I slipped into the garden for some fresh air. As dusk settled and the streetlamps flickered to life one by one, the atmosphere became absolutely delightful.
Meow.
Gasp! A cat in the upper left!
Following the meow, I turned my head to find an extraordinarily white and beautiful cat perched atop a fence post. This one wasn’t some wretched stray—it was absolutely gorgeous. Those blue eyes sparkled like precious gems.
Meow!
Since the cat initiated contact first, surely it would let me pet it? I scrambled across the Maze Garden and climbed the fence post. But before I could reach the top, the cat bolted, and I bounded after it with rapid footsteps.
“Kitty, here kitty!”
Chasing the cat, I emerged at the Maze Garden’s exit. Beyond the grass, I spotted what looked like a crimson barrier—clearly some sort of security device. I’d read in books that the Astyages Empire’s Imperial Palace, situated in the heart of the Capital, employed such mechanisms to prevent unauthorized entry.
“Kitty! Here, kitty!”
Had it fled far away? Hoping it might be hiding nearby, I peered behind the trees and under benches, but neither sight nor sound of the creature reached me.
“Ugh.”
The cat seemed to have vanished. I should head back.
“Hey! That’s a gravity security barrier!”
I spun around to find the Little One—who appeared to be trying to grab me—was none other than the Fifth Prince I’d vomited on days earlier. The Little One, having sprinted at full speed, couldn’t stop due to momentum and shrieked as they vanished beyond the barrier.
“…?”
What? The Little One just disappeared? I waited ten seconds, hoping the Fifth Prince might return, but the child never reappeared.
“Diplomatic… responsibility.”
They followed me and went missing—isn’t this an international incident? Am I going back to prison?! They said it was a gravity security barrier, right? If it’s just gravity, shouldn’t it only make things heavier? Why did a person vanish?!
On impulse, I thrust my hand toward where the Fifth Prince disappeared. My fingers touched something cold. Startled, I withdrew my hand, which dripped with moisture.
“Wow….”
Beyond the barrier is water? Did the Fifth Prince fall into water? If they drowned, wouldn’t that be my responsibility? As a Fifth Prince, there must have been attendants who saw them following me. Unlike some illegitimate Boy Hero, if a legitimate son of the Empress dies entangled with me, it’s catastrophic. War.
“Haaah!”
The more I deliberated, the shorter the Prince’s life became. Making a swift decision, I leaped over the security barrier. Space rippled with a sensation of distortion, my breath caught, and I felt the flow of water. This wasn’t stagnant water—it felt like a gently flowing stream.
“Gack! Blub-blub!”
Ahead, I spotted the Fifth Prince floating in the water. They appeared unconscious, which was fortunate—they wouldn’t thrash about, so I just needed to drag them to shore.
“Gasp!”
Fortunately, the water wasn’t deep. I dragged the Fifth Prince and swam only briefly before my feet touched bottom. Continuing through the shallows, I soon emerged from the water.
“What, it was just a stream?”
Now that I’d left the water, it was barely worthy of the name—just a modest Stream near some village. Had the Fifth Prince drowned here, they would have become the Imperial Family’s laughingstock.
“Phew.”
But where exactly am I? It’s definitely not near the Imperial Palace. For one, there was no such stream on the route to the Astyages Imperial Palace, and the mountains surrounding this place suggested we were nowhere near the Capital.
In short, we’d undergone spatial displacement like magic. Did the gravity security device malfunction? If a wormhole formed from some twisted mechanism, I could rationalize this phenomenon. Creating a wormhole through gravity would require astronomical mass, so attributing it to magic seemed more realistic.
“Boss! Aren’t these little ones connected to the Merchant caravan we just hit?!”
Damn! Why does everything pile on at once! Though one person shouted a single phrase, I could deduce much from it.
First, the word “boss.” Whoever spoke was a member of a Bandit Gang, and the Fifth Prince and I were likely surrounded by these criminals.
Second, “we just hit.” This Bandit Gang had fulfilled their purpose by robbing a passing Merchant caravan.
Third, the suggestion that we were connected to the Merchant. Probably because we wore fine clothes. The Fifth Prince and I wore garments of quality difficult to obtain even among the upper classes, but to these bandits’ crude aesthetic, we likely appeared as wealthy children in their finery.
If they’d merely robbed the Merchants and spared their lives, there was hope for our safe return. We could slip into the Merchant group, relocate to safety, then send word to the Imperial Family to retrieve us. The Merchants had to remain alive.
“Boss! Should we kill these brats too?!”
Ah, why! Why did you kill them! Don’t you plan to continue your business at this crossroads! The Empire has vast lands and a large population, so perhaps human lives are as light as tissue paper to you! The bandits of the Kisomalos Empire keep squeezing merchants for profit, so they only take tolls and leave them be!
“We must eliminate all loose ends. Kill them!”
Kyaaaaaaah! I was just enjoying an elegant ball at the Imperial Palace, and now I’m suddenly a dead woman walking!
I quickly surveyed my surroundings and devised an escape plan. Smoke rose from not far away—likely from a merchant’s carriage or supply wagon they’d attacked. It was common for merchants’ children to accompany traveling merchants, but I couldn’t pose as one. Besides, they’d already said to eliminate all loose ends. If they killed my parents, what would stop me from tracking down these bandits later and destroying them?
Yet I couldn’t reveal our true identities either. Threatening an Emperor’s Son and a Princess would be an unforgivable transgression—three generations of our families would face annihilation. Better to kill us outright and use our bodies as fertilizer than invite such disaster.
“Wait a moment!”
I stretched out my arm and called for time before the bandit could swing his blade. The Bandit Leader and some of his gang turned their attention to me. I spun an elaborate lie.
“This person and I are legitimate heirs of a noble house! You don’t want to invite the vengeance of spirits by harming legitimate bloodlines, do you!”
I’d disguise us as minor nobles—the kind worth negotiating with from a bandit’s perspective. A mid-tier or high-tier spirit protecting the household would be appropriate. It was common for those who harmed legitimate heirs to face a spirit’s vengeance.
Spirits and gods, like all powerful beings, bow before those stronger than themselves and swagger before the weak. They wouldn’t challenge someone of higher standing, but this Bandit Leader likely had no powerful backing. If he’d had even a mid-tier spirit serving him, he’d be a renowned brigand across the continent, not robbing merchants in these rural outskirts.
“Hmm, why was a little noble mixed in with a merchant caravan?”
I had to choose my words carefully here. One wrong narrative choice and my head would roll. I quickly—but only after considerable thought—seized upon a plausible story.
“Well, my family situation is rather complicated!”
“That happens often enough.”
Indeed. It was common for legitimate bloodlines to manifest in collateral branches, leading to threats against their lives.
I emphasized this point and wove a tale of being safely transported to a secure location hidden among the merchant caravan.
“I am a legitimate heir! If you send me home safely, I’ll guarantee your safety and reward you generously!”
“Hmph, your mind will surely change once you’re back home.”
“In that case, we could just keep that one as a hostage!”
Let them send me first to safety, and we can exchange the Fifth Prince for money later. As I laid out this proposal, the Bandit Leader paused in thought before stating his conditions.
Good—the bandit had sat down at the negotiating table. Once they’re seated, victory is already ours.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————