Chapter 155 - Terrible Handwriting

From the outside, my whistle sounded so majestic, even though it was far inferior compared to theirs, as if echoing the grandeur of the banquet hall. I felt quite pleased.

“Don’t make noise.”

Perhaps due to the poor air here, Mr. Strawberry Nose suddenly looked very tired and weary. I don’t understand why adults are so sensitive even when we’re not doing anything. They seem strange, always complaining about dust and ventilation.

“Mr. Strawberry Nose, can you whistle for us?”

Instead of whistling, Mr. Strawberry Nose began to scratch his head with both hands and started coughing loudly.

Ah, it must be because of the air. I must have asked too much of him. I felt a bit sorry and remembered our original purpose for being here, so I decided to let him be.

But what did the secret map look like?

“Hey, look at that!”

Stopping the whistle, Yuri pointed excitedly to a large desk on one side.

We all rushed over to see.

“Wow!”

“Is this some kind of toy for adults?”

On the large desk, there was a beautiful garden spread out. It looked like a circular glass aviary with an entrance, and inside were many small trees, flowers, and fountains. However, why couldn’t we see any people?

“Does this door really open?”

“Don’t touch it recklessly… Prince, it’s called the Restoration of the Water Garden!”

What? I doubted my ears when I looked at Mr. Strawberry Nose, who had rushed over. The Water Garden was a huge and mysterious greenhouse located in the immense palace. It was incredibly warm even in winter, filled with many flowers, and a perfect place to play hide-and-seek. When we had afternoon tea parties there, it felt like heaven.

“Don’t lie! The Water Garden doesn’t look like this!”

“It’s called the Restoration, but when you look from above, it’s like this…”

“What does Restoration mean?”

Mr. Strawberry Nose’s nose turned even redder than before. Anyway, he explained it to us.

So, a long time ago, long before I was born, when Omerta’s head was my grandfather, my Father created the Water Garden in the courtyard of the Duke’s residence for his wife. But due to the two of them becoming king and queen, they had to rebuild it in the palace, and that’s why this Restoration was made.

Listening to Mr. Strawberry Nose sharing the story, he suddenly seemed excited, but I felt unsatisfied instead. What kind of story was that? I had no idea that there was such a legend about the Water Garden. Was it because Omertas’ always looked pretty? Was that the reason?

“Couldn’t they have just shifted the plants?”

After giving a triumphant chuckle, Mr. Strawberry Nose didn’t say anything more.

He started coughing again and looked around in search of something. I wondered what Mr. Strawberry Nose was looking for.

“But how do you shift a garden?”

I ignored Danyl’s question as Mr. Strawberry Nose took the opportunity to explain the Restoration. Meanwhile, I opened and closed the desk drawers, pretending to be mischievous. That’s when Yuri sneaked up behind me and lightly poked my side.

“Let’s go.”

“But we haven’t…”

“We can leave now.”

Yuri’s eyes sparkled confidently as he whispered secretly. He tapped his chest to show something.

Could it be true?! But how?

“We’re leaving now. It’s not very fun here.”

“Really?”

Mr. Strawberry Nose seemed a bit suspicious, but he readily led us back to the original entrance.

Finally, we thanked Mr. Strawberry Nose and Mustache before quickly finding a safe hideout.

Yuri said that my palace always had listening ears and watching eyes, so we couldn’t trust even the curtains on the balcony and the courtyard.

That’s why our hideout changed every day, whether it was in the labyrinth garden, behind secluded curtains in a hallway, under the stairs, inside a secluded library shelf during quiet hours, in the corners of the stables, on a tree in the courtyard, and so on. Today’s hideout was under the stairs.

“How did you manage to do that?”

“It’s simple. It was just inside that drawer.”

Yuri nonchalantly took out a rolled-up piece of paper from his pocket.

Yuri was truly modest. He could be annoying at times, considering himself my rival, but he also helped me a lot.

I was relieved that Yuri resembled my aunt more than my uncle.

But now that I looked at the seemingly ordinary paper, I became suspicious if it was the right map.

Could such an important map be so easily found? Aren’t they usually discovered at the end of a perilous adventure?

Yuri noticed our doubtful expressions and sighed deeply.

“Look, some fool wrote it down here.”

“Wow, really? But the handwriting is terrible.”

“Yeah, it’s worse than mine.”

On the crumpled and messy map, someone had roughly written ‘Underground Passage Blueprint’ at the very top. The handwriting and drawings were so messy and smudged that it was hard to make out. However, squinting my eyes and looking closely, I could recognize the words ‘Frost Forest’ and ‘Hideout.’

Hideout? Did the adults also have hideouts like us?

We briefly discussed this and shrugged our shoulders. Could this be about the secret military base or…?

“But, Danyl, how did you find out about this place in the first place?”

As Yuri examined the map carefully, he suddenly remembered to ask.

Danyl pouted as if he didn’t want to talk about it.

“I don’t want to say.”

“That makes it more suspicious.”

“What’s suspicious?”

“Because you’re a sneaky troublemaker.”

“I’m not a sneaky troublemaker! The reason I don’t want to talk about it is that it brings back painful memories!”

“What kind of memories are those, you sneaky troublemaker?”

Danyl looked embarrassed as he swore on his little brother’s life that he was not a cowardly troublemaker.

But because he treated his little brother so cruelly, I couldn’t fully trust him.

Then he swore on the tomb of the orphanage’s director from when he was a baby. After that, he confessed that he once followed his dad to Frost Forest, hiding in his lunch basket, and got caught and scolded.

I couldn’t understand and asked, “Why did you hide there?”

“There was nowhere else to hide… Anyway, I just overheard the adults talking about it. It seemed like there was some incredible weapon. Moreover, there were many fun memories from before we were born, especially about your parents.”

So, could it be a secret military base that also served as a secret dating spot for my parents?

Ahhh. I’m going to ruin everything!

We focused on the map for a while longer. It was so chaotic with its writing and drawings that it was difficult to make out what was where.

But that didn’t dampen our determination. After all, if there were no hardships, it wouldn’t be a proper adventure.

After much contemplation and moving between several locations on the map, we came to the conclusion that there might be an underground passage leading to the vicinity of the hideout.

I knew what an underground passage was. The problem was where and how to find it.

“How many hidden passages are there under the palace?”

We came down from the poplar tree we had climbed before and sat down anywhere, feeling lost, as we gazed at the seemingly endless surroundings with melancholy.

The cicadas were loudly crying out from all directions, as if reflecting my mood.

To make matters worse, Danyl complained that his new pants were torn.

“Just say we were just playing together.”

“But what if we get caught playing hooky during class?”

“What will we do? Just blame it all on me, the sneaky troublemaker!”

I don’t know, just let it happen as it will!

I snapped at Yuri, who widened his eyes and looked at me.

Danyl suddenly stood up and grabbed my collar.

“You don’t understand my feelings, you jerk!”

“You don’t understand either!”

“No, I do!”

“I do too!”

“What do you understand? You don’t have anyone who bothers you or a sneaky troublemaker for a brother!”

Yuri burst into laughter and rolled on the floor.

Soon enough he went overboard and my head started to ache.

Seeing Yuri laugh mischievously, I couldn’t help but think of his father.

I suddenly felt worried that getting annoyed with my friends might make me seem just like Auntie.

I didn’t want to seem strict.

“Shall I lend you my pants?”

I asked casually, and Danyl still glared at me with his arms folded. Then he suddenly shouted,

“The garden!”

“Go to the garden instead of borrowing pants?”

“No, the garden! There was a blueprint for the garden restoration in the drawer on the table, right? That means there must be an underground passage in the Water Garden!”

I stood up abruptly.

Yuri, who had been laughing alone, also jumped up as if struck by lightning.

How could he come up with such a bizarre imagination?

It seemed absurd, but somehow it sounded plausible.

A little later, we found ourselves standing at the entrance.

Perhaps because of the legend we heard, I hesitated a bit, but the rainbow-colored garden sparkling in the sunlight was truly beautiful.

I was worried that Mother might be having a tea party with someone else, but fortunately, there was no one else in the garden except for the gardener.

“Hello there.”

“Good afternoon, Your Highness.”

The gardener, standing on a long ladder, seemed very busy.

What was he pruning so meticulously?