Chapter 162 - Unexpected Scene

I poured out everything that had happened so far, as memories came to mind, without any particular order.

I thought Father would get angry, but he didn’t say anything.

As I was trying to explain how we ended up in this cave, I glanced up and noticed that his expression was strangely distorted.

Oh no, what should I do? Tears started flowing even more than before.

It seemed like his disappointment with me went beyond just being angry.

It was clear that he was extremely disappointed in me.

It wouldn’t be long before Mother would likely react the same way.

Considering the sinister plot I had concocted against our parents, it was probably a deserved punishment.

Still, just imagining Mother looking disappointed in me made me want to disappear.

No, maybe I already had.

From the moment we left the palace without permission…

Tears blurred my vision, and my throat tightened, making it hard to breathe properly.

If my back hadn’t suddenly felt icy, and if I hadn’t let out a cough, I might have suffocated.

“Ahem…!”

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

I blinked in confusion while coughing.

After a moment, I could finally understand why Uncle Ivan’s smiling face was in front of me.

Now that I looked closely, not only him, but also Danyl’s father was there!

Father, who had been patting my back, pushed him aside and gently placed me on a rock nearby.

After looking at me for a moment, Father scratched his head and then spoke in a tone that seemed to imply a sigh. Thanks to Uncle Camu(the “Horse butt uncle”) – he found out that we had left the palace.

It seemed like it all started from then.

Father said he still didn’t know how we had come this far.

Really? I couldn’t believe it.

I blinked in confusion, trying to open my eyes wider, and Father’s expression turned into something between a smile and a frown. He asked why on earth I had come up with such an absurd plan in the first place.

My words got stuck, but there was no way to escape.

I had to answer honestly… I said I wanted Mother, who was busy dating Father, to play with me. And if she sneaked out to meet Father, I could pretend to come across their dating place by accident. Then, Father would have no choice but to play with me too. And hence, I would be happy every day, and eventually, both would stop disappearing secretly and stay with me forever, so I wouldn’t be scared anymore.

As I spilled it all out, I felt incredibly pathetic and foolish.

So, I guessed that Father would laugh at me.

But instead of laughing, Father stared at me with a very strange expression.

He seemed too dumbfounded to even laugh.

I burst into both coughs and tears at the same time.

“Ahem, ahem…!”

“…Saying you can’t fool me with something like that.”

Father mumbled incomprehensible words and let out a soft chuckle directed at me.

“You’ll get puffy eyes if you keep crying like that. Don’t you mind making Mother worried?”

“Ah, ahem…”

“I don’t want to imagine leaving you alone. Your mom wouldn’t like it, and neither would I.”

Really? Could that be true?

“Really? Father doesn’t like it either?”

“That’s right.”

“So, you won’t ever leave me alone and go somewhere?”

“What kind of books have you been reading lately…?”

Unsure if I felt relieved or not, Father ruffled my hair with his palm to check.

It hurt a bit, but I felt better nonetheless.

Father now asked where the other kids were and why I was the only one standing up there.

By now, Uncle Ivan and Danyl’s dad were getting closer. They both had smiling faces, but their eyes looked quite serious.

I quickly reported that no one had died or gone missing.

Upon hearing that, Uncle Ivan coughed loudly.

“Ahem, you see, I told him about that earlier, so…”

Really? Was that so? But I don’t think I mentioned that Danyl had twisted his ankle, and he lost his watch too.

Danyl’s dad seemed to have noticed that I kept glancing at him.

It was because Father was right next to him.

“Do you have something to say to me, Your Highness?”

His tone was gentle, but talking to this man up close made me nervous since it was the first time.

He didn’t look as fearsome as the Bear Guard Commander, so I couldn’t understand why he seemed so intimidating.

If it weren’t for Father, my jaw might have dropped to the ground.

Honestly, I didn’t really understand what was going on.

But I felt like I needed to say something here.

Otherwise, Danyl might really not be able to go home.

“Well, you see… Actually, Danyl accidentally hurt his ankle a little, and it’s my fault, actually.”

Danyl’s dad and Father exchanged a brief glance at each other.

“No one’s to blame for something like that.”

Huh? I was a little surprised.

Did he say that because I admitted it was my fault?

Danyl’s dad smiled strangely at me, who was looking at him suspiciously.

“Anything else?”

Could he hear my thoughts?

“Well, actually, he’s quite worried right now. Because he accidentally lost the sundial…”

“What sundial?”

I was slightly taken aback, but I quickly described its appearance.

For some reason, everyone started coughing loudly.

“Well, I didn’t even know it was gone… but losing something like that won’t get him into trouble. So don’t worry, you can tell me where they are.”

Was he being sincere? Honestly, it seemed believable.

But then why was Danyl so worked up over something made up?

“What’s wrong?”

Father, who had been observing me in silence, placed his hand on my head.

Suddenly, I felt like I might start crying again, so I stammered in response.

“W-well, he might not want to go back to that house…”

“What?”

“Because he thinks everyone would be happy if he disappeared.”

“Did he really say that?”

Instead of nodding my head, I froze in place.

Danyl’s dad suddenly had a very stern expression, which frightened me.

“Did that brat really say such stupid things?”

Oh no, it seems like I’ve made things worse!

Just as I was about to break down and burst into tears, Father hugged me.

Then, he gave Danyl’s dad’s knee a strong tap and scolded him for making someone else’s son cry.

Danyl’s dad cleared his throat a bit and then came closer to apologize for misspeaking.

I didn’t respond.

So, Danyl asked me to explain why he said such things since he didn’t understand them.

I didn’t know what I had said.

Between sobs, I hadn’t spoken very coherently.

Anyway, what was clear was that the adults were indeed acting foolishly.

Because a few moments later, all three of them were groaning in unison.

“He knew all along…?!”

Suddenly, I felt pathetic and recounted what Sir Andymion had told me a few days ago.

Upon hearing that, Ivan started cursing at Sir Andymion out of the blue.

“Why the hell didn’t that guy report such an important matter! If he keeps acting like this, sooner or later he’ll lose his marbles!”

It was unbelievable.

Even Father seemed shocked, clicking his tongue and offering a jab in response.

“Cut it out with the tough act. Anyway, what are we going to do now?”

“What are we going to do indeed! Well, Your Highness, do you like him?”

Suddenly, Sir Ivan turned his head toward me and spoke in a hushed tone.

When adults ask such questions, it’s usually some sort of a trap.

Staring at him suspiciously, I saw him scratching his head.

Danyl’s dad was also scratching his head.

“What should we do then, Your Highness?”

After a moment, Danyl’s dad promised me several times that he wouldn’t scold Danyl about this incident. Then, we all headed toward where the kids were waiting.

It was strange.

When we were coming out earlier, everything felt so dark and complicated, but now the path seemed incredibly simple.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of energy, let go of Father’s hand, and raced ahead. As I did, the underground cave chamber from earlier gradually came into view.

“…you!”

“…Po, Po!”

“Hey!”

Huh? Taken aback by the unexpected scene, I paused for a moment.

I couldn’t understand why everyone was gathered here.

Sure, the magnificent large bird was one thing, but why were they all here together, including the chubby raccoon and even Horse Butt?

The fat raccoon, seeing me, flapped its arms as if it were delighted to see me.

On the other hand, the formidable Horse Butt had a furious expression, all the way up to the top of his head.

Though, it seemed like he was already angry before seeing me.

Yuri shouted towards me.

“Prince, the fat raccoon brought the Horse Butt!”

“Po, Po!”

“Shut up, fat raccoon! This is all your fault, you…”

“Don’t yell so much! Damn it, who the hell do you think I am, you b*stard’s…!”

He started berating us.

His threatening demeanor was so intense that I thought he might grab his whip and give Yuri’s rear a good spanking.

Did that chubby raccoon go to bring him? Were they friends?

“But where’s Danyl?”

“He’s hiding over there. Horse Butt came over and…”

It was too late by the time Yuri’s face turned to realization.

Horse Butt quietly drew his whip, and then, rather than making a fuss, he growled in a quiet voice that felt eerier than his shouting.

“This insolent little…”

“Oh yo, were you here too?”

Sir Ivan, who followed behind me, exclaimed cheerfully.

A moment later, Horse Butt charged at Ivan.

Father and Danyl’s dad passed by without even glancing at the two of them, like they were young kids messing around.

“Grrr…”

As soon as Father appeared, the dragon, which had been lying there exactly as before, lifted its head and began to growl, much to my horror.

I was scared out of my wits, but instead of being scared himself, Father said something I couldn’t quite understand, as if he wanted to see whether this certain lizard was still ugly till date.

Then, quite daringly, he approached and poked the dragon’s nose with his palm!

Despite poking at it, the dragon just growled and remained still.

But it wasn’t just the dragon that was strange.

The chubby raccoon and the large bird were acting a bit odd too.

It seemed like all these creatures were familiar with the adults, and especially with Father. There wa no doubt about that.

The chubby raccoon kept pointing towards me and seemed to be bragging to Father, as if there was something to show off.

For now, I decided to look for Danyl.

I looked around the corner that Yuri mentioned, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.

Where could he be hiding?

Plant