Chapter 27

Thud... Suddenly, I dropped the snack I was eating at the sight of the new faces. Two towering knights.

“Who are you?”

“We are the new royal guards assigned to protect His Majesty from today. Please treat us well.”

“Risandro?”

“We cannot disclose that.”

Then, they stood against the wall without any change in expression. I just stared at them, dumbfounded.

‘Is that it?’

They couldn't even tell me their names. I wondered if they had forgotten. I approached them and looked at them alternately.

“What's your name?” (What's your name?)

“We cannot disclose that.”

“...”

The culprit was definitely the Emperor. After all, it was his doing to have Risandro around, so it must be his doing to have these other guards around.

‘Well, it doesn't matter to me...’

Actually, I was glad because I had found Risandro annoying anyway. I was happy that there was no longer a watchful eye from a place I couldn't see. I absentmindedly rummaged through the toys Oscar had brought. However...

‘It’s awkward.’

The knights' gaze, which was fixed on my every move without any change, made me feel cautious even about breathing. When I fiddled with a doll, the knights suddenly looked away, but as soon as I moved, they followed me nimbly. I couldn't say anything to the knights who were working so hard at their duty, but it was quite a dilemma. I tried to ignore the knights as much as possible and walked toward the forest where the sheep were, but I saw a familiar face in the distance.

“Huh.”

It was none other than the detestable Duke Javier. I hurriedly looked around for a place to hide, but the Duke spotted me faster.

“Hehe. I greet His Majesty.”

The Duke, with his hands behind his back, approached leisurely and bowed respectfully.

“It’s nice to see you, Duke Javier.” (It’s nice to see you, Duke Javier.)

“Hehehe. His Majesty is becoming more talkative every day.”

“Yeah, just a little.” (Yeah, just a little.)

Duke Javier laughed heartily, as if finding something amusing. Despite his friendly face, he was the kind of person who might plot something behind your back. Meeting him outside the council room for the first time, I had no idea what he would do. I quickly waved goodbye to the Duke.

“I’m leaving now.” (I’m leaving now.)

“Hehe. If you leave so abruptly, the gods will be disappointed.”

“Huh?”

“I have something important to tell you.”

I frowned slightly.

‘Damn.’

I had a bad feeling and was caught. I thought it would be better to hear whatever he had to say quickly and be done with it.

“What is it?” (What is it?)

“I have a secret to tell you, His Majesty...”

The knights moved closer to me at the Duke's words. When I looked up, they were glaring fiercely at the Duke. Duke Javier took a step back and laughed heartily.

“Well, well. The Emperor’s dogs are quite something, hehe.”

‘Huh?’

Maybe because he thought I was still a baby, the Duke was more sarcastic than usual. He must think I don’t know anything. But even if the Emperor had assigned them to me, it was quite unpleasant to hear such sarcasm directed at my guards, which was essentially directed at me.

“Where are the dogs?” (Where are the dogs?)

I asked innocently, pretending not to know, and laughed.

“Hehe. Not those dogs, Your Majesty.”

“Duke, you said you had dogs.” (Duke, you said you had dogs.)

“Yes, yes. There was a dog here, but it seems to have run away.”

It seemed he was trying to pass it off casually, but I wasn’t going to let it go. I chuckled and replied.

“There are no dogs here.” (There are no dogs here.)

“Pardon?”

This area was one of my usual routes, so the Emperor’s management was thorough, and even scouting dogs or hunting dogs couldn’t enter.

‘Of course, the Duke knows that.’

The point wasn’t whether he knew or not, but how much he would try to wriggle out of it.

“Duke, are you a fool?” (Duke, are you a fool?)

“Pardon?”

I laughed and pressed on.

“Duke Javier, your eyes are rotten.” (Duke Javier, your eyes are rotten.)

“...Pardon?”

“Your eyes are rotten...” (Your eyes are rotten...)

“Hahaha...”

The Duke scratched the back of his head awkwardly and laughed, but I knew. I saw his eyes twitch.

‘Absolutely unpleasant, right now!’

But as an Emperor, I was still a baby, so he couldn’t say anything and had to endure.

‘Hehe. This is fun.’

But the fun didn’t last long. The Duke quickly regained his composure.

“Hehe. It seems His Majesty likes the guards very much.”

“Yeah, I do.”

I didn’t particularly like or dislike them, but I answered absentmindedly. The knights flinched again.

“What I want to talk about is my son.”

“Enrique?” (Enrique?)

“Indeed, you know. Yes, about Enrique.”

“What about him?” (What about him?)

I hadn’t seen Enrique due to the Emperor’s sudden ban on boys of a certain age entering the palace.

‘Did something happen to Enrique?’

He was said to be good at swordsmanship and healthy, but sometimes he would be sick and not show up, which made me worry.

‘Hmm.’

After a moment of thought, I came to a conclusion.

‘He’s trying to get Enrique noticed as a future servant!’

That wasn’t a problem.

“Enrique is fine. He’s smart and diligent, so he can be a good servant.” (Enrique is fine. He’s smart and diligent, so he can be a good servant.)

“No, that’s not what I meant. Enrique is-.”

That’s when it happened.

“...It’s dangerous.”

The knights guarding me suddenly drew their swords and stood close to my sides.

“What, what is it?”

Larima, who had quickly picked me up, muttered anxiously and looked around. I opened my eyes wide at the sudden situation.

‘It seemed a bit too quiet around here...’

Swish!

“...!”

Then, an arrow flew from somewhere, interrupting my thoughts. One of the knights deflected it with his sword.

“It’s an ambush! Protect His Majesty!”

At that shout, a dozen masked assassins appeared. It was my first time facing an assassination attempt, and I was speechless.

‘They said the palace is always protected by barriers. How did they get in?’

There was no time to ponder such things. The assassins scattered and launched a fierce attack.

Clang, clang! The sound of metal clashing was heard nearby. The Duke, also startled by the sudden attack, hurriedly ran toward me.

“Your, Your Majesty, are you alright?!”

I only rolled my eyes, too shocked to speak. The odds were clearly in the assassins' favor in the fight between a few and two.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. The royal guards will be here soon.”

Despite his shock, Duke Javier tried to reassure me. The tips of the assassins' swords were aimed at me. The target to kill was, me. The thought made my head cold as if doused with cold water.

‘How can I be reborn and die again?’

Watching the guards being pushed back, I clenched my fists.

‘I don’t want to die.’

I couldn’t guarantee that the guards would hold out until reinforcements arrived.

‘I can’t just stand here.’

Held tightly by Larima, I focused my mind.

‘Come, come, come.’

I began to chant fervently in my mind.

‘Come quickly, come. Come!’

Buzz!

“?!”

Everyone’s gaze turned upward at the sound. The assassins and knights raised their heads while clashing swords. A swarm of bees. Buzzing, they flew in from all directions.

“What?!”

Shouts erupted from the assassins. The bees attacked them without hesitation.

“Aaah!”

I smiled at the screams coming from all around.

‘More, more!’

Buzz! The air was filled with a deafening hum, and the sky turned pitch black, making everything dark.

“Where did these bees come from...!”

“Cover, cover His Majesty with clothes!”

The Duke and the guards were startled and hurried to protect me. But I was the safest person here.

‘I won’t be attacked.’

I laughed and called the bees enthusiastically. Hornets, honeybees, and squash bees attacked the assassins without discrimination.

‘Oh, how beautiful.’

If I could, I would have stroked each bee. Despite this, the assassins stubbornly tried to eliminate me. Their persistence was commendable.

‘The bees can only buy time.’

Just as the ineffective exchange of attacks was happening...

“Mabel!”

A familiar shout came from a distance.