Chapter 61

“……”

I suddenly wondered why I was so angry. Was it because Aiden and I came out on a picnic together?

“Dad, when you come on a picnic with me later, we can lie down too.”

“It’s not the first time, is it?”

Dad, looking thoroughly upset, tightly shut his mouth and avoided my gaze.

‘Sigh.’

Five years of being a daughter. I now had the ability to resolve such sulks. I placed my hands on my hips and looked up at the sulking dad.

“Is the first time that important?”

“…Of course.”

“Are you saying you won’t go on a picnic with me if it’s not the first time?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

Dad shook his head hastily. It seemed he wanted to go on the picnic.

“Do you want to go on a picnic with me, Dad?”

“Of course not!”

“Then it’s settled!”

I made a clear decision. Dad looked at me as if to ask what I was talking about. Before he could start arguing, I nailed it down.

“Let’s go on two picnics!”

“…!”

Dad flinched.

‘Hehe, he fell for it.’

I thought it would go smoothly, but it didn’t. Dad, who still looked unsatisfied, slightly raised his gaze.

‘Huh??’

His gaze was directed at Aiden.

‘Why Aiden all of a sudden…?’

Before I could wonder, Dad spoke.

“Not him.”

“Huh?”

“Not him, on the picnic.”

His firm and cold voice made me nod. I had no intention of putting Aiden and Dad together anyway. They always glared at each other whenever they met, and I would be the one to suffer in between. Still, Dad looked unsatisfied. He looked at me seriously. I also became serious, thinking it might be something serious.

“Keep your promise, Mabel.”

“What promise?”

“Twice.”

“….”

“You have to go twice.”

“Oh, okay.”

After hearing my answer a few times, Dad seemed satisfied and left with Gustav, who had come to fetch him. I shook my head.

“Raising Dad is hard….”

*** Aiden and I took advantage of the moment when Lyssandro and the maids were distracted to quickly remove the blanket and dig out the stone. Just in case, I didn’t touch it with my fingertips, and Aiden picked it up instead.

“What is it?”

“I feel holy power. A lot of it.”

“So it’s a holy relic, then…”

“Shall we find out?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Actually, asking the Holy King would be the fastest and easiest way, but for some reason, I didn’t want to ask him. We had already experienced a major incident involving a holy relic, and I still didn’t trust him.

‘Let’s try the guild’s abilities this time.’

In this case, it would be better to go through people rather than asking animal friends. While I was deep in thought, the nanny, who had been watching us from a distance, approached and asked.

“Are you enjoying the picnic?”

“Yeah, it’s fun.”

“Would you like some dessert?”

“Yeah!!”

I nodded vigorously with sparkling eyes. Even though I was full from eating a lot of sandwiches, it didn’t matter.

‘If it’s dessert, I can eat even if my stomach bursts!’

And since Aiden also liked dessert, we could share. However, when I looked at Aiden, his expression seemed stiff.

“Aiden? Are you in pain?”

“…No.”

“If you’re in pain, you must tell me. Okay?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t in pain. A moment later, a sweet dessert was placed in front of us. It was a chocolate cake that looked so sweet it could melt your tongue just by looking at it. I immediately took a big bite with a fork, but Aiden, with a serious face, started talking.

“According to Casey, Duke Javier is planning something.”

“Huh? (What is it?)”

My mouth was full of cake, so my words were muffled. Aiden somehow understood.

“I couldn’t find out what exactly. I tried to infiltrate a guild member to steal some information, but…”

“Hmm. It’s hard to get in there.”

I nodded, wiping my mouth with the handkerchief Aiden handed me. I had asked animal friends to infiltrate the duke’s mansion several times, but they always failed. I wondered what was so concerning that they had layered anti-intrusion magic, making it impossible for even insects or animal friends to enter.

‘I can only trust animal friends.’

Other nobles’ mansions weren’t as heavily guarded. At most, they had guards patrolling the area. In contrast, the security at Javier’s mansion was on par with the royal city’s defenses.

‘A sinister snake-like person.’

If there were no barriers, I could have already found his weaknesses and brought down the arrogant duke. There must be many things in the mansion that shouldn’t be seen. That’s why he had the barriers in place. My fork, which was angrily stabbing the cake, suddenly stopped.

“Hmm? Come to think of it…”

There was a way to get into Javier’s mansion.

“What is it?”

“Yeah. What if I go to investigate the mansion? There will be horses or dogs or animals inside, right?”

“Are you saying you will go to the mansion yourself, Your Majesty?”

“Yeah!”

“No, you can’t.”

I was surprised by his firm opposition. I thought Aiden would agree.

“…Why not?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“But it’s fine. I’ll just invite a few guests and do it. I wouldn’t do it if my head was empty.”

“Guests?”

Aiden tilted his head, puzzled. He must have thought I was planning to infiltrate myself. I nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Yeah. I have a trump card.”

*** The trump card was the tea party invitation Emily had sent me. When I returned to my bedroom, I called Oscar, who had come to see me, to write a reply. I could write it myself, but it was more natural to go through Oscar, considering the eyes around us.

‘I should pretend to learn to write soon.’

I was now at the age where I should start learning various things, and Dad would allow it. While I was lost in thought, Oscar looked at me.

“Mabel?”

“Uh, yeah!”

“What should we write next?”

“Thank you for the invitation. I’m looking forward to the tea party.”

“Okay, I’ve written it.”

I looked at the reply Oscar had written. As always, his handwriting was beautifully neat, unlike a child’s.

‘Did he only practice writing after eating?’

I stared at his enviable handwriting, and Oscar tilted his head.

“Why?”

“If I send it like this, they won’t know if I wrote it or not…”

Since it was clearly a ghostwritten reply, I needed to stamp a seal to show it was from me.

“Yeah, that’s true. Hmm. Then, Mabel, do you want to sign it yourself?”

“Me?”

I was startled by the unexpected suggestion.

“Don’t worry, Mabel. I’ll help you.”

Oscar handed me a quill. Holding the quill, I broke out in a cold sweat.

‘How do I make it look clumsy?’

I inadvertently held the quill skillfully, which was embarrassing. Oscar placed his hand over mine.

“Here, write like this. Mabel… Gadenia, Ermanno.”

My hand, following Oscar’s, drew lines awkwardly. Thanks to Oscar’s help, it was much neater than my usual handwriting.

‘Ugh, my pride is hurt…’

While I was clenching my other fist in frustration, Oscar neatly folded and sealed the letter.

“Why did you suddenly decide to go?”

“Yeah, because I want to play with Emily and see the mansion…”

“That doesn’t seem like a good idea…”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head back to look at Oscar’s face, which seemed less than enthusiastic. Oscar, who had a sour expression, smiled when he met my eyes.

“No, nothing. Have fun.”

“Yeah.”

“…Do you want me to go with you?”

I hesitated for a moment at Oscar’s offer. If it was just a tea party, I would naturally go with Oscar, but this visit had a purpose.

‘I’m going to secretly stir up the duke’s mansion, and it would be inconvenient with Oscar around.’

A hint of expectation flashed in Oscar’s eyes as he looked at me. He probably wanted to go because Enrique was at Javier’s mansion. I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do.

“No. It’s fine. I’ll go with Aiden.”

Oscar’s smile vanished.

“That guy…”

“Which guy?”

“No….”

I patted Oscar’s shoulder, which looked dejected.

‘Did he miss Enrique that much…?’

I should talk to Dad about the ban on visitors soon, for Oscar’s sake. *** In front of Mabel’s bedroom. The father and son, who had finished their respective schedules, accidentally met each other.

“Hello, Father.”

“Oscar, are you here to see Mabel?”

“Yes.”

They entered Mabel’s bedroom together. Expecting Mabel to greet them with a sulky face, they found the room dark.

“She must be sleeping. It’s not even eight yet.”

“Babies sleep a lot.”

Oscar chuckled