kscans

Chapter 78 - The Foreign Royal Palace and the Little One, Part Two

"The Borgia family’s deadly poison? Surely not."

In the long-ago history of Earth, it was a famous potent poison. The Borgia family had made a name for itself through assassinations using it.

One of the Pope’s illegitimate children born into that family was Cesare. He was ambitious and, in his quest to seize every glory he could, he used even his own sister, Lucrezia, as a tool. He used her as a pawn in all sorts of political marriages, and from what is known, his sister was forced to marry multiple times.

However, these were white marriages.

Since sexual relations were not permitted, divorce was easy, which created the nightmare of her being married off to yet another man.

A saving grace, if one could call it that, was that Lucrezia eventually found a good match and was blessed with many children.

For such fierce actions and strategies, and for fully utilizing the authority of his father, the Pope, Cesare, who wielded conspiracies and intrigues, was called Cantarella’s deadly poison by the people of his time, a name that echoed the Borgia family’s poison.

"The timeline doesn’t match, does it? How many years does it take for a star to be born and humanity to spread? It has to be at least a few billion, right? Even if the guide was sent from Earth, the time lag with Earth is at most a thousand years. Hmm, yeah, I’m probably overthinking it."

It was an unusual name, but there were others with the same name, like a soccer player. It would be hasty to associate him with that historical figure just because their names were the same.

As the Little One pondered, Hyrulia, while serving her tea, murmured with a rare look of disgust.

"Chihiro-sama, are you going to let her get away with that?"

Even her figure, biting her lip in frustration, was lovely. The balls of light circling around her also flickered indignantly.

"That was for the best. She’ll show her true colors on her own."

The Little One grinned broadly.

The story returns to a few hours earlier.

"Thank you for your invitation, First Consort-sama."

"You have come from so far away, you must be tired. Please, have a seat."

At the consort’s words, Hyrulia’s eyebrow twitched.

Looking down on us and saying we must be tired? You are merely a consort, not yet a queen or empress.

The customs of Donautil were rough. Countless women were prepared, and if the king laid his hands on one, she became a royal concubine. If she became pregnant and gave birth, she became an official consort. It was also in the order of birth. Since status and other factors were not taken into account, it was possible for even a slave to become a consort.

The consort before them was one such person. She had been one of the ladies-in-waiting in the inner palace, but she had happened to catch the king’s eye and, through a night of passion, had become a consort on a whim. She must have received some education after becoming a consort, but it was clear that it was all just a veneer.

She didn’t study seriously, did she. You’ve had decades since the Crown Prince was born.

She had given birth to a prince, her child had become the Crown Prince, and his children had also been born. She must have considered her own spring to be secure and had avoided all sorts of troublesome matters.

Hyrulia, though chewing on a bitter bug, did not let it show on her face. But from her slightly twitching eyebrow, the Little One could clearly see her thinly veiled smile and true feelings.

Hyrulia was originally a royal princess, after all. She probably doesn’t appreciate this kind of rudeness.

However, seeing what was placed on the table, the Little One’s eyes lit up.

Whoa?! That’s right, of course! This is an Islamic beverage, isn’t it!

In the small cup before her was a jet-black liquid. A modern-day demitasse cup. And its contents were, without a doubt, coffee.

How many years has it been? Wow, this smell, I can’t get enough of it!

Watching the Little One savor the aroma with a wave of her fan, the First Consort’s eyes widened in surprise, and she gritted her teeth. This was a specialty of Donautil. They didn’t export it anywhere else. She had brought it out to mock her for not knowing what it was, but to her surprise, the girl seemed completely familiar with it.

"What a lovely aroma. I shall partake."

The Little One drank the coffee, gently skimming the surface. As she had thought, it wasn’t filtered, and fine grounds were floating in it. There were probably some at the bottom as well. It was a boiled type of coffee.

Still, it’s amazing that they even roast it. I don’t think I could drink the raw juice.

Coffee was originally eaten as a medicine. The methods were countless, from grinding the raw beans to boiling them.

Perhaps that guide taught them an effective extraction method. If so, they should have taught them how to drip it, too. Nyu.

Though she grumbled in her mind, the Little One savored the coffee she hadn’t had in so long. Black coffee was not something a child could normally drink. The consort had expected her to choke or grimace, but that expectation was also dashed.

"Coffee is a drink for nobles. Is it not bitter for you?"

Apparently, the First Consort disliked coffee. She was the only one drinking tea. This also irked the consort.

"The bitterness is what makes it so addictive. It is even more delightful when enjoyed with sweets. As a thank you for your invitation, I have brought some sweets from Frontier. I do hope they are to your liking."

At the Little One’s words, Hyrulia placed the basket she was holding on the table. Inside were freshly made financiers and jam crêpes. These crêpes were thin cookie dough baked and rolled, with seasonal jam, an idea from the Little One, filled inside. Taking one of the rolled, stick-like cookies, the consort hesitantly took a bite. The crisp texture and the fruity aroma filled her mouth. Above all, it was sweet. There was a tartness, but the piercing sweetness made the consort’s eyes widen.

"It’s sweet? Huh? How do you make something like this?"

Smiling at the bewildered consort, the Little One hid her mouth with her fan.

"It is sugar and honey. Are you not familiar with them?"

Sensing mockery in her tone, the First Consort’s eyes filled with anger.

"I am familiar. Honey is nothing more than monster feed, how filthy."

Though she said this, she didn’t let go of the crêpe. Glancing at her, the Little One let out a small laugh and requested another cup of coffee.

"Is that so. I was thinking of offering it as a tribute, as it is a specialty of Frontier, but if you disdain monster feed, it would be rude. We shall choose something else."

Honey was a valuable commodity even in Donautil. It was relatively easy to obtain due to the proximity of the borderlands, but it required commissioning adventurers to collect it. Considering the middleman’s markup, it became incredibly expensive.

It was far too valuable a product to lose over a slip of the tongue. But the words had been spoken. She also had her pride as a consort.

"Very well. It is convenient for bestowing upon the lower classes. I shall accept it."

Fighting back a laugh at the consort’s haughty declaration, the Little One got to the heart of the matter.

"Is that so. That is wonderful. By the way, there is something I wish to discuss."

Staring at the Little One, whose eyes curved into a plump arc, the First Consort felt a sense of foreboding.

"What is it?"

"I hear His Majesty the King has passed away. My deepest condolences. In relation to that, it concerns the fourth prince."

The First Consort also knew of the prince who had gone to study abroad against the palace’s wishes. If the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne as things were, that prince would be left unchecked. It would be easy to demand his return from Frontier, but if they knew it was for an execution, they might refuse. Therefore, she had intended to have her subordinates abduct him and bring him back by force, but that had apparently failed.

"I do not know if you are aware, but in Frontier, studying abroad is set for three years. During that time, the student’s safety is guaranteed by Frontier. At present, the fourth prince is a person of importance that Frontier must protect."

As she said this, the Little One’s eyes glinted sharply.

"I am aware of the laws here. So, before you make a foolish request, a word of warning."

Overwhelmed by the child’s presence, the First Consort was speechless. The Little One then smiled like a blooming flower and delivered the final blow.

"If you come near Marrow with a ridiculous reason like an execution… I will turn you into mincemeat."

"What?"

To the stunned consort, the Little One repeated herself.

"I said I will turn you into mincemeat. I forbid you, and anyone from Frontier for that matter, from coming within a two-hundred-meter radius of our party. I came all this way because I wanted him to attend his father’s funeral, but once that is over, we will return home. Until then, you will behave yourselves."

At the Little One’s brazen declaration, the First Consort’s furious roar erupted.

"What insolence! Someone! Seize this person!"

At the consort’s cry, soldiers gathered around. However, seeing the girl’s unmistakably noble appearance, they hesitated to lay a hand on her.

"What are you doing! If a child like this disappears, we can make any excuse we want! Oh, yes, once this is over, I shall marry her off to one of my grandsons. A royal from Frontier would be convenient. We could extort all sorts of things."

A royal from Frontier?!

The soldiers, who correctly understood the consort’s leaky inner monologue, faltered even more.

Sensing this difference in temperature, the Little One let out a small sigh.

"A fool is a fool no matter what you say."

With that murmur, the Little One snapped her fingers, pachin.

Instantly, countless honeybees appeared. The soldiers, knowing that these honeybees, each as large as a baby, were disaster-class monsters, all turned pale.

"Our discussion is over. Well then."

Followed by the honeybees, the Little One calmly walked out the door. The consort shrieked insults at her, but the soldiers desperately held her back.

Ignoring them, the three of them returned to the second prince’s palace.

"Saying she would disappear, or be married off, and even that she would extort Frontier!"

Dorfen nodded vigorously at Hyrulia’s words.

"But we were the ones who provoked her. If she does something rash, it’ll pay off, nyo."

At the Little One’s wicked grin, the two were at a loss for words.

And so that night, a mountain of soldiers, chased by honeybees and captured by frogs and spiders, was formed, but that is a story for another time.

No one could stop the Little One as she ran with a beaming smile.

Thus, until the day of the funeral, the First Consort’s agonizing shrieks would echo through the royal palace.

My condolences♪