~Chapter 60~
“Me? Why?”
“You’re ugly now.”
“Hey, you’re ugly too!”
Shiz, pouting, started hitting Felix’s legs with both arms. Felix didn’t even flinch.
“She cried a little this morning.”
Philippa added, instead of Shiz, who was still angry. Hearing that, Felix frowned, wondering if something bad had happened.
“Why were you crying?”
“My mom is going to be away for a while, starting today. I wanted to go with her, but I couldn’t.”
“Ah.”
Felix sighed and gently pushed Shiz’s forehead with his finger, who was still clinging to his leg.
“Hey, when will your mom be back?”
Shiz’s eyes filled with tears again as she thought about Relshiz.
“Five nights…”
“She must have gone to that cruise party thing.”
Since Felix frequented the palace, he knew about the event. He paused for a moment and then asked Shiz,
“So, you’ll be alone for five nights?”
“Uh, uh…”
Felix grinned mischievously.
“Then, you better check under your bed before you sleep. If you don’t, a scary ghost might hide under there and steal your blanket.”
“Ugh, ghosts aren’t real…”
“Do you know why you’ve never seen a ghost? Because your mom has been protecting you all this time.”
“So… now that mom is gone for five days…”
Shiz’s face slowly changed to shock. Felix smirked. Philippa thought he was being childish for someone with his appearance.
“Since I’m here, how about I entertain her for a while?”
“Excuse me?”
“I made a promise to her before. I also want to repay the mage’s kindness by cheering her up.”
Philippa hesitated. Since she wasn’t the owner of the house, she felt awkward deciding if it was okay or not.
But in the end, it was Shiz who decided.
“Yes! It’s totally fine!”
Shiz thought it was better to hang out with Felix, the mischievous investigator, than to deal with the mountain of homework. Philippa, unable to argue with Shiz’s enthusiasm, nodded.
“Well, just for a bit this morning…”
Right then, the doorbell rang.
“Ah.” Philippa murmured as she rushed to the door to greet the guest.
“Aska!”
At the same time, Shiz came running from inside. She was quickly picked up by Aska, who smiled faintly.
“Good morning, Shiz. Did you cry? Your eyes are swollen.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Why? Is it because mom went on a trip?”
“She went without me and gave me a ton of homework.”
“That sounds tough.”
Aska, still holding Shiz, walked into the house and finally noticed Felix standing in the lobby.
A silent exchange of glances passed between the two men.
“Philippa. Who is this guest?”
“Oh, this is Investigator Felix Guifero.”
“I know who he is. But why is he here?”
“He brought a gift…”
“What kind of gift?”
Philippa, speaking in a low voice, began to sweat nervously. The tense air was hard to ignore.
“It’s… alcohol.”
“Relshiz doesn’t drink.”
Felix’s brow furrowed.
“Why are you making a big deal of it? It wasn’t even for you.”
Oh, no. Philippa sighed. This wasn’t a misunderstanding. These two didn’t get along.
“Why is this guy here?”
“I’m here to teach Shiz some magic.”
“Oh, really?”
Felix now spoke with a mocking tone.
“Looks like the little one prefers an investigator over a mage.”
“An investigator?”
“Yeah. Am I wrong, little one?”
Shiz, surprised, opened her mouth wide.
“How did you know…”
“I told you last time. I can tell by your face.”
When Shiz saw Felix’s investigator uniform, her face lit up. She had been hesitant to tell Relshiz about her desire to become an investigator, but Felix had understood without her saying a word.
Meanwhile, Aska, who overheard this, was a bit taken aback.
“Shiz, is that true? You’d rather be an investigator than a mage?”
“Uh, well…”
Aska’s eyes softened as he asked, and Shiz hesitated, not sure how to answer.
‘It’s not that I dislike magic… I just hate magic homework…’
But being an investigator also seemed fun.
She wanted to clean as well as Philippa, and sometimes, she wanted to be like Lady Lana and wield a sword as a cool knight.
‘Ah, I didn’t mean to think like that!’
Shiz’s head spun.
In the meantime, the tension between Aska and Felix continued to grow. Finally, Philippa intervened.
“Well, today’s appointment is with the young master! How about Investigator Guifero coming back another time?”
“Tch.”
Felix, looking annoyed, stepped back.
“Little one, looks like today’s not the day. I’ll come back tomorrow to play.”
Aska, having waited for this moment, asked,
“Do you want me to teach you magic again tomorrow, Shiz?”
“Uh…”
Even Shiz, who was usually calm, now found herself torn between the two.
Instinctively, Philippa realized the next five days were going to be far from short.
‘Mage, please come back soon…!’
***
Meanwhile,
Under the intense light of the summer sun, buildings with brightly colored roofs and white walls were clustered along the coastal hills.
On the other side, the endless ocean stretched out. Seagulls swiftly flew above the glimmering, rippling surface, calling out.
‘It really is a famous vacation spot.’
Everything in sight was beautiful.
I was in the western part of the kingdom, specifically in the area called Labota. This was the place I had visited with Shiz before.
Back then, I had been too stressed to enjoy the scenery.
‘Come to think of it, I’m still not really enjoying it. I’m here to work.’
I stood at the busy port, holding a brown trunk in one hand and the invitation in the other.
In front of me was a huge cruise ship docked.
‘So, I have to spend the next 5 days and 6 nights on that ship, surrounded by nobles?’
With the most uncomfortable person, Prince Reyester, included?
Haha, honestly, being thrown into prison would be more comfortable.
What about seasickness? Even though it’s a luxury cruise, it’s still a boat. I could already foresee the misery ahead.
With a nervous heart, I boarded the ship.
Before long, the ship’s horn sounded, signaling the departure.
As the banquet began, the entire deck and indoor spaces were filled with noise.
By the third day of the banquet, I had stayed hidden in my room, unable to leave due to severe seasickness.
On the first day, I couldn’t eat anything, but it had gotten better, and now I wasn’t vomiting anymore.
I just wanted to stay in my room until the end, but unfortunately, I had to attend the dinner party on the fourth night.
‘They’re introducing the people who contributed to this cruise.’
The captain, navigators, and various engineers would be introduced.
‘I’m included in that list too.’
If this were before, I’d be nervous already, but after being seasick for so long, I didn’t have the energy for that.
So I lay in my room, swaying with the rocking of the ship until dinner time.
I wondered if I could even smile at the banquet with my face looking so sick.
‘I’ll definitely be criticized for walking around with a sour face in front of nobles.’
But I didn’t care. I figured people could talk behind my back if they wanted.
***
As the crisis came, my survival smile kicked in.
Once I entered the banquet hall, the nobles, thinking that my relationship with Reyester had improved, treated me with much more respect.
I picked some light snacks and avoided the crowd, finding a quiet corner.
Laughter and the sound of light dance steps echoed from every direction.
‘It really is impressive.’
For days, these people were having banquets on the water, and no one came here looking carelessly. No one seemed bored by all the social gatherings they attended.
Just thinking about it made me feel exhausted.
When the introductions were over, I planned to quietly slip away, but a voice nearby caught my attention.
“This time, the Queen isn’t here again.”
