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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Noisy Brothers and Rima's Worry
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“Rima!”
Al and Rubens burst through the door, searching for Rima.
Wearing thick bathrobes, they quickly spotted Rima as she received treatment from the maids.
Rubens huffed in anger.
“What the hell were you doing to let a kid's hand end up like this? No one even noticed?”
Rubens, who never lost his smile, was shouting now.
The maids hurriedly stood, bowing their heads in confusion.
“Phew. Just get out for now.”
“But...”
“We'll handle Rima's treatment.”
At Al's cold command, the maids had no choice but to withdraw.
Al and Rubens took seats beside Rima.
The moment their eyes met, they started growling at each other.
“Brother. What are you doing right now?”
“Trying to treat Rima's hand?”
Al pulled Rima's right hand toward himself while making a sad face.
“Rima.”
Rima slowly lifted her head.
The instant Al saw her despair-filled face, he bit his lip slightly and bowed his head.
Then, in a trembling voice, he asked.
“Why on earth is it like this...?”
“Did something happen? Tell us. We'll help you.”
“It's nothing...”
Rima slowly shook her head.
She tried to gently slip her hand free.
But Al and Rubens gripped it tightly, as if to say no way.
“Let's treat it first. If our questions bother you, we won't ask. It doesn't matter anyway. You're what's important.”
“Right. It'll hurt, but hang in there.”
Rima stared blankly at the two of them.
From some point on, Al and Rubens had started fighting, each claiming to be the person closest to Rima.
They had even argued over who she would play with.
Often, it got so late that they couldn't play together at all.
Rima was thrilled by the change in the two of them.
But right now, it was a little annoying.
“Hey, did you hear about that?”
As he handed Al a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant, Rubens spoke up.
“The duck down coat. It's confirmed fake, and the economic office sued the shop owner. I heard he got arrested earlier.”
“Knew it would happen. I think the people who bought it are part of the problem too.”
“But it was cheap. Commoners are sensitive to prices...”
“Of course price matters. That's why Lubeo slashed prices on winter gear big time before the cold really hit.”
The biggest reason Lubeo earned such strong trust from consumers was its meticulous inspections that minimized the chance of defective products.
To get stocked in the department store, vendors had to go through procedures as strict as supplying the imperial palace.
“Why would Lubeo President allow a shop like that? Should've been suspicious from the start.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Everyone connected to that shop will probably get heavy sentences. They deceived people with lies. Pretty clever false advertising, right?”
[Coat made with eternal snow duck feathers]
If you looked closely at the promotional flyer written that way, there were tiny letters hidden between the words.
[Coat made with replicated eternal snow duck feathers]
Replicated feathers.
It was a weird compound word that you could barely make out even with the strongest magnifying glass.
“So disgusting...”
Al trailed off mid-sentence and let out a sigh.
His warm breath touched Rima's tender, wounded skin.
“Ow!”
Rima, whose eyes welled up with tears from the sharp pain, tried to pull her hand away.
“Ah, sorry.”
Al apologized hurriedly. But he didn't let go of her hand.
“Brother, be careful! Rima's hurting.”
Unable to stand it any longer, Rubens snatched Rima's hand.
“I'll do it, so you back off.”
“Rima likes it better when I treat her, right? She eats the mint candies I give her so well.”
“What are you talking about! Rima praises me as the best every time we go out together. You ever hear that, brother?”
“Rima, is that true? You only said best to Rubens? I've never heard it.”
“What if you had? Right, Rima?”
Before they knew it, the treatment had been completely forgotten.
“Rima likes me more.”
“No, she doesn't.”
Al and Rubens began growling again, each insisting they were Rima's favorite.
“...”
Rima shot an annoyed glare at the brothers quarreling right in front of her, then bolted straight into the bathroom.
She slammed the door shut loudly, as if to make a point.
But Al and Rubens, lost in their own argument, didn't even notice Rima had vanished.
So noisy...!
Useless idiots!
Rima plugged her ears with both hands and squeezed her eyes shut tight.
A ringing buzzed in her ears, pulsing fast like a heartbeat.
What do I do?
Economic office?
They sued the shop?
The duck down coat had a problem like that?
Fear rising again, Rima gnawed at her nail tips.
The lingering disinfectant on her fingers hit her tongue with a horrible taste.
But Rima was already in a horrible situation.
Compared to that, the taste of disinfectant might as well have been sweet honey.
“It's fine. They don't know it's me, right? I was just the one behind...”
Perhaps lost in her self-muttering escape from reality, she didn't even notice that the noisy bickering of Al and Rubens outside the door had faded away.
Two days later.
The raging blizzard had finally calmed. The storm clouds began parting bit by bit from dawn, allowing a glimpse of blue sky for the first time in ages.
The Dayamor mansion flung its windows wide open.
“Ugh...”
Thanks to that, Nibelria showed no sign of emerging from under the covers.
“Too cold...!”
“Hurry and get dressed, miss. Then it won't be cold.”
“No way! Pajamas are warmer.”
“That's because your body warmed up while you slept. If you keep wearing pajamas, you'll just get colder.”
“No! Nope!”
Swish swish. Even from inside the blanket, Nibelria deftly dodged Dether's hands reaching to grab her.
She wriggled out and dashed down the hallway.
Her plan was to hide in Arep's room just like this.
“Huh...?”
But suddenly, her body floated up lightly.
Panicked, Nibelria flailed her arms and legs wildly, but her suspended body refused to come down.
“...Oh my gosh!”
Nibelria cupped her cheeks with both hands.
“Nini is flying!”
“How does flying feel?”
When she turned around, there was Majia.
“Magic Tower Lord!”
“That's me.”
He slowly lowered his raised index finger.
Nibelria's floating body descended back down as well.
Having landed safely, Nibelria stomped her feet.
“What? Whaaat?”
“Magic. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Do it again! Again!”
“Dress first.”
Why was this kid still in pajamas?
Spotted by Dether, who had come out with clothes to help, Nibelria was changed into thick winter garments.
Having spent the winter eating and rolling around, her cheeks were plump and full—looking just like a fluffy puppy.
“This one's surprisingly cute today.”
“Nini is always cute.”
Instead, Nibelria eyed Majia suspiciously.
“Why are you complimenting me?”
“You look kinda pretty today.”
“...”
“Sorry, but my interest in dating you is less likely than if you threw eye-booger water into the sea and that booger resurfaced three days later still intact.”
“Huh?”
“You kiss Wolf, don't you?”
“Yeah! We're dating!”
“Good. Date Wolf well, then.”
Live long and happy in this life.
Muttering to himself, Majia waited until Nibelria finished her breakfast.
In the meantime, Arep and Solles came down too.
The two of them froze the moment they saw Majia sitting there from morning, sipping tea like it was his own home.
“Oh, you two are up.”
Hurry and sit down for breakfast.
He personally oversaw the children's meal.
Though stunned at first, they soon greeted Majia politely and took their seats at the table.
Majia, in a good mood, ordered a servant to bring a simple portion for himself as well.
“By the way, where'd the adults of this house go? Kaleo and Seletrina are probably at the palace...”
“Grandparents went out yesterday. Said they were visiting a friend's house.”
“Hmm...”
Della, or maybe the Grand Witch.
One of the two...
No.
There was one more.
But that guy's not one for going out much.
Did he die or something?
Lost in thoughts of his old comrade, Majia suddenly felt a poke on his arm and turned to look.
It was Nibelria.
A bit of jam was stuck to the corner of the child's mouth.
“Why'd the Magic Tower Lord come? To play with Nini?”
“Something like that.”
Majia wiped the corner of Nibelria's mouth with a napkin as he spoke.
“Kittens.”
“Huh?”
“Wanna go play at the palace?”
The Emperor invited you.
“All three of you.”
“Wow!”
Riding in the carriage, Nibelria couldn't close her mouth at the sight of the world blanketed in white.
“Everything's covered in snow...!”
“Look over there! It's Lubeo!”
Arep and Solles couldn't tear their eyes from the scenery outside the window either.
Majia watched the three kids clustered at the narrow window, a fairly guardian-like smile on his face.
“Sit properly. You'll get hurt.”
And voiced some fairly guardian-like concern.
The children obediently returned to their seats.
“Magic Tower Lord.”
Solles finally asked the question he'd been holding back.
“Did His Imperial Majesty really invite us?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know why?”
“I figure you know better than I do.”
“...”
Solles's eyes went wide.
Majia chuckled and started to cross his legs, only to uncross them when Nibelria smacked his knee and nagged, Crossing legs is bad for your back!
“Hey, that was your grandma's catchphrase back during the war.”
Having been scolded, Majia lost a bit of his dignity as Magic Tower Lord.
But everyone was already used to Nibelria's impudence, so no one paid it any mind.
“...Because of the magic stone?”
Arep, who had been mulling over why the imperial family had summoned them, asked slyly.
