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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Talkative Archmage
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Urna’s eyes widened when the White Tiger Princess, who had seemed to be in a bad mood since their departure, followed him so readily.
Up close, her fur, which shimmered like snow, was breathtakingly beautiful.
From his first glimpse of her, she had been as dazzling as a mythical beast from a legend, but she was even more beautiful up close.
His heart pounded.
He grinned foolishly and said,
“This way, Your Highness.”
"Kyang," she replied, signaling her understanding.
Matching his pace to the princess’s trotting steps, Urna opened the door to the interior.
“We’ve prepared the finest cabin for you.”
“Well, thank you,” she conveyed with a purr.
“Please let me know if you experience any discomfort during the flight.”
Jusielia replied as she looked around the cabin.
“It’s fine,” she purred.
“You are free to go anywhere you wish on the airship, Your Highness!”
“Thank you,” she purred.
Growing weary of Urna’s excessive kindness, Jusielia began to give him cursory replies.
“Oh! For your reference, my cabin is C-3! Please feel free to visit anytime! You can ask me anything you’re curious about or even ask me to go for a walk with you. Welcome, Your Highness!”
“O-Okay,” she managed with a purr.
Jusielia thought the archmage guiding her to her cabin was quite the chatterbox.
Still, she endured the slight discomfort and deliberately purred along enthusiastically to his prattling.
Because.
*Hmph.*
Ekiel, following them from behind with a blank expression, was getting on her nerves.
If he was going to be a guide, he should come up to the front. Why was he just lurking back there?
Jusielia was still cross with him.
He had clearly discussed something with her father but hadn’t told her anything.
*He’s known me longer, but he didn’t consult me at all! He won’t even properly acknowledge me!*
She remembered what the maids used to say.
That one should always stay away from bad boys(?).
*I shouldn’t have eaten that candy!*
The moment a regretful Jusielia turned to glare at Ekiel, their eyes met.
He must have been staring at her back the whole time.
*I’m not going to try to be friends with you ever again!*
After shooting him a fierce glare, Jusielia demonstrated her resolve by responding to Urna’s chatter with even greater enthusiasm.
“Now, now, listen to this! This magical airship was crafted with the utmost care by the artisans of our magic workshop, stitch by stitch! It took a total of ten years to build!”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” she chirped excitedly.
“The driving force behind the magical airship is its mana stone. But fundamentally, it requires exceptional archmages on board to move. Hahaha.”
“I see! An archmage as brilliant as Urna!” she purred playfully.
“Uahahaha!”
To be honest, since this was Urna’s first time conversing with Jusielia, he naturally had no idea what her purrs meant.
But she kept responding with happy chirps, so by the time they reached cabin C-1, the one assigned to the White Tiger Princess, Urna’s eyes had turned into hearts.
“Um, Your Highness.”
"Kyang?"
“Shall I bring you some motion sickness medicine? We have a special remedy created by archmages.”
“But I’m not seasick yet,” she grumbled softly.
Jusielia looked utterly exhausted for some reason.
She was tired from humoring Urna and just wanted to rest.
“Or perhaps you have a favorite food?! I would love to make it for you. I’ve never cooked before, but I’ll start today. I’ll become the greatest chef. If you need, I would even be happy to assist with your bath… Ack!”
Before Uni and Xaviet, who were following right behind, could glare and restrain him, Urna let out a scream.
*Shing!*
Jusielia’s eyes went wide.
A golden chain had wrapped itself tightly around Urna’s neck.
“Gah! Your Majesty!”
The master of the chain was, of course, Ekiel.
“My apologies for the intrusion. Please rest well.”
Ekiel, standing further down the ship's corridor, spoke politely and then gave the mana chain wrapped around his hand a light tug.
The terrified Urna scrambled to his feet and ran toward Ekiel before he could be dragged away.
“Aaaah! Your Majesty, please spare me!”
“Stop being so dramatic. It’s not even that tight.”
“You’re so cruel!”
Ekiel looked down at the whining Urna and said,
“Should I wrap it around your feet instead?”
“My neck is perfect. Hahaha! I was feeling hot anyway, so this is wonderfully cool! Did you cast a cooling spell on it? Hahaha!”
“I’ll cast a lightning strike on it for you.”
“I’ll pass.”
Jusielia’s party stared blankly for a long time at the sight of the tall archmage being dragged away by the young emperor.
“...”
“...”
“Sh-Shall we go in?”
Sophie was the first to snap out of it and opened the door. Jusielia followed her inside, shaking her head.
The Penterin royals, supposedly the greatest of the beastmen, weren’t exactly sane, but it seemed archmages weren’t normal either.
***
The days spent on the magical airship bound for the Rilberg Empire were surprisingly not boring.
In fact, the magical airship was fascinating, fun, and liberating.
*Studying abroad is the best!*
She had also become quite friendly with the mages on the airship.
It was already the fourth day since they had departed from the Penterin Imperial Palace.
With no time to be bored, Jusielia was relishing her exciting freedom. She had just gone to the airship’s kitchen to get a tasty snack.
This time, she headed to the engine room on the lowest level of the magical airship.
It was more maze-like and fun there.
*Haa, I’m tired.*
“Princess! Where are youuu!”
*That’s Uni.*
Hearing the distant voice, Jusielia crouched down slightly, hiding her presence.
“Ah, where could she be? Ouch! Why did you pinch me!”
“Just because. You’re annoying, Sir Xaviet.”
“Ugh!”
Jusielia giggled as she listened to the sounds of Uni and Xaviet bickering as they moved away.
The best part about the magical airship was this game of hide-and-seek and the brief freedom it granted her.
*Where should I go play?*
Stretching languidly, Jusielia walked out onto a pipe connected to the engine room, only to see someone sitting on a pipe on the far side.
*Who is that?*
Looking closer, she saw they were reading a book. That person was…
"Ekiel!" she yelped.
Flustered by this sudden encounter after three days, Jusielia backed away, but Ekiel noticed her first and gave a hesitant wave.
“...Hi, Jusielia?”
It had been three days since she started avoiding the little emperor.
Ekiel looked so pitiful with his slumped shoulders that Jusielia tucked her tail and cautiously approached him.
Ekiel’s expression brightened when Jusielia came closer instead of running away.
Jusielia snorted. *Hmph.*
*The problem is I’m just too generous.*
In truth, Jusielia’s spirits had lifted while playing freely on the magical airship, and her memory of why she had been sulking at Ekiel had already faded.
She had been angry that Ritain and Ekiel had hidden something from her and sent her to the Rilberg Empire under the pretext of ‘studying abroad.’
*But now, I’m even looking forward to studying abroad.*
Just exploring the magical airship was thrilling enough, so she was honestly growing more curious about the Rilberg Empire.
There, she wouldn’t have an overprotective emperor, crown prince, father, older brother, Doting Fool 1, Doting Fool 2, a Golden Tiger, a Golden Tiger cub, and so on…
Without them, she could roam freely and learn all sorts of things!
A wicked chuckle rumbled in her chest.
Jusielia stopped in her tracks and smirked slyly.
Ekiel tilted his head in confusion.
He had no idea what kind of fantasies the cute little white tiger was concocting in her head.
He would have been horrified if he knew she was imagining herself freely roaming not just the Rilberg Imperial Palace, but the entire empire on a grand adventure.
Just then, Jusielia met Ekiel’s curious gaze and quickly cleared her throat.
Ekiel gave her a gentle smile.
*Ahem. Anyway, if he explains himself well, I suppose I should forgive him.*
Jusielia resolved that she had to win over Ekiel, who, despite being a kid, was the emperor and supreme ruler of the empire she was heading to.
That way, she could make him her subordinate and get him to keep quiet when she snuck out to play, right?
*Hehe.*
“?”
Jusielia walked up to Ekiel, sat down, and beamed.
Ekiel was taken aback to see Jusielia, who had been avoiding him for three days, smiling so sweetly, but he quickly returned a goofy grin.
The sight was so charming that Jusielia was momentarily mesmerized before she snapped back to her senses and thought,
*...He, he looks like a pushover. He has the face of a total sucker.*
Her defense mechanisms kicking in, Jusielia began to brainwash herself so she wouldn't fall for his charms.
