44. Mabel Hides Her Power
The sky cleared up as if the clouds were never there.
As soon as I woke up, the procession began to return to the capital. I put my chin on the wagon window and watched the busy people.
‘It’s fascinating being in the center.’
It’s just a little rain, but they’re happy as if the droughts had been resolved. In fact, the rain ritual didn’t really help ease the drought. Unless it really rains or I go there myself and make it rain, the west will remain dry.
“Ith waining a wot.” (It’s raining a lot.)
Oscar sat across from me and smiled pleasantly as if he heard me mutter.
“You’re worried about the people. Our Mabel is already a great monarch.”
“Yes, yes.”
“I, I-.”
I squeezed my fists and protested, but I couldn’t remember the right words.
Seeing Oscar smile, I felt relieved.
“…sigh.”
‘It’s no use saying anything.’
It’s a long way from becoming an outcast.
I gave up making excuses and looked out the window again. I saw Enrique far away. It was different from usual. He was standing against a tree in a remote place.
‘What’s wrong?’
It was unfamiliar. Enrique’s usual deep smile was replaced with an expressionless expression.
‘He looks like someone else.’
It was when I was staring blankly at Enrique. Tap tap, someone tapped the wagons door lightly. When I opened my eyes wide in surprise, a familiar face appeared outside the window.
“Cithewo.” (Cissero.)
It was the knight that often approached me to talk after our last greeting.
“I greet Your Majesty and your Highness. I’m here because I’m in charge of escorting your carriage.”
“Ung, hewwo.” (Ung, hello.)
It’s normal to return a greeting when you receive one. When I waved my hand, Cissero’s face suddenly disappeared downwards.
“……?”
When I grabbed the window frame and pulled my head out and looked down, I saw Cissero crouching on the floor and shaking his body.
“What awe you dwoing?” (What are you doing?)
“N-nothing. You don’t have to mind me.”
“Uung.”
After I nodded awkwardly, Oscar gently dragged my hand.
“Mabel, it’s dangerous to poke your head out the carriage. Come in.”
“Okway.”
As soon as I sat down in the carriage, Cissero’s head soared back up again. But his face was red like a person who was suffering from a fever.
“Cithewo, awe you huwt?” (Cissero, are you hurt?)
“Ahem. I’m not. I’m fine. Then, I’ll go back now.”
“Ung.”
Watching Cissero’s back move farther away, Oscar murmured.
“Looks like he won rock-paper-scissor…”
“Ung? Wock-papew-sithows?” (Ung? Rock-paper-scissors?)
“It’s nothing. Mabel doesn’t need to know. Do you want some grapes?”
“Ung.”
As Oscar was munching on the grapes, the person I was looking for passed by the carriage. I stretched out my arms and grabbed his collar before I missed him.
“Ohh!”
It was Duke Javier.
The Duke’s face that was rarely seen embarrassed looked at me with an awkward smile. I smiled along with him brightly.
“Ithn’t thith Dwuke Jabie?” (Isn’t this Duke Javier?)
“Haha… I greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Ah thaw you juth pass by tho ah with sad.” (I saw you just pass by so I was sad.)
I didn’t even make eye contact and made a rough excuse. In fact, justification wasn’t that important. I just wanted to tease Duke Javier.
“This subject has made a big discourtesy because he has not seen Your Majesty. I heard that Your Majesty was seriously ill because you got very wet from the rain. Are you okay?”
“Ah’m okway. Wather than that, Dwuke Javie doethn’ look gwood. Ith there anythwing bad gwoing on?” (I’m okay. Rather than that, Duke Javier doesn’t look good. Is there anything bad going on?)
I asked with a smile that can’t be spit on. Naturally, the Duke wouldn’t be feeling good.
Because it rained. And the timing was also good!
“Haha. That’s not true. I’m so happy that this rain ritual ended successfully.”
Like politics, the Duke laughed as if he were really happy. But I could guess that things weren’t going as intended, so it was quite painful for him.
“Thath twue. You pwovided suppwies for the people suffewing fwom the dwought. Ah am vewy pweased with your sinter heart, Dwuke Javie.” (That’s true. You provided supplies for the people suffering from the drought. I am very pleased with your sincere heart, Duke Javier.)
“Haha, is that so. I ought to do what I can for Ermano.”
Hahaha.
Hehehe.
Duke Javier laughed after me.
It was more fun because he didn’t know that I was behind this situation, and at a glance, I was only a pushover baby.
‘Did you see that? I’m a baby who hides her power.’
***
On the way back to the Capital.
The procession was more relaxed returning from the sanctuary than going to the sanctuary. However, the degree of relaxation was clearly different from before.
This was all because of threats disguised as orders from the stand-in-Emperor.
“The day my precious Mable gets even a little bit of motion sick… you’ll all have to be prepared.”
“I-I’ll keep that in mind…!”
“If something goes wrong, don’t ask for mercy.”
“Yes!”
The poor coachmen drove with blue faces. All I could do was not get motion sick for them.
The stand-in-Emperor left the procession every ten minutes to ask me every time, “Mabel. How are you feeling?”
“Gwood.” (Good.)
“You’re not dizzy?”
“Not dwizzy.” (Not dizzy.)
“If you feel bad somewhere, you must tell dad. Okay?”
“Okway…”
I answered that I was okay, but he finally asked Oscar as if I wasn’t trustworthy.
“Oscar, keep an eye on Mabel. Stop the carriage immediately if she looks bad.”
“Yes, Royal Father. Please do not worry.”
“Yes. I trust you, Oscar.”
I stared at the stand-in-Emperor’s back that kept getting smaller. If it was like before, why would it be like that? It must have passed on, but now the feeling is a little different.
‘Because you’re so fatherly, I keep looking forward to it.’
Even if I tried not to have expectations, it didn’t work. Whenever I found myself taking the stand-in-Emperor’s affection for granted, I hated myself.
‘You were abandoned like that and now you have hopes again…like a fool.’
No matter how hard I pushed him away, the stand-in-Emperor reached me.
“What’s wrong, Mabel? Are you hurt?”
“Ah’m not huwt at all.” (I’m not hurt at all.)
I shook my head in a hurry in case something happened to the coachman.
Knock knock. Someone knocked on the wagon. Oscar answered without opening the window.
“What’s going on?”
“The carriage will shake a bit from now because of the road.”
It was Cissero. Oscar answered briefly.
“Okay.”
The silhouette that was right next to the carriage disappeared. Oscar, who was squeezing my hand, looked out the window and frowned.
“Othcar, whath’ wrong?” (Oscar, what’s wrong?)
“Just. I don’t like the way he suddenly acts like he’s close with you.”
I opened my eyes wide.
It was somewhat surprising because it was the first time Oscar showed such direct hostility. It was the same for the nanny and Lalima, so they also looked at Oscar with big eyes.
“Oh my, what happened to your Highness?”
“I know. You Highness doesn’t usually do that to others. Is there any particular reason why you don’t like Sir Cissero?”
Oscar was briefly agonizing over Lalima’s question and soon opened his mouth.
“Actually, I don’t like anyone trying to get close with Mabel. But I especially don’t like that knight. I don’t know why.”
“I thwee.” (I see.)
I scratched my cheek with the hand that was free from Oscar’s grip.
“That’s weird. Cissero is so bright that all the knights, and of course the ladies, like Sir Cissero. He’s been in with the knights for about a year and has a very good reputation.”
I nodded at Lalima’s words. As she said, he looks like he would be very popular.
Oscar seemed unhappy with my reaction.
“Mabel. You know… If I tell you not to talk with that knight, will you?”
“Uung?”
I was surprised again by the un-Oscar-like request.
‘Why’s he doing this all of a sudden?’
Usually, he was very mature that he didn’t look his age.
I happily nodded while looking at Oscar.
“Okway!”
“…! Really?”
“Ung.”
Actually, I didn’t like to stay away from people for no reason, but I couldn’t help but listen to Oscar’s request because it was his first request from me.
‘It’s a child’s request, but I’m all grown up so I’ll listen to it.’
Ahem.
Besides, I was not that close to Cissero, nor did I want Oscar to be disappointed in me.
“Mabel, you’re sure, right?”
“Ung. I lwike Othcar bette than Cithewo.” (Ung. I like Oscar better than Cissero.)
“Mabel!!”
Oscar gave me a big hug.
“Uaaa!”
The nanny and Lalima smiled happily at us.
And it was then.
Bam-!
The carriage rocked back loudly. At the same time, a buzzing sound came from outside. When we were all frozen without understanding the situation, someone’s cry came through the noise.
“It’s an attack! Escort the Emperor!”
And again, the carriage shook greatly.
Bam-!
The recent shake was stronger than the one before. The carriage tilted slightly to the side and returned.
“Your Majesty. Your Highness. Are you okay?!”
The nanny, surprised, looked at our condition. I was a little surprised, but Oscar supported my head with his hands so I wouldn’t get hurt.
“Mabel, are you okay?”
Perhaps because he was very surprised, I could hear Oscar’s heart pounding. I nodded my head.
“Ah’m okay.” (I’m okay.)
“Nanny. We’re okay. Rather, the attack…”
Since there were so many troops deployed as escorts, no one expected an attack. It was almost the size of an army, so who would attack?
‘I can’t believe there’s such a big guy.’
As expected, it’s something to live a long time for.
Outside the carriage, metal collisions, screams and shouts were heard. Explosions could also be heard.
Oscar, who had been patting my back, muttered.
“It looks like there are wizards. It’s not bandits.”
“What kind of bandith’ would attwack the impewial cawwiage? Unwess they’we weid.” (What kind of bandits would attack the imperial carriage? Unless they’re weird.)
“Mabel is smart.”
Anyway, I thought there wouldn’t be any danger because the stand-in-Emperor and Lissandro, both sword masters, were outside along with the other knights.
Stab-.
…until a blade that pierced the wagon almost touched my face.
Several strands of hair fell down and landed on the floor. A sparkling sword was right in front of my eyes.
‘The patterns on the sword…’
“M-Mabel!”
Oscar wrapped my cheeks and moved me to the middle of the carriage. In the meantime, the blade that pierced the carriage was pulled out.
“Were the escorts…passed by?”
“Lalima. Stay calm.”
The nanny’s voice, scolding the frightened Lalima, was also vey shaky. It was because no one expected any danger inside the carriage. It was a carriage that had already been attacked once. There was nothing that could prevent another attack.
“I’ll go out.”
Oscar’s hand headed towards his waist. Oscar told me when I said I’d go to the rain ritual,
“Then make sure to take me too.”
“I’ll protect you.”
However, I had no intentions in putting the young Oscar in danger. I held Oscar’s hand tightly and shook my head firmly.
“The wagon hath a hole anyway. We all nweed to get outh of hewe.” (The wagon has a hole anyway. We all need to get out of here.)
It was better to go outside the carriage than to shiver in the carriage where a blade could be stabbed in from anywhere.
Hearing the metal bumping sound coming from outside the carriage, the defense must not have been completely breached yet.
“I’ll get off first. Don’t object this.”
“However, Your Highness.”
“Nanny, I’m the only one with a weapon here.”
Oscar, who spoke firmly, opened the carriage door slightly. The metal sounds which were vague could be heard more clearly.
The situation seemed to be a disaster.
Perhaps there was indeed a wizard. Flames soared all over, threatening our troops.
A knight who cut down an enemy rushed to escort us out of the carriage.
“The enemy’s level is considerable. There are three or more master-level wizards. The Ermano wizards cannot handle them.”
“Is it Devlin?”
Oscar pulled out his sword and spoked with a low voice.
Then, a firework was shot from the right. The arrow evaporated in the air before it could reach the knight’s sword.
“Is it our wizard?!”
An unnamed knight shouted. I sighed inside and wiped the sweat off my forehead.
‘It’s me.’