Chapter 78
Chapter 78
When Consort Darien arrogantly assumed she had easily felled the princess, in reality, Anna the princess was more lucid than ever.
She let out a quiet sigh of relief as she sensed the bustling movement of the attendants around her.
There were dozens of people in the drawing room alone, including the attendants.
News would quickly spread throughout the imperial palace that the princess had collapsed due to Consort Darien’s verbal abuse, and as a result, whether by her own will or not, Consort Darien would never set foot in the princess’s quarters again.
For now, she might find it amusing that the princess collapsed from a few harsh words. She might look down on the princess as insignificant. But would she still find it so funny after being scolded by the emperor?
The answer was no. The emperor would humiliate Consort Darien even more harshly than she had humiliated the princess—for daring to lay a hand on his daughter.
To the emperor, Anna was just that, a symbol. The last remnant of the late empress, and simultaneously a means by which he could demonstrate his undiminished authority by thoroughly protecting the princess.
The emperor used his own child in this way. He was inscribing in everyone’s subconscious the idea that ‘nothing in this world can touch the princess under my protection.’
At first, Anna wasn’t sure, but as her previously dull mind began to clear, she came to realize the truth.
Even a child on the verge of death was merely a tool for the emperor to show off and maintain his power.
She didn’t feel especially hurt or betrayed. After all, the other imperial princesses before her had been sent off to other countries for political reasons without even being consulted. But she, due to her poor health, couldn’t be sent away, and so was being used like this instead.
Thinking of her father, Anna’s eyelids quivered slightly.
If things had come to this, then she would survive no matter what, and carve out her own future.
She silently reaffirmed her resolve to gain strength so that no one could control her ever again.
***
The next day, Erina’s group decided to return earlier than planned. The main reason was that Erina’s injury had rendered the entire purpose of the camping trip meaningless.
And the second reason: news arrived that the princess had collapsed once again. Along with it came a summons from the emperor to return to the palace.
Erina was deeply concerned about the princess, while Dylan and his subordinates found amusement in guessing the emperor’s hidden agenda behind the summons.
Of course, Mitzu and Hael couldn’t fully enjoy the situation, still remembering how they’d been berated just days ago for failing to find a pretext to return to the palace.
Still, a command from the emperor was not to be ignored. They had to at least pretend to obey. So instead of leisurely returning as they had when they arrived, they intended to take the fastest route back.
“Miss Erina, would teleporting be alright?”
“Yes, yes! It’s fine!”
Dylan left the cleanup to the servants and prepared to teleport in a hurry.
Erina, having experienced it once before, didn’t find it too difficult. However, there were some who strongly opposed their plan—Resen, Lia, and Poi, the young dragon triplets.
“Noooo!”
“Bo! Bo! Boring!! I want to fly! I’m going to fly through the sky!!”
“Poi goes ‘pop’ and then blegh!”
They lay flat on the ground, refusing to teleport because it was boring, made them nauseous, or simply because they didn’t like it.
Dylan, deciding he’d put them to sleep and teleport them anyway, was just about to act when Erina knelt and gently rubbed Poi’s stomach with a more worried look than before.
“Poi, does teleporting make your stomach hurt?”
“Uh-huh. Last time, when I went to Uncle Dylan’s house, I went blegh!”
“Oh no! Did it hurt a lot?”
Poi nodded, then pointed to different parts of her body with his little fingers, saying,
“My tummy hurt, my throat hurt, and I cried.”
Hearing this, Erina turned pale and looked at Dylan, silently asking if it was true.
Dylan gave an awkward smile. Honestly, he hadn’t known. When he arrived at the mansion with the kids, he’d been so tired he left right away, so he didn’t realize whether Poi had vomited or fainted.
Remembering the saying, ‘If you stay silent, at least you’re not at fault,’ Dylan just shrugged without speaking.
Erina, taking this as confirmation, stood before him with Poi’s hand in hers.
“Mr. Dylan, it seems teleporting is too hard on Poi… Is there another way? Or perhaps you could go ahead, and I’ll return slowly with the children.”
Dylan gave a dry laugh inside. He’d called her under the excuse of helping with the kids, but it was clear now—they were always her first priority, and it twisted his insides every time.
Recently, the irritation had grown from a knot in his chest to a full boil in his gut. Still, he managed to keep a straight face and shook his head.
“As you know, Miss Erina, the forest is dangerous. We have guards, yes, but they’re all human. They won’t be able to fully protect you.”
He quickly added, seeing her hesitate, “Of course, I mean my precious niece and nephews, too.”
Having finally managed to act the part of the kind uncle, Dylan smiled. Erina smiled back and hugged Poi tightly.
“Poi, remember the emperor we saw at the palace? He called Uncle Dylan, so we need to hurry. Will it feel a bit better if I hold you like this?”
“Mmm. If Erina Mama’s here, Poi doesn’t hurt.”
Poi rubbed his head into Erina’s shoulder affectionately. Seeing this, Lia and Resen also ran over to cling to her.
As the four of them clung together, Dylan stepped in and reluctantly separated them with a curt “We’re late.”
He didn’t forget to glare at the kids either.
“But I want to fly! I wanna fly like shwoooosh!”
Lia, this time, refused to cooperate. She flapped her little arms furiously, insisting she could fly to the mansion herself.
Erina’s face showed fresh guilt. She knew the kids had been wanting to practice flying during the trip.
Dylan’s mood soured further.
Seriously, what strange brats. Why couldn’t they just do as they were told?
They didn’t even have their wing membranes fully developed yet, and they thought they could fly?
He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Lia to hear:
“Lia, how many times do I have to tell you? You can’t fly yet. You need to go through puberty first. Where have you been storing that fact? Are you a goldfish?”
“I-I’m not a goldfish! I look nothing like one except being red!! Where do I look like a goldfish?!”
“Enough. I give up.”
Dylan gave up on the conversation as Lia shouted indignantly. Instead, he turned to Erina.
“Miss Erina, let’s get ready. The children might want to practice flying, but they can’t until they mature. So please, don’t feel too bad.”
“Yes, of course, I know. Let me get ready quickly!”
Erina began packing up with the children in tow.
“Wh-What?! Let go of me!”
It was while Erina was busily packing that she heard Mitzu shouting behind her.
Turning around, she saw the children clinging to Mitzu’s calves. Just minutes ago they’d been helping her fold clothes—when had they gone over there?
“Kids! What’s going on?”
“We’re trying to get Mitzu to fly us!”
“Mitzu is a grown-up dragon, so he can fly!”
Resen and Lia answered in turn. Erina had thought the subject was closed, but clearly it wasn’t.
The children were now throwing a tantrum at Mitzu instead of Dylan, begging to be flown home.
Erina raised both hands in defeat. She’d have to speak to Dylan again.
