5. Negotiations Fail When You Don’t Understand The Other Party (part 5)

Early in the morning, Marcella left the annex before the maids could bring breakfast and started her day quickly.

She’d been unsure what to do in the palace and stayed quiet, but now she’d decided not to. Arthur Digory was being increasingly unreasonable, wasn’t he? So now I’ll be unreasonable too!

Thinking this way suddenly made Marcella feel free. She laughed and even hummed for the first time in a while.

She headed toward the tree-rich area.

Picking up fallen branches and gathering some leaves, she collected quite a lot. Thinking she’d gathered enough, she looked up and turned around, only to realize something large was at her feet.

“Kyah!”

Marcella was so startled she threw all the branches she was holding at Tamarin.

Tamarin, hit by branches while squinting, glared at Marcella with flashing eyes. Cold sweat began forming on Marcella’s back.

Tamarin looked at such Marcella and growled low. When Marcella flinched in surprise, he chuckled.

“Do you have business with me?”

Marcella cautiously backed away, keeping her guard up.

Tamarin didn’t answer and lay down with his belly on the ground. He wasn’t attacking—what was he doing?

When Marcella looked puzzled, he yawned widely.

“Is this your den?”

• As if.

Tamarin snorted and placed his chin on his paws, closing his eyes. Then why was he sleeping here?

Marcella moved away from him and picked up branches again. She couldn’t approach branches too close to him because his ears twitched whenever she moved toward them, making her pull back her feet.

The branch at his feet looked the thickest and most suitable, but she couldn’t muster the courage to pick it up. Marcella had to abandon that branch.

She carefully emerged to avoid disturbing his sleep, but the lying Tamarin stretched and followed her.

When Marcella looked back, he stared at her as if asking what she was looking at. Marcella stood still and stared back at him.

“Are you following me now?”

• Think whatever you want.

“To attack me from behind?”

• Why? Want to be attacked?

When Tamarin bared his teeth, Marcella turned and backed away. Tamarin laughed wickedly.

“You’re teasing me?”

• Just figured that out?

“Is teasing me fun?”

• You’re talkative today, still scared though.

“I decided to speak my mind.”

• Quite a change of heart.

“Yes. It’s a big change for me. It might be trivial to you.”

When Marcella snorted and walked away, she heard light pattering sounds behind her.

When Marcella looked back in surprise, Tamarin had approached her side. His mane swayed as he moved.

• What are you looking at?

Noticing Marcella’s gaze, Tamarin snapped, and Marcella turned away.

“Nothing.”

Marcella replied curtly and quickened her pace. Tamarin’s steps also quickened.

“Why are you following me!”

• It’s my choice.

“Don’t follow me!”

• Oh? Is that an order? I don’t follow your orders anyway.

Marcella caught her breath to run while holding branches properly. But her leg, about to step forward, bumped into Tamarin.

• This is bad.

He frowned and glared at Marcella.

• You’re doing things you don’t normally do this early in the morning.

“What? What are you—Kyah! Wait, what are you doing?”

Tamarin bumped his head against Marcella.

Was he suddenly being affectionate? No, if it were Phoenix maybe, but not Tamarin!

As Marcella watched Tamarin’s behavior in horror, he clicked his tongue and grabbed her clothes with his teeth, pulling.

• Get on.

“What? Where?”

Before answering Marcella’s question, Tamarin pulled her onto his back.

• Hold on. Or you’ll fall.

“What? Wait, Tamarin!”

Before Marcella could refuse, Tamarin enlarged his body, crouched to leap, then sprang upward.

Marcella was startled and grabbed his mane tightly, almost pulling it out.

• Hey! Who told you to grab my mane?

“You told me to hold on tight! You started moving before I could grab anything!”

Marcella shouted while on Tamarin racing at high speed.

“Where are we going!”

• Be quiet. Don’t be noisy when you’re riding on someone’s back.

“You put me on your back without asking! Kyaaaah!”

When Tamarin, who’d been leaping across rooftops, dropped down, Marcella screamed in terror and hugged his neck. The mane touching her face was softer and fluffier than expected.

“Lady Marcella!”

At the familiar voice, Marcella snapped to attention to see Arthur in pajamas looking at her with bewilderment.

“My lady! I heard you’d suddenly disappeared and was worried, but you were with Tamarin?”

Arthur in pajamas asked with surprised eyes. Looking closely, he was barefoot on the dirt ground like someone who’d just jumped out of bed.

• Don’t make a fuss over being briefly out of sight, Arthur Digory.

When Tamarin scolded him, Arthur glanced at him irritably and focused on Marcella again.

“Please tell me when you’re going somewhere, my lady. I thought you might have run away home in the middle of the night…”

“Were you coming to grab my legs again?”

Arthur stopped mid-sentence and smiled brightly at Marcella.

“Taking a morning walk? You’re so diligent, my lady. I should follow your example.”

He suddenly started clapping and praising Marcella.

Marcella was wary of his sudden attitude change after he’d been angry moments before.

“I’m not secretly running away.”

“Of course not! You promised to stay in the palace for a month. You’ll keep that promise, at least for that time.”

“I keep my promises, unlike certain people.”

Marcella’s words had thorns. Arthur Digory, who didn’t keep promises well, smiled brightly at her.

Tamarin, watching them, turned his head and interjected.

• Nell’s missing this morning too.

“What do you mean…”

When Arthur snapped his fingers, a servant who noticed ran over quickly.

“Check if His Majesty has awakened.”

The servant who received Arthur’s order ran off quickly and returned breathlessly.

“His Majesty isn’t in his chambers!”

“Tamarin! Where did His Majesty go!”

When Arthur shouted, Tamarin snorted.

• He’s not a child—don’t make a fuss about him going somewhere.

“Do you think I’m worried something might happen to His Majesty?”

• He’s coming.

Tamarin’s gaze turned upward as a black dot approached.

With a thud and rising dust, Marcella coughed from the dust as a silhouette approached through it.

“Coughing again.”

A familiar voice asked from within the dust.

“Do you have a cold?”

“It’s from the dust Your Majesty created.”

Arthur thought he’d suddenly awakened as a mage at this late age. The sound came before he could even voice his intended words.

Until he saw Marcella glaring at Nell and moving her lips, he’d really hoped so.

“You’re coughing from dust?”

When Nell rolled up his sleeves, wind blew. Marcella’s hair fluttered in the wind.

Marcella automatically frowned at the dusty wind. Nell was holding something.

“Marcella, do you like mushrooms?”

When the dusty wind stopped, his appearance became clear. He was holding a mushroom.

Thinking she’d seen this mushroom somewhere before, Nell offered it to Marcella. She definitely liked mushrooms.

“This is…”

“I brought it from your hometown.”

“Hometown? You mean Morris territory?”

Did he go to Morris territory? When Marcella blinked, Nell tilted his head.

“Do you dislike it?”

“No. I like mushrooms. But…”

Marcella reflexively took the mushroom.

Looking closely, her suspicion became certainty.

Why give me this mushroom, going through the trouble of bringing it from Morris territory? Did he really harbor special feelings for her?

“I like you too.”

At the sudden confession, Marcella’s hand holding the mushroom flinched.

Nell quietly watched Marcella’s widened eyes. He seemed to be waiting for an answer.

“I’d like you to eat this.”

He recalled memories and conjured fire in his hand with magic.

“Is it better grilled?”

He actively offered to cook it.

Marcella watched this and struggled to speak.

“Your Majesty, this is a paralysis mushroom.”

It seemed he harbored some special hatred—if not wanting to kill her, at least wanting to torment her.

Marcella seriously contemplated the paralysis mushroom in her hand.

She could feel Tamarin laughing. Only then did Marcella realize she was still on Tamarin’s back.

When Marcella climbed down from Tamarin, he began rolling on the ground laughing.

• Idiot! What exactly do you want to do to this girl!

Marcella looked with complex feelings at the paralysis mushroom and Tamarin rolling around in delight.

When Nell asked if she liked mushrooms, she’d actually been a little surprised and hopeful.

“Don’t you like paralysis mushrooms?”

“If you eat them, your tongue becomes paralyzed, and in severe cases, your arms and legs are paralyzed for three days… No, I don’t like them.”

How could she like them? She had no taste for being paralyzed. Maybe he gave it to me not knowing it was a paralysis mushroom?

Marcella, who’d been thinking hopefully, realized it was deliberate.

“I have bad memories from accidentally eating one as a child and suffering.”

What was he thinking, giving her this and saying he liked it? Marcella could only think bad thoughts.

“Lady Marcella couldn’t possibly be meant to eat that mushroom!”

Arthur waved his hands and laughed loudly, claiming it was ridiculous.

“Paralysis mushrooms are so useful. Even if Lady Marcella doesn’t eat it, there are plenty of uses!”

“…Uses?”

When Marcella asked suspiciously, Arthur nodded vigorously.

“Of course, my lady!”

“For example?”

Arthur’s facial muscles trembled slightly. Still, he smiled at Marcella to the end.

“For example, you could gift it to someone you don’t want to assassinate but want to cause mild suffering. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful use?”

Arthur kept nodding.

Marcella looked down at the mushroom and frowned.

“My lady?”

“I’ll give it to you, Lord Digory.”

Marcella offered the paralysis mushroom to Arthur.

“Ahaha! My lady, how did you know I have many people in the palace I’d like to playfully torment! You’re definitely not giving it to me to eat, right?”

Arthur made a fuss and raised his voice while Marcella silently glared at him.

“But since His Majesty gave it to you, how could I dare accept it?”

Arthur shook his head side to side with a regretful expression. Marcella’s complexion darkened.

“Both Lord Digory and His Majesty want to see me suffer from eating this. I understand.”

When Marcella withdrew her outstretched hand, Arthur grabbed her arm.

“I’ll gratefully accept it, my lady!”

“I’m joking, Lord Digory. How could I give something His Majesty gave me to someone else? His Majesty brought paralysis mushrooms from Morris territory because he wants me to eat them.”

“My lady! That can’t be!”

“Then is there another reason for giving me paralysis mushrooms?”

Arthur’s lips trembled as he snatched the mushroom from Marcella’s hand.

He shook his head vigorously and clenched his hand.

“This is a paralysis mushroom? You’re mistaken, my lady. This isn’t a paralysis mushroom!”

“Are you saying I’m wrong? How many years do you think I’ve been looking at mushrooms on that mountain?”

“No, my lady. This isn’t a paralysis mushroom. Shall I show you?”

Arthur shoved the mushroom in his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing.

“See, my lady. No paralysis symptoms whatsoever.”

“…Lord Digory, your tongue seems to be paralyzed.”

“It’s just because I didn’t chew properly.”

Arthur tried desperately to move his tongue, but couldn’t overcome his increasingly stiff tongue.

It seemed Nell had really brought a paralysis mushroom.

When Arthur glanced at Nell, Nell was staring at Arthur with wide eyes.

Arthur pretended to yawn sleepily and hurriedly left. Soon after, a thud indicated someone collapsing.

• At least make an excuse.

Tamarin curtly commented to Nell, who was blankly staring where Arthur had gone.

When Nell looked at Tamarin, Tamarin indicated Marcella with his eyes.

“When I ate it, I didn’t feel any paralysis.”

It was an honest excuse, but insufficient to clear Marcella’s misunderstanding.

“I understand Your Majesty’s intentions well.”

To lie about paralysis mushrooms being fine to eat while wanting to torment me.

“You couldn’t find the mushroom I gave you?”

“You mean the lemon mushroom?”

“Yes.”

That couldn’t be. At this time of year, lemon mushrooms should be scattered throughout the inner mountain.

“There were no lemon-scented mushrooms.”

“They only smell like lemons when grilled.”

Nell’s lips parted slightly.

“If you don’t grill them, they don’t smell like lemons.”

“I just… wanted to give you something quickly.”

“…So instead of lemon mushrooms, you gave me paralysis mushrooms?”

Who would give paralysis mushrooms as a substitute when lemon mushrooms weren’t visible? Marcella thought it was a ridiculous excuse and glared at Nell.

“You wanted me to eat paralysis mushrooms that badly.”

While making such absurd excuses.

“Thank you. Next time I’ll understand Your Majesty’s intentions and eat them grilled myself instead of giving them to Lord Digory.”

Marcella turned and left.

• Idiot.

As Nell blankly watched Marcella leave, Tamarin spat the insult, and Nell looked down at him.

“When I ate it, no paralysis came.”

• You have resistance, so paralysis and poison don’t affect you. Even if you’re fine eating it, realize most people aren’t.

“I see. That’s right.”

Nell shook out mushrooms he’d kept inside his clothes. Mushrooms including paralysis mushrooms piled at his feet.

Tamarin looked at this and made an exasperated sound.

• Did you forget you have resistance?

“I knew it, but I forgot.”

• Get your head straight, Emperor.

Tamarin sniffed and rolled the fallen mushrooms, then scratched Nell’s leg with his claws.

His pants tore in the shape Tamarin drew, but not a single red scratch appeared on Nell’s body.

• You could have just given her all those mushrooms, right?

Not a single wound appeared on Nell’s body, making Tamarin irritated as he bluntly commented.

But Nell trudged off in the direction Marcella had gone, then leaped up and disappeared.

The emperor’s second failed confession.

(author’s note: NOooOoOoOooOoO Nell 😭😭😭😭😭😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿😿)