Chapter 81
*They Say Beautiful People Need a Lot of Sleep*
“Catch that dog! He stole from His Highness’s treasury!”
“Catch that rat! It ate all our cheese!”
“We have to catch that… thing! Wild animals aren’t allowed in the Imperial Palace!”
A crowd of people in various uniforms chased after Zomrat, armed with spears, forks, and all sorts of makeshift weapons. How much trouble had he caused in such a short time?
Flowers were blooming, ants were growing to enormous sizes… It seemed like the elixir was leaking from the vial Zomrat had stolen.
“Zomrat!”
He jumped into my arms. The young master quickly snatched the vial.
“You spilled it all? There’s not a single drop left!”
While he was fuming, I grabbed his wrist and ran out of the palace.
“This isn’t the time! We’ll get caught!”
“Why should I run away when it was the rat’s fault?”
He complained, but followed me. The people chasing us shouted. Even the Imperial Knights, unsure of what was happening, joined the chase.
“Stop right there!”
“Thief!”
“They raided the warehouse!”
“Someone’s dead!”
Judging by their shouts, things seemed to be escalating…
“I’ve been running away a lot since I started traveling with you!”
He said indignantly. Since it was true, I just kept running.
We ran out of the palace and reached the main street. Even children were chasing us now. It felt like the entire world was after us.
“Should we hide in an alley?”
We exchanged glances and nodded. Even a busy street like this had side alleys. There was a hidden passage behind the garbage pile of a large grocery store.
We ran towards it. He reached the wall first and climbed over. He then extended his hand towards me. I stepped onto the garbage pile, jumped, and grabbed his hand.
“Catch me!”
“Waaaaah!”
We landed on the other side and held our breath. The shouts gradually faded away.
“…We lost them.”
“Yes, we did.”
We were sitting shoulder to shoulder. His face was flushed from running, and his breathing was ragged. I leaned against him, fluttering my eyelashes.
“Young Master? Since we’re alone, should we… set the mood?”
“Do you really think I’m in the mood?”
He pushed me away and stood up. Zomrat squeaked and burrowed into my clothes. Sparrow perched on my head and flapped his wings. I felt a bit slighted, as if they were looking down on me.
“Get rid of that disgusting rat.”
“He’s not a disgusting rat! He’s Zomrat! My precious friend! Haven’t you read any fairytales? Beautiful maidens always have five animal companions. And I still need three more!”
“Three more…”
He sighed and helped me up. As I brushed off my skirt, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind.
“What the…”
“Who are you?”
We both turned and confronted the stranger. I held the bread knife I carried for emergencies to his throat. The young master, his hand glowing with magic, grabbed the stranger’s wrist.
“Are you from the Crown Prince? Tell him I refuse his ridiculous offer. I’m not marrying Estella off to just anyone.”
“Young Master, you sound like a protective father… I’m so touched.”
“Just… just… never mind.”
The stranger, caught between us, looked around quickly, then gestured behind him.
“Come this way. There’s a safe place.”
“How can we trust you?”
The young master glared at him. The stranger didn’t back down. He was a short man, but he held himself with a surprisingly intimidating air.
“Then be my guest and continue being chased. You’re just giving the Crown Prince more ammunition against you.”
He scoffed and turned away. I grabbed his shoulders.
“Wait a minute!”
“Ugh! What a strong maid!”
“Hiding us is fine. But how can we trust you? Who are you? Do you have a family? Are you close to them? Do you all gather for meals during holidays?”
He pulled a small card from his pocket. The young master snatched it and examined it.
“A scientist.”
The stranger nodded.
“Helping a mage isn’t my cup of tea, but I have no choice under these circumstances. I’m a scientist serving Knight Commander Edna. She sent me to you.”
“Knight Commander Edna?”
I remembered her. She was just as strange as the Crown Prince. Offering to turn me into a human, a mage who believed in science…
“Why is she looking for us?”
The stranger led us deeper into the alley. I held the knife tighter, just in case. Zomrat, sensing my unease, gnashed his teeth.
“The Knight Commander told me to warn you to be careful. Don’t tell Crown Prince Umbram about this.”
“So they’re not on good terms?”
The young master smirked.
“And she also has a message for the maid. This is from Baba Porta, the witch, a friend of the Knight Commander.”
“Miss Baba?”
The scientist stroked his beard, hesitated, then imitated Miss Baba’s languid tone,
“Estella, our engagement is off. I received a proposal from a little dragon. If you’re okay with being my second partner, come to the library. The goblins miss you. They want to play treasure hunt.”
“Oh my, a proposal from a little dragon. That must be Castor. Congratulations. That boy, becoming so bold while I was away?”
I pretended to wipe away tears with my sleeve. The young master suddenly put his arm around me.
“That crazy witch…”
“I didn’t know Miss Baba cared about me so much. I want to visit the magic library again. Right, Young Master? Let’s find some time to visit.”
“I’d rather camp at the phoenix’s nest. I’m not going anywhere near that crazy witch.”
“Then how about camping at the phoenix’s nest?”
He ignored me and snatched the paper the scientist was holding.
“You brought this for me too, right?”
“Y-yes. Umbram also has a few scientists working for him. They’ve betrayed science and are researching absurd things with the mage.”
The young master unfolded the paper.
“What is it? What is it? I want to see too.”
I stood on tiptoe, trying to peek, and he lowered the paper slightly. I couldn’t understand any of it.
“Young Master, explain it to me. I don’t understand.”
He put the paper away and ruffled my hair.
“Let’s go home.”
“Already? Can’t we go sightseeing since we’re already out? We have nothing to do at home.”
“Of course we do.”
He glared at the scientist, then put his arm around my shoulder and turned to leave.
“It takes a lot of effort to become more evil than Umbram.”
A week passed peacefully. We returned to our usual routine after the visit to the Imperial Palace. I was still a doll, Zomrat had grown even larger, and Sparrow’s tail feathers had turned orange.
The young master was spending more and more time in his workshop. It became routine for him to sleep in the afternoon after researching all night.
“Estella, I’m going to sleep, so make sure no one disturbs me.”
He gave a special order, as if he was working on something important.
“Understood! No one will disturb your sleep!”
Zomrat, Sparrow, and I guarded his bedroom door. Since I was the strongest among the three of us, I was naturally the leader.
“Alright, team! Don’t let a single rat through!”
“Squeak…”
“Ah… except for you, Zomrat!”
“Squeak…?”
He didn’t seem to understand human language.
I held my vacuum cleaner like a spear, watching for any intruders. The only person who came was Head Butler Godora.
“Is the young master busy?”
“I can’t let you in, even if you’re the head butler.”
“No, I was asking if the young master is…”
“Go back!”
“A-alright, I’ll go, but…”
“Now!”
I drove away everyone who tried to disturb the young master’s sleep. I even sent Sparrow after a bee that flew by. The bee disappeared into Sparrow’s stomach. Zomrat ate an ant.
“We’re the best team.”
I guarded the door until sunset, then started to feel bored. I peeked into his room after knocking softly. He was fast asleep, without even a blanket.
“Well, he’s usually a sleepyhead, and he’s been up for several nights. He must be exhausted.”
But I was bored. A capable and powerful maid like me deserved a more challenging task.
“I’ll ask him for a new mission. You two are bored too, right?”
Just then, Captain of the Guard Yuji arrived.
“Hey, doll, I heard you threatened old Godora with your vacuum cleaner and chased him away. Is that true?”
“Mr. Yuji! Perfect timing. Want to switch places?”
“This isn’t switching, it’s my shift.”
“Then please take care of things!”
I had to get a new mission from the young master! I placed Sparrow on my head, held Zomrat in my arms, and entered the bedroom.
“Young Master, Young Master! Wake up! It’s urgent!”
He mumbled drowsily,
“Come to bed…”