Chapter 25

TL: pineapples

***

“Hey! Listen to your grandpa’s words! No time to laze around here. Let’s go to grandpa’s palace.”

“Why?”

“I picked something up yesterday but it was a little weird to bring it with me… you can come pick it up.”

“What is it?”

The Enemy King hesitated a bit. Then with a hoarse voice, he muttered,

“… girl, girl’s clothing”

“You’re giving me girl’s clothing?””

“Yes! Somebody threw them away over there!”

The Enemy King quickly turned his head with a deep red face.

Huh, if you have something to say, use a louder voice.

I can’t understand what’s so embarrassing about buying girl’s clothing that he’s like that.

Giggling, I looked at Enemy King’s disciple, Yoosung.  He was carrying a stone that looked like it weighed over 60kg. He scratched his scarlet cheek when I looked at him as if to ask for help. He walked over to me.

“Master, if others heard what you said, they would think Young Miss doesn’t know how to walk yet. Please just give up.”

Yoosung, the first disciple of the Enemy king, was very serious and polite, unlike his rather hot-tempered master.

Maybe that’s why they were opposites of each other.

I once heard the Enemy king murmur, “He’s like a politician, so I can’t get friendly with him.”

The Enemy king’s expression changed and then he asked bluntly.

“Why are you here?”

“You just asked me to help you with the construction. You said to hurry up and complete the construction since Young Miss was waiting.”

“When did I ever!?”

The Enemy king shouted and cut off Yoosung’s words.

His shout was eardrum shattering. He was so embarrassed that he must have used his powers to amplify his shout.

I grinned and grabbed the Enemy king’s index finger. His fingers were so thick that I couldn’t even hold his finger with one hand.

“Grandpa, I like holding hands. If you give me a piggyback ride, I can’t see your face.”

The Enemy king looked down at his hand and suddenly coughed.

“Oh, well, then…”

“I’ll come to pick up what you picked up later. I’m on my way to daddy.”

“I happen to be on my way there. I’ll allow you to follow me.”

“Wow! Great!”

Stomping his foot, the Enemy King turned his nose up when he heard me say I liked him. I turned away, holding back my laughter.

The Enemy King to match my stride, had to bend down and walk funnily. It was probably inconvenient to him, but he never let go of my hand. The look of pride never disappeared.

There was a dainty ice flower on his chest.

***

Entering the Cheonma’s chambers, I took out what I had prepared in advance.

“Daddy, these are the ice flowers that I have saved up recently. Please put it towards building the palaces.”

Cheonma looked at my fist that was holding the ice flowers. After pondering for several days, I decided to give up all of my “funds”.  This was because I was a little worried about the finances of the sect, which was undergoing major construction. But it looks like it won’t help as much as  I expected, seeing Cheonma’s flat expression.

Well, it wasn’t like he was building only a palace or two. Ice flowers are expensive but this won’t be enough.

I looked at Cheonma’s expression.

“Um, do I need a lot more?”

These days, I can make a lot of ice flowers without much effort, but I didn’t know how much it was sold for, so I couldn’t get a sense of how many more I needed.

“Do you want this, then?”

I took another palm-sized bag out of my arms and stuck it out.

“What is this?”

“A gift from the grandpas.”

“Do you carry this around with you?”

Ever since I got help from these presents during the North Sea Ice Palace incident, I’ve always carried presents with me.

Because I keenly felt that I needed a weapon to protect me in an emergency.

But to be honest, I wasn’t sure if Cheonma would be upset. I answered back strongly.”

“Since it’s pretty.”

“If you give this to me, the elders will be sad, you know?”

“Ah… I guess so.’

Well, it was difficult because without this, the means to protect myself would disappear. There is nothing I can do. I have no choice but to make ice flowers.As I lowered my head in disappointment, Cheonma took the bag of ice flowers.

“This is enough.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, keep the gifts of the elders.”

“Hehe! Okay. Oh, yes! I have a question, how much are ice flowers sold for?”

Cheonma’s eyes moved slowly upwards. He said nonchalantly as he watched the air.

“…one gold bar.”

“Wow, is it that expensive? Woo, that’s a relief. I’ll try my best to make more.”

“That…”

“Yes?”

“… nevermind.”

I came down from Cheonma’s arms with a lighter heart.

“I’ll go see Young Sect Master.”

He had been allowed to go to the closed-door training center for some time.

Yesterday, Cheonma, who didn’t say much about my visits, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“Didn’t you also go yesterday?”

“Today, the side dishes that the nanny made were very delicious. I was going to take some with me.”

“… you go there often.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come out quickly so that his training isn’t disturbed.”

“I’m not worrying. You aren’t a child to do something that would cause me to worry.”

“Hehe.”

I shook my body left and right. If he looks at me like that with warm eyes and complete trust, I won’t know what to do.

“Daddy, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving me authority over the investigation team matter, the matter with Young Sect Master… just all of it.”

“Didn’t I promise that I would let you do anything you wanted?”

“But still…”

“I see that my daughter gets embarrassed easily.”

Cheonma raised the corner of his mouth and smirked. His charming smile was still one of the most difficult things to adapt to.

“I- I’ll go now.”

I bowed my head and turned around.

“Hwaaa.”

“Huh?”

As I turned my head while answering casually,  Cheonma laughed and touched his cheeks.

“I think you forgot something.”

When I decided to take charge of the investigation team matter, I expected the opposition to be formidable.

Of course. How could anyone trust a 5-year old that was about to turn 6? It’s ridiculous.

But surprisingly, Cheonma  gladly gave me permission, and I was so happy that I kissed him on the cheek.

Since then, Cheonma tapped on my cheeks whenever something happened. Gesturing that I had to kiss him, he embarrassingly reminded me this way.

I guess he likes skinship. I walked towards him and kissed his smooth cheeks. Cheonma’s smile widened.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“I’m not overdoing it. It’s fun.”

I came out of the palace with a big smile.

***

“Eunyoung.”

Eunyoung dropped from the ceiling.  Cheonma fiddled with the cold flowers and placed them carefully in his pocket.

“The kid seems to think that these flowers can be sold. How did this happen?”

“The Shaman King’s… words… she must have misunderstood.”

Even the child misunderstandings were cute. How did she come to that conclusion?

Well of course, these everlasting ice flowers were priceless. Using explosive magic to create these flowers, not even experts have even tried. Since it was just a waste of power, ordinary cultivators wouldn’t want to attempt it. That clearly showed how extraordinary the child was.

Was it because she had no prior prejudice towards these flowers that she was like this?

That was probably why she was using these flowers to make simple accessories and hair pins.

Thinking back to the day when she first made a hair pin and pinned it on his head made him laugh.

Was this the meaning of being “adorable”?

“Let the village know. From now on, these flowers are worth ten gold bars. If the flowers are actually sold, check its authenticity and trade it for the price. And when the child is at the closed-door training area…”

Cheonma stopped talking. When he heard that the kid was bringing side dishes to Aku Ryun, he couldn’t understand why his heart twisted.

After a while of agonizing over it, Cheonma decided to erase the strange feeling.

He was probably not happy that the child was going back and forth between the training area.

“That will be all.”

“I… understand.”

Cheonma carefully took out the wooden box that was laid down under the table and put the pouch containing the flowers in it. There were already three hair pins inside. It was all made by the child herself.

Cheonma smiled languidly and caressed the white flowers attached to them.

He had smiled many times more recently than he had ever before in his life.  It was the first time he thought life was fun. It was the first time he looked forward to what would happen tomorrow.

If this change could last for a long time, he would do anything. Cheonma vowed in his heart.

***

Notes: Sorry for the delay again. I had eye surgery so I couldn’t see for over a week.