Chapter 186: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (2)

Chapter 186: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (2)

After that, we made up a general plan, came up with things to watch out for, and decided on our secret codes.

Christelle seemed quite used to this, potentially because she had come up with ‘Operation Verona’ in the past.Finndd the newest novels on n/o/velbin(.)com

It was lunchtime by the time we were done, so all of us had lunch together.

It would have been better if we could relax as we ate in the dining area, but the Imperial Crown Prince could not push back all of his administrative duties and Vice Captain Élisabeth had Imperial Guard work as well.

Chef Laurence urgently cooked up some tartines and sent them up to the reception room......

“Wow.”

It was extremely delicious. ‘This is truly master chef level.’

“I am truly debating asking for a transfer. To be honest with you, it was my stubbornness that led me to enter the Imperial Guard. My parents were against it as well. But people in Juliette Palace get to eat delicious food like this every day?”

The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard looked cute as she finished off her sandwich and said that. I answered with a smile.

‘The Margrave’s Lord’s Castle up north should have fed her well and the meals for the Imperial Guard should be the highest-class as well.

‘She probably thinks it is even more delicious because she is eating with friends.

‘Well, our master chef is truly amazing as well.’

“Your highness, the Imperial Guard has entered Juliette with the circus troupe. I will get them ready to be questioned whenever you call for them.”

“Thank you very much, Benjamin.”

I quickly answered and bit down on the last slice.

A large baguette was sliced in half and lathered with freshly made tapenade, topped with Saucisson Sec that gave off a strong fragrance of cheese, and finished with crunchy cucumbers and tomatoes. This sandwich was truly close to perfection.

While I was wiping my mouth with a napkin......

“Tithé, is this your rattle?”

– Aarf!

“Gasp, it disappeared! Where did Tithé’s rattle go?”

– Aaarf......

“It’s over heeeeeere? Wow, so amazing!”

Christelle, who had finished eating, was holding Tithé and playing with him.

She created a cute little rattle with water and shocked the harp seal by hiding the toy in between her hair and taking it back out.

His black eyes opened as wide as the full moon before curling like a crescent moon. The corners of my lips curled up as well.

Tithé was so good that he listened to everybody including me, but he especially liked Christelle.

He seemed to feel an instinctual level of peace with her because they both had the water attribute.

On the other hand, he was a bit scared to be around crown prince Cédric.

“......”

– Screeeech

The crown prince was about to stand up but stopped momentarily as Demy grabbed his ankle.

Perry and Rhea rushed up his legs as if they had been waiting for this.

The young man let out a quiet sigh before leaning back against the chair.

‘Even you know that resisting against the Three Red Panda Musketeers will lead to defeat.’

“Ganael, we will start the questioning as soon as the table is cleared. Please prepare the other room.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“......Tell the other attendants to behave themselves as well.”

I awkwardly gave the order. It was to set the discipline as my teacher said.

My tone probably sounded weird but the young boy’s golden eyes sparkled as he nodded his head.

David used this down time to hand the crown prince some administrative documents.

I peeked at him and then tried my best to give off a solemn vibe.

‘Should I act all lofty like him later? Puff up my chest while scowling the whole time?’

“Haha.”

Sir Johann quietly chuckled after seeing what I was doing. ‘I’m so embarrassed I want to crawl into a hole and die. Can’t believe he saw me doing that.’

*

The crown prince and Vice Captain Élisabeth ended up having to leave for a bit.

The ceremony to open the Imperial Capital’s Garrison Officer Candidate School, which was scheduled to take place in November, had been pushed back to December. There was a lot of work to do because of that.

‘Wasn’t that originally supposed to take place in October?’ Anyway...

“Your highness, I will first bring in the longest tenured member of the circus troupe, Serge the Clever.”

Ganael vivaciously commented. I wrote down ‘1. Serge the Clever’ on my paper.

I sat at the center of a long table with Sir Johann to the left.

Christelle on my right, was mumbling some weird things. ‘Mr. Serge, we will see you at the next stage.’

‘This is not the acrobat survival program!’

– Click.

“Stand at the center over there.”

The door opened and Benjamin gave the order.

A clearly scared man walked into the room.

He seemed to be in his late twenties and his already large eyes stood out even more because of the dark circles around them.

“Thanks Ganael.”

I received and put on the thumb guards.

‘I’m pretty sure that I heard that the weather was pretty calm other than the heatwave season. That’s what I heard, but......’

I guess everything was an exception when the main character of a novel appears or a hero rises on the continent.

According to Benjamin, it had been exceptionally cold since Fall this year.

Strong gusts of wind had started now that it was December.

‘Of course, of course.’ It had been a while since I lamented my role as a supporting character like this. I was already anxious.

How would Prince Jesse’s body, which could not handle the heat at all, react to the cold?

“Your ears will get cold while you are riding, your highness.”

The kind Benjamin put my hood on for me.

Today’s goal was clear.

We safely concluded the interrogations of the performers yesterday and set a course for our investigation.

That was why we could not push it back any longer.

It was time to put the ‘bait’ plan in action by riding away without any carriages.

We were riding out to capture Madame Victoire.

“Hi, nice to meet you.”

– Neeeeeeigh

I greeted the horse I would be riding today.

I petted his neck and the good little boy accepted my touch with no issues.

The little guy was a two-years-old white horse that Benjamin prepared last spring as a birthday present for me.

They escorted this precious horse from his family’s territory, The Girardin County, which was famous for their great horses.

In other words, it was my first time meeting this horse. I didn’t even have a name for him yet.

“Big bro won’t be that heavy. I’m not a beginner, but, mm. Please take good care of me, little guy.”

“That’s a female horse, your highness.”

“Eek, sorry. I forgot. Please don’t knock this old man off your back.”

– Hnnnng......

I quickly changed my words but she seemed a bit disgruntled.

It was clear that I had lost some points starting from our first meeting.

I hugged each of our little troublemakers once, said bye to Gerrit, and quietly got on the horse.

I wasn’t taking the divine beasts with me in case I needed to disguise myself during the trip. Only Percy, who was easy to hide, was coming with me.

He was in my clothes and just poking his head out while chirping. ‘You little chatterbox.’

“I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry about me and please get some rest. Demy, make sure to listen to Benjamin and Ganael. Tithé, not too much night swimming.”

– Whimper

– Aarf

At least both of them sounded as if they were saying yes. I chuckled and kicked with my spurs.

Sir Johann, who was guarding me, stuck right behind me.

“Huut!”

You are not supposed to let a horse run fast in the Imperial Palace, but I was excited as this was my first time doing something like this.

The cool breeze brushed past my cheeks and hair.

I almost instantly arrived in front of Romero Palace, only to find the crown prince, seated on an elegant black horse, looking at me as if I was immature.

‘Okay, class president. I won’t run in the hallway anymore.’

“Welcome, Prince Jesse. Your horse is so beautiful.”

“Is this your first time on horseback?”

“Your highness!”

The young Countess, pig, and Christelle each made a comment.

I looked toward the loudest of the three, our main character.

A doll on a horse was approaching us.

Her pink hair was neatly braided underneath a macaron-like hat. She had a cape that came down to her hips, and there was a pipe releasing blue smoke in her hand......

‘Hold on.’

“Dame Sarnez?”

“Shall we go capture Henriette, Watson?”

She made a clicking sound with her tongue. Then she winked at me.

I could not respond right away and simply opened and closed my mouth a few times.

‘Is it that concept I am thinking of? Isn’t there too much time difference with that world?

‘No...... Is it too late to have such thoughts?’

—

Translator’s Comments

Chris gets to have all the fun cosplays in this series.