Chapter 32: My Dad is Skarlij
Not long after, just like Sarah said, the head maid Sharman arrived with some maids, carrying a sumptuous breakfast. Of course, it was all light green food, and there was supposedly a special hangover soup that looked about as appealing as a swamp with a hint of black. According to Sharman, it contained peas—sure, let’s go with that.
So I dutifully chugged down a bowl.
The Queen’s menu doesn’t exactly cater to my taste, but thankfully, Sharman had a slight grasp on my preferences, so the breakfast portion wasn’t enough to leave me starving after I finished. This stern-faced head maid didn’t linger after bringing up the meal; once she confirmed that I had no other requests, she blandly said, “Please enjoy your meal, Miss,” and then excused herself.
Before she left, she shot a meaningful glance at Sarah and the others, and said at the door, “Miss Peilo, Her Majesty the Queen specifically asked me to look after you while she’s away waging war. But she knows you don’t like to be fussed over, so she didn’t command me to send someone to coddle you. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to seek me out… And please take good care of yourself so that the Queen doesn’t worry too much.”
It felt like she was hinting at something as she left.
I rubbed my nose, feeling a strange mix of emotions…
It was obvious that her “looking after you” meant more than just keeping tabs. I guess Victoria must have had a chat with her when she left… Or maybe not. Sharman might just be taking the initiative, keeping a watchful eye over me. So much so that when I had a little trouble last night, she picked up on it right away and rushed in to “handle the potential hazards,” as she pleasantly called it, or rather, “look after.”
Whatever.
Let her do her thing…
Once Sharman left, the three of us crowded around the breakfast table, with Sarah, fork in hand, exclaiming, “The Queen genuinely cares about you… I almost forgot until that maid mentioned it. Remember that one day when a royal war chariot pulled up to the academy just to pick you up? Now come clean, was the Queen sitting in that carriage with you, Peilo?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Whoa…”
The girl seemed a bit lost for words; her nostrils stuffed with cotton and her gaze distant made her look quite silly. After a moment of pondering, she seemed to talk to herself, “I actually chatted with Mr. Rect back then… wondered why you two were so familiar… Someone in the carriage was barking orders at him, and I didn’t even realize who it was… Miss Peilo, sometimes it’s not that you’re deliberately hiding things from us; we’re just too dense to see it…”
“Peilo… is your family even fancier than Sophia’s?”
Even Daisy, who was usually oblivious to most things, couldn’t hold back her curiosity and nervously asked me, her surprise evident.
I tilted my head, pondering.
Well…
How do I say this?
At this point, keeping secrets just seemed pointless… Not saying anything would only create distance, making others think I wasn’t being honest.
Might as well spill the beans; it’s no big deal.
Honestly…
My inner mischief told me that saying such things from time to time could be quite amusing.
“My dad is Skarlij.”
Haha.
I held back my laughter, putting on a serious face, eagerly awaiting their reactions. Daisy blinked, looking bewildered, her brain seemingly short-circuiting while she processed my statement. I could almost visualize her trying to figure out who Skarlij even was… With her personality, I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t know. But in the next moment, Sarah coughed, inhaling some of the leafy greens she was munching on and sputtered it everywhere.
“Cough, cough…”
She choked a bit, patting her chest while quickly turning away, but I immediately felt something… splatter onto my face.
“Ew! Sarah, that’s so gross!”
“Cough! You… cough cough—”
The girl was at a loss for words, her face reddening. I quickly dashed to the kitchen, washed my face, and grabbed two cups of water. I served Sarah first, who downed it in one go, and when I placed the other cup in front of Daisy, Sarah caught her breath and gleamed at me with wide red eyes, “Skarlij? The notorious ‘King of the Gnomes’ from the Valen Empire, the Pope Knight Duke Skarlij?!”
“Yup…”
I pulled out a chair and sat back down, picking up my kn*fe and fork to take a look… Thankfully, nothing had landed on the dinner plate.
“So, he’s your father?” Daisy pressed.
“Yup.”
“You live at Shanter Castle…”
“Yep.”
“……”
Sarah fell silent.
It seemed like she was struck by a revelation. I had expected Daisy to react more dramatically, but Sarah had caught on to my Pope Knight identity. Surprisingly, Daisy remained calm, her thoughts already settled. She wiped the table while frowning, “Sarah, you almost got it on the plate…”
“Sorry, sorry! I just…”
Her cheeks flushed as she clasped her hands in apology, then lowered her head, seemingly pondering something before her eyes lit up: “Peilo, can you get me a really good sword?”
I was taken aback for a moment, then blinked and smiled, “Sure!”
“…Is that a hassle?”
“Nope.”
So Sarah started smiling too, “Thanks! I always dreamt of having a top-notch steel sword forged by the Central Workshop. I was planning to save up for it over the next few years and get someone to help me buy it, but… Oh gosh, my scalp is tingling a little right now. I can’t quite figure out if I’m happy or… Peilo, do you have any other surprises hidden away that you can share? Wait a minute, does Duke Skarlij have a daughter? I’ve never heard of it… Is your brother the Marquis Lafael?”
How come everyone only knows Lafael…
I rolled my eyes a little, “Yes. I also have a second brother named Pasifal.”
“Are you serious?”
Sarah rubbed her face, her brain still fuzzy, repeatedly asking if I was serious. Then she added, “What’s it like living in a castle?”
I thought for a moment, “It’s a bit far from the room to the dining hall.”
Aside from that, I didn’t feel any special way about it.
Living in a castle or a mansion, the only difference is whether or not your family is around.
“Peilo.”
Daisy appeared to be hesitant before finally speaking up, “Shanter Castle… Is there going to be a war?”
Those words silenced the table for a moment.
Then Sarah slammed her hand on the table, “So that means… Soon Peilo will be a real princess of the royal family?!”
Compared to her optimism and the deliberate shift in mood, Daisy looked a bit worried, “Peilo, are you going to be okay…?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Is it already happening? The last newsletter didn’t say anything…”
“The family is doing well; you don’t need to worry… Now eat up; the food is getting cold.”
I didn’t want to dwell on the matter anymore, urging them to hurry up and eat. They noticed my attitude, so they dropped it.
We started chatting about other topics, and when it came to the Queen, I went on to explain how I met her, sharing how I accidentally burst into Mansion 2 and got surrounded, and mentioned the Honey Fruit Tree. Of course, I didn’t dive deep into it; all I could share were superficial stories.
Inadvertently, we started talking about the piano. Once Sarah found out I could play, after a few oohs and aahs, she insisted I perform for them.
“You hit my nose, what’s so special about playing a song… At worst, I’ll just have to clean the plates later.”
I couldn’t resist her any longer, so after breakfast, I sat down at the piano and decided to play Chopin’s “Études in E Major.”
I loved this piece, but it had some difficulty, and I hadn’t practiced seriously in a while, so my skills were a bit rusty. I flubbed a few notes, but the clueless duo didn’t notice. By the end, they were excitedly clapping their hands.
“Sounds great… But what’s this piece? I’ve never heard it before.”
“How many famous pieces have you heard, anyway…”
Hearing Sarah’s confusion, Daisy smugly quipped.
Before long, it was time for them to head back.
“I didn’t go home last night; if I delay much longer, I’ll really get in trouble…” Sarah said, glancing at Daisy, “Daisy, you could stay here; there’s no point heading back to the dorm for no reason…”
But Daisy kindly declined, mentioning that she had a book she hadn’t finished reading and wanted to wrap it up today.
I walked the two of them to the door.
Before they left, Sarah stood at the entrance, gazing thoughtfully at the massive black axe hanging on the wall opposite the sofa—I had hung Teresa’s axe-sword there.
“Is that axe… just for decoration?”
“Um… something like that.”
“Oh…”
After they left, I stood on the sidewalk of Longdoll Street, watching their figures vanish around the corner. Suddenly, I felt…
Something lift off my shoulders.
It felt so light.
Ah, but Sarah still hadn’t done the dishes…
