“But the banana cake you guys make is way tastier than in the palace! I’m certain you must have a special chef. Are you trying to hide them from—”
Before Hodr could finish, Lord Reineke cut him off with a bark.
I must say, I’m impressed with His Highness’s resilience.
Each time the fox spirit rebuked the boy, he quieted down, but it never lasted. It was always only a matter of moments before he’d go back to making his careless comments.
“You find the cake tasty because it’s warm and freshly baked. Once you return to the palace, please enjoy some warm food. Oh, and the acorn flour might contribute to the taste,” I said, scrubbing the yams without even looking at the prince.
The chamberlain jotted down my words, looking impressed.
“You make a good point—the food at the palace tends to be cold,” the man said. “But how do you know that, Lady Lune?”
I couldn’t say these were my past life memories, so I made my eyes glaze over and put on a solemn expression.
“Lord Reineke informed me,” I claimed.
The fox spirit chuckled.
“Ohhh! Incredible, indeed,” the chamberlain responded, accepting my words without question.
Bal and the commoners arrived shortly after, carrying more yams. The boy was helping dig them up without a care for how muddy he got in the process.
At the same time, the strange hat-wearing guard reappeared too.
Is he still monitoring Bal?
I was puzzled, but nobody else seemed to notice him. Completely unaware, Bal brought over the yams.
“We got a whole bunch!”
“Thank you, Bal!” I said, rushing up to him to show my appreciation.
Lord Reineke came over as well, rubbing up against the boy’s legs. Bal bashfully rubbed his nose.
“By the way, I also found a strange kind of yam. I’d like Lord Reineke to join us next time. I’m sure we’ll learn something that way!” he said, starting to talk more about the mountains.
I loved listening to his stories. But suddenly, I heard a loud thud behind me. I quickly turned around, only to realize that His Highness had stomped on the ground and was now angrily glowering at us.
“Hey! Why do you only look happy when you’re talking with him?!” the prince yelled before whipping around and sulking off.
The chamberlain bowed in apology and chased after him. The guard in a hat chuckled wryly while glancing at Bal, then followed the other two.
Bal and I stood there for a moment, dumbfounded.
“What’s his problem?” Bal huffed.
Everyone around us began murmuring spitefully as well.
“This isn’t good,” Lord Reineke remarked.
I pressed my face against his fluffy back, whispering so that only he could hear me.
“What do you mean?”
“It might be dangerous to have that foolish prince direct all his anger onto Bal...and that other person is always keeping an eye on him. We can’t be sure how much the brat knows, but one word of complaint from him could give those people enough of a reason to dispose of Bal.”
My stomach dropped at Lord Reineke’s unusually serious tone.
“Surely not...”
“I am fond of Bal as well. Go consult with Liam,” the fox said.
I pushed my face into his silver coat.
This is scary...but the thought of losing Bal is even worse.
I bit my lip and raised my head, grasping the boy’s arm.
“Bal! Let’s spend the rest of the day together!”
He flushed, and as his eyes strayed to the side, he responded with, “Okay...”
Once we returned to the mansion, we found Liam and discussed the situation with him. As it turned out, he’d noticed the man in the hat too.
“If even Lord Reineke is concerned, then we ought to take the initiative,” he decided, his purple eyes glinting eerily.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We’ll give them an opening to attack Bal.”
“You want to use him as bait? That’s too dangerous!” I protested, but there was a belligerent shine in Bal’s eyes.
“It’s fine! Let’s do it! I’m sick of being told what to do and having to put up with all this!” Bal said, as if he thought this was something fun.
But I couldn’t agree with him. “We can’t let you get hurt!”
Liam nodded. “You’re right, it might be too risky after all. If Lune is against it—”
“No!” Bal interrupted. “Look, changing my hair color was one thing, but am I always gonna have to wear these inconvenient glasses? Will I ever be able to go anywhere on my own? Those guys are obviously in no hurry to head home. If they don’t leave, I’ll never be able to live as myself!”
It was a heartbreaking cry. Because of his origins, Bal was being made to live as someone else. I understood his pain.
In my past life, I had to live as Lulu...
Liam was staring at me. He doted on me, and he’d never do something I didn’t like. He always prioritized my feelings, and this time was no exception.
“Rather than be stuck in the safety of a cage, I’d prefer to live freely even if it’s dangerous,” Bal added.
“You understand him, don’t you?” Lord Reineke asked, his kind eyes gazing into mine.
When I’d been married off to the crown prince, I had felt like a caged bird. I was treasured, loved...but only within the sight of His Highness. I wasn’t allowed to leave by myself, and I was never allowed to return to the Renard domain. It had been that way up until my death.
I slowly raised my head, my eyes brimming with tears.
This is Bal’s decision, not mine. I need to support him in whatever choice he makes.
I looked up at him. “Okay. But promise me you won’t get hurt.”
Bal smiled to reassure me, while Liam patted my head.
“Don’t worry. Bal won’t be fighting on his own.”
“Indeed. I am here as well.”
Lord Reineke’s warm words delighted me. I held him up and conveyed his words to the other two.
“Lord Reineke says he will help. So I have to do my best too!”
Bal’s and Liam’s faces instantly fell at my declaration.
“Absolutely not!!!”
“Lune, I won’t allow this!”
“But I’m the only one who can speak to Lord Reineke. And as his contractor, I know the forest best!” I said, making my ears twitch and my tail swish for effect.
“Well said, Lune! That’s my chosen one!” Lord Reineke said.
He rubbed his face against mine and I hugged him back.
“Lord Reineke agrees with me!”
The boys held their heads in their hands.
“I didn’t think you were such a tomboy, Lune.” Liam sighed.
“As soon as I met her, I knew she was a ball of chaos!” Bal laughed.
“But that’s why I like you, Lune,” they both said in unison.
Liam shot Bal a glare, while the latter looked away with an awkward grin.
“I feel the same way, and I want everyone to be happy! So I’ll do all that I can!”
I tightened my fists, and Lord Reineke let out a loud bark.
The decisive day had arrived. Bal was out searching for konjacs in the woods as usual. More of the common folk had been allocated to help with the restoration, so fewer adults were available to go scavenging.
Meanwhile, the prince, chamberlain, and marquis were out visiting the territory’s citizens to console them. As expected, the hat-wearing guard followed Bal into the forest instead. When Liam and I saw where he was headed, we chased after him.
Just as planned, Bal pretended to be so engrossed in searching for vegetables that he wandered off deep into the woods on his own. The guard followed the boy, taking the bait while Liam and I stealthily crept after him.
Lord Reineke was accompanying us too, and thanks to his divine protection, I was able to freely traverse the forest without anyone noticing my presence. Although Liam didn’t have the same advantage, he was able to keep up with me and remain unseen.
He really is incredible!
I couldn’t help admiring his talent. In fact, he was probably much stronger than this guard too.
But to be the prince’s special agent, he must be quite capable.
We eventually reached the spot we’d planned on. Bal began digging up the earth, leaving his back completely unguarded. The rest of us remained hidden, ready to step in at a moment’s notice.
The guard, staring at the back of a defenseless child, drew his sword and swung it down right at him. Instantly, Bal spun around and parried the hit with his hoe, a loud clang echoing through the air. The man was startled by the counterattack, giving Bal a chance to make his escape.