Meeting With Her Highness Siesta (4)

We left the widget thing on Miss El so she can contact us, but I doubt she'd do that.

Anyways, serious talk aside, the royal knights were relieved that nothing serious happened. We collected the tea pot and cups into the inventory and made it seem as if it never existed, we'll wash it later. The children came to frolic around with us, Nataline together with the nursery workers were busy preparing lunch for the entire group.

Prune also went to the kitchen to help out, Nine was dragged by the kids to meet 'Princess Frog' while Liliath and I sat side by side at the porch looking out to the blue sky with our hands on top of each other.

"Are you going to meet your brother when he visits?"

"That would be the most rational choice wouldn't it? Then I'll be able to see what they felt about my existence, my disappearance."

"You think we can hitch a ride to your home kingdom on the way?"

Liliath chuckled a bit, "Possibly. "

For a moment we just sat there. I weave my hand into her's.. but it's surprisingly cold.

"Mwu.. what are you doing?" a childish voice resounded behind us.

Liliath and I turned around to see a 5 year-old girl, navy hair, blue eyes. Her height was no more than our sitting height, and she was holding a rattan ball. Oh, it's the spoiled kid that didn't want to part with Liliath just now.

"We're holding hands," Liliath said, she intertwined her hands with mind and held it up.

"I want to hold hands too~" the girl threw the ball and reached out.

Liliath's free hand grasped her small hands.

"Ehehe," the little girl then sat down beside Liliath and started swinging her legs.

"What's your name?" I asked. Actually, I already know her name but you know..

"My name is Lu-ci-a," she said without making eye contact, bowing in the direction of the gate. Okay.. that's cute.

"Nice to meet you Lucia-chan. How are you these days?" Liliath asked.

"Rubert-chan gave me that ball to play just now," she said in a lisp.

"I see.. are you getting along well?"

"Yes, but Nataline-san is not good."

"Hm? Not good?"

"She has a baby in the belly," Lucia turned to Liliath.

"Uh, yeah."

"Do you know what happened?

"Lunno. But she's very sad," Lucia said with a frustrated pout.

Sad? Is there something I don't know here?

"Should we ask her about it?"

"I'm clueless how to approach others in regards to such topics," was Liliath's reply.

"Hello, just dropping by, want some fruits?"

Speak of the devil.

"It's alright.."

"Much appreciated."

While I decline eating the Brapple-like fruit, Liliath used magic to feed herself.

"No way.. you can do something like that?!" Nataline doubted her eyes.

Liliath, still chewing the fruit, nodded.

"How envious. Are you too an adventurer by chance?" she placed the fruit bowl close and sat down. She's quite skillful balancing herself using a single hand. She sat with her knees folded inwards.

"We just started out actually.." I said.

"Seriously?"

"It's only Liliath that's skilled in magic.. I can barely swing a sword."

"What.. so it's alright to call you newbie-kun then?"

"Up to your imagination," I shrugged.

Ignoring what she said, I realized how there was a floating fruit that appeared in front of my face.

"Do you want it?" Liliath asked.

"Then.. thanks," I accepted the fruit. Liliath smiled.

"No way, no way.. what am I seeing.."

"Nataline-san! Nataline-san, look! Me lovey-dovey too~" Lucia said, showing off her hand that was connected to Liliath's.

"Oh, no.. not you too?!"

"Ehehe," Lucia showed a smug smile. Who the fuck taught her that?!

"Ah.. that's so unfair," Nataline laughed.

I inadvertently gazed at her stomach.

"You want to know about this? I actually get a lot of people asking.. and a lot of congratulations but.." She said with an empty laugh.

No, I didn't mean to..

"This here is a goblin," she pointed.

Hah?

"I get that reaction a lot," she smiled.

No.. seriously what?

"It must have been hard," Liliath said.

"Well, I plan to go back to adventuring after giving birth to this THING, I should still be able to do something with my skill. I'm lucky I didn't lose my dominant hand."

"I admire that courage of yours."

"My condolences," I blinked. I honestly didn't know what to say.

"It's alright. You looked curious so I thought maybe you wanted to know about it too," she winked.

I exhaled.

Right.

This is a fantasy world. Goblin raping girls is a thing here. I'm sure the modern world also has it's dark sides, just that I never really paid mind to it.

"Won't you eat unless someone else feeds you?" Nataline asked again.

"It seems so, do you want another?" Liliath presented me with another slice, this time with the hand she freed from my grasp.

"Um." I don't really know how I should decline when she took the effort just to feed me...

"Oh my gawd, you two seriously.. want me to feed you two.. er.. what was your name again? Noor-kun?"

"No thanks," I said while chewing.

Liliath chuckled a little. "It's Noel."

"Noel? Isn't that a girl's name?"

"I get that a lot," I said.

"Hey, we're pretty similar at that don't you think?"

"I think Nine's temperament suits you more.".

"On the contrary I would agree with Nataline-san's opinion in fact," Liliath said.

"Do you not call each other using honorifics? That's really weird, so do you four form a party or something?"

"Er.. something like that?"

"Ah.. makes me miss my party too.." Nataline said with a faraway look.

I didn't know how to continue the conversation with that. The sound of Lucia nomming on the slice of fruit she held filled that gap in the conversation.

"Eh.. no, I mean Dylan-chan and Freyl-san still drops by to visit me every now and then.." Nataline said in fluster.

Dylan? So an adventurer with the same name as my father huh.

"I see.."

"Yeah.. yea.." And her voice tapered off again,

She then pointed at Liliath's chest-- more accurately, at that crystal pendant I gave her last time. She wore it wherever she went.

"Just a tip, you two probably know this. If there's a couple in the party, the party is bound to dissolve at one poin.."

"Would you like me to feed you?" Liliath offered, the fruit floating in front of Nataline.

"Oh, don't mind if I.."

Hah. I didn't think Liliath would just cut her off like that.

"I got it fuirst!!!" a cheeky kid rushed over and gobbled up the fruit before Nataline could do anything about it.

"Heliot!!!" Nataline shouted in despair.