Chapter 178: Summer Festival (1)

Late post~! Honkai Impact 3 got an update yesterday, and I ended up playing it for hours..ehehe. As for the next chapter, I’ll release it by tomorrow since my college graduation is finally today (though it’s a virtual one), and I’m not sure how long the virtual graduation would take.

Terms used in this chapter:

Giving up is easy. – A Korean meme that originally came from a line by Anzai-sensei, the coach of Shohoku High School basketball team from the anime Slam Dunk. The original line was “Until the very end, never lose hope. It’s when you give up that the match is over.”, which meant that you should not give up to the very end. But the meme version, “Giving up is easy”, has a slightly different interpretation, as it meant that it’s also fine to give up.

Royal Night Pool.

It was called like that, but as Jude climbed the stairs, he was certain of it.

‘It’s an outdoor hot spring.’

In short, it was just a bathhouse.

‘Uh.. my heart is pounding.’

His heart was pounding in excitement not because he was wearing a swimsuit or that he was going to the bathhouse with Cordelia.

‘Of course, that is a bit true.’

No, perhaps it was largely the reason why his heart was pounding fast.

Anyway, there was a real reason why his heart had begun pounding.

‘An unknown place.’

An outdoor hot spring in the royal palace.

He had never heard of it or ever been there.

If this was a game and not reality, it wouldn’t be strange for the notice window of the first discovery achievement to pop out in front of him.

‘I’ve changed a lot too.’

In the past, he would become nervous when he came to an unknown place.

He was always alert for any possible danger lurking in the unknown.

But it was completely different now since he was excited to visit an unknown place.

[Jude, Jude. We’re here. I’m so nervous. Are you okay?]

At the moment when Jude was lost in his thoughts, Cordelia spoke to him via magic. Because of that, Jude came to his senses and looked straight ahead after taking his eyes off the white and large ribbon on Cordelia’s head.

“Jude Bayer and Cordelia Chase. Thank you for coming.”

A court attendant dressed as a butler stood at the entrance and bowed, greeting the two.

Jude and Cordelia also briefly greeted the butler before they were guided in. As they walked, it became clear to them that this place was used as a bathhouse like what Jude had thought earlier.

“Unnie! Oppa!”

After passing through the wooden screens, a well-decorated outdoor hot spring was revealed, and one of the people who were soaking inside the hot spring stood up and shouted.

She was Princess Darianne who was wearing a green swimsuit.

“Princess Darianne.”

Cordelia smiled softly before she bowed in greeting.

She was much more delighted than usual perhaps because she saw a familiar face while she was feeling nervous.

“Hehehe, both of you should come in quickly.”

Princess Darianne innocently told them, but unfortunately, they couldn’t immediately obey her words.

Because she wasn’t the only one in the hot spring.

“Jude Bayer from the Bayer family and Cordelia Chase from the Chase family greets Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Daphne, and His Royal Highness, Prince Dion.”

Jude spoke as their representative, and Cordelia courteously bowed to them again.

And Princess Daphne, who was wearing a white one-piece swimsuit, nodded her head at his greeting.

“It’s good to see you again. This is my younger brother and the pride of the royal family, Prince Dion.”

“I’m Dion.”

Following the introduction of Princess Daphne, Prince Dion greeted them.

His body was immersed in the hazy hot spring water so they couldn’t see it completely, but it seemed that he had a rather sturdy build despite being a wizard.

‘He also has a handsome face.’

His face had a charm like his older sister, Princess Daphne.

Added to that was his bright golden blonde hair and his slightly sexy look, brought about from being soaked in the hot spring.

‘I don’t like him.’

Jude unconsciously thought that when he saw Cordelia staring at Prince Dion. He then turned his gaze to Princess Daphne again.

She said as she lightly gestured to Jude and Cordelia, facing them with eyes full of wisdom that one would not find in a 20 year old.

“The night air is cold. Come on in.”

“We are most grateful.”

Jude and Cordelia courteously said again before they carefully soaked their feet into the hot spring water.

It was hotter than they thought, but the night air was cold just like what Princess Daphne said, so their cold feet had suddenly felt warm.

“It’s warm, isn’t it?”

When Princess Darianne brightly smiled and asked, Cordelia responded with a smile as she sat down with the water up to her shoulders.

“Yes, Your Highness. It feels very warm and nice.”

The bottom wasn’t that deep for a child like Princess Darianne, so the princess was able to fully immerse her body when she adjusted her sitting angle.

“We would like to thank you again for inviting us.”

Jude politely thanked her again, prompting Princess Daphne to wave her hand.

“You don’t have to be so formal. I invited you two here because I wanted us to be closer.”

The two were certainly treated differently since they were soaking in hot spring water together with royalty, though they were all wearing swimsuits.

‘The fairies seem to be more of an excuse..’

It seemed to Jude that the fairies were literally an excuse, and that her real purpose was to get closer to them, as she had said.

‘This is indeed welcoming, but..’

Why is Princess Daphne showing an interest in me and Cordelia, more than I had expected?

Is this because of Princess Darianne?

Or does Princess Daphne have a different reason?

‘Nonetheless, an opportunity is still an opportunity.’

historical

It was a really good thing if the person they wanted to get close to in the first place had wanted to be close to them too. They had no reason to refuse it.

“I’ve realized yet again that you’re really cute.. No, you’re lovely. Don’t you think so, Dion?”

Princess Daphne said as she looked at Cordelia, and Prince Dion nodded his head.

“Yes, dear sister. She’s more than the rumors.”

“See? What I said was true, right?”

The lively voice of Princess Darianne followed the calm voice of Prince Dion.

She was more excited than usual because she was with her favorite older sisters and brothers.

“T-thank you.”

Princess Daphne smiled again when Cordelia looked up with a red face.

“You’re cute too. You must have been told that you were pretty since you were born, but it’s also very lovely that you get embarrassed every time you get told that.”

“Eh? Uh..yes..”

Cordelia’s red face turned even redder, and the three royal family members looked at her warmly.

‘Cordelia is cute, but..’

She’s also lovely.

Jude strongly agreed and happily smiled. On the other hand, Cordelia somehow felt that she was by herself, so immersed herself a bit deeper in the water.

“Now then, it’s nice to talk about this and that, but I want to start right away. We gathered here for a purpose, after all.”

There was a reason why they all gathered in the evening at a place that was usually used as a bathhouse.

“Dion-oppa wants to see a fairy too. That’s why he came here.”

As Princess Darianne spoke with a wide smile, Prince Dion asked in a calm voice.

“Is there any special ritual that we need to do? Or a procedure?”

He definitely still had a dignified posture, but his gaze seemed to be more intense than before.

Therefore, Jude straightforwardly spoke instead of beating around the bush.

“It’s simple, but we need to do one ritual.”

“Oh, what kind of ritual is it?”

“I’m curious too.”

“Me too!”

When all the royal family members expressed their interest, Jude’s face turned proud as he spoke.

“First of all, it should be at night. It should also be a moonlit night when Selene and Helene are brightly shining.”

“And?”

“We need a beautiful woman. Not just an ordinary beauty, but one with an extraordinary beauty.”

A woman so beautiful that the word ‘incomparable’ had to be used to describe her.

Everyone turned to Cordelia at Jude’s explanation, and they all nodded at the same time.

“Indeed.”

“It’s already been prepared.”

“It’s undeniable.”

Cordelia’s face grew redder at the words that followed, and her neck was even red now.

The pure, beautiful, and lovely girl soaking in the hot spring water blushed and hunched her shoulders.

“And we need a song. A beautiful girl’s song.”

At Jude’s explanation, Prince Dion nodded immediately. Because he was convinced of it.

“Songs can be found in countless rituals and ceremonies across countries and cultures. Moreover, fairies are a race known for their love of dancing and singing. It is indeed plausible.”

“I see.”

Princess Daphne nodded her head in agreement to Prince Dion’s explanation, and she said as she looked at Cordelia again.

“Will Cordelia sing a song here then?”

“Yes, if there are really fairies around here, they’ll come out in response to Cordelia’s beauty and song.”

There had already been a few precedents.

When Jude spoke confidently, expectation and excitement rose on the faces of the royal family members, thought there were some slight differences.

“I can’t wait to hear it.”

“Me too.”

And they naturally urged her to do so.

Jude pulled Cordelia’s hand in the water, and the startled Cordelia lightly bit her lips and looked back at him.

‘Hey! You evil b*stard!’

Stop making things bigger!

Don’t explain it like that!

‘Why? It’s all true though.’

‘No! Even if it is true!’

‘But you knew this would happen, right? That’s why you practiced.’

‘Eueueue..’

In fact, she was already familiar with what to do.

Her only problem was that it was more embarrassing than she had thought.

Cordelia glanced at Princess Daphne again, who greeted her gaze with a beautiful smile.

“Go ahead.”

I know you don’t want to because you’re embarrassed, but I still want to hear it.

No, your embarrassed look is also why I want to hear it.

“Unnie, I want to hear it too. Dion-oppa feels the same too, right?”

“Yes, I’d love to hear it too.”

After Princess Darianne and Prince Dion spoke, Cordelia felt that she was truly cornered.

Add to that was the magic that followed.

[Anzai-sensei said this. Giving up is easy. So just give up.]

It was a message from Jude.

Cordelia wanted to shout, ‘Who is Anzai-sensei?,’ and she also wanted to shout, ‘Even you, Jude?!’, but she managed to calm herself down.

Because she knew this would happen, just like what Jude said.

It was something that she would have to do eventually.

‘Yes, let’s just give up.’

Though she was not sure on what she was giving up on.

“Haa..”

Cordelia stood up after letting out a long breath.

A beautiful girl with long wet hair stood under the fantasy moonlight.

She was like a painting, and the royal family members were in awe at her appearance.

‘As expected of Cordelia.’

Jude also gazed at Cordelia in happiness, and Cordelia took some deep breaths again.

And just before she finally opened her lips.

‘Wait.’

Cordelia stopped moving for a moment and pressed her lips together.

Because an important fact came to her mind.

‘D-do I have to sing that here? That song?’

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?

It was neither a beautiful and sad song, nor was it a divine song that lightened the heart when one heard it.

That Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?!

In her panic, Cordelia shifted her eyes and looked around.

Jude and the royal family members were looking at her with expectant faces.

And even though they were not looking at her, the royal court attendants and maids were perking up their ears while looking at another direction.

‘This is too much! Anyway, this is too much!’

I have to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star here in this situation?!

Of course, Twinkle Twinkle Little Sar isn’t a bad song. It’s a very good song.

But still.

But still!

[Cordelia? Is something wrong?]

[I don’t know! I hate you! I really hate you!]

[Cordelia?]

What’s suddenly wrong with you?

Jude was confused after Cordelia let out all her resentment at once, and she took a deep breath again.

I have to sing anyway.

I can’t make Princess Daphne wait any longer.

‘Yes, let’s just give up.’

I don’t know who Anzai-sensei is, but I’ll do it just like what he said.

Cordelia let her shoulders down as she closed her eyes to reduce her embarrassment, and then opened her lips as she began to sing.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ Shining beautifully~ In the eastern sky~ In the western sky~ Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ Shining beautifully~ ”

It was a mysterious combination of a slightly nervous voice, a red face, cute lyrics, and an adorableness that made anyone want to keep teasing her.

Princess Daphne bit her lips to suppress her laughter, Prince Dion turned his head and laughed, and Princess Darianne just brightly smiled.

Jude tore up a scroll.

‘Recording complete.’

He was glad that he could take a great video.

And it was the moment when everyone except for Cordelia was happy in their own way.

“Wow, she’s really pretty.”

“So pretty~.”

“I want to pinch her cheek.”

Lines that she was familiar with.

And the small high-pitched voices that followed.

“I think her cheeks are soft.”

“Hey, won’t you hang out with us?”

Cute little fairies glided on the water surface.

Even the refined Princess Daphne widely opened her eyes at that moment, while Princess Darianne was in awe.

“Uwaah.”

Real fairies.

Fairies that were the size of a palm and in the form of little girls with wings.

Prince Dion stood up in his surprise, and the royal court attendants and maids openly looked their way, unlike what they had done before.

And Jude clenched his fist.

‘Bingo! As expected! Summer Fairy!’

The evidence was their Latino look – curly hair and soft brown skin that looked like sunburn.

“Haaaa..”

Cordelia opened her eyes when she heard the fairies, and she sighed in relief and sat down as if she had collapsed. Because her tension had been relieved.

“Look, there are a lot of pretty kids.”

“So many beautiful people!”

As each of the fairies giggled, Prince Dion asked with a serious face.

“Is it a song? A song about stars is a prerequisite for calling fairies? Is that why you haven’t appeared to my sister until now?”

In fact, this outdoor hot spring was a place where Princess Daphne frequented at least ten times a month.

But a fairy had never appeared in the last decade or so.

“Is it because it’s not a song? I see.. that is highly likely. If it’s humming, I’m sure my sister would have hummed at least once in a while.”

It seemed to be a researcher’s peculiar monologue rather than a question for someone, but everyone had heard it because they were all gathered closely.

Prince Dion’s hypothesis.

That fairies only appear when someone sings a song about stars.

It was his rationale on why Princess Daphne had not been able to call the fairies.

Princess Daphne and Princess Darianne nodded their heads at his fairly convincing words, and the royal ?court attendants and maids were also in agreement.

But it was at that moment

“What did you say?”

“We only show up when there’s a pretty girl though?”

“The song doesn’t really matter, okay?”

“We don’t show up just because we’re called or something, okay?”

“I just came out because she’s so pretty, okay?”

“It’s not because of the song that we haven’t come out until now, okay?”

The fairies’ blunt remarks and what could be inferred from it.

The light in Prince Dion’s eyes dimmed while Princess Darianne awkwardly smiled. As for the royal court attendants and maids who had been watching earlier, they quickly averted their gazes.

And in the midst of all this, the one whose only sin was being born very pretty – Cordelia, found herself in a very awkward position and felt like crying, so she groped her hands in the water. She was trying to find Jude’s hand.

[Eueuaah! What should I do, what should I do, Jude? What if we get executed?]

Before responding to the magic that she unconsciously sent, Jude tightly gripped Cordelia’s hand. And he looked at the front while whispering via magic too.

[It’s fine. Princess Daphne is a magnanimous person.]

[What the heck are you saying!]

[Woah, woah, calm down. We didn’t do anything wrong, right?]

They were just invited and did what was ordered of them.

It was the fairies who caused trouble, and not Cordelia.

[Is that so.]

[Yes. Look, even the princess is just smiling.]

[Isn’t that a completely stiff smile?!]

A smile that could be described as stiffness itself.

But as Jude said, Princess Daphne was a magnanimous person – no, she was a tolerant and understanding person.

“Everyone has their own preference. I fully understand that.”

At her declaration that seemed to be a bit sloppy but indicated that she was fine with it, the royal court attendants and maids breathed a sigh of relief, and Cordelia also loosened her shoulders.

And Jude didn’t miss that gap.

He changed the topic very naturally like always.

“Summer fairies, these people are human royalty. So if it’s possible, can we meet your Queen?”

“Our Queen?”

“Yes, your Queen.”

At Jude’s words, the summer fairies blinked their eyes, and the royal family members also became interested in the new development.

They had been interested in seeing the fairies, but it seemed that they might even be able to go a step further and meet the Fairy Queen.

“Should we?”

“Well, she’s so pretty.”

“The Queen will also like them.”

Their flow of conversation was familiar.

Thus, Jude decided to scale it up.

“If you take us to your Queen, we’ll give you something good.”

“Something good?”

“Yes, very good stuff.”

Very good stuff that had already been clinically tested on the fall fairies.

Jude said with a very friendly smile, and the fairies pondered and looked at each other before nodding.

“Okay! We will!”

“Come with us!”

“Let’s all play this night!”

The fairies exclaimed with innocent faces, and Jude smiled in satisfaction.

But in the eyes of Cordelia that was a bit covered with bean pods, it was the wicked and reliable smile of her scammer.

T/N: If you recall the Korean idiom ‘one’s eyes are covered with bean pods’ that I mentioned in earlier chapters, it means to only see the good in someone after falling in love with them. So this is pretty much the author’s subtle confirmation of Cordelia’s feelings for Jude, hahaha.

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