The Max-Leveled Princess Is Bored Today as Well - Chapter 148

Under a large stone that provided shelter from the rain, some time had passed. The downpour, which had been pouring as if the sky had torn open, gradually subsided.

However, as the sun set, the air grew even chillier.

Caesar held Regina tighter against the cold.

‘We might catch a cold like this.’

They were already thoroughly soaked from the rain. But leaving the place hastily wasn’t an option. In the unfamiliar mountains, getting lost was almost certain, and with an injured leg, moving wasn’t easy.

‘Isn’t anyone coming to find us soon?’

He’d rather some enemies show up.

He thought he could somehow overpower a couple of them. Perhaps then he could threaten them to ask for directions.

“Ugh…”

“Father, are you hurting a lot?”

As Caesar let out a faint groan, Regina, startled, looked up.

“No, I’m not. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Mother said lying is bad.”

“Not everything Mother says is necessarily true,” Caesar joked weakly. Not sure if a four-year-old would catch his humor.

Sure enough, Regina just stared at Caesar. “Should I go and look for travelers or someone to help? Should I ask for help?”

“It’s really great that you know how to ask for help in a crisis, my dear. But I doubt there are any travelers around here.”

“Then what do we do? You keep hurting. Are you going to die?” Regina asked, her voice trembling.

A four-year-old’s concept of ‘death’ is lighter than you’d think. Rather than being shocked by her absurd statement, Caesar couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “I won’t die because I’m the emperor.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Uh… okay.” Regina nodded slowly with a skeptical expression. A few drops of water from her silver hair fell as she nodded.

What if it had been four-year-old Helena? Perhaps she would have snorted and said, “If you’re going to make lame jokes, can you just shut up?”

Just imagining that made Caesar laugh again. Seems like she never had a sense of crisis.

Then, from the darkness, there was a sense of someone’s presence.

Not just one person.

“Father! Someone’s coming!”

It was a palpable sensation even to Regina. Excited, she tried to get up and rush out.

But Caesar pulled her back and held her close. “Shh. Regina, no.”

“Why?”

“We don’t know if they’re bad people.”

At that, Regina’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her fern-like hand.

“Regina, can you hide here, close your eyes, and count to 100 in your mind?”

“I-I’m scared,” Regina, who had been somewhat composed, spoke with a trembling voice. The thought of bad people approaching made her afraid.

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you. Nobody will touch my daughter.” Caesar smiled softly and brushed Regina’s wet hair away. “Do you trust me?”

Regina nodded vigorously. Her red eyes seemed determined. She was doing her best to suppress her fear and rely on Caesar.

“Okay. Then let’s begin.”

After confirming her posture, Caesar silenced his footsteps and left the spot, hiding behind a tree, keeping an eye on the approaching presence.

In one hand, he held a pre-selected branch.

‘If they’re enemies, I’ll strike. If it’s Hawk… hmm… I’ll still strike.’

Those rascals couldn’t even properly protect a ruler. Well, he had his own mishaps, getting off the carriage.

‘If it’s Helena, I’d hug her and cry because I was cold and scared.’

Imagining a childlike scenario, Caesar chuckled softly. It eased his tension a bit.

Meanwhile, the approaching presence drew closer, and now a vague silhouette was visible through the darkness.

Come forth.

Are they foes?

Allies?

And finally, the figure revealed itself.

“…Helena?”

Oh no. This is when I should really hug her and cry.

“Caesar!”

The revealed figure was none other than Helena, accompanied by the knights.

Caesar felt a sensation akin to seeing a goddess emerge from hell accompanied by demons.

Helena exuded an aura sharp and fierce enough to cut through anything in her path, regardless of what it was.

But that was only for a moment. As soon as Helena spotted Caesar, her demeanor softened, turning into an almost tearful expression, as if to say, “When did that happen?” She rushed towards Caesar.

“We’ve found His Majesty!”

“Are you all right?”

The knights who followed also displayed expressions of immense relief.

Understandably so. If anything had happened to Caesar or Regina, it would have been catastrophic for them all. In both figurative and literal senses.

“Caesar, are you hurt? In pain? My goodness, let me see! Are you okay? Are you unharmed?”

Seeing Helena looking more flustered and frightened, Caesar deliberately spoke with a relaxed expression, “Helena. Can you choose between informal and formal speech?”

Helena’s blue eyes welled up with tears at those words. “You scared us, you fool!”

Hmm, Regina’s peculiar formality seems to have been picked up from Helena, it seems.

“The princess is unharmed too!” Agoth embraced Regina, who had been hiding, and shouted.

Regina, now seemingly relieved of tension, clung to Agoth’s neck and started sobbing loudly, “Waaaah! It was scary! So scary, Agoth!”

“Sorry for coming late, Your Highness. But still, you bravely protected His Majesty, didn’t you?”

“I fell from the sky! Father was bleeding! I thought he was dead! But he’s alive! Waaaah! Aaaaah!”

“I don’t quite understand, but you did well anyway. You’re courageous,” Agoth consoled Regina. After crying for a while, Regina seemed to lose her energy and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Leonard tended to Caesar’s wounds.

The other knights gathered around Caesar, expressing emotions that were hard to decipher—whether they were crying or smiling.

“Thank you so much! We’re grateful for your safety!”

“You’ve saved our lives! No, you’ve saved this world!”

“Wait… What are you all saying? I’m so shocked, I can’t understand. Can someone explain?”

Caesar, bewildered, asked, and Leonard, with a wry smile, clarified, “Her Ladyship truly underwent a terrifying transformation. We feared that if anything happened to both of you, it might bring about the end of the world.”

“I have no idea how to bring about the end of the world. Don’t tease me, Sir Peresca,” Helena blushed and tried to explain herself, but her words only shocked the knights even more.

“If you knew how to bring it about, were you really intending to do it?”

“Enough! You lot couldn’t even properly protect our lord, yet you have so much to say?! You’re all getting salary cuts!”

As Helena angrily lashed out, the knights all lowered their heads, repentant.

At that moment, despite the reprimand, there was a sense of relief at the prospect of punishment—it almost felt affectionate compared to other potential consequences.

“Your Majesty, I will carry you,” Leonard, after finishing the first aid, spoke to Caesar. Caesar furrowed his brow.

“It won’t look good.”

“If worrying about appearances means you’re likely unharmed, then I’m relieved.” Helena narrowed her eyes and smiled. Caesar shrugged lightly and, supported by the knights, got up.

But as soon as he rose, Caesar, with a pale face, looked at Helena. “Oh, sorry.”

“Hmm?”

“I wasn’t unharmed.”

Suddenly getting up had made him dizzy. Between losing too much blood, being exposed to the rain, and then suddenly standing up at an elevated altitude, it hit him hard.

“…Caesar!”

Finally, leaving only a remark that sounded like a jest, Caesar collapsed backward.

If these become my actual last words, I’ll die of embarrassment. He thought of such useless thoughts as he drifted away.

***

Drip, drip. Caesar opened his eyes intermittently, hearing the occasional sound of water droplets. A sluggish sensation pervaded his body. The only visible thing was the geometric pattern of the worn wooden ceiling. In the distance, the sound of rain confirmed that it was still pouring.

‘…Feels stuffy.’

With that thought, Caesar shifted his body to the left. No, he attempted to.

‘…?’

As he did, Caesar discovered Regina curled up under his left arm, sound asleep. Her wet hair had dried into a fluffy texture.

Caesar gently caressed her blushing cheek nestled against his chest; Regina was sound asleep, softly breathing.

Unable to disturb Regina, Caesar contemplated turning to his right.

However, that plan also failed. When he tried to lie on his right side, he found Helena sleeping, curled up on that side.

‘It’s cramped to death.’

Caesar groaned faintly, resigned to enduring discomfort, lying in a somewhat awkward position, unable to move much.

‘Well… is this also considered happiness?’

To be lying down with the two women he loved on either side, what other happiness could surpass this?

…Though having a single-sized bed is a bit limiting.

‘By the way, where are we?’

Unless Duke Peresca suddenly went bankrupt and moved to a small cabin, this didn’t seem to be the duke’s residence.

“Hamilton rented a house from a nearby farm. Thought a bed would be better than a carriage.” While Caesar was glancing around, trying to take in his surroundings, Helena quietly answered.

When Caesar glanced to the right, Helena still had her eyes closed. She seemed barely awake, maybe even sleep-talking.

“What about the ones who attacked us?”

“They’re all dead.”

“They’re dead?” 

After a brief pause, Helena spoke again, “I killed them all.”

Ah, understood. It made sense right away.

“Were you worried?”

“Of course.”

“Why worry when I was there? Like I’d let anything happen to Regina?” Caesar chuckled lightly, but for some reason, Helena lightly smacked his arm. Well, it didn’t hurt much.

“I was worried about Your Majesty being hurt.”

When they fell down the slope, Helena saw Caesar holding Regina tightly in his arms. In that state, he couldn’t protect himself. With Regina’s weight, there was a greater concern for more severe injuries.

“Well, there wasn’t any other choice.”

“I know. But it still makes me mad.” Helena pressed her head against Caesar’s body, clinging tightly. “Thinking about what could’ve happened to both of you made my hands shake and my mind go blank. It was the first time I felt like that.”

“Gosh, that must have been scary. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, it was terrifying.” After a shallow sigh, Helena whispered in a hushed voice, “Seeing that, I guess I really do love you both a lot.”

“It’s admirable indeed.” Caesar genuinely rejoiced and kissed Helena’s forehead. “Hearing that feels like washing away the pain.”

“Lies are bad, Your Majesty.”

“Just let it slide. Sometimes fathers want to appear invincible in front of their daughters.”

“Invincible, indeed. Who would want Your Majesty as an enemy?”

True enough.

With such a strong, fearsome, and lovely wife by his side. With such a small, brave, and adorable daughter by his side.

Could anyone dare harm him?

“Anyway, wasn’t I rather impressive this time, protecting our daughter without getting hurt? What do you think?”

At Caesar’s joking remark, Helena chuckled in disbelief, then lightly kissed Caesar’s lips. “Well, Caesar is always impressive.”

Seemingly content, Caesar pulled Helena and Regina closer with both arms and closed his eyes. Their warm body temperatures intertwined, and somehow, it eased his mind.

The sound of rain gradually faded away, and Caesar drifted into a deep sleep.