I returned to the BBQ pavilion to deal with the queen and the princess.
"Your Majesty the Queen, Your Highness the Princess, sorry for keeping you waiting. His Majesty the King went to the toilet, and Duke Somart returned to the castle for some urgent matters."
"I see. Mr. Karen, may I ask what you were discussing earlier? Is it something we are not allowed to know?"
"His Majesty will explain it to you later."
The king had said earlier that the queen would definitely pester him with questions, and since I allowed him to tell her, he would probably explain everything once they were alone.
The queen looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. A few seconds passed before she finally replied.
"...I understand."
After that, silence fell. None of us knew what to talk about, and we were stuck waiting for the king to return. I had no choice but to look around for a topic—preferably a topic that let me leave.
And I found one. A perfect excuse to escape.
I immediately turned to the queen and princess.
"Would you like some strawberries I grew myself? I'm not bragging—they really are better than anything you can find elsewhere. The strawberries on the cake earlier were all homegrown. I also grow watermelons, apples, and grapes."
The queen gave me an awkward-but-polite smile.
"You really do love fruits."
I probably sounded like some wandering fruit vendor, but at least the conversation finally started.
"Yes, because they're delicious, and I use them when baking cakes too."
"Mr. Karen, do you like cakes?"
"Just moderately. But Lina and Lani love them, so I make them often."
"Mr. Karen, I would like to ask a favor. Please make a cake I can bring castle and enjoy. I sincerely hope you will agree."
I was a little surprised. She wanted a cake made by me? Was my baking really better than the royal pâtissiers'? I felt oddly flattered and agreed immediately.
"Sure, no problem. But I don't have time today—I'll bring one to the castle tomorrow."
The queen brightened instantly, though she calmed herself before thanking me.
"Wonderful. Thank you so much. No matter the price, I will pay."
"No need for money."
My cakes aren't for sale—if anything, they're for building connections. When I declined payment, the queen suddenly stood up, visibly upset.
"That won't do! A favor must be repaid."
Money is the easiest way to repay someone—it buys anything. But repayment comes in many forms; it doesn't have to be money.
"In that case, let's leave it for the future. If I ever need something from you, I'll ask then."
I originally wanted to insist she didn't need to repay anything, but arguing would waste more time and energy. Better to accept gracefully. Besides, if I ever needed help with woman-related matters, the queen might be useful.
"Alright. If you ever need my help, come to me."
As soon as the queen happily sat back down, the king appeared.
"What are you all talking about?"
"Edward, I asked Mr. Karen to make a cake, and he agreed!"
The queen announced proudly, and the king responded in the most incredibly, unbelievably half-hearted tone imaginable—immediately lighting a fuse.
"That's wonderful. Karen, come continue our chess game. It's your turn."
"Edward, that tone was far too perfunctory."
"I'm simply more interested in games that require thinking."
"What? Are you implying that I don't think?"
"I never said such a thing."
"Then why did you ask what we were talking about?"
"If I had known it was about cake, I wouldn't have asked."
"Well. Tonight you're not getting away from me! I will play you…like this…like that!"
Whatever she said next was definitely inappropriate for children. The king desperately tried to interrupt her, but she had already gone full rampage and wasn't listening at all.
The young princess watched her parents bickering with innocent curiosity. As for me—I really didn't want to be here anymore. I have zero interest in their nightlife.
I really don't want to know anything about their nightlife.
I quickly spoke to the princess instead.
"Your Highness, would you like some fruit?"
She flinched, startled by my sudden question, then answered timidly.
"...Yes."
"Please wait a moment."
I went into the kitchen, washed strawberries, grapes, apples, and watermelon, sliced the apples and watermelon, portioned everything, and returned to the pavilion.
"Here you go, Your Highness."
"...Thank you."
Still timid. Do I look that scary? Oh well. I gave her a gentle smile.
"You're welcome."
But while I was gone, the king and queen still hadn't finished discussing their nighttime activities. Their private life was… surprisingly lively.
But please—not in my house! Could they feel no shame?! They were practically in their own world at this point, completely forgetting their daughter was right there.
Before they corrupted the child any further, I clapped loudly.
"Alright, alright, enough. It's still daytime. Save that for tonight. There's a child here."
"…"
"…"
The king and queen froze, both blushing and unable to look at each other. They're in their forties—could they act like adults?
To break the awkward tension, I placed the fruit bowls in front of them.
"Here, have some fruit."
Then I went back to playing chess with the king. That's when a small red dragon crawled out from under my sofa. I picked her up.
"Lani, you're awake. Want some fruit?"
"I want."
I fed her pieces of fruit with a fork while continuing the chess game. Soon, the sky began turning orange. I checked my pocket watch—it was almost time for Lina to get off work. I quickly spoke to the king.
"Your Majesty, excuse me. Lina is getting off work soon, so I need to go pick her up."
Still staring at the chessboard, the king replied:
"Go ahead. Give me a little more time—I will find a winning route."
He had already lost four games, but his pride wouldn't allow him to lose again. He was thinking so hard that every move took forever.
I was almost growing mold from waiting. So this is the difference in skill. The king? Winning against me? Come back after five hundred more games, hahaha.
"Lani, let's go."
I carried her out of the pavilion, turning on the lights on my way out as dusk settled.
"Huh!? It suddenly lit up?!"
I heard the king's startled voice behind me. Lani whispered into my ear that the king's attention had completely left the chessboard—the lights were far more interesting.