Chapter 60: Bringing Back
"Ugh—"
Sure enough, Mathilda couldn't handle the dizziness of world travel as soon as she arrived in the world of The Princess Diaries and threw up.
Even Jake himself couldn't understand why he had only felt a little dizzy from the beginning and had never vomited.
The only thing that made him feel fortunate was that he had prepared a paper bag.
The last time Jake left, he was in his bedroom in the manor, and of course, he was returning here as well.
After vomiting, Mathilda lay on the bed for a while and drank some water that Jake brought her before she felt a little better.
"How do you feel? This is only the first step in traveling between worlds."
"Although I'm really dizzy, but..." Mathilda paused, then exclaimed, "It's so cool!"
"Are you a prince in this world, like... Lancelot?" She carefully looked around Jake's bedroom. The bedroom alone was several thousand square feet, with a classically carved bed, elegant nightstands, and huge floor-to-ceiling curtains that looked incredibly luxurious.
It felt like a kingdom in a dream.
And the bed was very soft.
"No," Jake ruthlessly shattered her illusions. "I just happened to have some money and bought a classic manor."
"Oh~" Her interest waned considerably. "Well, it's still pretty amazing..."
Seeing that Mathilda had recovered from her dizziness, Jake got up and left the bedroom. He was the only one in the entire manor, without even a groundskeeper.
Because he had too many secrets, he didn't want to hire bodyguards, maids, or a butler.
As a result, weeds began to grow on the manor's lawn again, and algae floated on the lake.
"Maybe you should clean this place up," Mathilda said, having already gotten out of bed, the little girl reverting to her mischievous self. "Maybe you should hire some help?"
"I don't trust them," Jake shook his head in refusal.
If he were to get help, robots would be the most suitable, but he hadn't found the right movie yet.
"Is this your world?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Why won't you take me to see your world?" Mathilda seemed a little angry.
"I don't go back there often, and do you really want to travel through time again?"
Mathilda shook her head fearfully at the thought of the intense dizziness she felt while traveling between worlds.
"Why do you have such a huge estate in this world... I mean, a manor?" She gestured with her hands, but the manor was even bigger than she imagined.
"Because my girlfriend is in this world."
"What?! You have a girlfriend! You jerk! If you have a girlfriend, why did you bring me with you?!"
"Mathilda, you're only twelve!" Jake flicked the precocious little girl's forehead without hesitation. "Get your head straight!"
"Okay, take me to meet her. I'm prepared to compete fairly with her."
Looking at Mathilda, whose mischievous nature was about to erupt, this girl was fearless. Mia, on the other hand, appeared strong, but inside she was a very sensitive girl; she might even be brought to tears by this little firecracker.
It was best to avoid such trouble.
"I'm planning to let you continue your education in this world. Come with me to complete the enrollment process in a bit." Ignoring Mathilda's fierce expression, Jake ruthlessly announced another piece of news that was absolutely a nightmare for her.
"I thought we had a deal!" She protested unhappily. "We've already traveled through world together, why do you still want me to go to school! We can be a perfect team, just like Batman and Robin!"
"Or the Green Hornet and Kato," Jake casually added.
"The Green Hornet? Who's that?" Mathilda looked up at Jake in confusion. "Never mind, anyway, you should agree with my idea, right?"
Meeting Mathilda's expectant eyes, Jake was completely unmoved. "I said, I don't want an illiterate liability holding me back."
This was a perfectly valid reason. Thinking of Jake's formidable skills, and the fact that he claimed to be fluent in many languages, Mathilda sadly realized that she really did seem like dead weight.
The little girl lowered her head in dejection.
"Alright... let's go."
The two boarded the small diesel-powered motorboat, carving a long ripple across the water.
However, upon reaching the shore, they discovered a rather awkward situation. The estate covered nearly two and a half miles, implying significant wealth and luxury.
But when this was combined with Jake's lack of a car...
"You're still pretty endearing like this," Mathilda praised him generously, but Jake found the compliment a bit condescending.
"I think we need a car."
Jake had various modes of transportation, including tanks and helicopters, but these were clearly unsuitable for San Francisco.
Flying a helicopter would likely result in it being intercepted before even taking off, and he didn't want that hassle. As for tanks... he should think of other means of transportation.
He had consistently overlooked the need for a regular car, and now it was causing problems.
Finding a car was easy, but with a helicopter and a tank, even a Cadillac wouldn't feel quite right.
However, he needed a car to use for now.
To Mathilda's astonishment, Jake turned and disappeared. About ten minutes later, he reappeared with a whoosh in a brand-new BMW!
"This is what I just bought, get in!" The window rolled down, and Jake was sitting in the driver's seat, looking at the stunned Mathilda.
"Amazing!"
With a slightly excited Mathilda in tow, Jake drove out of the manor. During the drive, he made a phone call to Mia, wanting to ask which was the best elementary school nearby.
The two hadn't spoken in a while, and as soon as the call connected, Mia couldn't help but excitedly talk about her experiences in her country—
that small nation comparable to Monaco.
Of course, she also enthusiastically recommended her old elementary school.
"This is your girlfriend?" Mathilda glanced at Jake. "You said she's actually a princess, but she sounds like kind of a dork?"
"She's just a little enthusiastic," Jake replied somewhat awkwardly. Although Mia had royal blood and had even mastered princess etiquette, she was essentially a lovable goofball.
"Actually, she has a beautiful smile."
"I'll still win."
Looking at the little girl sitting in the passenger seat, saying she wanted to steal him away from his girlfriend, Jake really didn't know what to say. Should he tell her that he was already juggling multiple relationships?
Mia was one thing, but if Katniss knew what he'd been up to, she'd definitely shoot him with an arrow!
No, Katniss would absolutely shoot Jake with an arrow; she had no idea he already had girlfriend.
He shook his head, clearing his mind of these inappropriate thoughts.
The school registration went smoothly; money talks, Jake firmly believed that.
After leaving Mathilda to study at school, Jake drove back to the manor.
His BMW looked incredibly modest next to the helicopter and the tank!
"Maybe I should get a Bond car?" he wondered, considering acquiring James Bond's classic ride, but the idea was quickly set aside.
Because another, better option had appeared.
This was the first superhero movie to appear on Jake's list, and the action level wasn't particularly high.
The plot was standard Hollywood fare, but mediocre.
From the casting to the plot and the filming, it was so underwhelming he almost didn't finish watching it.
The only redeeming quality was probably the cool tech; many people watched this movie solely because of the gadgets and action sequences.
Jake sets his sights on this world for the "Black Beauty," a car whose features rival those of James Bond's Aston Martin from the classic films.
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