At my question, the Imperial Princess dropped the cookie she was holding.
Seeing her visibly flustered expression, I suddenly felt a wave of unease.
What had happened that made her react like that?
"Ah… well, I heard that boy went off on an adventure."
"An adventure? To where? You've seen him before, haven't you?"
I pressed her, and the princess forced a smile as she collected herself.
"Of course. I saw him when he first came to the palace. But he'd already matured by then, so he didn't really feel like a homunculus. We only spoke a few times."
"I see…So where did he go on his adventure? Why didn't he stay at the palace?"
"I'm not sure of the details, but I think he left to patrol the border regions or something like that."
Was that the truth?
No—it wasn't.
I could tell from the look in her eyes. She wasn't telling us everything.
That excuse was just a surface-level story.
"Ahem… well, I see. By the way, will Your Highness be attending the upcoming competition?"
Kayton, who had been silently listening until now, spoke up abruptly.
"I want to, but I don't think I can. I have other commitments that day."
The princess replied with a pout.
"Come to think of it, I don't recall the Imperial Princes or Princess ever attending in the past. Is there a reason for that?" Kahel asked.
As I listened, the white cat suddenly came up to me and tapped on the flask with its paw.
Ack—why does this cat look like a monster?!
"Well… there's no official rule against it, but…I don't really know. Everyone just seems to be busy when it happens."
The princess sipped her tea gracefully.
Then, as if something had just occurred to her, her eyes lit up.
"Oh, Pani! You'll be participating this time too, right? I heard homunculi can create anything—is that true?!"
"N-not anything, really… haha…"
I laughed awkwardly.
The cat didn't get any closer, but it was still circling around me,
its big sky-blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Pani, will you make something for me?"
"Huh!? What kind of thing?"
"Anything you want. Something you're confident with."
The princess beamed at me, eyes twinkling.
I hesitated, then said, "Okay," and started brainstorming.
She's royalty—maybe something jeweled? Like an accessory?
I closed my eyes and focused.
"&^%%^(&*^%($)$#^&_(*^%(...!"
—Pop! Crack! Pow-pow-pow!!
—BOOM!! KA-POW! BANG!
"KYAAA!!!"
"MRRROOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!"
…Was that a scream?
I opened my eyes in a panic.
The cat was leaping away in terror, and the front of the princess's white dress had been scorched black.
"…Oh no…"
"P-Pani! What in the world did you just do?!"
Kayton's face had gone pale as he shouted.
Maids rushed over to dust off the soot from the princess's dress.
"Pfft! What was that? I'm fine, really! Hohoho!"
"I-I-I'm so, so, so sorry!! You're not hurt, are you??"
I asked, trembling.
The princess laughed cheerfully and shook her head.
She didn't seem angry, surprisingly.
"It's just a little scorch mark on the dress. But what exactly were you trying to make?"
"Um… well…"
I tried hard not to cry.
The truth was—I'd been trying to make a pearl brooch for her dress.
But instead of a brooch, I just set her clothes on fire.
"It's okay, you can tell me. Clothes can be changed."
"…A pearl brooch…"
"Oh! That's so sweet. Wait—EEK! What is that?!"
Her infuriating cat was now holding something in its mouth—
a seashell the size of a grown man's palm.
It wriggled like it was alive.
The shell flailed wildly, and the startled cat dropped it.
Flap-flap! Flap! FLAP! BLERRRGGH!!
Suddenly, something burst out of the shell!!
It was a giant clam.
And it was very much alive—hopping around the room like a small animal.
"Pani… what have you done…"
Kayton muttered.
The clam, now acting like a hyperactive pet, started darting between the feet of the maids.
They screamed and scattered.
Kahel, trying to catch it, ended up knocking over a huge vase.
CRASH!!!
Water splashed across the floor, and flowers spilled everywhere.
The cat yowled and leapt into the mess, grabbing a petal in its mouth and stomping all over it.
The lavender-colored petals were trampled beneath its paws.
Amidst the utter chaos, Kahel finally managed to catch the clam.
BLERGGH! BLERRRGHHH!!!
The clam thrashed in Kahel's grip like a squealing piglet.
Who knew clams could even make that kind of noise?
A soft violet smoke began to rise from Kahel's hand,
and the clam immediately went limp.
The princess cautiously approached and peered down at it.
"I-is it dead?" The princess asked.
"No. I just put it to sleep," Kahel said, wiping sweat from his brow.
He cautiously opened his hand to reveal the clam.
It was about the size of his palm. With a soft glup, something popped out—
A cream-colored pearl, rough and lumpy like a misshapen ball.
"Oh my goodness!!! A pearl!"
The princess picked it up, wide-eyed with wonder.
It was about the size of her hand.
"Thank you so much! I'll treasure it."
"Ah… y-you're welcome…"
I shrank under Kayton's death stare, barely managing to squeak out a reply.
Why did I always screw up at important moments?
"This is unforgettable. More memorable than any polished piece of jewelry."
The princess laughed, not even bothering to change her dress, which was still scorched black.
She clutched the pearl to her chest like it was the most precious thing in the world.
"Your Highness, you should change your clothes," a maid approached and said gently.
"Oh, right. Anyway, are they here yet?"
"They should be arriving any minute. Shall I go check?"
"Please do. I'll change in the meantime. Excuse me, everyone—just for a moment. I have more guests arriving shortly."
Wait—what about us? Before we could even ask, the princess swept out of the room.
Kayton and Kahel exchanged glances.We were all left stunned.
"Uh… should we be leaving now?" Kahel asked the freckled maid, who was cleaning up the shattered vase.
"Oh no, you'll be meeting together. Just wait a little longer, please."
"Meeting with someone else? Who…?" Kahel asked.
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say," she replied, smiling.
"Her Highness wanted the encounter to be a surprise. Hoho!"
Just then, another maid rushed in and called out to the room.
"Prepare a new round of refreshments. Lord Raphael and his party have just arrived at the palace."
"…Raphael?!"
Kayton and Kahel both exclaimed at once.
Wait a second—
That name… where had I heard it before?
And then it hit me.
No way. Could it be…?
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
The princess reappeared in a dazzling pink lace dress, beaming with joy.
"No, not at all. But… Raphael is here?" Kahel asked.
"Yes! I invited him along with Master Kayton. His party just took longer to arrive.
Oh, they're here now!"
A knock came at the door, followed by the voice of a steward.
The princess skipped over and opened it.
And I saw him again—the man with the monocle.
And beside him, walking with pride and poise…
Another homunculus.
He was contained in a round, dome-like flask—just like me.
But the machinery looked slightly different.
And more importantly…
Yes.
He was a boy.
Definitely a boy.
"Come now, say hello! This is Lord Raphael and his homunculus, Kar."
The princess smiled brightly, like a matchmaker introducing soulmates.
Wait—what is happening right now?!
Is this the guy I heard about before?
The "future husband" they were joking about?
Kar, the male homunculus, was clearly more advanced than me.
He looked a little older and wore formal clothes.
Unlike my plain summer dress, he was dressed like a young nobleman—and even had a sword strapped to his waist.
I was still in the third phase, but he seemed to be in the fourth—the stage right before leaving the flask.
His hair was a wild, flame-red mane like a lion's.
His eyes were golden, just like mine.
We stared at each other for a moment.
"…So, you're Pani."
Kar was the first to speak.
I didn't answer.
"Hahaha! So this is the famous Kar, finally meeting our dear Pani!"
The monocled man—Raphael—grinned and gestured for Kar's flask to be placed next to mine.
Now there were two flasks side by side on the table.
I stared openly at Kar, unable to hide my curiosity.
But Kar pointedly turned his back on me.
"Thank you for coming, Lord Raphael!"
"Oh, not at all, Your Highness. The weather was pleasant, so we arrived faster than expected."
Raphael smiled as he answered.
Kayton looked visibly uncomfortable.
Kahel forced a polite smile.
"It's been a while, Lord Raphael," Kahel said.
"Indeed, Kahel. You've grown even more handsome. No marriage news yet?"
Kahel blushed.
"I've been busy with research… Marriage is a bit…"
"Hahaha! You're not just waiting for a beautiful homunculus girl to grow up and marry you, are you?"
"W-what?!"
Kahel turned bright red in horror.
I snorted.
Our little gigolo Kahel…He was clearly holding out for a bigger catch, old man.
"So, how's Kar's training going?"
Kayton asked bluntly.
Raphael smirked.
"Too well, actually. I wish he'd take a break, but the boy studies night and day."
"Oh really?"
Kayton turned to look at Kar. Kar gave a graceful, half-bow.
"He's exaggerating."
"Haha! I worry no other candidate will come close in the competition.
Kar, shouldn't you offer something special to the princess who invited you?"
"Of course."
Kar snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, golden light filled the room—like a galaxy of shimmering dust, cascading in waves.
"Oh my… What is this?! Golden pollen?!"
Before the princess could even finish gasping, a bouquet had already appeared in her hands.
Not of flowers.
Of gemstones.
Rainbow-colored gemstones: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
"Goodness gracious…!"
"I prepared a rainbow bouquet made of precious stones, just for Your Highness," Kar said smoothly.
"Ruby, carnelian, amber, emerald, aquamarine, sapphire, amethyst.
I hope they please you."
The princess's eyes welled up with tears.
"I've never received a gift like this. Not even from my brothers or my father.
Today must be a truly special day."
I stared at Kar, my fellow homunculus, in stunned disbelief.
The maids squealed in delight and rushed over to admire the bouquet.
Only Kayton, Kahel, and I…looked like soggy puppies in the rain.
"Hahaha! What do you think, Your Highness?"
Raphael asked smugly.
"I'm so happy. I want to go show this to my big brother! I'll go to his quarters right now!"
"Your Highness, you have guests—" one of the maids started to say, but the princess paid her no mind.
"I'll be back soon, or I'll bring my brother here myself!"
She's bringing her big brother… here?!
Suddenly, the entire room tensed.