As for me, I found myself facing a very difficult choice: give the young Beifong heiress the spanking she'd thoroughly earned, right there in front of a whole crowd of dignitaries and her own father...
...or finally wrap Suki in a hug.
Then again...
Was that really a choice?
"Oh... Chan... breathing," the girl managed to gasp, thoroughly crushed in my embrace.
I loosened my grip.
A little.
"I missed you..."
For one precious stretch of time, everything else ceased to matter. The high-ranking officials and wealthiest people in—if not the world, then certainly the Earth Kingdom. My father and all his schemes. The impossible princess. The flying boy with a hero complex. Everyone else.
I was simply... happy.
Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to remain in that state of bliss for long.
"Hey." Someone smacked me on the thigh. "Are we interrupting something? You know... the welcoming delegation, saying hello to everyone else, all that sort of thing?" The young Miss Beifong twirled a hand through the air, apparently illustrating that very sort of thing.
"Toph, I'm glad to see you too."
Though we're definitely going to have a talk very soon about your behavior—and about using your head before you act.
"Hmm... You were happier to see Suki... a lot happier..." Naturally, she accompanied the remark with an utterly shameless bandit's grin.
Hmm.
Or was it just me, or did her expression seem... not quite as mischievous as it normally would have?
"Voyeur," I muttered. It was nice to know that some things never changed.
Still... the girl did have a point. And not just about my... ahem... enthusiasm while hugging the ever more beautiful Suki, but about the fact that blatantly ignoring such distinguished company wasn't exactly wise. They probably couldn't do me any real harm, but, as the saying went, there'd be bad blood afterward. And who knew? I might have to work with them for years to come.
All right. Let's say she'd just made partial amends for her own little blunder—one she had apparently already realized she'd made after reading my reaction.
So I turned toward the assembled dignitaries and offered them a slight bow.
"My apologies. The joy of our reunion momentarily outweighed my desire to follow protocol."
"Think nothing of it, Herald," Morishita said with a smile. "We were all young once. We understand."
The form of address he used was strikingly informal, more fitting for a good acquaintance—or even a friend—than for a government official. Judging by the expressions on several of the officials standing beside the respected patriarch, it was obvious what the governor intended to demonstrate to his audience: that he and the Herald were on very good terms indeed.
"Did you have a pleasant voyage?"
Well then. Helping a decent man out a little wouldn't cost me anything.
"More than pleasant. If you'd like, I could tell you a few interesting stories over a cup of tea—especially if it's brewed by Lady Morishita. She makes an exceptional cup."
Now where did Suki think she was going?
Absolutely not.
No one had given her permission to escape, so I simply tightened my arm around her and continued refusing to let her go. As for Toph, she hadn't moved an inch, apparently deriving some thoroughly twisted enjoyment from the entire spectacle.
"I'd be delighted," the governor replied with an eager nod. Mayor, governor, decent man... all in all, a good fellow.
"First, however, I need to see to my crew."
"Everything has already been arranged. Our harbormaster will be happy to provide your captain with all the necessary documents and docking instructions."
With that, the conversation wound down. The weary travelers were invited to get some rest—though a certain someone had already gone off to do exactly that without waiting for an invitation. I exchanged a few meaningless pleasantries with Lao Beifong: the usual greetings, wishes of good health, and hopes for continued prosperity.
Meanwhile, Toph seized the opportunity to slip away from her father, announcing that she'd missed her "first friend" and wanted to chat for a while. Lao initially objected, insisting that said friend might be tired after such a long journey, all the while casting increasingly meaningful glances at Suki and me...
In the end, I had to assure him that I wasn't that tired and could certainly spare some time to talk with this little bandit.
The merchant sighed with obvious relief and took his leave. Apparently, his beloved daughter had been wearing the poor man out.
Speaking of his daughter...
As soon as Lao disappeared from sight and the sound of his footsteps finally faded down the corridor, I leaned close to Toph and whispered gently into her ear—
"I'm going to spank you."
"Mmm... Nope. For at least another five years I'll still be much too young for something like that... After that, though, we can revisit the conversation!" the little menace declared with shameless confidence.
The little brat looked thoroughly pleased with herself, and, truth be told, I'd been half expecting something like this from her. Even so, some childish antics had to be nipped in the bud, or they'd only get worse. If her father hadn't bothered to explain that to her, then I supposed I'd have to. If necessary, by taking the route through "the back door to the brain."
The moment we reached the rooms, I practically shoved the girl inside by the scruff of the neck. Suki, Ju, and Dandan followed of their own accord, encouraged by my silent consent—and the unmistakable gesture accompanying it.
Toph immediately took stock of both the company and our mood.
She tensed.
"Toph, there's joking... and then there's crossing a line that should never be crossed. I know your personality well enough to understand that you were only trying to be funny. The princess, however, wouldn't have found anything amusing if she'd realized she hadn't stumbled by accident. Learn to think about who you can joke with… and who you absolutely shouldn't."
"Pfft." The Beifong girl tossed her head in a gesture that clearly said, What's the big deal?
(End of Chapter)
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