TJTPBFB 10

Chapter 10

“The Fourteen Fairies”

“The princess is the most beautiful woman in the entire kingdom.
You look nothing like her!”

The girl standing beside her — a small one with violet hair — pointed at Ruri with an indignant glare.

“Oh, how incredibly rude,” Ruri shot back.
“This is my house.
Sorry, but I’d appreciate it if you all left.”

“Leave? What do you mean, leave? Where even is this place?”
The violet-haired girl looked around in confusion.
Then her eyes fell on the baby Ruri was holding.

“Prince!” she cried.

At once, the fourteen little people — or rather, fairies — swarmed around Ruri.

“Wait, what? So he’s not Princess Kaguya… but Prince Kaguya?”
Ruri exclaimed, staring at the sleeping baby in her arms.

Just then, the prince opened his eyes.
And before Ruri could even gasp, he began to grow — rapidly — until he looked about two or three years old.

“Wha—!”
A sound escaped Ruri’s throat in pure disbelief.

As his body grew, the clothes he was wearing expanded to fit him perfectly, as though by magic.

Still stunned, Ruri watched as the little boy suddenly toddled away.
He walked straight to the small Buddhist altar in the room and stood before it.

“Baa-baa,” he said softly.

What? Can he see my grandmother?

“Baa-baa. Bye-bye.”
He waved his tiny hand with a bright, innocent smile.
It was so adorable that Ruri’s heart melted for an instant.

Then she snapped back to her senses.

Cute?! Now’s not the time to think that!
What on earth am I supposed to do with this kid?

He was an infant just a few minutes ago, and now he’s a toddler!
Does that mean he’s going to turn into an adult next?
And if he does, would that make me his caretaker?

Grandmaaa, come baaaack!
Don’t just leave me with this child!!

Ruri’s face went through a dozen expressions in panic, and the fairies burst into laughter.

“You’re funny, lady,” said a boy with golden hair and gleaming golden eyes.

“Listen here, I’m not ‘lady.’ I have a perfectly good name — it’s Ruri.”

“Oh really? Hey, Lapis — that’s your name too, isn’t it?”
The blond boy called out.

A girl with deep blue hair and sapphire-colored eyes walked over to Ruri.
She looked up and smiled gently.
“So we share the same name, then.”

Before Ruri could respond, the so-called prince toddled back over and plopped himself down neatly on her lap.

“Um… you said this child is a prince?” Ruri asked.

“That’s right. The Prince of the Gemstone Kingdom — the Jewel Prince,” said a red-haired girl proudly.

“The Jewel Prince…? Oh, but we can’t use that name here.”
Ruri frowned. “It’s trademarked.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You can’t use the rightful prince’s title?”

“This country has its own rules,” Ruri explained, pulling out her smartphone.
“Here, this guy’s the official ‘Prince of Jewels’ here.”
She showed them a photo on the screen.

“…”
The fairies stared blankly.

“Our prince is way cuter,” one muttered.

“Why’d we have to end up in this country of all places?” another grumbled.

“But remember,” said a silver-haired girl thoughtfully,
“There were royals who fell into this world before — a princess and a prince, long ago.
It must’ve been the same place.”

“Oh! Then when the prince said ‘baa-baa,’”
a green-haired boy spoke up,
“he meant Princess Eris, didn’t he?”

At that name, Ruri froze.

“Eris? That’s my grandmother’s name.
Wait—are you saying my grandmother was a princess of the Gemstone Kingdom?
And my father was a prince?”

She couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s ridiculous!”

“Then how do you explain this?”
A white-haired boy gestured at himself, the other fairies, and the glowing child still sitting on Ruri’s lap.

Ruri wanted to deny it, but the truth was staring right back at her.
Unbelievable as it seemed, there was no other explanation.

She looked down quietly at the little prince, his eyes shining like polished gems.