Splash Splash Splash
"Hehehe! More! More!" ［Natalia］
A pair of hands were waved and the waters followed after. As water splashed left and right, ripples littering the vast blue sea, soft and cheerful giggles resounded in the air along the cries of cawking seagulls and the symphony of bubble foams popping.
A new day has started once again and as the sun continues to climb the everlasting horizon, the sea has become lively again, a number of familiar figures shouting and laughing as they wasted their time away in enjoyment.
"Mama! Mama! More!" ［Natalia］
"Fufufu! Okay, okay, but don't move too much. Listen to Mama, okay?" ［Natasha］
"Um! Nalia, listen!" ［Natalia］
The Little Princess agreed without a hint of hesitation, making her mother smile. Little waves soon drifted her way again as the Crown Princess waved her hands up and down, water splashing on the former's cute, little face.
But as the mother and daughter princess tandem enjoyed their time together, a lone figure neared them at high speeds, parting the waters away and splashing waves at its wake. It drew closer and closer, the noise echoing louder and louder.
"GRAAHHHH!!!" ［Galleus］
Waves splashed once again and a mysterious figure emerged from the waters, its face covered in green as kelp hung down its head. A loud cry echoed ever so fiercely as he raised his hands, ready to pounce at the two.
"Papa!!" ［Natalia］
But rather than flinch in fear and surprise, the Little Princess' face only shone brighter like a star twinkling in the middle of the night. Such a sparkling expression only left the Crown Prince dumbfounded and in disbelief.
"Haah... And here I thought I'll get you this time..." ［Galleus］
"Fufufu! Our daughter is quite the fearless one, no?" ［Natasha］
"Haah... You can say that again..." ［Galleus］
A lengthy sigh left the Crown Prince's mouth as he removed the kelp from his head, a silent plop resounding as he dropped it back to the water. There was a little bit of disappointment in his face as he looked at how sparkly his daughter's eyes were.
It wasn't the first time he tried to surprise the Little Princess with a little scare, but every single time, without fail, he failed to do so. Rather, the latter's expressions only beamed brighter every time, even spotting him before he could even get close.
"Papa! Papa! Carry Nalia!" ［Natalia］
"Hm? Do you want a shoulder carry or a piggyback?" ［Galleus］
"Piggy! Piggy carry!" ［Natalia］
"Hahaha. Alright. Here comes Princess' Natalia's loyal ride～!" ［Galleus］
Well, no matter how disappointed he was, he was still more than happy to play with his beloved daughter. Not even wasting a single second, Galleus quickly lowered his back, letting the Little Princess hop on with a happy smile on her face.
And even when she still wore extra floaters in her little arms, Galleus made sure to hold her tightly, letting only her lower body be submerged in the waters. The Little Princess was a little koala clinging to her mother... Or rather, in this case, her father.
"Right, Dear, would you also like a piggyback ride later?" ［Galleus］
"Mmn... I'm afraid I'll have to decline this time." ［Natasha］
"How about a bridal carry then?" ［Galleus］
"Dear... That's even more embarrassing..." ［Natasha］
The Crown Prince wasn't just doting to his daughter, but his wife as well, inviting her to flirt out in public. Thankfully, the Crown Princess had some common sense, saving herself and everyone else from a little bit of embarrassment.
Apart from the family of three, the others were enjoying themselves as well. The kids were playing in the shallow waters, the King and Queen were relaxing atop a large floater, the Landevar couple was exploring the coast, and of course, Kris and Aria were at it again, bantering like they usually do.
Sadly, some couldn't make it for the next day as they still had some things to do. Both Jiro's family and the Beldons were not with them, only sending them their regards. It was unfortunate, but it didn't make the outing any less.
"Hey Julius, caught anything yet?" ［Grey］
"Shut up! Can't you see I'm concentrating here?!" ［Julius］
As for the teens, they were having a fishing contest to see who could catch the most, the largest, and the most beautiful fish, holding fishing rods in their hands. It was a spot recommended by their very own Marika who is also joining them.
And as one would expect, the one who caught the most fishes was Marika. It has only been about half an hour, yet she has already caught six of them. She may be the clumsiest, but she was also the most experienced out of them. An easy feat.
Of course, they weren't just using normal fishing rods. They were ones Grey personally enchanted to be as durable as they can. Even if a beast were to pull it, both the rod and line wouldn't snap and break.
"Ah! I got another one!" ［Elise］
"M-Me tooー Ah! It's fighting back!" ［Tilda］
"Please hold on a minute! I'm coming to help!" ［Elaine］
Elaine quickly rushed to Tilda's rescue, and with both their strengths combined, they easily reeled the fish out of water. And as soon as it was in range, Elaine easily caught it with her bare hands and dropped it inside a bucket.
It was a saltwater silver-scaled carp, spanning more than a foot in length, with scales sparkling brightly like silver as sunlight hit it. Though it wasn't a rare fish, it was very beautiful and noteworthy, and also tasted delicious too. It was a good catch.
"Waah～! It's so beautiful... You caught a wonderful one, Tilda." ［Elaine］
"Hehehe. It's nothing, and... Lady Elaine helped me, so it's our catch!" ［Tilda］
"Is that so... Fufufu! I'll gladly accept then." ［Elaine］
With it, Tilda's total went up to three with the cooperation of Elaine, putting them ahead of the others. As for the one in the bottom of the scoreboards, it was none other than Helen and Julius, both tied at zero catches.
As for Grey and Yuna, they were simply enjoying their time. After all, if they really wanted it, with their heightened sense and superb abilities, catching a couple dozen wouldn't be a problem. Still, it would make the competition useless so they both refrained from doing so.
Several more minutes passed and more fishes filled the buckets. Marika was still in the lead, with 11 fishes in her bucket, Yuna came in second with 9, Grey and Elise tied at 8, Elaine at 6, Amelia and Tilda at 5, Helen finally catching some, now at 2 fishes. And of course, Julius still got nothing. The unluckiest of them all.
"Agh! Goddammit! These damn fishes are so sly!" ［Julius］
Or rather than being unlucky, he was just far too impatient for his own good. Before the fish could even bite the bait, he quickly reels the line in and scares the fish away. It was the reason he never got a catch even up until now.
Julius was now raging, ready to rip the fishes apart, looking like a bloodthirsty demon as he threw the rod towards the wavy sea, a loud splash resounding in the air, scaring the fish away at the same time. He's crazy, alright.
"Hey, Julius, if you're gonna quit, don't rage right here. You're scaring the fish away with all the ruckus." ［Grey］
"Ha! Who said I'm quitting?!" ［Julius］
"Wait, what are you..." ［Grey］
Julius waved his right hand and a spear appeared at his behest. He quickly grabbed ahold of it, clenching it tightly as he gazed at the blue abyss below him. His eyes were now flaring with fierce passion, like a warrior heading to battle.
"If they're not coming for me, then... I'll be coming to them instead!" ［Julius］
A loud declaration echoed in the air and soon a similarly loud splash resounded as Julius leaped into the water, holding his trusty spear as he dove deeper and deeper, fluttering freely as if he owned the seas.
He may not be good at using a fishing rod, but if it's using his spear, it's a completely different matter. If he could fell large beasts in a single strike, then small fishes would be completely helpless. It was time for spearfishing!
"Haah... That bastard... Really..." ［Grey］
"Umm... Will Big Brother Julius be alright?" ［Marika］
"Yeah, he'll be fine. He may be an idiot, but he can take care of himself. If anything, I'm worried what sort of trouble he'll make." ［Grey］
It wasn't just Grey. Both Elise and Elaine were also in agreement with his words, nodding their heads in silence. With all the stunts Julius had pulled throughout the year, they are not even sure whether they should laugh or cry. Truly troublesome.
"Amelia, just curious... Are you really sure you want to marry Julius? I'm also a little concerned for your future." ［Yuna］
"Fufufu! It's okay... His Highness may be like that, but he also has his good sides. Rather, isn't it adorable that he acts like a child sometimes?" ［Amelia］
"Mmn... I guess that's true..." ［Yuna］
But oh well, what mattered the most was the fiancée's opinion. Growing with him from childhood, she was already used to his shenanigans and have come to love that side of him as well. She accepts him for who he is.
Julius out of the scene, everyone continued their fishing spree and caught fish after fish with every passing minute. And having learnt how to fish, Helen had also started to catch up with the others, closing their gap with every catch.
"Waah～! So many fishes!" ［Galvin］
"Elder Sister Amelia, did you catch all of these?" ［Iris］
"Big Bro! I want to play too!" ［Bella］
And as they continued, the children soon arrived at their fishing spot. All were still wearing floaters around them as they neared the previous group, eyes sparkly as one can be as they observed their catch.
Thankfully, the ground, although wet, was not really slippery nor was it rough. The children needed to take no extra precaution and could simply enjoy the wonderful sight without any worries, the familiars following after them.
"Do you want to catch fish too, Bella?" ［Grey］
"Yes! Can I?" ［Bella］
"Of course... Come here, I'll teach you." ［Grey］
"Yaay～!" ［Bella］
A bright smile on her face, Bella approached Grey and sat in front of him, holding the fishing rod with Grey's assistance. She doesn't really know what's happening but was still very happy that she could join them in their fun.
And as one would expect, as soon as they saw Bella snuggle close to Grey, the other children also watched them with sparkly and expectant eyes. Even Iris who is usually reserved couldn't help but glance at them, also wanting to join in.
"Fufufu! Come here, Your Highness. Let's fish together." ［Amelia］
"You too, Galvin! Fish with Big Sis, okay?" ［Yuna］
"Liz, here. Let's show them how amazing the Landevar sisters are!" ［Elise］
It was futile resisting. With such expectant looks on their faces, there was no way they couldn't grant their simple request. One after another, everyone found themselves a partner and they started fishing together.
"A-Ah! What should I do?! I-It's shaking!" ［Iris］
"Please calm down, Your Highness. The fish would struggle even harder if you shake it like thatー Ah... It got away..." ［Amelia］
"S-Sorry...!" ［Iris］
"Fufufu! It's okay, it's okay. It's just a single fish, anyway... Let's just do our best next time, Your Highness!" ［Amelia］
"Y-Yes!" ［Iris］
It wasn't just Iris. The other children were having a hard time grasping the concept of fishing as well, and to top it all off, the ones teaching them also just learned how to fish just recently. It was quite an interesting sight to see.
Of course, the competition was still on. Everyone now has to teach the children to fish while catching as much as they can at the same time. Although now, it was much calmer and lighter than ever. It was just a friendly competition, after all.
Snap Snap Snap
And as they were having fun, Grey didn't forget to snap them a lot of pictures. Bright and wonderful smiles floating all over the place as he took them. The children didn't exactly know what it was for, but they happily complied when Grey asked them to smile, not a single ounce of hesitation in their eyes.
It was a shame that Grey doesn't have any advanced camera's with a zoom feature, but thankfully, the pictures he took were good enough. Just seeing everyone's smiles as the photos printed was more than enough for him.
"Speaking of which, Elder Sister Amelia... I don't see Elder Brother Julius anywhere? Was he not with you?" ［Iris］
"Well, he was... But not too long ago, His Highness decided to go spearfishing on his own. He was pretty eager at the time." ［Amelia］
"Elder Brother was?" ［Iris］
"Yes. But don't worry, Your Highness. I'm sure he will be all fine." ［Amelia］
"Okay..." ［Iris］
Or so Iris said, but her eyes still wandered towards the vast blue sea before her. Though she knew full well how powerful her brother was, she couldn't help but worry about him. After all, like Grey and Yuna, he was always one to attract trouble.
Contrary to her, Grey was very calm. He has been observing where Julius was with his "Heaven's Eye" and knew exactly where he was at the moment, in fact, he knew full well what he's up to, his eyes tracing the red hue dyeing the waters below.
"Don't worry too much, Iris. He'll be back soon." ［Grey］
"Hm? What do you meaー" ［Iris］
SPLAASSSHHHHH
Lo and behold, a loud splash echoed in the air. Iris couldn't even finish her words when a large tuna leaped towards their direction. And it wasn't just any tuna, it was one which had a hole in its side, blood trickling down from it.
⟨⟨Barrier⟩⟩ ［Grey］
But so much as to harm them, the tuna couldn't even get near them. Only a loud thud resounded in the air as the tuna bounced back after hitting Grey's barrier, heading back to the waters like a ping pong ball passed to the opponent.
"Gwaakk!!" ［Julius］
And that opponent was none other than the Kingdom's Second Prince, Julius who just resurfaced out of the water, only to be greeted by the large tuna he once threw towards the ground. A loud shout echoed as it struck him in the face.
Everyone was dumbfounded about what just happened, only Grey and Yuna calm like undisturbed waters, unfazed and collected. They were a complete opposite of Julius whose veins were now about to burst from anger.
"Hey! That hurt a lot! What was that for?!" ［Julius］
"That's my line! Why did you throw that tuna our way?!" ［Grey］
"You could have just caught it then!" ［Julius］
"Haah?! What did you say?! Are you trying to test my patience?!" ［Grey］
There they go once again. Though they refrained from cursing each other as there were children around, their banter was still harsh and loud, irked veins popping up in their heads as they tried to control their rage and irritation.
"Grey, just you wait! I'llー" ［Julius］
"Your Highness. Let's have a lovely little chat, shall we?" ［Amelia］
Like usual, the one to stop their bickering was none other than the beautiful and dignified Lady Amelia. The lady who was smiling and not at the same time, giving Julius a look enough to send cold shivers down his spine as if death was greeting him.
It was like anyone would have expected. As soon as Julius climbed the rock and reunited with everyone, he got a scolding full of love from Amelia, kneeling to the ground with his head hung low. He was powerless against her.
"Waah～! So big!" ［Galvin］
"Big Bro, what's this big fish?" ［Bella］
"That's tuna, and it's really delicious. Should we cook it for lunch?" ［Grey］
"Eh?! We'll be having tuna for lunch?!" ［Helen］
Meanwhile, as Julius was getting scolded, everyone else was admiring the large tuna he caught and thinking of ways how to prepare it. Everyone's eyes were sparkling brightly as Grey and Yuna explained what kind of dishes they could make with it.
Before long, their fishing session was finally over and everyone headed back towards the sheds. And as one would expect, Marika was the winner of their little competition, showered with cheers and applause from everyone else.
Along them were buckets upon buckets of fresh fish they caught, ranging from different shapes and sizes. Unfortunate fishes which will soon be inside their bellies after they have been into delicious and wonderful dishes.
And as noon was approaching close, when they arrived, all kinds of curious faces greeted them back. Curiosity which soon turned to surprise and excitement as soon as they saw what was inside the bucket they brought back with them.
"Oh my! You caught all of these?" ［Eleanora］
"Mom! Look, I caught this one with Big Bro!" ［Bella］
"Really? Our daughter must be a genius in fishing, then." ［Marianne］
All sorts of comments and praises were thrown left and right as everyone showed their catch to their parents, proud smiles blooming in their faces. But perhaps the most eye-catching one off them was the King himself,
"Ohh! As expected of my son! To catch such a big tuna! How wonderful!" ［Ernes］
"Hahaha! That's only to be expected! Who do you think I took after?!" ［Julius］
"Well said, my son! Well said! Hahaha!" ［Ernes］
The King and Julius laughed their hearts out as they puffed their chests with pride. Seeing them act like that, one could easily tell where the Second Prince got his loud and troublesome personality. Like father, like son.
It was fortunate that Iris inherited the grace of their mother, otherwise, one could only imagine how chaotic things would be. One could only hope that the Little Princess would grow up to be her aunt, a prim and proper princess.
"Fwy! Fwy! Fwy!" ［Natalia］
Speaking of the Little Princess, she is currently flapping her arms up and down, cute as one can be, as she mimicked the seagulls she sees flying in the distance. She also hopped and circled around as she flapped her arms happily, smiling and giggling ever so brightly.
And as soon as she spotted Grey and Yuna, she quickly ran towards their direction, all the while still flapping her arms. She was so excited, she didn't even look at where she was heading to as she ran, magnificently tripping over.
"Woah! Careful there, Little Princess." ［Grey］
"Hehehe! Catcsh!" ［Natalia］
Thankfully, Grey was there to save her from falling, catching her with ease. Though, it seems that the Little Princess really didn't mind it as she was still giggling even when she almost fell over, eyes still sparkling brightly as Grey carried her.
Well, the Little Princess wasn't the only one giggling. Just a couple distance behind her, her parents were also subtly smiling and giggling as they let Grey and Yuna play with the Little Princess. She was just too adorable to scold.
"Big Bro! Big Sis!" ［Natalia］
"Hm? What's the matter, Little Princess? Do you need something from us?" ［Yuna］
"Um! Fwy! Fwy!" ［Natalia］
The Little Princess requested, but Grey and Yuna could only tilt their heads to her words, confusion traced in their eyes. Though her fumbling of words were very cute, there are times they just don't understand her. It was one of those times.
It was only when she pointed towards the birds above that they finally understood what she meant. She just wanted to take off the skies again and feel the cold winds caress her skin. To fly freely in the sky.
"Hm? Does the Little Princess want to fly with the puppies again?" ［Grey］
"Um! Fwy! Puppiesh, fwy!" ［Natalia］
Grey was right on the mark. As soon as he asked, the Little Princess happily raised her hand with a response full of excitement and enthusiasm. She was eager to ride the backs of the familiars again, soar through the sky like they previously did.
"Hahaha. Alright, alright, let's do just that. But for now... How about we prepare for lunch first? We'll fly later." ［Grey］
"Un! And if the Little Princess wants, let's also go diving, okay? I'm sure it will be a lot of fun!" ［Yuna］
"Really...? Pwomish?" ［Natalia］
"Un! Of course!" ［Yuna］
"Waah～! Yaay～!" ［Natalia］
It was a simple promise, but the Little Princess' smile was extending from ear to ear as she cheered happily. She gave Grey and Yuna a tight and warm hug, expressing her gratitude in one of the few ways she knows.
The salty breeze blew once more and lifted the white sand in the sandy shores, answering to the call of the waves and peacefulness of the sky. It was yet another bright and peaceful day.
"Grey! Hurry up! We're starving!" ［Julius］
"This bastard...." ［Grey］
Well... Almost a peaceful day...
CHAPTER 247 END