Chapter 180

Insects, Lumberjacks, and Pirates [Part 6]

” “Joshua…” “

George and William looked at their childhood friend with disappointed, hopeless eyes.

“Well, so what was Emma-sama thinking about earlier?”

Joshua asked Emma, completely ignoring the fact that the two brothers had regarded him as a disappointment.

“I was thinking about that disease. Something about it bothers me.”

I feel like I might or… might not have… heard of it before… Hmm… As Emma fell deeper in thought, she leaned her body towards Joshua little by little, and finally, she landed her head on Joshua’s lap.

“Ah!!! Emma!!!”

“Hey!!! Nee-sama!!!”

George and William screamed.

“Hm? Receiving a lap pillow is fine, right?”

Emma thought, ‘With all that playing with the tailless whip scorpions in the morning and the Prince coming, I’ve been busy all day. Although not as much as the Prince, I feel a little tired too.’

“…An angel… An angel is… An angel’s head… is on my lap!!!”

Emma’s action had forced Joshua into prayer.

“Of course it’s not fine!”

“Isn’t it obvious that it’s not?!”

“Ehhhh…”

Rebuked by her brothers, Emma was about to lift her head reluctantly, but was stopped by Joshua.

“Emma-sama. I-It’s a-a-alright, you know? Well… I… as you already know, used to be a commoner. There’s no such thing as being disrespectful towards me. So I am the only one… who Emma-sama can give or receive lap pillows from. It is only alright when you do it with me, ONLY ME!!!”

Joshua, who had awakened from his prayer the moment the slight weight on his knees disappeared, put Emma back on his lap using his natural quick wit as a merchant. The brothers watched him do all that with contemptuous gazes.

“…Joshua… you, really…”

“Eh? …Joshua… that’s extreme…”

“…Cough… What about that disease bothers Emma-sama?”

Joshua asked Emma again, purposely not taking his hands off her shoulders that he had grabbed in the spur of the moment.

“I can somehow understand why the disease spread during the famine, plant hazard, and among the poor citizens of the slums, but why sailors too?”

Although Emma had never seen a sailor because she grew up in Palace, a place far from the sea, the image of sailors she had in mind from Joshua’s stories and her previous life’s memories were burly men that shouldn’t have fallen ill easily…

Oh… Emma suddenly sprang off of Joshua’s knees and looked at George.

“Nii-sama, what did His Highness say about the method to make medicine from the tailless whip scorpions?”

“Huh? It’s that, right? Grind them into a powder and mix it with citrus juice?”

“That’s it!!!”

“No, well? What is it?”

“I’m sure that disease is scurvy!”

“…What’s that?”

“C’mon, you read On* Piece, didn’t you!!!”

“You do know how many chapters On* Piece has, right?!”

My older brother… It is such a waste to learn nothing from reading mangas. I hope you can stop being an airhead all the time. Emma thought, disappointed at George’s answer.

“Nee-sama…? Did Nee-sama forget that you are the only one who fully remembers the past (life)? While Nii-sama might have recalled a great part of it… Still, isn’t Nii-sama too pitiful if you treat him like that?”

Seeming as if he could hear Emma’s inner thoughts, William defended his older brother immediately.

“Emma-sama, what exactly have you been talking about since earlier?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Joshua was slowly savoring the lingering weight that had once rested on his knees, but when he couldn’t keep up with the siblings’ conversation again, he started feeling left out.

“Joshua, I want you to bring all the people suffering from that disease to our mansion! There’s a cure I’d like to try.”

Emma laughed boldly.

How would Joshua answer? They didn’t even need to hear his reply to know.

♠♠♠

Author’s words:

Joshua seems to have a system in which hidden spies will report to him whenever the Prince or any noble sons approach Emma.

Ah, but there are ninjas, so the spies will get caught…

Ah, but there are cats, so the spies will be sent flying with cat punches.

…I guess it’s just his natural instinct?