Translator: SumTLMan
Mademoiselle Goldilocks emerged from the oil painting, but instead of sitting down, she pressed her hand against the chair closest to the painting. Almost squatting on the ground, she hid her entire form behind the chair’s back, leaving only a vague silhouette of a black-haired figure visible.
Moreover, from the visible corner of black hair, it seemed that Mademoiselle Goldilocks was… trembling?
This scene puzzled Angel, but he felt it inappropriate to ask what had happened. He could only say again, “Are you Mademoiselle Goldilocks?”
As soon as the words fell, Mademoiselle Goldilocks suddenly screamed, then burst out from behind the chair.
Angel instinctively prepared for defense, but in the next second, he was stunned by her actions. She didn’t attack him but instead shot into the air, fluttering about like a headless fly several times before hiding behind a crystal chandelier, shivering.
Angel: “……”
Angel was still trying to understand the situation. It was supposed to be his moment of unease, so why did Mademoiselle Goldilocks seem even more agitated than him? Moreover, she appeared not just nervous but also fearful and evasive.
Angel felt utterly confused, wondering if their roles were somehow reversed?
Perhaps sensing Angel’s deeply furrowed brows and speechless expression, Mad, standing beside him, spoke up: “Respected Highness Shava, please forgive Mademoiselle Goldilocks for her rudeness.”
Angel shifted his gaze from the chandelier on the ceiling to the thick-shelled book floating on the table.
“She didn’t mean to, she is just a bit…” Mad paused mid-sentence.
The pause was identical to the one outside the castle earlier. Whenever Mademoiselle Goldilocks was mentioned, Mad seemed reluctant to continue.
Angel didn’t know what expression to use at this moment, so he continued to maintain his calm and pretended to casually pick up the dinner knife on the table, playing with it a bit. Then, he said softly, “I thought that since a banquet was prepared, the host should have made thorough preparations. I didn’t expect…”
His words trailed off intentionally, leaving a blank space for Mad and Mademoiselle Goldilocks to fill with their imagination.
It’s unknown what Mad imagined, but his eyes kept changing, and finally, it seemed like he had made up his mind, saying to Angel, “Mademoiselle Goldilocks didn’t mean it, she’s just a bit… shy.”
Shy?
Angel was full of doubts in his heart. He thought he would get an answer with some hidden meaning, but to his surprise, it ended up being an excuse of “shyness”?
Angel didn’t believe it at all. He knew from what Reeves had said that Mademoiselle Goldilocks was a terrifying madwoman. This terror, as described by Reeves, was filled with cold-bloodedness, cruelty, and a completely different dark set of values. Therefore, upon entering the castle, Angel remained highly vigilant, knowing he was about to face a terrifying lunatic.
So, when Mad mentioned Mademoiselle Goldilocks being shy, Angel didn’t believe it at all.
Moreover, Angel didn’t even know how to respond to this answer, whether nodding or shaking his head seemed inappropriate. In the end, he just smiled faintly, maintaining silence.
On the other hand, since Mad had already revealed the “truth” of Mademoiselle Goldilocks being shy, he no longer hid anything and continued, “That’s why, even though Mademoiselle Goldilocks wanted to host the welcome dinner herself, she was too shy to face Highness Shava, and eventually put me on the table to welcome Highness Shava on her behalf.”
“But Mademoiselle Goldilocks really wanted to meet and talk with Highness Shava, so she hid inside the painting…”
Mad’s words were very sincere, but Angel still didn’t believe them in his heart.
“Yes.” Angel revealed an expression of sudden realization, although he did not believe it, he also did not want to expose it, simply following Mad’s words to give a step down.
Angel looked up at the chandelier above and spoke to the Mademoiselle Goldilocks hiding there: “Being shy is not a bad thing, in essence, it is also a form of cuteness.”
The Mademoiselle Goldilocks hiding in the chandelier, muttered softly: “Cute? Am I really cute?”
What Angel truly thought he did not express, but his expression was one of a smiling nod: “Of course.”
Pausing for a moment, Angel did not continue on the topic of shyness, but rather, with a change in the conversation, said: “Speaking of which, I would really like to see you with my own eyes and ask some questions. How about coming down for a chat?”
After a long hesitation, the Mademoiselle Goldilocks timidly floated down from the chandelier.
However, even after landing on the ground, Mademoiselle Goldilocks still appeared very uneasy, choosing to sit in a seat slightly farther from Angel, and even extinguished the candlestick in front of her, plunging herself into darkness, with only a faint outline visible. It seemed that just using her waterfall-like hair to cover her face was not enough; she needed to be completely immersed in darkness to feel safe.
Angel did not express any opinion on this, this was the domain of Mademoiselle Goldilocks, if she wanted to play the entire act, then let her be.
Upon seeing Mademoiselle Goldilocks take her seat, Angel cleared his throat, his thoughts racing in his mind, contemplating how to inquire about the reason she brought him to the Doreen Flower Garden.
However, before Angel could ask, the faint voice of Mademoiselle Goldilocks came from the darkness: “… Please take a seat first.”
Angel was momentarily stunned, not because of the content of the words, but because the voice of Mademoiselle Goldilocks reminded him of the voice he first heard when he encountered the Sonic Mushroom.
He could almost confirm that the female voice, which conversed with Mad and constantly wanted to sing “Tearing Moonlight”, was indeed Mademoiselle Goldilocks.
He remembered that in the conversation conveyed by the Sonic Mushroom, Mademoiselle Goldilocks wanted to sing a song about the Moonlight to express her remorse. What was this remorse about?
This was not the matter at hand. Angel merely flashed the thought in his mind and did not dwell on it. Instead, he refocused on the content of Mademoiselle Goldilocks’ words.
Please, take a seat?
Who was she asking to sit down? Was she mad?
As Angel speculated, Mad suddenly spoke up: “If it weren’t for Mademoiselle Goldilocks’ reminder, I almost forgot. Honorable Highness Shava, your seat is here.”
Mad pointed towards the end of the long table, the place of honor.
Angel narrowed his eyes and glanced at Mademoiselle Goldilocks, seated in a guest spot, realizing something.
“Does it matter where I sit? Besides, I am just a guest.” Angel’s words implied that even Mademoiselle Goldilocks was sitting in a guest’s place; how could he, a mere visitor, take the seat of honor?
Mad quickly shook his head: “No, even though the banquet itself was prepared by Mademoiselle Goldilocks, many guests have been invited this time, including Lord Nooka. We can’t adhere to the usual seating.”
“According to the ranking of Moonlight, Highness Shava should sit in the seat of honor. Otherwise, when Lord Nooka arrives, he will certainly be furious at our disrespectful arrangement.”
After Mad finished speaking, Angel sighed deeply in his heart.
His premonition had come true.
Seeing that not just one place at the long table was set with food and cutlery, Angel had been wary. When he heard Mademoiselle Goldilocks asking him to take the seat of honor, his premonition immediately arose: Could it be that the banquet guests included more than just him and Mademoiselle Goldilocks? Sure enough, Mad immediately confirmed his suspicion.