Chương 168: Chapter : 168

Princess Iris stepped forward. She looked slightly anxious, but her violet eyes were full of warm, genuine care for her hidden servant. She gently placed her hand on the brass doorknob.

"Get ready," Naomi whispered to Ken, nudging him in the ribs. Ken immediately threw his arms up, covering his face with his hands. He peeked through his fingers, fully preparing himself to see a dark, terrifying, explosion-proof dungeon cell. He expected thick concrete walls, a single flickering lightbulb, and maybe a few scary scratch marks on the walls. Princess Iris pushed the sturdy wooden door open. Ken dropped his hands. He blinked his sleepy eyes once. Then he blinked them again.

His jaw slowly dropped open in a highly exaggerated, totally comical expression of pure shock.

"Okay, did we just step into a magic portal?" Ken gasped out loud, staring into the room.

"Because this is definitely not a bedroom. This is a public park." The room inside was breathtakingly bright. It was completely illuminated by warm, beautiful artificial sunlight streaming down from a glowing magical orb on the ceiling. The entire floor was missing; instead of wooden boards, the ground was covered in lush, overgrown, vibrant green grass. Tiny, colorful butterflies fluttered through the air.

Right in the absolute center of the room, sleeping incredibly peacefully on a large, thick bed made entirely of vibrant, blooming flowers and soft moss, was a young girl. She looked extremely delicate. She had long, wavy pastel-pink hair that spread out over the flowers like a halo. She wore a simple, flowing white dress, and she was clutching a small, stuffed teddy bear tightly to her chest. She was snoring very softly, a tiny, adorable bubble forming at the corner of her mouth.

Ken stood in the doorway, staring at the indoor garden. He dropped his goofy, panicked act for a second, totally confused. Internally, Ken's mind processed the room without a single ounce of fear.

"Well, this is definitely a new aesthetic," Ken thought to himself, feeling entirely relaxed.

"I wonder if I have to mow this lawn now. Because if they ask me to bring a lawnmower in here, I am officially going on strike. Yard work is the absolute worst form of cardio." Outwardly, Ken threw his hands onto his cheeks and let out a loud, dramatic gasp.

"A sleeping girl!" Ken whispered loudly, acting totally amazed.

"She is taking a nap! An actual, honest-to-goodness nap! In a bed of flowers! This is the greatest room in the entire estate! Why didn't anyone tell me we had a designated napping garden?!" Luna, the incredibly lazy lightning user, shuffled forward. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked at the soft moss bed. She let out a massive, rumbling yawn.

"I totally agree with Ken. That flower bed looks incredibly comfortable. My mattress is way too lumpy. Do you think she would mind if I just curled up in the grass over there?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"We are not here to sleep, Luna," Sayma said politely, offering a gentle smile. She walked carefully into the room, making sure not to step on any of the blooming daisies. Princess Iris walked right up to the bed of flowers. She knelt down in the soft grass, looking at the sleeping girl with absolute affection. Iris gently reached out and brushed a strand of pink hair away from the girl's face.

"Risa," Princess Iris whispered softly.

"It is time to wake up, sweetie." The bubble at the corner of Risa's mouth popped. She scrunched up her nose, slowly fluttering her large, bright green eyes open. She let out a tiny, adorable yawn, stretching her arms out and rubbing her eyes with her fists. She looked up and saw Princess Iris. A massive, brilliant smile instantly spread across her face.

"Princess!" Risa cheered happily. She sat up quickly, completely ignoring the flowers sticking to her hair.

"You came to visit me! Is it morning time? Did I sleep a long time?"

"You slept very well, Risa," Iris smiled, taking the girl's hands.

"And I didn't come alone today. The whole team is here to see you." Risa looked past the Princess. She saw Laxmi waving enthusiastically, Zinia offering a tough but friendly grin, and Sayma pushing her glasses up with a warm nod. Risa's smile grew even wider. She absolutely loved her teammates. But then, Risa's green eyes drifted over to the doorway. She stopped smiling for a second, tilting her head to the side in total confusion. She clutched her teddy bear a little tighter.

"Um," Risa said, pointing a tiny finger toward the door.

"Who is the boy with the messy tie?" Ken immediately stepped forward, making sure to accidentally step on a small weed. He slouched his shoulders, shoved his left hand into his pocket, and gave her a wide, goofy bow.

"Hello there!" Ken announced proudly, completely ruining the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the garden.

"I am Ken Eliot. I am the newest addition to the team, the official snack inspector, and the absolute best professional slacker in the Belmontia Empire. It is very nice to meet you." Risa stared at him. She looked at his untucked shirt, his incredibly casual posture, and his silly grin. Then, she let out a bright, musical giggle.

"You look very funny, Ken," Risa laughed, climbing out of her flower bed. She walked over to him, her bare feet stepping silently on the grass. She looked up at him with wide, completely innocent eyes.

"Are you hurt? Do you have any scratches? I am the primary healer for the 13th Unit. I can fix any bruises you have!" Ken's eyes lit up.

"A healer?! Oh, this is fantastic news! Actually, yes, I am in terrible pain. Naomi keeps smacking me on the back of the head every time I make a joke. Can you heal my wounded pride? Or maybe heal my profound desire to go back to bed?" Naomi stepped up right behind him and lightly slapped the back of his head.

"I heard that, you idiot."

"Ow! See?! She did it again!" Ken complained loudly, rubbing his head and giving Risa his best puppy-dog eyes.

"It is a hostile work environment! Please help me!" Risa giggled even harder, covering her mouth with her hands. She was incredibly sweet, totally innocent, and seemed completely harmless. To anyone looking at her, she was just a gentle, kind-hearted girl who loved plants and wanted to help people. Ken smiled lazily, completely comfortable with the new teammate. But as he turned to make another joke to Laxmi, he noticed Naomi staring at him. Naomi didn't look amused. Her face had suddenly turned incredibly serious.

She grabbed Ken firmly by the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him away from the laughing group.

"Come here," Naomi whispered strictly, dragging him back out into the wooden hallway.

"We need to talk. Right now."