The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 597

Chapter 597: Better Late Than Never

Well, for one, it was apparently longer than a certain princess could continue hiding one of her most important secrets.

In the dead of night, when the people of the Empire were supposed to be slumbering, one bright blue eye snapped open.

It was the kind of dramatic reveal only a toddler could pull off—pretending to sleep with all the seriousness of a soldier, only to spring awake the second she decided the coast was clear.

Her lashes fluttered, her lips pursed in determination, and then the second eye opened. Slowly. Secretively.

She lay still for a moment, listening with the intensity of someone three times her age. Not a whisper. Not a footstep.

Then, ever so carefully, the little princess turned onto her side.

A tiny shuffle.

A pause.

Another shuffle.

And just like that, she slipped into her secret base, the grand fortress she had built out of carefully stacked pillows and cushions. To anyone else, it was a mess. To her, it was impenetrable.

Her cushion fort was more than just play. It was a citadel of secrets. A hidden chamber. The one place where she could guard her most precious treasures away from the prying eyes of butlers and attendants.

Inside, she wiggled deeper, her small hands patting at the hidden compartments she had made between the cushions. Her breath came in soft little huffs, her cheeks puffing out with effort as she secured her position.

"Safe," she whispered to herself, as though the word alone carried protective magic.

If anyone had seen her now, they would not have seen a princess of the Empire. They would have seen a tiny strategist, a pint-sized conspirator, and the most determined smuggler of midnight secrets the palace had ever known.

From her fortress of cushions, Princess Nina wriggled deeper until her little hands found the hidden compartment. With a triumphant wiggle of her tiny toes, she pulled out her most prized treasure.

The space button that had her stash of strawberry-flavored ice cream.

The small container gleamed in the dim light like a holy relic. She had rationed it carefully for tonight, and tonight alone.

Settling into a more comfortable position, she hugged the container close, spoon in hand, and with all the dignity of a royal conspirator, began her secret operation: spoon, scoop, savor, repeat.

Her eyes sparkled as she turned her holo on, the forbidden light of the live stream illuminating her cushion fort.

Every few minutes, she cooed softly. "Oooh... ahhh..." Her tiny feet kicked against the pillows each time Dylan revealed another wondrous dish.

Then came the moment she had been waiting for. The part about the strawberry ice cream.

The audience on the screen screamed. Dylan held it up like it was divine.

And Nina, clutching her own little container, tightened her grip as if afraid it would vanish from her hands the moment he spoke of it.

"Yes!" she whispered fervently, nodding in time with the stream. "Yes! It’s definitely real!"

Her cheeks glowed pink, not from the cold of the dessert, but from sheer joy. She agreed wholeheartedly with every word Dylan spoke. Because he was right. Most people had not even tasted this, and here she was, blessed beyond measure.

She was so thankful, so overwhelmed, that she could hardly feel anything at all. Only gratitude filled her tiny heart.

And then—

"Yes! Yes! It’s definitely the best!" she cried aloud in excitement.

"Oh really? How so?"

The voice came from outside the fort.

Nina, still spooning ice cream into her mouth, did not even think twice. She answered naturally, her words muffled by her bite.

"Because it’s so good, so soft, so sweet!"

"Oh wow!" the voice replied, genuinely impressed.

"Yes!" Nina chirped again, nodding vigorously, her spoon wagging in her little hand.

But then—

Her eyes flew open.

"!!!"

She froze mid-bite.

That... that wasn’t her voice.

Nor was it a spirit that decided to grace her today.

No.

If only it were. Because in reality, even an assassin would’ve been a more welcome sight.

But the person who caught her was none other than the Empress.

Her mother.

She had just returned from an important meeting with the Emperor. It was already late, but she made it a point to check on her daughter, Princess Nina.

Snicker. Snicker.

There.

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