"Well... you don't need to make the bed..."

Miss Zhuangpo's suggestion hit the mark, properly yet improperly, and after a forced silence of ten seconds, the Red-haired Director opened up somewhat awkwardly:

"Laila, have you already entered the 'role'?"

"You... you're right, honorable Lady Olivia."

After performing another curtsy, Miss Zhuangpo timidly said:

"I am His Highness's personal maid, specifically responsible for his day-to-day care, as well as... handling some private matters that aren't convenient for others to know."

I get it.

Understanding now, the Red-haired Director curiously asked:

"So, what about me? Who am I in your 'roles'?"

"You should be the prince's lover..."

"Cough! Cough, cough!!"

With two fierce coughs, Leon drowned out Miss Zhuangpo's response and loudly said:

"There's nothing for you to do here anymore! Go find... whoever for me! I have some orders to give him!"

"Okay."

Upon hearing "Lionheart Prince's" orders, the little maid quickly curtsied and then retreated out of the director's office, knocking on the opposite office door.

Meanwhile, Leon, under the teasing gaze of the Red-haired Director, turned red and tried to explain desperately:

"All of this is... nonsense! While it's true that there's a bit of something between us... er, there's not much of anything... maybe a bit... darn it!"

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't say anything against his 'character setting,' so Leon took a deep breath, resignedly shut his mouth, and forcibly ignored the Red-haired Director's smiling eyes.

At that moment, the door of the opposite office was also knocked open by Miss Zhuangpo. A sleepy-eyed Matthew, with a hat askew, clutching a mop handle, skillfully came behind Leon and stood there, leaning on the mop handle and dozing off.

"..."

No need to explain; your character must be a lazy guard.

Making a gesture that Laila didn't need to explain, Leon looked at his daydreaming escort behind him who was even blowing a big snot bubble asleep, and couldn't help but rub his brow.

A villainous noble antagonist, a timid maid, a slack attendant at work, and a pretty Foxy-faced lover...? Hmm... it seems this [Bedtime Story] is strictly just before bed and has a hint of Disney...

By the way, what about Joshua? What's his role?

"No, no, no... it's bad!"

Like a fairy tale produced by Disney, just as Leon was thinking about Prince Freckles in his mind, Joshua's shout actually echoed in the hallway.

And when the chaotic footsteps crossed the corridor, reaching the director's office door, the panicked Prince Freckles, gasping for breath, said:

"I... I just... ah! F... f... f..."

For reasons unknown, when he saw Leon, Joshua's face suddenly flushed, and he bit his lower lip hard, like a tire deflating, "f" for a long time, until his face was pig liver red, unable to utter the rest of the sentence.

Meanwhile, seemingly some odd switch flipped, Leon's anger sprang forth, with evil emboldened by courage, he charged forward, aimed at Joshua who was stubbornly silent, and slapped him hard across the face.

"Fool! Speak properly to me!"

"Ouch!"

After taking the unexpected slap, Prince Freckles choked on his words for ages, finally blurting them out.

With Joshua's utterly despairing gaze, his tongue and lips executed a superb coordination, right in front of Leon, to shout a term that made him wish he could hang himself on the spot.

"Fa... Father! Why did you hit me again?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Huh???????

...

"Leon... Joshua seems a bit off today, doesn't he?"

Looking at the Prince Freckles, who was wilting like a frost-bitten eggplant in the distance, Queen Veronica couldn't help but frown and say:

"He seemed purposely avoiding me. Since I got off the carriage earlier, he ran far off without even looking at me once, ignoring me even when I called him... Do you know what's going on?"

I sort of know... he's probably afraid that once he starts talking, he'd call you 'Mom'...

With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, the sinister Prince Leon said awkwardly:

"Nothing much, the kid's grown after all, maybe... he has his own thoughts now."

"?"

Facing Leon's equally odd reply, Queen Veronica blinked, then asked with a confused expression:

"Leon... Why do I feel not only Joshua, but even you seem a bit off?"

"Wha... what's off about me?"

"The way you look at me is very off."

With her hand across her chest as a barrier, Queen Veronica noted that Leon's gaze finally shifted from her chest to her face, and accusatorily said:

"And you look a bit guilty too! Like you've done something against me!"

"..."

I shouldn't have done anything against you, but my 'character setting' is questionable... I wonder if my guilt was that noticeable?

"Plus, aren't you going to introduce these two to me?"

Looking at Miss Zhuangpo and the slovenly Matthew dressed in maid and guard outfits, standing to Leon's left and right respectively, Queen Veronica asked, frowning:

"Are they the maid and guard you chose? Or are they cleaners from your bureau?"

"..."

They are both my maid and guard, and cleaners from our bureau... but their abnormal objects seem to have changed.

Now one is a bed-making expert, able to set up my bed in 0.25 seconds regardless of location, and the other is an invincible slacker who can stand behind me guarding even while asleep... though he just stands doing no work, yet must be paid.

As Leon wracked his brain organizing words, pondering how to explain the current situation, he suddenly heard the foghorn behind him signaling embarkation.

"Well, official matters are more important now; I'll board first, and tell you all this when I return!"

"Alright..."

Though wanting to ask more, with Leon clearly not wanting to discuss this, Queen Veronica opted not to pursue the topic further, instead adjusting Leon's necktie and gently reminding:

"Stay safe, and don't forget someone is waiting for you."

"Mm."

Receiving Veronica's admonition, Leon and the Lionheart Prince's 'character settings' seemed to reach a consensus, with a gentle kiss on Veronica's cheek, Prince Leon momentarily restrained his sinister looks and softly promised:

"Relax, for you and Joshua, I'll definitely seize the Witch Kingdom!"

"Huh???"