Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I’m Stuck as Their Baby! Chapter 41 41: The Calm Before the Execution (Or So I Though

I grumbled, but let them drag along.

Even as suspicion prickled at the back of my mind.

Mara, practically vibrating with excitent, led the way down the long marble corridor, while Elira walked beside with a small, knowing smile that sohow made even more suspicious.

"Where are we going, exactly?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Mara's back.

She threw a grin over her shoulder. "Sowhere nice! Trust us, Princess."

"Trusting you is how I ended up locked in the kitchen pantry that one ti," I muttered.

Elira chuckled softly. "This ti is different. No pantry involved."

"Forgive if I don't find that comforting."

[ They're definitely up to sothing. ]

"Obviously," I muttered under my breath.

Mara led us into one of the smaller drawing rooms—well, 'smaller' by palace standards. The ceiling was still absurdly high, and the windows tall enough to make question the architect's sanity. But it was cozier than most places in the castle, with plush armchairs, a low mahogany table, and sunlight streaming through the windows in soft golden beams.

To my surprise, a full tea service was already set up, complete with delicate porcelain cups, an assortnt of finger sandwiches, and an alarming number of pastries.

I raised an eyebrow. "You two did this?"

Mara bead. "Yep!"

Elira gave a graceful nod. "We thought you deserved a break."

I blinked. "I… okay, I'm impressed. And slightly suspicious."

Mara pouted. "Why suspicious?"

"Because the last ti you two tried to 'surprise' , I ended up with pink hair for a week."

Elira chuckled behind her hand. "In our defense, it was a lovely shade of pink."

[ You actually looked adorable. Like a homicidal marshmallow. ]

"Shut up," I muttered, flopping into one of the armchairs.

Mara poured a cup of tea, practically glowing with pride, while Elira handed a plate with an artfully arranged selection of pastries.

"Alright," I sighed, taking a sip of tea. "This is nice. I admit it. But if sothing explodes, I'm blaming both of you."

"Not everything we do ends in disaster," Elira said mildly.

I stared at her.

Mara snorted. "Okay, most things we do end in disaster. But not this ti!"

[ I'll start taking bets now. Explosion or chaos within the hour? ]

I took a bite of a pastry, ignoring the system's smug tone.

For a while, everything was… peaceful.

We chatted, Mara told a ridiculous story about one of the palace guards accidentally locking himself in the stables overnight, and Elira shared a surprisingly funny account of an overly dramatic noble fainting because soone spilled soup on his new cloak.

It was nice.

Which ant, of course, that it couldn't last.

The first sign that sothing was wrong ca when a noblewoman hurried past the open door, sobbing into a handkerchief.

I frowned. "Was that Lady Virelle?"

Mara blinked. "Uh… maybe?"

Then another noble rushed past, this ti a middle-aged man muttering, "We're all dood," under his breath.

I put down my teacup. "Okay. What's going on?"

Elira gave an innocent smile. "Nothing important."

A third noble scurried by, looking like he'd seen his own funeral, followed by two villagers who were definitely not supposed to be in this wing of the palace, both of them whispering frantically about "pleading for rcy."

My blood ran cold.

I shot to my feet. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no. They're not tell they're not."

Mara blinked. "Not what?"

"Elira, are my mothers planning an execution today?"

Elira froze for half a second too long.

I groaned. "They're planning a mass execution, aren't they?"

[ Well, it's been a while since they had one. Gotta keep the bloodlust sharp. ]

"This isn't funny!" I hissed ntally.

Mara raised her hands. "I'm sure it's not a mass execution!"

Elira, to her credit, actually looked like she wanted to reassure . "Your Highness, I promise, everything is fine."

"Fine?" I gestured wildly toward the hall. "People are running for their lives! That is not fine!"

[ To be fair, your mothers tend to have that effect on people just by existing. ]

I started pacing, panic bubbling up in my chest. "This is bad. This is really bad. What if they're going to—"

Mara stepped in front of , grabbing my shoulders. "Princess! Breathe!"

"I can't breathe when my mothers are probably out there deciding who gets their head chopped off!"

Elira gently touched my arm. "It's not what you think."

"Oh really? Because it looks exactly like one of their 'let's strike fear into the masses' days."

Mara grinned sheepishly. "Okay, it does look like that. But trust us!"

"Trust you? The sa people who once tried to teach to 'relax' by sneaking a live squirrel into my room?"

Elira sighed. "That was Mara's idea."

Mara pouted. "It was a cute squirrel."

[ Focus, kitten overlord. We have bigger problems than emotionally traumatized rodents. ]

I grabbed my head, trying to think. "Okay. Okay, maybe I can stop them. If I find them before the executions start, I can talk them down. Or at least convince them to only execute, like, one person."

Mara giggled nervously. "No need for that!"

Elira nodded quickly. "Really, Princess. Everything is under control."

I shot them both a glare. "If you two know sothing and aren't telling —"

"Nothing bad is happening!" Mara promised.

I stared at them, my suspicion growing by the second.

[ Oh, this is going to be entertaining. ]

"Not helping," I hissed.

Elira stepped in front of . "Princess, please. Just trust us. No one is being executed today."

I blinked. "Wait. Today?"

Mara smacked Elira's arm. "Shh!"

I gasped. "So there is sothing happening!"

Mara groaned. "We're terrible at this."

Elira sighed. "Yes. Yes, you are."

I crossed my arms. "Fine. If no one's being executed, then what's going on?"

Elira smiled sweetly. "Would you like more tea, Princess?"

I threw my hands up. "Unbelievable."

Mara tugged at my sleeve. "Co on! Let's not worry about all that! Let's just… have fun!"

I narrowed my eyes. "If my mothers are planning sothing awful and you two didn't tell —"

"It's not awful!" Mara insisted.

"Define 'awful,'" I shot back.

Elira chuckled softly. "You'll see soon enough, Princess."

[ Oh, you definitely will. And it's going to be hilarious. ]

"Why do I feel like I'm about to regret everything?" I muttered.

Mara grinned. "Because you overthink too much!"

Elira poured another cup of tea, her smile far too serene. "Enjoy today, Princess. Tomorrow will be… interesting."

[ Oh, it absolutely will be. ]

I sighed. "I'm going to need more pastries."