Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I’m Stuck as Their Baby! - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: The Grand Tour
The castle was vast so vast that despite having lived here my entire life, I had never fully explored its halls. Today, that was about to change.

With Mara and Elira flanking me, Smaug padding lazily behind, I stepped into the first corridor of what would be an exhaustingly detailed guided tour.

The head steward, a stiff old man named Aldric, stood before us, radiating the kind of energy that suggested he had long given up on being fazed by this family’s antics. His uniform was immaculate, his posture straight as a blade.

“Your Highness,” he greeted, bowing slightly. “Per your request, I will guide you through every major wing of the palace. This tour shall be thorough, informative, and—”

Smaug yawned loudly, flopping onto the floor.

Aldric didn’t even blink. “—efficient.”

I sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

The first stop was the Grand Hall. It was as absurdly decorated as always—vast chandeliers dripping in enchanted crystals, marble floors polished to the point of absurdity, tapestries depicting the victories of my ancestors (and my mother setting things on fire). This was the space used for major announcements and royal proclamations, where nobles came to grovel and commoners came to beg for policy changes.

At the moment, it was empty except for a few servants meticulously dusting statues that were at least five times their size.

“Do people actually notice if the statues are dusty?” I asked.

Elira nodded sagely. “The noblewomen do.”

Mara scoffed. “Because they have nothing better to do.”

Aldric politely ignored the commentary and continued leading us down the hall.

Next was the War Room.

Compared to the extravagant decor of the Grand Hall, this room was more restrained—if one ignored the massive obsidian table carved with maps of the continent, the wall-length battle strategy charts, and the collection of weapons that hung like trophies.

It was empty at this time of day, but I could still sense the weight of decisions made here.

I traced a finger along the map. “So this is where my parents decide who lives and dies.”

Mara coughed. “I mean… yes, but that’s a bit dramatic.”

Elira tilted her head. “Is it?”

Aldric coughed discreetly. “Shall we continue?”

The next stretch of the tour was filled with the functioning heart of the palace—the places where things actually got done.

The Kitchen was bustling, filled with the rich aroma of baked bread and spiced meats. Servants moved with practiced efficiency, dodging one another in a dance perfected by years of experience.

A few of the chefs spotted me and immediately straightened up.

“Your Highness!” The head chef, a burly man named Dorian, approached. “Would you like to sample something?”

I glanced at the pastries cooling on a tray. “Would it be a crime if I said yes?”

Dorian grinned and handed me a golden, flakey pastry filled with something warm and sweet. I bit into it, and my entire soul ascended.

“…I’m stealing the entire tray,” I declared.

Dorian laughed. “By all means.”

Aldric pinched the bridge of his nose but wisely chose not to object.

We moved on to the Training Grounds, a wide-open courtyard where knights, soldiers, and personal guards honed their skills. The clang of steel against steel filled the air, the occasional grunt of exertion or barked command breaking the rhythm of battle.

Several knights paused their sparring when they saw me. Some bowed. Others stared, visibly still recovering from the fact that I had leveled an arena the day before.

I ignored their stares.

“Elira, do you think I could beat any of them?” I asked, watching two knights locked in a duel.

She assessed them with the cold precision of someone who actually knew what she was talking about. “Right now? Probably not. In the future? Definitely.”

Mara, ever the troublemaker, nudged my side. “You could challenge them just to mess with them.”

I smirked. “Tempting.”

Aldric cleared his throat in warning.

We moved on.

The final stretch of the tour took us through the Royal Library, the Treasury, and the Throne Room.

The library was as overwhelming as ever—endless shelves of knowledge stretching toward the ceiling, rows of ancient tomes bound in leather and lined with gold. I had read less than 1% of what this place contained, and that was already more than most nobles could manage.

The Treasury was guarded more heavily than any other part of the castle. Chests of gold, enchanted artifacts, rare gemstones this room was less of a vault and more of a dragon’s hoard. Smaug was visibly offended that he wasn’t allowed in.

And the Throne Room?

Overdramatic.

Red carpets, high ceilings, intricate murals depicting our rule—it was every bit the intimidating display of power it was meant to be. I had stood here before, listening as my parents dealt with affairs of state. One day, I would sit on that throne.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

Finally, as the sky darkened, we arrived at the Gardens.

Unlike the structured grandeur of the castle, the gardens were wild beauty woven into elegance. Carefully tended pathways wound through lush greenery, where exotic flowers bloomed in bursts of color. Moonlight reflected off tranquil pools of water, the surface rippling as koi fish swam lazily beneath floating lilies.

Fireflies drifted through the air, flickering like fallen stars. The scent of jasmine and night-blooming roses filled my lungs, soothing in a way I hadn’t expected.

I exhaled slowly. “I like this place.”

Mara smiled. “I knew you would.”

Elira took a seat on one of the carved stone benches. “It’s peaceful.”

Smaug, meanwhile, was terrorizing a butterfly.

I sat down, watching as the wind rustled through the trees, carrying with it the sound of distant laughter from inside the castle. The cool night air wrapped around me, carrying the soft fragrance of blooming jasmine and the distant scent of freshly cut grass.

Smaug finally abandoned his war with the butterfly mostly because the insect had outmaneuvered him and flopped onto the grass beside me with an exaggerated huff, his tail flicking lazily. Mara and Elira sat down as well, the former stretching her legs out while the latter maintained her usual composed posture.

For a moment, everything was peaceful.

Which, of course, meant Mara had to ruin it.

“So, what now?” she asked, propping her chin on her hand. “Should we play a game?”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “What kind of game?”

Mara smirked. “Something fun.”

Elira sighed. “You’re terrible at explaining things.”

Mara grinned and leaned forward, excitement sparking in her eyes. “Let’s play Who’s the Most Dangerous?”

I blinked. “…What?”

Elira massaged her temples. “That’s not what it’s called.”

Mara waved her off. “Fine. The actual name is Magical Showdown. We each show off a spell, and you decide whose is the coolest.”

I crossed my arms. “That sounds like an excuse for you to show off.”

Mara’s smirk widened. “Yes.”

Smaug perked up. “Oh, I like this game.”

I tilted my head. “Wait. You can use magic?”

Smaug grinned in a way that suggested trouble. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I decided to deal with that revelation later.

Elira, ever the composed one, folded her hands in her lap. “Do you even want to see our magic?”

I frowned. “Of course, I do. You’ve both been with me since I was born, and I still don’t know what kind of magic you use. Why haven’t I seen it before?”

Mara shrugged. “Because we’ve never needed to use it in front of you.”

Elira nodded. “And because your mothers wouldn’t appreciate us casting spells near you without permission.”

That… actually made sense. My parents were overprotective to the point of insanity. They would sooner level an entire city than risk me getting caught in an uncontrolled spell.

But now that I had obliterated an arena and casually rewritten reality during battle, they were likely a bit less concerned about me getting accidentally singed.

I smirked. “I want to see.”

Mara grinned. “Say no more.”

She hopped to her feet, rolling her shoulders like she was preparing for a performance. “Alright, behold the greatness that is my magic.”

She stretched out her hands, and the air shimmered.

BOOM.

A massive explosion erupted in the air above us, a swirling blast of violet and gold flames that crackled like fireworks. The heat rushed past me, making my hair whip back, but I felt no burn—it was controlled, contained.

The flames twisted, shaping into the form of a massive phoenix, wings outstretched, flames licking at the sky. It hovered for a moment before exploding into a rain of embers that faded before touching the ground.

I blinked. “…Huh.”

Mara grinned smugly. “Impressive, right?”

Elira sighed. “You’re ridiculous.”

Mara winked. “And yet, you love me.”

I glanced at Elira. “Your turn.”

Elira exhaled slowly, standing up with graceful precision. Unlike Mara, who treated magic like a performance, Elira moved with quiet confidence—like a blade being unsheathed.

She raised a single hand.

A thin stream of silver light coiled around her fingers before expanding outward, twisting into the shape of a spear. The light solidified, shifting into glass-like crystal, shimmering with a soft, ethereal glow.

CRACK.

The entire space around us changed.

For a single breath, the world turned colorless.

The trees, the grass, the sky all of it lost its hue, reduced to black and white. The air felt heavier, charged with something ancient and unyielding.

I exhaled slowly. “What… was that?”

Elira lowered her hand, and the world snapped back to normal.

“My magic is temporal,” she said simply. “For an instant, I paused the world around us.”

I stared at her. “…You can stop time?”

Mara rolled her eyes. “Not completely. It’s more like… she can slow everything down so much that it seems frozen.”

Elira nodded. “It’s an ability granted to a rare few among my family. I can manipulate brief pockets of time.”

That… was incredibly unfair.

I could already hear my grandparents trying to adopt her into the royal bloodline.

I folded my arms. “And you never thought to show me this before?”

Elira smirked slightly. “You never asked.”

Mara laughed. “That’s exactly what I told her!”

Smaug stretched his wings. “Well, if we’re showing off—”

“No.”

Smaug pouted. “What? Why not?”

I crossed my arms. “Because if I let you do whatever you want, there will be no castle left by the end of the night.”

Smaug muttered something in draconic that I chose to ignore.

I sighed, looking between Mara and Elira. “So. Fire and time manipulation.”

Mara winked. “I know. We’re awesome.”

I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head.

Honestly, they weren’t wrong.