Chapter 143: Love (5)
Translator: bjgoofy
"What's the matter? What kind of bug is it, exactly? Is it something serious?"
My head was spinning, trying to figure out how on earth to explain this, yet the princess kept firing off question after question.
Her eyes were fixed on me, silently demanding I tell her the name of the insect at once.
Even if I wanted to, it was not the sort of thing I could just blurt out.
When I glanced at her with an awkward expression, my father-in-law hurried over and spoke up.
"Your Highness, allow me to have a word with my son-in-law. He may simply be nervous, being in the presence of such an esteemed personage."
"Ah, I see. Of course, go ahead then."
"What on earth is the matter with you?"
"Father-in-law, your ear, please."
"My ear? Something you need to say in secret? But we're in front of the princess, you fool...."
"It's quite all right, go ahead and talk. The Young Hero is young, after all. I suppose we failed to consider that."
Young in body I certainly was, but when it came to this particular subject, I happened to know quite a lot(?) about it.
In any case, with the princess's permission, I pulled my father-in-law's head down and whispered into his ear.
[The name of the bug is... well, it's a bit difficult to say in front of a lady like the princess....]
[The name is strange? What is it?]
[It's, it's the Love Bug.]
[The Love Bug!?]
The moment I told him the insect's name, my father-in-law stared at me with eyes wide as saucers.
He whispered back in a voice full of disbelief.
[Wh-what kind of obscene insect has a name like that!? Last time it was the Kissing Bug, and now a Love Bug? How is it that every insect the two of us discover has such a lewd name? Good grief....]
An incredulous question from my father-in-law.
But how was I supposed to know?
Whether some curse hung over the two of us, I had no idea, but every bug we encountered together somehow had a name like this.
[I honestly don't know why, either. But I didn't make up the name. These things cling together like that because they're mating. That's why the name stuck.]
[Fine, I understand. But you're right, it's certainly not a name one can announce to the princess.]
When I'd been the only one who knew, it had been awkward enough. Now that two of us had our heads together, it should have been resolved, yet instead we were both equally stuck.
My father-in-law and I stared at each other, then turned our eyes toward the princess. Just then, the Governor of Yueyang standing beside her caught my attention.
'Ah! Right, if I tell her husband, the two of them can sort it out between themselves, can't they?'
The thought that struck me was this: no matter how embarrassing the name "Love Bug" might be, surely a married couple could handle that much in conversation.
Between husband and wife, this level of discussion should be perfectly fine.
I asked my father-in-law in a cautious voice.
[What if I give the answer to the Governor of Yueyang instead of the princess? Then the Governor can relay it to her. They're married, so surely they can manage a conversation like this?]
[Oh ho, there's an idea. Yes, the Governor should be fine. But we can't do it here. We can hardly tell the princess we'd rather speak to the Governor instead, not in front of her. That could look like we're disregarding her. Let me suggest we move somewhere private to talk.]
Once our private exchange was done, my father-in-law stepped forward and addressed the princess with a proposal.
"Might we withdraw the attendants and speak somewhere more private?"
"Ah, so it was a matter too important to discuss in front of others? Oh dear, now I realize I've been keeping our guests standing in the doorway this whole time. My apologies. I was in such a rush. Please, come inside."
Following the princess's lead, we entered what appeared to be the Guest Hall.
Tea was brought in, and once all the attendants had withdrawn, the princess could no longer contain herself and asked again.
"Now then, the attendants are gone. Please, go ahead."
At that, my father-in-law looked back at me, so I answered in a careful voice.
It seemed he meant for me to explain directly.
"Your Highness, forgive me, but would it be all right if I told only the Governor? It's not for any particular reason, it's just that the name is rather difficult to say in front of ladies...."
"Pardon? Difficult to say in front of a lady? What do you mean? Are you saying I can't hear it because I'm a woman?"
When she demanded to know if her sex was the problem, I quickly waved my hands and explained.
It wasn't because she was a woman. I could at least explain that much.
"N-no, it's not that. It's just that the name itself is... somewhat difficult to say to ladies...."
"?"
The princess blinked at my words.
I gave her a more detailed explanation of why it had to be this way.
"It's not that I refuse to tell you. It's just that I think it would be better if I told the Governor, and then he could relay it to you, Your Highness."
"I don't quite understand why it has to be so complicated, but very well. Lord Husband, if you would."
"Y-yes, ah, understood."
Having bowed his greeting earlier, the Governor had been sitting there stiff as a post the entire time.
I hurried over and spoke quietly into his ear.
[Love Bug.]
"!"
The Governor shot up from his seat, eyes wide with shock.
He stared at the princess in alarm, then turned back to me and asked.
"Th-that's real!?"
"Yes, of course."
-Gulp.
The sound of the Governor swallowing hard echoed through the quiet Guest Hall.
Well, I expected it would surprise him a bit, but since they were husband and wife, I assumed the message would be passed along without any trouble. Then, all of a sudden, the Governor stole a glance at the princess, turned to me with a blank stare, and said:
"I... I can't say it...."
"What?"
He flatly refused, insisting he couldn't tell her.
At that, the princess, apparently unable to endure it any longer, shot to her feet and rounded on the Governor.
"What is wrong with all of you? Bin-ak, tell me this instant. If you won't speak, I'll have you charged with disloyalty!"
"Y-Your Highness, if I were to say it, I fear it would sully your ears...."
"This is maddening, just say it!"
"H-how could I, a man of letters, utter something so irreverent before Your Highness? I-I would sooner die!"
"Excuse me?"
They were husband and wife, yet words like "disloyalty" were being thrown around, and on top of that he was saying he'd rather die. Even considering the dynamic between a princess and her consort, this was bizarre.
When all of us stared at the two of them with dumbfounded expressions, the princess, sensing our gazes, looked flustered.
"Oh, my.... F-fine then. The little Young Hero can just tell me himself. I'll forgive any offense, I promise."
She seemed to be hastily changing tack. But setting that aside, the bomb had gone around in a circle and landed squarely back on me.
I accepted it as my fate, squeezed my eyes shut, and answered.
The Governor clearly had no intention of telling the princess no matter what, and if that was the case, the only one left was me.
Better a child say it than a middle-aged father-in-law, at least.
'To hell with it. She told me to speak, so fine.'
"It's a Love Bug."
"What!?"
At my words, not only the princess but Tang Hwa-eun, who had accompanied us, stared at me with eyes wide open.
Both their ears flushed crimson.
For women of this era, who felt a lethal dose of embarrassment at the mere mention of kissing, hearing the name "Love Bug" spoken aloud must have been nothing short of shocking.
But since I'd already dropped the bomb, I decided to go all the way and give them the full explanation.
If the shock was going to be intense, best to get it over with in one go. A second time was absolutely out of the question.
'Get it done in one shot. No question about it.'
"Here, these are two Love Bugs I caught earlier. See how they're stuck together like this? That's because the two of them are mating. They're always mating like this, which is why they're called Love Bugs."
When I finished my clean, thorough explanation, the princess began fanning her face with her hand.
After some time passed and she had composed herself, the princess finally asked about a solution.
"R-right, well, I understand now why everyone was so flustered. So, is there a way to deal with them?"
"How long has it been since they first appeared?"
"Let me think.... Now that I consider it, it's been about eleven days."
'Eleven days.... Then there are only a few days left.'
The Lovebug is a fly of the genus Plecia, family Bibionidae, subfamily Pleciinae.
When abnormally high temperatures strike an area where rivers converge, or when they're drawn in for similar reasons, these creatures breed in a frenzy.
Their sheer numbers and their bodily fluids make them a nuisance, but in truth, they aren't pests.
If anything, they could be called beneficial insects.
As larvae, they devour rotting weeds and clean the surrounding area, and as adults they feed on flower nectar and pollen. In doing so, they travel from blossom to blossom and promote pollination.
The one thing to watch out for, however, was their acidic innards.
Because their internal organs were acidic, crushing them could cause their fluids to corrode metal, so caution was needed.
In my previous life, in Florida, where these insects appeared in great numbers, they were known to corrode cars and strip paint, causing real problems.
And when I said only a few days were left, it was because once a mass emergence like this occurred, the entire swarm died off within one to two weeks.
Why did they die off?
Though differences in the timing of emergence made it look as if they kept swarming in endless hordes, the males lived only three to four days at most after reaching adulthood, and the females about a week.
When the soldiers had lit fires earlier to lure the bugs in, most of the ones that swarmed toward the flames and died had been unpaired, meaning the majority had already finished mating.
In other words, this whole crisis would be over in a matter of days.
I organized my thoughts and addressed the princess.
"If eleven days have already passed, you don't need to do anything in particular."
"Do nothing? What do you mean?"
The princess's eyes went round at being told to do nothing, and she asked again.
I decided to give her a detailed explanation.
There wasn't much for me to actually do here, so building up a large debt of gratitude seemed unlikely. Still, I had come as a consultant, so the least I could do was explain thoroughly and provide proper follow-up.
"I'll explain why nothing needs to be done. But first, let me ask a few questions. Do any rivers converge near Yueyang?"
"The Miao River, flowing down from Guiyang, empties into Dongting Lake, and the Yangtze meets it right at Yueyang."
"Just as I thought.... And was Yueyang unusually hot this year?"
"Yes, it was. So hot that people were collapsing in the midday heat."
Her answers fit perfectly with the conditions for a mass Lovebug emergence.
I nodded and continued.
"First of all, the reason so many of them have swarmed here is this: when rivers converge and hot weather persists like this, it produces an abundance of the rotting weeds these insects love, creating ideal conditions for them to breed.
Furthermore, they're closer to beneficial insects than pests. As larvae, they consume rotting weeds, and as adults, they travel from flower to flower, helping plants bear more fruit. So there's really no cause for alarm."
"S-such a detailed explanation... that's, that's remarkable. Earlier, when you hesitated over the name, I was beginning to suspect you might not actually know...."
The princess's eyes widened at my explanation.
She seemed a bit startled at encountering a genuine expert for the first time. I smiled and went on.
"However, if they're killed, the fluids that leak out can corrode iron, so you will need to be careful about that."
"So you're saying the heat caused them to appear in such numbers? And I should have the soldiers take special care of their weapons and equipment."
The preliminary explanation was done, so now it was time to tell her why she could simply sit tight.
"Yes, and the reason nothing needs to be done is that these insects die off on their own, roughly ten to fifteen days after they first appear."
"They all die!?"
"Yes. Even now, I'd imagine you're seeing quite a few dead ones on the roads and around the buildings?"
At my question, the princess seemed to recall something and nodded.
Dead bugs would be scattered everywhere by now, after all.
"Now that you mention it.... Sweeping up the dead ones every morning has become part of the servants' routine."
"Well, they may return each year, but they'll be gone within ten days, so I don't think you need to worry much."
Just as I finished saying all that.
Despite the problem being fully resolved, the princess sat gripping her chin with a grave expression.
After a long moment of thought, she looked at me and asked.
"It's a bit of a problem if nothing needs to be done. Is there any chance you could create something for us to do? You know so much about insects, surely you could find a way?"
"Pardon?"
I'd told her nothing needed to be done, yet she was asking me to invent something to do.
At her question, it was now my turn to be bewildered.
'What in the world is she talking about?'
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