8. Uncle Crust's Jam Bread
The morning sun rose over the Cloud Kingdom, bathing it in a soft pink glow. But the tranquility of the Cloud Palace didn't last long. In the west corridor, Mile marched along proudly with Miu, who had been forced to wear a cloth belt filled with tiny potion bottles. The potato cat trudged along slowly, resigned to his fate as the "chief detective's assistant."
"Watch where you're going, Assistant Miu!" Mile whispered, her voice firm. She gripped her modified magnifying glass, its handle now bound with copper wire. "Before we enter the dangerous Dark Cloud Forest, we have to test this explorer tool's accuracy. First target: the Palace Head Chef!" she whispered again.
Miu merely let out a soft sigh. "Meow," he groaned in resignation, his chubby tail drooping and curling across the marble floor.
Mile's intentions were perfectly clear, and her sharp instincts and know-it-all streak were burning bright. She was tailing the palace chef, a stout fairy named Uncle Crust, who was hauling a basket filled with cotton-candy steamed-bread dough.
Mile knelt behind a pillar and aimed her magnifying glass straight at the wheel of Uncle Crust's pushcart. Through the adjusted crystal lens, her vision became much sharper. Not even the tiniest detail could escape her eyes, because this was no longer just a toy magnifying glass.
"Aha! Look at that, Miu!" Mile whispered excitedly, puffing out her chest. "The right wheel of Uncle Crust's cart is wobbling three millimeters to the left! And there's a purple stain on the edge of his apron with a scent I recognize all too well!"
"What are you doing there, Milea?"
Uncle Crust's deep voice suddenly boomed from above. The stout chef looked down at Mile, who was sprawled on the floor beside a chubby cat busy chewing on his own belt strap.
Mile sprang upright and confidently adjusted her stretchy cotton pants. "Uncle Crust! Based on my logical analysis as the number-one detective in the Cloud Palace, you're secretly making Blueberry Jam Bread today without permission from the Fairy Queen and Mama Dari, aren't you?!"
Uncle Crust stared at her in shock. His eyes darted back and forth in panic. "H-How did you know?! I only made the jam in the basement at three this morning!"
Mile suddenly burst out laughing and pounded her chest smugly. "It was easy! First, that purple stain on your apron is obviously magical blueberry jam. Second, your cart's wheel is crooked because the jam cauldron is way too heavy on the right side! Ha! My explorer tool is one hundred percent accurate!"
Uncle Crust shook his head and hurriedly pressed a piece of sweet bread into Mile's hand so the chatty child wouldn't reveal his secret to the other fairies. "Take this and stop shouting, Little Detective!"
Mile accepted the bread with a huge grin, then split it in half and gave some to Miu.
"Meow," Miu said, sounding fairly cheerful as he received a bite of the warm, sweet bread.
"First tool passed the test!" Mile murmured proudly.
But Mile's smile didn't last long when she spotted Mama Dari's silhouette at the end of the corridor. The Head Fairy was speaking seriously with Captain Fliff, and her expression looked extremely tense. Mile's instincts told her that something much bigger was happening. She immediately crept closer, using the chewing-gum bushes as cover.
"The gray clouds in the north are spreading farther, Captain," Mama Dari said, her voice cold but tinged with unease. "The portal gate to the Dark Cloud Forest is becoming unstable. We need to tighten security so no one—and especially not Milea—approaches the area."
"Yes, Mama Dari. But... does that human child still not know about her parents?" Captain Fliff asked quietly.
Mama Dari let out a long sigh and stroked her monocle. "I don't think it's time yet. I believe she's still too young. That forest is far too dangerous for a child like her."
Behind the bushes, Mile pressed her lips tightly together. Her grip on the magnifying glass grew firmer. Rather than frightening her, Mama Dari's words ignited a spark of courage in Mile's chest.
"I'm not just a chatty little kid, Mama," Mile whispered to herself. Her hand felt for the copper compass hanging from Miu's collar, which was once again giving off a gentle warmth. "I'm Detective Mile. And I'll prove that I can bring my father and mother home!"