Under the golden hues of the evening sky, you sat on a bench in Vanilla Kingdom’s public garden. Usually, you would be smiling, admiring the beauty of this place—but today, you just stared at the ground, arms crossed, lips pursed in frustration.

The reason? Shadow Milk Cookie.

That jester had doodled all over the painting you made for Pure Vanilla! And to make it worse, he had laughed about it as if it were nothing.

Light footsteps approached. A dark figure with streaks of deep blue stopped beside you.

"Ohh? What’s this? Is the little princess pouting?" Shadow Milk Cookie teased, resting a hand on his hip.

You remained silent, pretending not to hear him.

"Wow, the silent treatment, huh? What’s this, a forever curse of silence?" He leaned forward slightly, a playful smirk on his lips.

Still no reaction.

Shadow Milk Cookie sighed dramatically, then took a few steps back. He adjusted his hat and snapped his fingers.

"Alright then… Presenting! The greatest jester in all of Earthbread, here to cheer up our grumpy little princess!!"

Suddenly, he pulled out three small blue balls from his cloak and tossed them into the air, juggling them with impressive skill.

You stole a glance.

Shadow Milk Cookie tossed the balls faster and faster before catching all of them in one swift motion.

"And now… For my next trick—"

The balls vanished into a cloud of black mist.

You blinked in surprise. Before you could ask anything, the balls suddenly reappeared on your lap.

"Tadaaa~!" Shadow Milk Cookie took a dramatic bow, as if expecting a round of applause.