Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 403



Only Noblemtl

403. Head Tower (1)

The climate of Delcross was relatively mild for an inland area. The clear autumn air, especially when humidity was greatly reduced, had a corner that simultaneously stimulated both a clear intellect and a full sense of emotion.

-You promise me a beautiful sky.

I will give you a shining star, I whisper like a bird.

But I am the only one in the world.

I want your soul, which is like a jewel.

Square, square.

One of the playwrights, who had been working all night, immersed in the emotions of autumn, put down his quill as the sunlight streaming through the curtains grew stronger.

“If I just write a little more, I’ll finish chapter 1. Ugh… … .”

Unfortunately, it looks like today’s work ends here.

When I started to feel a little irritated by the fact that I couldn’t hold the quill pen equally with both hands, I knew that my concentration for the day was completely over.

“Hmm.”

The playwright turned his waist and neck from side to side, then quickly glanced over the contents he had worked on so far.

‘… I think it’ll be somewhat fun, but since the main character is a doll, it might be a little dangerous?’

[The Doll’s Song], which she is currently working on, is a classic piece of literature by Ortona that deals with the events that occur when a beautiful doll made by a human comes to life and moves. At the time, it was highly regarded for containing reflections and criticisms on human dignity and subjectivity.

But here in Delcross, things were a little different. If you were not careful, you could be seen as a heretic who challenged the authority of God, the ‘creation of life’.

‘It’s not specifically designated as a banned book, so I did touch on it, but wouldn’t it be safer to go in the direction of teaching a lesson by adding a bit of a good-punishing-evil feeling?’

The playwright hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Let it be. What could be the problem? If it were your lover, you could probably dismiss it in one breath even if there was controversy.

“Then, shall we end it here for today?”

She stretched out her arms and gave a big yawn. It was also a good time to finish up her work.

dripping.

Soon, with a small knock on the door, faces that looked exactly like stamps of a stamp appeared. They were Herna and Gades, her children.

“It’s time to wake up, Joe.”

“Come out and eat, Joe.”

The playwright stood up from his seat with an involuntary smile.

Yes, my lovely treasures!

* * *

Jocelyn Langster.

A variator of tragedy, a magician of conflict.

This young playwright, better known to the world as ‘Monsieur Sorbonne’ than by his real name, was a man who was particularly prone to the eccentricities that are sometimes seen in sensitive artists.

She had a hard time tolerating the ‘distortion’ of things. She was particularly easily fatigued by ‘unaesthetic’ shapes or ‘asymmetrical’ forms. This was because her mind was constantly trying to correct whatever she saw into an ideal form.

Because of this, it is natural that interpersonal relationships become a mess.

She didn’t even want to look at her own face in the mirror properly, because she didn’t have the confidence to endure the asymmetrical, sunken eyelids that often appeared after working all night.

In that sense, her children were the perfect people to live with. They always spoke to each other equally, and their faces were also perfectly shaped and beautiful.

Think about it.

What a great tragedy it would be for parents if they were unable to smile sincerely at their beloved children because of severe brain fatigue!

“That’s right. For someone like me, a character failure with an imperfect personality, to meet a lover with perfect looks, fall in love, and even have such precious children. I can only see this as a miracle from the Lord. Of course.”

Cool.

As she sniffled in relief, two pairs of identical purple eyes looked up at her with a look of concern.

“I think you’re not feeling well.”

“You worked all night again?”

A small hand came up to Jocelyn’s forehead. It was Herna, a strong-willed woman.

“You don’t seem to have a fever, do you? But just in case, take your medicine. Cho.”

Another small hand wiped her mouth with a napkin. Always thoughtful, Gades.

“No matter how much inspiration comes to you without a crowd, you have to live a regular life. Joe.”

Jocelyn, who is often treated as a lesser child by such small children, is overcome with a sense of happiness but also a sense of unease.

‘These children are a miracle given to me by God, but what am I to them? A companion human who needs to be taken care of and occasionally played with?’

Before the discomfort could turn into an uncontrollable sense of guilt, Jocelyn quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, right! Hey guys. Would you like to go see a show with me sometime soon?”

“A performance?”

“suddenly?”

“Yes. The play I adapted a while ago is all the rage right now! It’s the story of ‘Ambrosia of the Head Tower’ that you all love. It’s finally going to be performed in the biggest theater on Rue Bertrand!”

It was no coincidence that Jocelyn, who was famous for her original plays, chose ‘Ambrosia of the Head Tower’ as her first adaptation.

As a child, it was a fairy tale that her children always asked her to read to them before they went to bed, so she naturally reached for it first.

“Hmm?”

But when the twins heard that, they looked at each other and made strange expressions.

“Well, it’s not like we particularly liked it back then.”

“Because Mores always came and begged me to read to him.”

“…huh?”

“We were just there to listen to what Mores wanted.”

“Mores couldn’t read well at that time and was a little lonely.”

“And he wanted to collect collective forms of salt from people.”

“No matter how weak the flames are, they can become powerful when their collective consciousness unites.”

Jocelyn couldn’t help but wonder at their answers. She had never met the Third Prince in her entire life, so how could he come all the way here and ask her to read a book?

But, as is often the case with adults who do not understand children well, she soon came to her own conclusions and accepted them on her own.

“Do you like Mores that much?”

Isn’t that a name that comes out of the twins’ mouths every day?

How could it be that Jocelyn, without even realizing it, came to regard the Third Prince, whom she had never seen before, as familiar?

“Hmm. If you ask me if it’s good, it’s on the good side.”

“He’s interesting even if you just watch him quietly.”

But this time, the answer was unexpected. The twins soon started grumbling with pouty faces.

“But these days, Mores only plays with Red.”

“Well, sometimes I call other kids.”

“It was fun for a while because we played every day, but recently Mores has become too busy.”

“You only care about training and the demon squad, and now you don’t even want to play with me at night.”

“If you want Mores to stay sick and lie down, then you will feel so bad for Father Seonghwang.”

“The bigger problem is that every time he does that, something big happens. It’s too hard for His Majesty, Dad.”

“… … .”

Jocelyn had no idea what was going on.

While the Third Prince was sick, wasn’t the regular audience time drastically reduced? Because of this, Herna and Gades didn’t leave the mansion for a while and spent the whole day playing chess with each other.

“Um… Instead, these days, you guys go to the palace to play, right?”

After the Third Prince got out of bed, the twins began to visit the Pearl Palace often for lunch as before.

“Yeah, the food is delicious. They even deliver directly from Bertran & Lee Salmon Specialty Store.”

“Why don’t you come with us next time, Joe? I’m sure Mores would welcome Joe.”

“well…….”

“I think it would be nice for us to live in the palace while we’re at it, Jo.”

“That’s right. It’ll be a lot of fun hanging out with everyone, Joe.”

“… … .”

This wasn’t the first time Jocelyn had heard such a suggestion. It was something her lover had hoped for in the first place.

but-

“Herna. Gades. Do you know how tough palace life is? You can’t just stay up all day in your pajamas like you do now, and you can’t stay up all night playing chess.”

“…Is that so?”

“Maybe so?”

In fact, Jocelyn was extremely satisfied with her current life.

A life where one can fully enjoy material wealth and social status, and where no one can criticize one even if the day and night change. Isn’t this the pinnacle of subjective life that humans can enjoy?

“And most importantly, there is the matter of the most important thing! The structure of the palace is horribly asymmetrical. It is not as perfectly and beautifully balanced as this mansion we live in.”

“There are probably only a few people in the world who would say that this mansion is more beautiful than the palace.”

“Well, that’s why we like Joe. It’s interesting just to watch.”

“Okay, okay. Thanks for the compliment.”

Jocelyn, who had just finished her meal, yawned heavily. The effects of working all night were starting to show.

“You’re going to the palace now, right? Then have a safe trip, children. After I send you off, I’ll take a deep breath and sleep.”

“and…….”

The twins’ faces suddenly changed to look like the parents of an unruly teenage daughter.

“Are you going to sleep right after eating, Joe?”

“It would be very bad for your health, Joe.”

“It’s okay, guys.”

She, more immature than her children, answered confidently, thumping her chest.

“If you go to the palace to play anyway, your father will take care of everything for you, right?”

* * *

At the same time, at the palace.

Nate, who had been quietly moving the dishes, suddenly raised his head in surprise.

“Huh? Why are you suddenly like that? Does the food taste weird?”

“No, no. It’s really delicious… … .”

Nate looked down at the unfamiliar dish his son had brought him for the first time in a long while: Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict.

For some reason, I feel very uneasy.

Why is it? I always believe that I am doing the best for my family, but why do I sometimes feel anxious that I am doing something seriously wrong these days?

“Did you do something again this time?”

“…yes?”

Then, the troublemaker son looked puzzled for a moment, but then smiled with a proud face.

“Oh, yes. I told you I was going on another business trip. I have a pretty reliable source of information, so I think we can capture Giacomo Milo this time.”

“arrest…….”

“Yes. On the way, I will also check on the business that I have entrusted to Branch Manager Schmidt. Lastly, I will stop by the Benso Marquisate for a moment. Sir Valery has asked me to investigate something.”

“… … .”

Nate looked at his son blankly, feeling a little strange.

Recently, his son has been wearing his neatly ironed Knight of the Order of St. Terbach with a proud air. This is not simply because he has acquired the ‘public power’ he used to sing about.

Nate, who always kept a close eye on his son’s condition, sometimes felt a faint sense of relief from the child’s hand stroking his uniform out of habit.

Nate becomes very anxious whenever he sees the child like that, because he can guess what is so disturbing about him.

“Right! This business trip is strictly an official business of the Knights Templar, so I plan to properly collect the budget from the Holy Assembly. You don’t need to give me a separate allowance.”

After I’ve ripped off a lot of money, I’m sure the elders of the church will be feeling pretty bad this time, right?

My son, who was grinning happily, slurped down his tea and added, “Ah.”

“I’ll get the bounty properly!”

“… … .”

Really, is it really okay to just leave this kid alone and do whatever he wants…?

Nate sighed quietly, feeling as if the piece of salmon he had just swallowed was stuck in his throat.