episode_0017

Ada Somerset’s recent hobby was to sneak into her brother Rupert’s studio.

I thought no one would have noticed because she moved so quickly with her small body, but it was a fact that not only her brother Rupert but also all the employees working in the house knew.

So why does Ada go to the trouble of secretly sneaking into the studio to avoid other people’s eyes?

It was to look at a hidden secret children’s book.

“Ah! Eight!”

I was still short, so I brought a chair and stood on it to take out the secret children’s book my brother had hidden, but I still wasn’t tall enough.

When I stand up with all my might, I find a book at my fingertips.

rattle

However, as soon as she took out the book, Ada lost her balance and fell from her chair.

And the book she had pulled out with difficulty crashed into Ada’s head.

“Ugh!!!”

He just wanted to see the secret children’s book. Ada, feeling wronged and wondering why her head would hurt after being hit by a book, burst into tears, forgetting that she had secretly entered her brother’s studio.

At the sound of Ada crying, everyone, from Count Bradley to the butler Alain and the maids, ran into the studio.

“Ada, what’s going on?”

Count Bradley comforts a crying Ada by patting her. However, Ada, who had not stopped crying yet, whimpered and tried to say something, but she could not understand.

He just pointed to one place with his little finger.

And at the end of where the finger was pointing, there was a book.

‘Again, I tried to secretly read Rupert’s book.’

Since it had already happened once or twice, Count Bradley had a rough idea of the situation.

Rupert did not show the manuscript of his new book to anyone until it was completed, and Ada, who tried to sneak a peek at it, often caused accidents.

One time, I secretly stole a manuscript that was about to be completed and ruined it by spilling ink on it.

I was surprised to see that Rupert’s eyes, which usually laughed at all kinds of pranks his younger brother made, changed into those of an animal.

Of course, it ended with Rupert, who had found his senses again, hitting Ada’s buttocks with his palm a few times.

Even the fearless Ada was momentarily frightened, so it was definitely something to be careful about.

“Ada Then, you might get your ass beaten by your brother like last time.”

“Hipp… Ada… Ugh… book… .”

I couldn’t hear the words clearly because I hadn’t stopped crying yet, but I could roughly understand the meaning.

‘So I came to read a book and the chair fell over. But I think the meaning is that it’s unfair that the book hit my head and it hurts.’

“Still, you must not sneak into the studio while your brother is away. There are a lot of dangerous tools here, so you could get hurt.”

The situation came to an end with Count Bradley admonishing her and Alain, the butler, holding and comforting Ada, who had now stopped crying.

The employees who had gathered went back to their jobs one by one, and Count Bradley also put away his fallen books and tried to return to his office.

‘Ice Kingdom?’

This is the title I saw while putting the book back in its place.

I think it’s probably Rupert’s new work after The Little Mermaid. It was a title that had a different feel from existing fairy tales.

‘Shall we take a look?’

My son’s children’s books are all the rage, but to be honest, as an older middle-aged man, I find them somewhat childish, so I haven’t been very interested in them until now.

However, when I suddenly saw a title featuring ice and a kingdom, something piqued my interest.

Count Bradley sat at the desk in his studio and opened the first page of the book.

***

“Welcome to the capital. Master.”

Esteban’s warm welcome only made my face frown even more.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“Haha, isn’t this your first time coming to the capital of the empire?”

Of course, if I had come for sightseeing purposes, I would have been happy to see the sights and wander around.

However, I was brought here not for sightseeing purposes but for a one-on-one meeting with the princess, so I was just annoyed.

‘I’m already tired from holding a banquet that doesn’t really fit, but I have to enter the imperial palace without being able to rest.’

I had to use this time to prepare for my next project, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like it was a waste of time.

More than anything, it was honestly scary to be taken to the imperial court and have to face the princess.

In fact, isn’t it because of the imperial family that our family is in crisis? Not only did I receive a handwritten letter from the princess before, I had an ominous feeling that I was being connected to something.

‘As long as you don’t run into the Third Prince.’

Still, so far it is within the acceptable range. The princess is just one of the characters that passes by in the original novel.

However, it would be a really big deal if I were to encounter the male protagonist, the Third Prince.

I’ve already met the female protagonist, Amelia, twice, but she keeps getting mixed up with the main characters from the original novel, which is not good.

For no reason, the third prince might later ask why he was flirting with my girl, and it would be difficult if they remembered him by chance and pretended to know him later at the academy.

He quietly graduates from the academy, returns to his family, and enjoys a peaceful life in another world.

This is my only goal.

***

The capital of the empire was definitely on a different level from local fiefdoms. The wide open street was wide enough for two carriages to pass at the same time.

On both sides of the street, buildings were built neatly according to the division.

In particular, there were no single-story buildings, and all buildings were at least two stories or more, so it felt like I was in a modern city.

‘How many duplex buildings are there in our territory?’

It’s funny to compare it to the capital, but I didn’t know the difference would be this big. For some reason, I felt like I wanted to develop our territory further.

‘I guess I’ve already developed a love for my hometown after only living there for a few months.’

When I think about it, it feels kind of bitter. Because in my past life, my hometown was just one of those places I wanted to forget.

“Master, we have arrived. Please get off.”

While I was lost in thought while looking at the scenery outside, the carriage I boarded arrived at the main gate of the imperial palace.

Sang Sang-ju said he would wait here until the interview was over.

“I don’t know how long it will take. Let’s go back first.”

“It’s okay. It’s an investment for my important business partner.”

He is a man who cannot be stopped. Investment or whatever, it seems like there’s something else going on. Well, it’s a good thing for me.

I don’t even know the capital’s roads very well yet. It’s convenient and nice to take them by carriage and then take them back.

“Please stop for a moment. What did you visit for?”

When I got off the carriage and reached the main gate of the imperial palace, I saw guards and a knight guarding the front.

Everything that was equipped and shiny looked expensive. It must be as powerful as it looks expensive.

“This is Rupert, the second son of the Somerset family, who came today to paint a portrait of Her Royal Highness.”

Along with the introduction, I took out my identity card from my pocket.

While commoners often received wooden badges issued by their feudal lords, counterfeiting of nobles’ badges was impossible.

Since the identity card jointly developed by the Imperial Family and the Magic Tower carries the owner’s blood, its authenticity can be immediately determined using the detector held by the guard.

“Confirmed. Welcome to the Imperial Palace.”

Once the verification was completed, the door to the imperial palace was opened. Of course, the small garden-sized main gate was not opened, but the small entrance door next to it was opened.

‘It’s really huge.’

There is a legend that the imperial palace of the empire was built with the help of dwarves, and it was so huge and magnificent that it was almost shocking to think that it was built by humans.

As a modern person, I also see it as such, so the people of this world must be appalled.

After a moment of admiration, I entered the open palace, and there was an attendant who came to guide me to the palace where the princess was.

“Her Majesty the Princess is waiting. Please go quickly.”

As I walked along, following the attendant’s guidance, I wondered when I would come to the imperial palace again, if not at a time like this.

I thought I could use this as a reference in my work later, so I took notes while looking around the palace.

‘Oh, that style is unique. That’s a design that might be from the Middle Ages, and why is there something like an octagonal pavilion?’

In some kind of imperial palace, all kinds of designs from Western, Oriental, medieval, and modern times are mixed together. It’s fun to watch, but it feels like I’m in some kind of Universal Studios.

As I walked around looking at the sights, a building painted gold and looking like a Middle Eastern mosque suddenly appeared before my eyes.

“This is the princess’s palace. Please wait a moment while we announce your arrival.”

The servant who guided me to the princess’s palace went inside to announce my arrival.

“Whew… I hope nothing happens.”

I just looked at the princess’s palace, hoping that nothing would happen today.

***

“Sister, what happened today?”

“No. But why are you doing that?”

The third prince of the Borus Empire, ‘Edric Bell’, always liked and followed his older sister, Princess Iolin.

As for the older brothers, one of them is a fool who can’t be helped and the other is a lecher who loves women, so it’s embarrassing to even call them brothers.

My older sister, Iolin, was truly a role model for others.

In particular, she was also a female leader who judged right and wrong with her father, the emperor, if something she thought was wrong.

‘You should have ascended to the position of crown princess.’

The idea still hasn’t changed, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen because the emperor was against it and, above all, he himself didn’t want it.

I thought it was a good thing that my older sister, whom I respected, seemed to be in a really bad mood a while ago, but then she started looking better again.

I saw him humming softly as if something good had happened today.

He said that nothing had happened, but as a younger brother, it was clear that something had happened.

So Edric quietly asked Ayton, the princess’s chamberlain.

“What happened to make you so excited?”

In response to Edric’s question, Ayton looked around for a moment and answered cautiously.

“That… The author of the book you usually enjoy reading today… .”

Ayton’s answer could not be finished due to the sudden sound.

“Her Highness the Princess. Somerset’s second son, Rupert, has arrived.”

“Really?! Bring it here right now!”

The princess’s excited voice. Edric tilts his head and asks Ayton, not knowing who Rupert is.

And Ayton just quietly pressed his temple while looking at the princess who was very excited.