Ch.221New Star (3)

Originally, I had planned to introduce Cherry to my acquaintances, but it seems the conversation had already concluded while Rina and I briefly visited the classroom.

However, regardless of what was discussed, everyone had different expressions. Marie had a slightly suspicious look, Cecilly wore a sympathetic expression, and Cherry had a gloomy smile.

After briefly wondering about this, I continued with what I needed to say since I hadn’t yet spoken to Rina. After I introduced Cherry, Rina was surprised momentarily, then thought for a while before asking me a question.

“So when will Lady Roseberry’s book be published?”

“It should be published soon. The contract should be finalized by now.”

My father handled the contract for Cherry’s debut work, “One More Red Sunset.” Normally, it would be much better for Cherry to visit the publisher herself, but given the circumstances, it couldn’t be helped.

The publishing company’s president is already acquainted with my father from the first contract for the Biography of Xenon, so it should be resolved without any issues. The president isn’t the type to cause problems about contracts later, so there’s no need to worry.

If the president tries anything strange, I can apply pressure. As long as the Biography of Xenon continues its explosive success, I’ll always be in the position of power.

Therefore, Cherry’s work will be thoroughly protected under my name. All that remains is to wait for the sprout to grow and the flower to fully bloom.

“I’m looking forward to it. Since you said it’s interesting, the quality must be guaranteed.”

“Can you tell us what it’s about?”

Showing interest, Cecilly asked about Cherry’s work. For reference, Rina was sitting next to Cherry, while I was sitting between Marie and Cecilly.

After hearing her question, I briefly considered how to explain it before speaking. I don’t plan to mention the regression setting.

“First of all, it’s a romance genre, so you’ll really like it. But it’s better to see the story for yourself. I was impressed when I first read it.”

“A book that impressed the author of the Biography of Xenon… my expectations are rising even more. Lady Roseberry?”

“Y-Yes?!”

Cherry, who had been mumbling, looked up in surprise at Rina’s call. Perhaps it was the princess’s authority, or maybe even Cherry couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Or perhaps her emotions have become more abundant since living with me. Before meeting me, Cherry was literally like a walking corpse without any vitality.

“I’ll visit the Roseberry family soon. The Roseberry family is famous for philosophy, so it might be nice to have a conversation.”

“Ah…”

As soon as Rina mentioned the family, Cherry’s pink eyes sank deep like an abyss. I couldn’t help but be alarmed when I heard Rina mention the family.

For Cherry, “family” is a landmine among landmines that shouldn’t even be mentioned. But Rina seemed to have said that without knowing it at all.

When Cherry’s eyes suddenly darkened, Rina seemed to notice something was wrong and looked confused. Then she shifted her gaze to me as if asking what was going on.

Only after I explained about Cherry’s family situation did she realize her mistake and quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about such circumstances…”

“N-No, Your Highness doesn’t need to apologize. I’m fine now…”

Fine? Not at all. Due to the trauma deeply embedded in her heart, not only her voice but even her hands were trembling.

Rina seemed to notice this too and didn’t ask any more related questions. Instead, she moved on to directly praising Cherry rather than mentioning her family.

“Anyway, this is a great opportunity for our Empire of Minerva. To have both the author of the Biography of Xenon and an author he praises. We might really be able to beat the Kingdom of Teres?”

“I haven’t said I’ll be affiliated with the Empire of Minerva yet.”

“Once you marry Marie, you’ll be affiliated with the Empire of Minerva anyway. There’s no reason for you to go to the Kingdom of Teres, right?”

“There’s no reason, and I have no intention to.”

The Kingdom of Teres is a country of art and culture. On the surface, it has titles that would attract many artists.

However, that’s just for the artists; the upper echelons can’t be described as good even as flattery. You don’t have to look far—just look at Adelia’s unfortunate family history for the answer.

Rather, as Rina said, if I were affiliated with the Empire of Minerva and wrote works under their protection, my life would be smooth sailing.

Moreover, despite her words, Rina probably knows well that I’m in a position that can’t be casually meddled with. It’s just a joke and an expression of intimacy.

“And starting with Cherry, many writers will emerge in other countries too. Honestly, the grammar I use isn’t difficult, and anyone with material can do it.”

“That may be true, but who would dare to imitate you? They might be accused of tarnishing your honor. Cherry is a child you care about, but other writers aren’t.”

“I’ve already spoken to the publishing company about that. I told them not to be afraid of people imitating me and to express themselves freely.”

“Hmm… is that so? It’s a bit of a shame, but if that’s what you want, it can’t be helped.”

Of course, there might be what are commonly called “kindling” writers. I hope the publishing company will filter them out.

I’ve also made it clear that if a story is almost identical, it will be strictly dealt with. If I just say I’m displeased, those around me will take care of it without me having to step in.

So I can just quietly enjoy it from the position of an observer. I can be a little greedy, but the grammar of the Biography of Xenon is easy enough to follow with just a little practice.

There might be complaints later, so it’s better to be open from the beginning.

‘And I’ll have more books to read too.’

What satisfies me most is that there will be more interesting books to read. The original reason I wrote the Biography of Xenon was because there were hardly any readable books except for history books and exploration journals.

In my previous life, genre novels poured out like a tsunami, and there were many interesting novels, but not in this world. This is why people are so enthusiastic about the Biography of Xenon.

Although there might initially be trash that could be called “kindling,” there are buds in the world that wither away without revealing their talent.

Like Cherry before my eyes, when that bud blooms and other flowers bloom next to it, a beautiful flower garden called “culture” will be created.

“Isaac. I think I know what you’re thinking. But it will take longer than you expect.”

Could she tell what I was thinking just from my expression? Marie, who was next to me, voiced her opinion in a cautious voice.

I was a bit puzzled that it came from Marie, not Rina. Looking at her, Marie shared her thoughts.

“Since you said that, many aspiring writers will undoubtedly write works. But if that happens, there will be people who suffer. It’s already happening since the moment the Biography of Xenon was released.”

“Are you talking about established writers?”

“Yes.”

The novels in this world are filled with very complex sentences and words. There’s a saying that you need to use an encyclopedia to understand the flow of the story—that’s how difficult they are.

Some people even have discussions based on reading certain novels. It’s not for nothing that I said it’s like an English exam question.

At least until the Biography of Xenon, that style was popular. Writers would write as if showing off their philosophy and intellectual aspects, and if readers couldn’t understand, they would just say the readers were ignorant.

But after the publication of the Biography of Xenon, the landscape and public opinion completely changed. People asked why they should read other books when there’s one with such simple and concise sentences and easy-to-understand stories. They said they wouldn’t read the others because they were dirty and petty.

Naturally, established writers criticized and disparaged the Biography of Xenon, but it didn’t get a single scratch. Some writers praised it in depth, but they were in the minority.

Of course, as time passed, more people became interested in “books” themselves rather than just the Biography of Xenon, which was quite beneficial. You can tell by the fact that the number of literature freshmen tripled in a year.

“You might not realize it because you’re in such a high position, but the influence of established writers is much stronger than you think. The publishing company that contracted the Biography of Xenon can ignore them because they have you, but it will be difficult for publishing companies in other countries. The situation won’t be resolved as radically as you think.”

“Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that. But it’s not impossible, right?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Then that’s fine.”

If time will solve it, I can wait anytime. Until then, I’ll write the Biography of Xenon and its sequel while waiting for readers’ reactions.

Afterwards, I’ll write leisurely while waiting for other works. I should also read Cherry’s book in between so she doesn’t feel neglected.

“Well, I think differently. It might not happen even with time.”

But unlike Marie, Cecilly’s opinion seemed a bit different. I looked at Cecilly and asked with curiosity.

“What do you mean by that?”

At my question, Cecilly smiled brightly. It’s a beautiful and enchanting smile whenever I see it.

While I was staring blankly at that smile, Cecilly pointed at me with her long index finger and spoke.

“Because the Biography of Xenon, and you, are in too high a position.”

“…?”

It had a similar yet different tone.

******

Creation is a very arduous task. Not only is the creative process itself challenging, but so is showing that creation to the world.

This is because people judge creative works by the “result,” not the process. They don’t care how much effort was put in or how much heart was poured into it; they only look at the result.

Some people praise that result, while others criticize it. Through these results, creators can gain strength or despair.

Thus, art itself as creation is a difficult and arduous task. But even this is only when it receives attention; the world is filled with artworks that faded away without receiving any attention.

In this sense, Cherry’s debut work, “One More Red Sunset,” is quite fortunate. Not only did she happen to meet me, the author of the Biography of Xenon, but she also received praise for being interesting.

To fully support her dream, I used Xenon’s reputation to get it published. But just because I find it interesting doesn’t mean others will too. Everyone has their own taste.

“Shall we check now?”

“Y-Yes…!”

A week after Cherry’s first work was published, she and I arrived at a cafe alone to check the reactions.

The method to check reactions is very simple. We just need to see what news is in today’s newspaper.

One might wonder why we don’t check the newspaper from when it was published, but that’s only possible in the Earth of my previous life. This is a world where not even cars have developed, let alone the internet.

Even if the publishing company starts selling, it takes considerable time for those books to move to other places. It’s said that it takes at least a month to reach Alfheim, the farthest country from the Empire of Minerva.

However, this was before the appearance of Volume 12. After Volume 12, I heard that the elves, no longer able to just twiddle their thumbs, directly requested Arwen. In response, Arwen gladly reduced tariffs and even set up teleportation facilities.

Since it was a facility solely for transporting the Biography of Xenon, it didn’t take many days to establish. The work could proceed at a fast pace because the elves were masters of magic.

Anyway, now that a week has passed, it’s time for evaluations of Cherry’s work to explode. I’ve already mentioned that it was written by a child I care about, so interest has reached its peak.

What remains is whether readers enjoyed it. I glanced at Cherry, who was stiff with anticipation and tension.

Perhaps because her first work was out, a little light had returned to her previously dark eyes.

*Rustle*

As I slowly unfolded the newspaper, Cherry and I immediately looked at the prominently featured news.

[Another great writer emerges? Xenon’s child, Mary’s “One More Red Sunset” selling like hotcakes!]

[The story of returning from the future to the past alone is worth noting.]

[A writing style similar yet different from the Biography of Xenon. Each emotional and warm sentence touches the heart.]

[This book, which is explosively popular among women…]

As expected, her first work was receiving tremendous praise. Regression stories, by their nature, are already halfway to success, and combined with Cherry’s unique writing skills, it would be strange if it wasn’t popular.

Moreover, I directly said it was interesting, borrowing Xenon’s reputation. Can’t criticize it freely because of my name?

That’s nonsense. Even when the Biography of Xenon was at the height of its popularity, those who wanted to criticize did so. Initially, most of the criticism came from established writers out of jealousy, but as time went on, more orthodox criticism followed.

[Being a romance, it focuses more on people’s psychology than events. It has sufficient immersion, but understanding how events unfold is a bit difficult. However, it will gradually develop.]

[I wish it would explain in detail what happened in the future.]

It’s in this format. Since these aren’t malicious criticisms and I had similar thoughts, I found myself nodding.

But what matters most is Cherry. How is she reacting?

I was reading the newspaper and glanced at Cherry. I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“……”

Cherry was clearly reading the newspaper. But tears were streaming down her pink eyes.

Perhaps all the pent-up emotions in her heart had been released. She seemed unaware of it herself, silently shedding tears without making a sound.

Maybe it’s natural, as this was the moment when her dream, which had been cruelly trampled before it could even sprout, was in full bloom. I looked at her with a pitiful expression and quietly spoke.

“Cherry.”

“Yes?”

“How do you feel? Your dream has come true.”

At that question, Cherry stared at me blankly for a while, then shifted her gaze back to the newspaper. News full of praise for her work. And clamoring for when the next volume would be released.

Cherry stared at the news with a dazed look, then slowly raised the corners of her mouth that had been drawn horizontally. Not just her mouth, but her tear-filled eyes also gradually creased.

Eventually, she bloomed a “happy smile” that had never been seen before, like her own work, and quietly said.

“I’m happy…”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m so… so happy… it feels like a dream…”

Still unaware that she was crying, tears began to fall down her cheeks, drop by drop. I silently took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

Cherry was startled and looked at me. She seemed to have just realized she was crying and became flustered.

“Ah, I, that is…”

“Use this to wipe until you’re done crying.”

“…Thank you.”

Unable to stop her tears as if a faucet was broken, she finally accepted my handkerchief. While she wiped her tears, I looked at other news.

Turning page after page of the newspaper, there was nothing but news related to Cherry’s work. This meant it was a huge hit, no less than the Biography of Xenon.

Due to its romance genre, it’s incredibly popular among women rather than men. But because of its unique regression setting, many men are reading it too.

Whether this is a bubble or not depends on Cherry from now on. Cherry said she had already structured the ending, so all she needs to do is write, and we can wait patiently.

‘But isn’t there any news about something like a contest?’

There’s something I told the publishing company about, but strangely, it’s not visible. With this question in mind, I turned the page, and a strange phrase caught my eye.

[Xenon said he doesn’t mind if people imitate his writing style, but we can’t allow that.]

What’s this about? I frowned at the conspicuous news and brought my face closer.

[If you want your work to be recognized, you must first be recognized by Xenon. If not, it’s an insult to Xenon.]

Ah. Right.

[Don’t tarnish Xenon’s honor! Who would dare tarnish Xenon’s honor! He said he doesn’t mind, but we won’t forgive it!]

The social climate here was like that. Damn it.

“Sob… hic…”

“…Cherry.”

“Yes… sob…”

With a heavy heart, I gently stroked Cherry’s head to comfort her and said resignedly.

“…Please release the next volume a bit earlier.”

“Hic… I’ll release it earlier even if it costs my life…”

“That’s not necessary…”

It seems it will take a long time before readable books emerge.