Chapter 58
“What on earth were you looking at that you were so surprised…?”
He stretched his neck forward and said, as if in disbelief.
“Last time you were eavesdropping on me, and this time you were secretly watching the knights?”
“Watching? I wasn’t watching!”
“So, you weren’t watching?”
“I was.”
TL Note: Hello Everyone. I am moving this Novel to the another site. Future updates will be posted here.
I raised my chin defiantly and continued.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping; I was watching openly.”
“……”
Persis narrowed his eyes.
“What are you doing at the palace? You didn’t, by any chance, meet the queen and the princess, did you?”
“Yes, I did. Why?”
“I thought I had already warned you. If the Grand Duke’s title is that important to you, it would be wise to behave yourself from now on.”
“Save that talk for after you ascend the throne. For now, worry about yourself.”
He probably couldn’t even imagine what the princess had proposed to me today. This idle fool, while you’re leisurely wandering around, the princess is making plans to take down your powerful father.
Suddenly, Persis burst out laughing.
“Well, having lived in a backwater, it’s no wonder you wouldn’t know who holds real power.”
“Backwater?”
This guy really had a talent for getting under people’s skin.
“Do you think Rosen is something special? The Grand Duchy has much better things.”
“Oh, Aurora? Dog sledding? Is that what you mean?”
“Can you remind me how important dog sledding is for the health and happiness of humanity?”
Then I realized something and let out a small laugh.
“What’s this? You heard all that during the debutante ball? You’re the one who was eavesdropping on me!”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping! I just heard it because it was loud!”
“For just hearing it, you seem to remember way too many details.”
“This is the truth!”
We placed our hands on our hips and glared at each other. At that moment, Persis suddenly lifted his chin.
“Does that so-called Grand Duke’s territory have a large stadium?”
“Of course it does! What do you think the Grand Duke’s territory is?”
“There’s bound to be a stadium. But what I’m talking about is a large stadium that can hold more than 50,000 people.”
You crazy fool. With the population of the Grand Duke’s territory, who needs a stadium that can hold 50,000? Plus, such a massive construction project would drain the country’s resources and lead to ruin.
I spoke to Persis, who wore a smug smile as if he had won.
“Complete water supply and sewage facilities in all areas.”
“Huh?”
“Literally. The Grand Duke’s territory may not have a large stadium, but it has perfectly complete water supply and sewage facilities throughout the entire region. But I bet Rosen doesn’t!”
“……”
I raised my nose high.
In the past, residents had to go far to find drinking water from distant springs. But since my grandfather’s time, they started constructing aqueducts, and everything was completed about ten years ago. They collected water from mountain springs and melted snow, purified it, and let it flow into the city.
Residents of the Grand Duke’s territory can always drink cool and clean water, but in Rosen, only nobles or the wealthy can afford it.
“Even so, with the size of your knight order, it can’t compare to ours!”
“We’re made up of the elite to deal with magical beasts, you know? Who was it that kept whining for help every time a magical beast appeared?”
“The longest river in the world!”
“The largest lake in the world!”
As we were engaged in a childish argument like, “You don’t have this kind of potato at your house, do you?” Persis suddenly shouted.
“Follow me! I’ll show you something that absolutely doesn’t exist in the Grand Duke’s territory!”
Persis walked ahead.
As I followed him, I began to feel a sense of self-loathing. Why is it that my mental age drops whenever I meet this guy? What was that argument just now? Even a 6-year-old would argue more elegantly than that.
We arrived at a separate building behind the palace. Seeing the heavy security, I started to worry. What is this? He’s not planning to lock me up and torment me here, is he?
“Your Highness!”
The guards at the door knelt on one knee upon seeing Persis. He waved his hand dismissively.
“Get up and open the door quickly.”
As the guard opened the door, Persis walked in first. When I tried to follow, the guard blocked my way.
“I’m sorry. Entry is prohibited for anyone other than direct royal family members.”
At that, Persis turned back and got angry.
“You fool! I authorized this. Can’t you tell I’m with her?”
“B-but there’s a strict rule against allowing anyone other than direct royal family members…”
“So you’re saying you’re going to disobey me right now?”
“N-no, I’m not!”
At Persis’s sharp response, the guards immediately stepped back. As I followed Persis, I became a bit curious.
“What kind of place is this that only direct royal family members can enter?”
Instead of answering, Persis opened the large door in front of us. At that moment, magical lights installed all around automatically turned on, flooding the room with dazzling light.
After briefly closing my eyes, I lost all words as soon as I got used to the brightness.
A space that looked to be about 10,000 pyeong (approximately 33,000 square feet) was completely filled with books. Bookshelves were fitted up to the high ceiling, and various books were densely packed inside. It was as if all the books in the world were gathered here.
“Come on, tell me. Is this in the Grand Duke’s territory too?”
Persis turned to me, trying to show off. But his words didn’t register in my ears. I was genuinely amazed.
“Wow!”
I smiled brightly at Persis.
“Yeah, this kind of thing isn’t in the Grand Duke’s territory! It’s so fantastic. Indeed, history and tradition can’t be beaten!”
Perhaps he didn’t expect me to react this way, as Persis looked somewhat bewildered.
I looked around and asked him, “How many books are there roughly here?”
“As far as I know, about a million?”
“Wow, that’s really impressive. Just gathering this many books must have taken an immense amount of time.”
I pointed at a pile of newspapers in one corner.
“Do you collect all the newspapers that have been published so far?”
“Yeah, not just that, but also various academic materials.”
“I never imagined there would be a place like this inside the palace!”
Persis’s expression while looking at me was a bit strange. He seemed somewhat dazed.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Your… your smiling face…”
Persis suddenly turned his head sharply to the side. His ears were turning red.
“It’s so different from the usual scowling face. You look like a completely different person.”
“I don’t usually scowl. It’s just with you.”
At that, Persis snapped back, “Then from now on, smile in front of me. Don’t scowl.”
I furrowed my brows.
“What? Are you making me do emotional labor now?”
“Look, you’re scowling again. I told you not to do that!”
“What do you want me to do? Should I force myself to smile in front of you? Why should I do that?”
“When did I say to force yourself to smile? Just laugh for real.”
“Oh, then create something to laugh about before saying that!”
Persis stared at me intently.
“Then, what makes you laugh?”
“Well…”
Now that I think about it, when do I laugh? When I’m with my parents? Or when I eat something delicious? While I was pondering this, a strange scene suddenly came to mind.
“I’ll create something for you to laugh about.”
It was the voice of a young boy. Right after those words rang out clearly, white petals began to fall from the cold winter sky like snow.
And there I was, in my childhood form, running around in the swirling petals. I could see a young boy laughing at that sight…
“…Arcadia?”
As I suddenly spaced out, Persis called out to me.
“Why are you acting like that all of a sudden? Is something wrong?”
“Ah…”
I quickly regained my composure and shook my head.
“It’s nothing. Just lost in thought for a moment.”
“You were lost in thought while I was right in front of you?”
He got angry again. I really don’t understand why he has so much anger inside him.
I completely ignored his reaction and looked around, saying,
“Can I come here again? I mean, can I visit alone later when I need to?”
Thinking about it, there were other ways to gather information besides the Information Guild. If I could come and go freely here, it would be quite helpful for collecting information.
However, Persis scoffed.
“Didn’t you hear what the guard said earlier? This place is only for direct royal family members. They let you in today as an exception.”
“Does it make sense that only direct royal family members get to monopolize a place like this? Live a little generously. You can’t take it all with you when you die.”
At that, Persis made a very smug expression and crossed his arms. Then he grinned.
“Then go ahead and formally ask me very politely.”
“……”
“Come on, say it. ‘Prince Persis, please have mercy and allow me to come and go here.’”
As I looked at Persis disapprovingly, I soon broke into a bright smile.
“Forget it. If you’re going to be like that, I’ll just ask the princess. She seems really eager to befriend me, and if I ask her, she’ll probably grant it right away…”
“I’ll tell the guard, so do as you please!”
I covered my mouth with my hand and chuckled.
“Thanks. I won’t forget this favor.”
TL Note: Hello Everyone. I am moving this Novel to the another site. Future updates will be posted here.
