Chapter 275
Chapter: 275
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 275
>Chapter Title: In the Dream Path (4)
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That evening.
The imperial palace banquet began in a relatively gentle atmosphere, unlike before.
It was because Logan had returned after achieving a great feat comparable to Sungjin's, and Empress Consort Elizabeth, who always picked fights over every little thing, was absent.
Thanks to that, under Empress Tatiana's lead, the banquet proceeded in a harmonious mood.
And the news that Masain relayed to Sungjin was unexpected.
"Mother? To the Ashein Principality?"
"Yes. Something urgent came up, so she left yesterday. I heard it was an emergency summons from Grand Duke Ashein."
"...I see."
Sungjin felt a bit relieved that Empress Consort Elizabeth wasn't there.
Until now, he'd consciously kept his distance, thinking of her as Mores's mother.
But if he truly thought of her as his own mother, he lacked the confidence to face that coldly changed gaze head-on.
"There's no particular major issue in the Ashein Principality recently. There's no special report in His Majesty's office either. It's probably nothing, so don't worry too much."
Amelia gently soothed him, sensing his subtle expression somehow.
"Yeah, well...."
Sungjin replied a bit awkwardly and quietly sat down to start eating.
"But what's that, Brother Masain?"
"You're doing something new, Brother Masain?"
"Ah, Prince Mores gave it to me."
He said it has some amazing function, but honestly, I didn't quite understand it.
Masain showed the small accessory pinned to his collar, speaking sheepishly.
"Really? Then it must be a function you'll use later. Brother Masain."
"Well, since it's from Mores, it's best to keep it safe. Brother Masain."
"Haha, yes. That's exactly what I plan to do."
As he listened to the twins and Sir Masain exchanging words, Sungjin shoved the other accessory he'd brought in his pocket even deeper.
He'd prepared it to give to Empress Consort Elizabeth, but now he wondered if he could have handed it over even if she were there. Would a day ever come when he could laugh and chat with her like an ordinary family?
One of the main dishes that day was bear steak, sent by Count Sigmund of the Zigsmunt Margraviate along with tribute because Prince Mores frequented it.
In truth, it was the Demon King who liked bear meat, and it wasn't particularly special to Sungjin's taste.
But after steadily eating it for the Demon King, it had become somewhat familiar and appealing.
He'd worried it might be an unfamiliar food, but fortunately, the reactions at the banquet were favorable. Then Sungjin noticed the Holy Emperor, who, as expected, hadn't touched his food at all.
"Hey, Father. This is surprisingly good. Stop dissecting it and try some."
"......"
The Holy Emperor, who had been dismantling his food with his usual emotionless face, flinched in surprise and, with a fresh expression, put a piece of bear steak in his mouth. He unconsciously furrowed his brow.
Of course, it was just for an instant, and he quickly returned to his impassive face. Still, he steadfastly finished a full plate of steak, matching the pace of the others.
'Hmm. Doesn't seem to be to his taste, huh?'
It's pretty good once you get used to it, but what a picky eater.
Ah, that guy's table manners. I'll fix them someday. Soon, a salty smoked salmon specialty shop will pop up in the capital!
"Labu...."
Meanwhile, there was another person not touching the main dish. Sisley was just staring at her steak with a pitiful expression, reminded of the little bear doll she'd left in her room.
"This is bear? Did a cute bear like Labu get killed and turned into meat? For those tiny kids to become banquet steaks, how many would it have taken?"
"......"
No, bears are definitely not the kind of creatures you think they are.
"Thinking of the poor bears that sacrificed themselves, I shouldn't leave a single piece, but our cute Labu comes to mind, so I can't bring myself to touch it."
Please go to a good place in the Lord's embrace.
The little saint clasped her hands to her chest and offered a solemn prayer. Thanks to her, the surroundings instantly fell silent.
Her unexpected childlike innocence from the usually mature saint was cute, but the underlying mood was so sorrowful that no one dared speak up.
'Sisley. That's not actually a bear. It's from a glacier troll, an ice monster!'
Sungjin itched to say something too, but swept up in the atmosphere, he quietly kept his mouth shut.
By the way, why did intact Bing-su No. 3 suddenly become 'Labu'?
"Give me that. I'll trade you my dessert."
In the end, Sungjin swapped plates with the dejected Sisley as a second-best option.
At the same time, there was a noisy guy in his head cheering triumphantly.
[Yes! Awesome, another plate! I thought I'd never taste this again after returning here!]
In the end, it was a banquet time where only the Demon King was moved to tears.
* * *
That night.
Amelia visited the Pearl Palace reception room. Like she occasionally did before, it was to chat with Sungjin late into the night after a long time.
Of course, she didn't forget to bring a huge stack of new fairy tale books.
"I've completely graduated from fairy tales now, Sister. My reading has improved a lot."
Once you know words, learning letters doesn't take long.
Especially recently, his vocabulary had skyrocketed from creating the 'Knight of Grace' myth with Francis. Of course, he still occasionally mixed up complex spellings.
"I see...."
Amelia looked at Sungjin with a subtle expression, proud yet wistful.
-Our child has grown up so much already. He's so wonderful, but I can't hide the emptiness. Why do children's cute days pass so quickly?
Sister, I can read your thoughts right on your face.
"Right. Ortana, you say."
After various talks, Sungjin opened up about 'Bertrand & Lee'. When he explained the company's ultimate goal, Amelia slowly nodded.
"Places where commerce forms naturally develop security whether they like it or not. The benefits are clear, so surrounding lords can't help but cooperate. It seems it will give Ortana's refugees a chance to settle little by little. How did you come up with such a grand plan?"
Pride shone unfiltered in Amelia's eyes as she looked at Sungjin.
"Come to think of it, something comes to mind. I saw it while going to and from the office; there must be something helpful to you. His Majesty Father created an initial plan for Ortana's reconstruction."
Ortana reconstruction plan?
Father made something like that?
"I mentioned it once before, right?"
Come to think of it, in the early days of his reign, the Holy Emperor had pushed various radical policies. Even clashing constantly with the state church, he'd forced through various innovative policies with sheer power.
But from some point, all those activities had abruptly stopped.
Amelia had said before that it was probably because of frequent clashes with the state church and various other realistic barriers, so the Holy Emperor had stepped back.
But.
'An agreement, perhaps....'
Now Sungjin could vaguely guess.
The Holy Emperor, suddenly bound hand and foot by some agreement for unknown reasons, likely couldn't easily touch any policies afterward.
The karma consumed by policies that swayed not just a nation but an entire continent would be beyond imagination.
"Your plan matches in many ways; it's just a difference in order. Referencing it would greatly help in making long-term plans. However...."
Amelia hesitated a bit before asking.
"That smoked salmon business. I've never seen anything like it. Is it really profitable?"
"......"
At her innocent question, Sungjin felt a bit downcast.
Sister, we have refrigerated carriages! All problems are solved now!
"Ah, Sister."
Then, suddenly remembering, Sungjin rummaged through the luggage in the corner. He finally recalled the item he'd received from Orden.
Amelia watched his actions with curious eyes, and when he pulled out an old treasure chest, she looked up at him puzzled.
"I hesitated a bit about whether to really give you this. But I think you need to see it yourself and decide."
"This?"
"I brought it from Count Sigmund's estate. I heard it was your treasure box from childhood."
Amelia flinched.
As if recalling something then, she widened her eyes and stared intently at the box.
When Sungjin carefully handed it over, she slowly opened the dust-covered box and lifted out a piece of old straw.
"Bell...."
Amelia's eyes sank deeply, as if reminiscing about the past.
"Yes. So much time has passed; I'd completely forgotten about them, blackened with age."
Sungjin didn't know, but for Amelia, this was a past from nearly decades ago, before her regression.
"Yes. That time was very tough. Even so, these are precious to me. Thank you for bringing them, Mores."
Amelia set the straw aside and took out the odds and ends from the box one by one.
But just as she picked up an old pendant.
It was like being struck by lightning; a massive wave of forgotten memories crashed over her like a tsunami in an instant.
"Dream.... Yes, back then, I had a dream."
Back then, young Amelia had many dreams that felt ambiguously real or illusory.
The first she remembered was being carried on someone's back, wearing a fluffy, warm wool coat, chattering endlessly.
-Where are we going now, Daddy?
-To a place where your grandfather can't find us, Amelia.
Amel tilted her head. As far as she knew, her grandfather was the strongest person in the world.
-Don't worry. He won't dare follow us.
The man's voice was calm, yet it felt endlessly reassuring.
Feeling somehow at ease, Amelia smiled broadly and buried her head under his cloak.
Another day, she dreamed of camping under a starry sky that seemed about to pour down, lying by a campfire wrapped in a warm blanket, hugging a newly bought little doll.
-I want to give this pretty baby a cool name, Daddy.
-Is that so? Then how would you like to make that baby?
Amelia thought for a moment and answered.
-Hmm, first, I hope this one has a huge family. I wished for family, and Daddy came, and I was happy, right? So I hope this one is that happy too.
After a long silence, the man gently stroked Amelia's head.
-Then how about a goddess with as many family as the stars in that sky? Belluna of the night sky is the happiest goddess I know, with the most family.
-All those tons of stars?
Amelia's eyes widened as she listened to the myth he told.
That day, the doll's name became Belluna.
Another day, she saw a fun play in the city streets. Riding piggyback on the man's shoulders, Amelia squealed excitedly.
-You really like performances, huh. Then shall we go to Brittany this time? It's a place where performing arts are very developed.
-Are the shows there as fun as that play?
-They must be very fun. Just get used to how the people there pronounce 'Arrch' like they've choked on cold soup.
What's the sound of soup getting stuck in your throat?
Finding it funny, Amelia giggled and asked all sorts of questions, and before she knew it, she was learning words with 'Arrch' from him one by one.
-In the deep, deep forest, a humble cottage built with care where a little angel descends, that shall be my church.
-Wow, all the words I just learned are in there! What's that phrase?
-When memorizing something, remembering it with meaning to you helps a lot, Amelia.
-Does that phrase have meaning to you, Daddy?
-Of course it does.
The man lifted Amelia up high.
-Right here is my little angel.
As her body rose, it felt like flying in the sky, the air around wrapping her.
Kyahaha!
Her bursting laughter echoed in her head.
"Yes, how... how could I have forgotten all this until now."
Sungjin fidgeted anxiously at her sudden reaction, but Amelia smiled brightly, her eyes brimming with tears.