The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
My third picture book, <The Little Mermaid>, was published.
The number of custom-made copies had only increased by two, to twelve, but the hardcover and standard editions were issued in greatly expanded quantities.
I worried when the company head so confidently increased the print run, but that worry quickly proved unfounded.
They said it showed astonishing popularity, selling out completely on the first day pre-orders opened before publication.
In particular, for the custom-made edition, more than three hundred people reportedly entered the lottery for those twelve copies.
Considering that only VIP-level customers of the Yuren Merchant Company could enter the lottery, the competition was absurd.
"Come on, everyone, let's put some energy into it!"
Recently, the number of artisans invited to our family's mansion in the territory had increased greatly.
With additional production and new projects running without pause, the workload had grown beyond what the existing staff could handle.
And after I found a certain book in the workshop not long ago, I tearfully agreed to expand the staff.
'Imperial Law, Article 5, Clause 3: Penalties for the Crime of Injuring an Imperial Noble and Special Mitigating Factors.'
An imperial code of law that didn't belong in a workshop was there, so I looked inside, and it was folded open to the page on the crime of injuring a noble.
Lately I'd been feeling a menacing presence behind me, and if I worked the artisans any harder, something gruesome might happen, so I hurried to expand the staff.
Still, spending money to hire more people was worth it. Now, under the direction of artisans skilled in book production, the work proceeded far more efficiently.
The book bindery inside the mansion, which I'd once thought might have been built too large, now felt rather small.
With more breathing room, we purchased various new tools, and the quality of the books improved day by day.
Now the artisans, having gained experience, found improvements on their own without being told and kept developing the books.
In particular, a paper artisan who had studied books from the capital and analyzed new types of paper created a special self-restoring paper, which was one of the great achievements.
Rip!
When the paper was torn in half and the edges were brought back together, the torn fibers slowly knitted themselves together until the sheet returned to its original form.
"This is amazing no matter how many times I see it."
No matter how expensive the material, ordinary paper could only be made so sturdy and was inevitably vulnerable to physical damage.
The 'Shape-Restoring Paper' we developed this time was a masterpiece that completely improved on that weakness.
Of course, it couldn't recover from damage beyond a certain point, but a tear in half like this repaired itself easily, so even children handling a book roughly wouldn't be a problem.
'Nobles may look like easy marks, but their eye for goods is surprisingly sharp.'
Nobles were generous enough to pay without hesitation for good or rare items, but they were also the sort who wouldn't buy something no different from before just because the price was raised.
To meet those exacting standards, we had to keep improving.
'There are plenty of Magic Tower goods I'd love to have too.'
The quality was already excellent, but it seemed human greed knew no end.
I remembered items I'd seen at the Magic Tower that I hadn't dared to buy because they were too expensive.
A stone that could store sound, a magic projector that displayed recorded images, an illusion magic circle that showed people phantasms, and so on.
Magic in this other world had developed in surprisingly practical directions.
To the point where combining a few of them could reproduce Earth's products as they were.
But the prices were so outrageous that I couldn't even consider them, and they couldn't be applied to our picture books as they were, so they needed development and improvement.
If I requested that from the Magic Tower, it would supposedly cost an unimaginable sum.
"It's a shame, but still, this much is plenty."
The picture books were improving day by day.
Since this <The Little Mermaid> was a work at the forefront of that progress, I looked forward to people's reactions.
***
Tears fell.
As droplets fell from the eyes of a beautiful woman with sky-blue eyes, the maid beside her started in alarm and moved toward her.
"My lady!"
"I'm all right. I want to be alone for a moment."
The maid, who had been fretting despite the woman's words, quietly left the room after seeing her close her eyes.
"Is this your answer?"
The woman closed the book she had been reading.
Then the cover came into view, and the title written on it caught her eye.
<The Little Mermaid>
A new picture book by Rupert Somerset whose heroine was obviously modeled on her.
This time too, she had failed in the lottery for the custom-made edition and had no choice but to buy the hardcover.
But because of that, she had been able to understand his feelings, the woman thought.
As far as she knew, the hardcover and standard editions were drawn with the same illustrations, unlike the custom-made edition.
In other words, the illustrations before her were, in a sense, what the artist had wanted to express and draw.
The man who had always captivated her with sweet, beautiful stories like dreams had ended this story in tragedy.
Was it a delusion to think it was no coincidence that he had placed a heroine resembling herself in such a tragic tale?
If so, the male lead playing the prince in <The Little Mermaid> also resembled him exactly.
"In the end, are you trying to say that our relationship is like this too?"
The little mermaid saves the prince who fell into the sea.
They felt love at first sight.
In the end, their love never came to fruition, leaving a tragic ending.
She had never once regretted being born as the eldest daughter of a ducal house, in a position to inherit everything.
She had always thought it was her duty to one day succeed her father, the current head, and lead the Bluewell Ducal House as its matriarch.
Therefore, she could never promise love to someone like Rupert, the second son of a count's house.
Because she had to become an iron-blooded woman and continue protecting her family.
If she married, her younger sister Evelyn would have to inherit the family.
Placing that heavy burden on her younger sister was a choice she could never make.
Had the man who treated her coldly at their first meeting known this from the beginning?
They hadn't even met since then, but it was strange how his feelings reached her through the book.
A person who, unlike his appearance, held warm feelings.
And he had been certain I would read the picture book that laid out his feelings and story, and so he had drawn our ending like this.
So even though she knew the ending, she wanted to meet that man once more.
She wanted to tell him that those feelings were not his alone.
"Will there be a banquet at House Somerset?"
She didn't know the details, but noble families usually hosted a banquet at least once a quarter. She thought she should look into it.
She knew that if she attended a banquet of an unrelated noble family, it could cause controversy.
But all she could think was that she had to meet him.
***
"Your Highness... please stop reading it."
"Aiton, don't you find it a little unsatisfying?"
Without turning her head, the Imperial Princess was rereading the ending of the picture book she had already read several times, and Aiton grew frustrated at her answer.
Seeing the princess raise another fuss over the fellow who had been grating on Aiton's nerves the most lately, Aiton wanted to ban the picture book's publication outright.
She was normally still a cool-headed person, but the moment she got involved with those picture books, she became like a child.
In fact, when Aiton heard that this new work, <The Little Mermaid>, was coming out, Aiton had considered hiding the news.
'But if it came out later, there really would have been a scene.'
Not wanting to be hated by the princess, whom Aiton thought of like a granddaughter, Aiton had obtained the custom-made edition for her again this time.
But it hadn't ended there.
'Aiton, I wish to see not only the custom-made edition but both the hardcover and standard editions!'
One volume should have been enough, but because the princess insisted on owning every edition, Aiton had bought them all and even drawn suspicious looks from the company head.
The look seemed to say, "This is for you, isn't it?" Aiton wanted to explain, but.
Any explanation would only sound more like an excuse, so Aiton gave up.
'The Little Mermaid, is it. It certainly is different from the previous works.'
Now in old age, Aiton rarely felt strong joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure, but the first time he read that picture book, its heartbreaking ending had certainly stirred his emotions.
If even Aiton felt that way, it must have struck the princess, at an age of keen sensitivity, even more strongly.
So her current reaction didn't feel like mere fuss.
"Aiton, I think this book's ending is rather good."
"Is that so, Your Highness?"
What a relief. This time, it didn't seem there would be a need to travel all the way to the Goldpool Valley region to deliver the princess's letter like last time.
Even with the Magic Tower's Teleportation Circle, one trip all the way to the south had been more than enough.
Moreover, the repeated visits of the imperial household's chief attendant to a single noble family could invite unintended misunderstandings.
'It probably won't happen, but rumors are terrifying things.'
The princess was gradually approaching adulthood.
The misunderstanding that she might be going around looking for a match.
In the princess's case, since there was already a Crown Prince, it wouldn't greatly affect imperial authority. But even so, sending her to a family with too much power was not right.
If a powerful family also received the imperial family's protection, there were many ways that could become a problem in itself.
But sending her to too humble a household would not suit the imperial family's dignity, and the Emperor would never permit it.
'A count's house. Being the second son is a flaw, but considering that the eldest son is missing and he is the de facto heir.'
Rupert was just barely above the passing line. Considering that the Somerset Count's House had recently fallen, it had no power, but it was still a noble family with tradition.
Considering that an imperial princess would normally be matched with a marquis's house or foreign royalty, Rupert fell somewhat short in status, but the idea was not entirely implausible.
It was a very delicate balance.
"But no matter how I think about it, a scene after the ending where the prince regrets a little more, or... no! They meet again by chance afterward, and then he becomes obsessed!"
Aiton, who had been lost in thought for a moment, came back to his senses at the princess's words.
"Pardon?"
"He sees that the little mermaid he failed to recognize and let go has found another lover, and he regrets it and becomes obsessed, and the prince gradually wastes away..."
"Y-Your Highness, please calm yourself...."
"Wouldn't that be better for the story? I have so many questions! The author must have something in mind. I shall go meet him in person."
Aiton suddenly felt a headache coming on. In a situation where even Aiton's own visits might spread rumors about the princess and Rupert, now she was talking about going in person.
If word of this got out, there would be no explaining it away.
"Your Highness, why not summon him directly to the imperial palace instead?"
"Oh, indeed, that could work."
If she couldn't be stopped, it would be better to summon him to the imperial palace.
Of course, summoning him wouldn't prevent rumors entirely, but it was a hundred times better than going in person.
Watching the princess, excited at the thought of meeting Rupert, the author of the picture book, Aiton began to ponder under what pretext to invite him.
At the same time, Aiton briefly considered whether to arrest Rupert, the author of the picture book, to stop the princess's eccentric behavior, even if it meant petitioning the Emperor.