‘So you’re saying that mirror showed me at home?’
The large mirror decorated in an antique style was quite ordinary except for the fact that it didn’t reflect objects.
‘Rosetta said the mirror reflects him, but I can’t see myself.’
It was truly a fascinating world. A place where magic and gods that he’d only seen in games or movies existed.
It was hard to insist it couldn’t be true, and it was difficult to deny since the very fact that Seoho had come to this world proved their existence. Seoho looked at Rosetta’s face gazing at him pitifully and decided to accept that magic and gods existed in this world.
‘If a face like that existed in reality, things would have gotten noisy already.’
Honestly, since this was a world with that face in it, it wouldn’t seem strange no matter what existed here.
Of course, just because Seoho had accepted that this world was different from the world he lived in and that there were powers he had never seen before didn’t mean his curiosity had disappeared. Seoho asked Rosetta, who had been waiting for him to organize his thoughts.
“How did you come to obtain such a mirror?”
“The temple gifted me the mirror. They said my destined partner wasn’t in this world, so I would be lonely for life.”
For the temple to give him a gift, Rosetta seemed to be richer than he thought.
“It was a gift for you?”
Rosetta answered with a somehow cynical face.
“Who knows.”
From that attitude, it seemed there might be some other reason, but Seoho didn’t ask further. They weren’t close enough yet to ask about such deep matters.
While Seoho was wondering what to ask next, Rosetta opened his mouth.
“More than me, I want to hear your story.”
Seoho couldn’t understand why Rosetta would bother to listen to his story. He had been watching him for the past few months.
“You said you watched me.”
It should have been creepy that someone had watched his every move, but strangely, it didn’t feel that bad.
‘It must be because of that face, right?’
He was dumbfounded at himself for being so bewitched by a face that he couldn’t recognize a problem as a problem. As Seoho let out an empty laugh, Rosetta answered.
“I couldn’t hear sounds. And we couldn’t communicate either. That place is such a different world that just watching your home wasn’t enough to fully understand you. I’m sorry.”
That the language was different from here was something he had already realized.
Seoho wanted to ask a few more things about that part too. But since Rosetta’s eyes were welling up with tears again, he decided to soothe him first.
“Why would you be sorry about that? So I’m… My name is Lee Seoho and I’m twenty years old.”
While he was wondering what to talk about next, Rosetta asked.
“You’re over twenty?”
Rosetta seemed very surprised.
‘Just how old did he think I was?’
Rosetta raised the corners of his lips slightly and said.
“That’s a relief.”
“Pardon?”
He wanted to ask what that meant, but Rosetta urged Seoho on.
“I’m twenty-four. So? Continue.”
At those eyes full of interest, Seoho eventually continued his story.
“I’m originally a student…”
It felt like he was being completely drawn in by Rosetta, but it didn’t feel that bad.
It seemed like his head would hurt if he heard any more unrealistic stories, and he liked Rosetta’s reaction with his sparkling eyes.
‘Am I perhaps a hopeless face-lover?’
He had thought that everyone was naturally more drawn to beautiful things, but that wasn’t it.
It was a fact he realized only now, but he was a hopeless face-lover with no answer.
***
Puti checked the time. Quite a bit of time had passed since he had left the room with the others.
‘It should be fine to visit briefly and check on them by now.’
He had left the room because Rosetta seemed to want to be alone with the man, but still, as the direct attendant, it was his job to guard in front of the Emperor’s room.
Also, even though he didn’t like it, since the guest Angel was here, he needed to get confirmation from Rosetta about when he would come to meet Angel. Puti looked at Angel, who was sitting in the reception room with her back straight.
‘It’s really strange.’
Whatever made her so happy, Angel unusually had a faint smile on her lips the entire time.
‘It’s a real smile.’
Puti was looking at Angel with displeased eyes when his gaze met with the mage Aris. Aris, who had somehow ended up entering the reception room together with Angel, was casually having a conversation with Angel while sitting across from her. He smiled at Puti with his eyes as if he was dying of amusement.
‘How shameless.’
Moreover, he had been observing Puti and Angel from earlier. To be precise, it felt like he was examining what kind of relationship Puti and Angel had. While doing so, he was checking Puti’s subtle facial changes one by one and teasing Puti with that mischievous expression.
Puti ignored him and approached Angel a bit closer.
“Angel-nim.”
“Yes.”
When Angel turned to look at Puti with a gentle face, Puti spoke with a smile on his face that wasn’t inferior to hers.
“I will go visit His Majesty briefly.”
Then Angel checked the time.
“Ah, yes. Quite a bit of time has passed.”
As expected, she was different from usual. Angel would nag at Puti if Rosetta was even slightly late from the appointed time, but today she had been docile even though nearly an hour had passed since she withdrew to the reception room.
Rather, it seemed Angel was getting happier as more time passed.
‘What is this, really.’
Puti was looking at Angel with suspicious eyes, then naturally bowed his head before their eyes could meet.
“If you need anything, please ring the bell and another attendant will come in.”
“I understand.”
Puti, who was about to step back, spotted Aris trying to stand up from his seat following him and spoke with a crooked smile.
“The mage Aris here will keep you company for a while.”
When Aris, who had slightly lifted his bottom, awkwardly sat back down in the chair and looked at Angel, she nodded slightly.
“I see. Alright.”
“Then.”
Though Aris looked at Puti with pleading eyes as if telling him not to leave him here, Puti lightly ignored him and left the room.
The entire way from leaving the reception room to heading toward Rosetta’s room, people’s gazes were focused on Puti.
Numerous people were looking at Puti with shining eyes, hoping to obtain some information about the sudden situation.
Puti ignored all of them as well and moved his steps quickly.
‘The rumors must have already spread, but…’
To emphasize that he and Angel weren’t in that kind of relationship, he deliberately didn’t deny the man’s existence.
But that was as far as it went. Until he received permission from Rosetta, he couldn’t reveal anything more.
Having moved his feet quickly like that and arrived at Rosetta’s room, Puti looked around the empty surroundings and knocked on the door.
How much time had passed? Rosetta’s voice was heard from inside.
“Come in.”
Quietly opening the door and entering the room, Puti approached Rosetta and the man and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty.”
As Puti was about to explain the reason for his visit, the man who had been behind Rosetta asked back blankly.
“…Your Majesty?”
From that reaction, Puti realized that Rosetta hadn’t yet informed the man of his position. Not knowing what the problem was, Rosetta turned to look at the man and asked.
“Hm? Is there a problem?”
The man asked Rosetta with a horrified face.
“That ‘Your Majesty’ that I know?”
At the voice full of shock, Puti carefully raised his head and examined the two people. Rosetta asked the man with a face full of worry.
“Seoho, what’s wrong?”
Puti learned that the man’s name was Seoho.
‘Seoho? That’s an unusual name.’
Well, since he was a person from a completely different world, it wouldn’t be strange if the way names were given was different. While Puti was organizing his thoughts, the conversation between Rosetta and the man continued.
“Rosetta, just in case, what’s your occupation?”
“Occupation?”
While Rosetta couldn’t easily answer, the man turned his head and asked Puti.
“Excuse me, is Rosetta an emperor or king, something like that?”
“Ah.”
At the man’s sudden question, Puti looked at Rosetta in surprise. Then Rosetta nodded as if to say it was okay to answer. Once Rosetta’s permission was given, Puti opened his mouth.
“Yes, that’s correct. To be precise, he is His Majesty the Emperor of the Borealis Empire.”
“Really an emperor? An emperor?”
The man seemed extremely shocked that Rosetta was an emperor, and kept repeating the same words. It was worrying even to Puti. Rosetta called out to the man with a voice full of anxiety.
“Seoho?”
Then the man raised his hand and covered Rosetta’s mouth, answering firmly.
“Just a moment. Let me organize my thoughts for a bit.”
With those words, the man shut his mouth tightly and fell into his own world. As the man had said earlier, it seemed he was organizing his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Rosetta suddenly approached Puti and asked.
“What is it?”
Not wanting to provoke Rosetta, who seemed to be in a good mood, Puti quickly turned his gaze away from the man and answered.
“I came to ask how long we should leave the Holy Maiden like that. Should I give her a room and tell her we’ll meet tomorrow?”
“…Wait a moment.”
Rosetta called out to the man.
“Seoho?”
“Yes?”
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Is your body hurting, or does your body feel heavier than usual?”
At Rosetta’s question, the man shook his head and answered.
“No. Maybe because I slept well for the first time in a while, my body actually feels light?”
“I see. Understood.”
