A clear and clean lake that appeared in a space engulfed in darkness, emitting a subtle light with its interior fully visible. The moment she saw it, his mother said she felt relieved.
“When she approached the lake, there was light trapped inside it. Well, that’s probably just how she felt, right? Anyway, so my mother, who was afraid of the darkness, jumped into the lake.”
He’d heard that she thought if she fell into that lake, she’d be able to escape from this place.
“And she embraced the light that had been sinking beneath the lake in her arms, and part of that light rose to the sky, lifting the darkness and the sun began to rise. She said she watched the pitch-black darkness take on a blue tint and gradually brighten with a dim glow, then woke up from her sleep.”
Later, when his mother found out she was carrying Seoho, she thought that dream had been a conception dream. So that’s how Seoho’s name became Seoho.
Seoho smiled and said.
“My mother used to joke that if she’d held onto all the light she’d embraced in her arms back then, a genius would have been born.”
He became a bit solemn as his parents came to mind. Seoho spoke cheerfully, pretending to be composed.
“The story got a bit long, but anyway, the ‘dawn’ in my name is the dawn when the sun rises.”
Having said that much, Seoho closed his mouth. Then Aris, whose eyes had been sparkling as if finding it fascinating, suddenly hardened his complexion and asked.
“I was listening because it was interesting, but… should I really be the first to hear this?”
“What?”
Seoho asked back as if asking what he meant, but Aris turned to look at Puti and asked with a face full of worry.
“Puti, it’s a bit late to ask, but do you think His Majesty would dislike it if I said I heard this story?”
Then Puti nodded with a dark face.
“…Yes.”
Seoho looked at them with a face full of questions. Rosetta would dislike it if he said he heard this story?
“Why?”
Then Puti carefully opened his mouth.
“His Majesty wishes to be the first in everything about Seoho-nim.”
“Hm?”
When Seoho looked at them with a peculiar face, Puti added an explanation.
“As you know, His Majesty cherishes Seoho-nim very much and considers you special.”
“Certainly Rosetta does treat me well. But would he really dislike it if someone else heard such a story first?”
At Seoho’s question, Puti and Aris made eye contact with each other and smiled awkwardly. Seoho, who had been looking at their laughter as if it was strange, said nonchalantly.
“And in the first place, since I came to this place because of Rosetta, isn’t Rosetta already my beginning in this place?”
Aris, who had been smiling awkwardly, lowered the corners of his mouth at such words from Seoho and answered.
“…Mm, His Majesty would have been really happy if he’d heard that directly.”
Puti nodded vigorously as if he’d decided something.
“I’ll just relay it myself. I think that would be better.”
Aris patted Puti’s shoulder and said.
“Puti, good work.”
“I have no idea what you two are talking about.”
At Seoho’s mutter, Aris answered saying there was no need to worry.
“It’s just that His Majesty really, truly cherishes Seoho-nim very much.”
He still couldn’t understand what they meant and it seemed like words trying to smooth over the situation, but thanks to that, his mood that had been sinking while thinking of his parents seemed to improve a bit.
Because even if it might be empty words, it was comforting that someone thought of him that way.
***
After exchanging a few more trivial jokes, Aris asked.
“Well then, Seoho-nim, let’s end today’s lesson here. Do you have any other schedule today?”
“I’m meeting Angel-nim.”
It was a meeting arranged again only after three days had passed since their first meeting. He didn’t know if she’d really been unwell, but thanks to that, it was good that this side had a lot of time to think about what to ask.
“The Saintess?”
“Do you know the Saintess too, Aris-nim?”
Instead of answering Seoho’s question, Aris said with a slightly flustered face.
“Seoho-nim, please call me Aris comfortably.”
Seoho smiled sheepishly and asked.
“But you won’t call me comfortably, right?”
Aris looked at Seoho with peculiar eyes and answered.
“Yes, since you’re His Majesty’s guest, your position is higher than mine. This is also common sense. So unless Puti gives you separate notice, you don’t need to speak formally to other people either.”
Being the Emperor’s guest seemed to be a fairly high status than expected. Of course, that wouldn’t be all there was to it.
The person called Seoho himself would be in an insignificant position in this place, but Rosetta was the Emperor, and Seoho was someone who would be involved with Rosetta in some way going forward, so perhaps that’s why they spoke formally.
Having roughly organized his thoughts, Seoho answered.
“Really? But completely dropping honorifics feels a bit much.”
“Then at least use my name comfortably. I’d like you to call me comfortably.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Having settled the matter of address, Aris continued the story about the Saintess again.
“Anyway, you’re meeting the Saintess.”
“Yes, she told me to ask if I was curious about anything. I prepared things to ask in advance…”
When Seoho took out a sheet of paper from his pocket, Aris let out an empty laugh.
“You prepared questions in advance?”
Seoho nodded as if it was obvious.
“Yes. It would be difficult to call her again saying I have more questions.”
He wasn’t so tactless as to contact Angel separately saying he was curious about something when he clearly knew things were bad between her and Rosetta.
So preparing questions in advance was efficient in many ways. Aris pointed to the paper Seoho had taken out.
“May I look at it first?”
“Yes. It’s nothing great.”
Aris, who had received the paper from Seoho, handed the paper back again not long after.
“As expected, I can’t read it.”
Only then did Seoho remember that he’d written in Hangul on the paper.
“Right. I can read the language here, but I couldn’t write it.”
“From now on, you just need to study focusing on writing. Since you can read itself, you’ll learn quickly.”
“Yes.”
“So what are you going to ask?”
Seoho brought up the topic in general terms.
“I’m thinking of learning about past cases. And if more questions come up while listening to that story, I’ll ask more. Actually, I’ve already heard all the important stories, so there doesn’t seem to be anything I absolutely must hear.”
“Not a bad method. I heard you were a student—were you good at studying?”
Seoho answered playfully.
“I wasn’t on the bad side.”
Then Aris said with a playful face as if matching the tone.
“Aha, that means you were very good.”
Seoho didn’t deny it. In fact, Seoho had been accepted to a university others wanted to attend. Even if he couldn’t attend.
“Well.”
Then Aris burst into loud laughter.
“You’re an interesting person? I should try to become close with you.”
“I like you too, Aris.”
“That’s fortunate. However, please don’t show it too much in front of His Majesty.”
Just as he was about to ask what that meant, Puti raised his voice.
“Aris-nim!”
Even at Puti’s loud voice, Aris wasn’t frightened at all and joked around.
“Ah, I got scolded. How scary.”
At his still brazen attitude, Puti glared at Aris huffing.
Looking at those two, Seoho smiled softly. Angel’s problem was a bit of a concern, but life here wasn’t bad.
***
After Aris left, Seoho, who was left alone with Puti, called him.
“Puti.”
“Yes, Seoho-nim.”
He’d just been told that it would take a bit more time for Rosetta to return.
Books that Seoho could read hadn’t been prepared yet, and there wasn’t particularly anything to do, so naturally he spent more time conversing with others.
Of course, the conversation partners were either Rosetta or Puti.
“What exactly is the relationship between Angel and Rosetta? Puti, you help Rosetta from the closest position, so you know well, right?”
After coming to this place, it felt like he had more questions than usual, but it couldn’t be helped. This place was very unfamiliar to Seoho, so he had many questions.
He was also worried about the upcoming meeting with Angel, and it wasn’t a bad topic to pass time.
“The relationship between the Saintess-nim and His Majesty?”
More precisely, he wanted to know the relationship between Rosetta and Angel from an objective perspective.
How on earth did that vivid hostility come about? Was it really just for the reason Rosetta said, simply because he received his name from God?
Puti pondered for a moment and then soon opened his mouth.
“Since I’m His Majesty’s servant, I hope you’ll first understand that I can’t help but take His Majesty’s side.”
Even if he hadn’t said this, he would have taken it into account while listening, but Puti was quite honest.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“She is jealous of His Majesty. And His Majesty finds her annoying.”
“Annoying?”
That was a bit unexpected. Since he’d shown tears saying not to be friendly with Angel, he’d thought Rosetta also had bad feelings toward Angel, but annoying?
He’d thought there would be something bigger than the feeling of annoyance. One person showed hostility while one person found it annoying. The relationship was a bit strange.
‘As I thought, those tears—is he using them as a weapon?’
It seemed better to erase the evaluation he’d thought before of being a soft-hearted person.
‘Even though he’s the Emperor, it seems like Puti and Aris watch Rosetta’s mood too much.’
There might be an aspect of Rosetta different from what he’d seen. Then Puti continued.
“She often comes to visit and picks fights.”
Was “picking fights” from Puti’s perspective? Or was it that way even from an objective perspective? Seoho continued listening without interrupting Puti’s words.
“I thought the mirror she gave this time might also be similar to picking a fight, but fortunately it wasn’t. I’m glad Seoho-nim appeared.”
At the favorability he displayed openly, though not as much as Rosetta’s, Seoho asked.
“Puti, you’re very kind to me. Is that because I’m Rosetta’s fate?”
