Everyone knew it was something he said to shake off the annoying pestering, but it was a statement no one could refute and at the same time, it was something that frustrated the retainers.
In truth, even if one tried to find someone more beautiful than him, Rosetta was counted as the most beautiful person on the continent, and the only one considered to have beauty that could rival his was Shinshi, who had been his mother.
If the Emperor’s power had been weak, they would have forced a marriage somehow, but Rosetta was a ‘child loved by God’ who appeared once in several centuries.
The imperial authority was unprecedentedly strong and the people respected the Emperor. Whatever the Emperor did, nobles and commoners alike praised him, saying, “Since it’s our Majesty, he must have some meaning.”
Rosetta Borealis, as beautiful as his name. Our beautiful and strong Emperor who receives God’s love.
Moreover, the story of the great Emperor’s eventful and special childhood made the people even more enthusiastic.
‘The master of the Empire who grew up admirably despite unfortunate circumstances.’
About 20 years ago, when Rosetta was born, his mother Shinshi was utterly frightened. The Emperor already had an abundance of grown heirs who were becoming adults, yet she had given birth to a son.
A baby boy born to Shinshi, who was in the lowest position among the concubines. She couldn’t guarantee the child’s safety.
She was someone who had been selected by the Emperor solely for her beauty and became a concubine from being the daughter of a baron from an insignificant small country.
There were already many in the Empire who looked unfavorably upon Shinshi, and now a baby boy. Shinshi knew that her weak home country wouldn’t be able to protect her and the newborn child.
Thus, Shinshi raised Rosetta, who was a baby boy, as a girl. Changing the gender wasn’t that difficult. It was because there were many in the Empire who regarded Shinshi unfavorably.
There were no servants by her side when she gave birth to the child, and when Shinshi said she wanted to raise the child herself, they didn’t even actively try to attach a wet nurse.
Like that, Rosetta grew up without being checked by other siblings. While receiving evaluations that he would flaunt tremendous beauty when he became an adult, taking after his mother, and being called the greatest beauty of the Empire, no one thought Rosetta was a man.
Shinshi thought that although Rosetta would have to live his entire life with his gender changed, for the sake of his life, that much could be endured.
But the peace was brief. At the founding ball that the Emperor held more grandly than usual to designate his successor.
At a gathering attended by high-ranking people from the temple and royalty from other kingdoms, one of the temple’s representatives, the Saintess Angel, God’s proxy, stopped in front of Rosetta, who was receiving everyone’s attention at once with his beautiful appearance.
And in that banquet hall where all the high-ranking people of the continent had gathered, she conveyed God’s words and bestowed a new name upon Rosetta.
[I bestow the name ‘Aurora’ upon my beloved son.]
A name received from God!
It was something that had been cut off for already several hundred years.
In the past, the imperial family of the Empire who received God’s love used to be granted names by God. And the imperial family members who received names from God like that left great achievements in history in various ways.
But all of that was also old talk now.
At some point, the imperial family stopped receiving names from God, and as several centuries passed like that, all those stories came to be dismissed as legends.
But someone who received a name from God appeared after several hundred years.
A heavy, low voice that burst out from the Saintess’s body.
With the benevolent voice that made people kneel automatically and the tremendous divine power spreading from the Saintess’s body and filling the banquet hall, people realized that an oracle was beginning even without anyone saying so.
Those who had been watching the situation blankly suddenly recalled God’s voice and were shocked. A son?
It was the moment Rosetta’s true gender was revealed.
After that, everything proceeded rapidly. Rosetta, who received the middle name meaning dawn from God, regained his gender and became the Crown Prince, and based on the powerful support base and divine power that arose from the moment he received his name from God, he built strong forces.
‘But not everyone welcomed His Majesty.’
When Rosetta received the name ‘Aurora’ meaning dawn, people were curious about what divine power was given to him.
And that curiosity was resolved after they witnessed the Emperor’s first son, the First Prince who was also Rosetta’s eldest brother who had rebelled against Rosetta, being devoured by darkness in an instant.
The dawn given to Rosetta was close to a deep night that was dark, gloomy, and dyed everything black.
‘Should I call it annihilation? Should I call it destruction?’
Whatever it should be expressed as, anyway, Rosetta, who gained powerful divine power, came to have limitless authority after that. Like that, the Emperor who was loved by all the people and gave fear to all the nobles was Rosetta.
And now, Rosetta was clinging to the mirror like a crazy person with all the curtains in the room closed to block out the sunlight, just as he had been for the past few months.
To observe more closely the man in the mirror that only the Emperor could see.
Those who were interested in the Emperor’s every move quickly noticed the Emperor’s abnormal behavior. Puti swallowed another rising sigh and stared at Rosetta, who was looking at the mirror as if he would lick it.
‘I can’t see anything, so what on earth does he see?’
The mirror the Emperor was looking at didn’t even reflect the Emperor, making the name ‘mirror’ a waste. Who on earth was inside that mirror that the Emperor couldn’t take his eyes off all day?
‘There should be something visible for that to happen.’
What was reflected in Puti’s eyes was only pitch-black darkness. The Emperor who became obsessed with a mirror, having fallen for a mirror he obtained one day and a person invisible to others.
It looked like a common curse, but Puti couldn’t curse that there was a curse in that mirror.
‘Since the one who gave the gift isn’t ordinary.’
Speaking of that mirror, it was an item that Saintess Angel had given Rosetta as a gift a few months ago, an old ancient relic that was said to reflect one’s fated partner.
When handing over the mirror as a gift at that time, Saintess Angel had said:
‘Your Majesty’s fate does not exist in this world. That’s probably why Your Majesty came to possess such ferocious power. There must certainly be a fate that will balance that power. And this mirror will find Your Majesty’s fate.’
Puti had scoffed at Angel’s words. Things like fate, love, and friendship were not what Rosetta valued highly.
Certainly, Rosetta had been like that at first too. But one day, after saying that a man sleeping had appeared in the mirror that had reflected nothing, Rosetta changed to become like a crazy person like that.
Of course, the only one who knew all of this appearance was Puti, his sole direct attendant. Others only knew that the Emperor frequently looked in the mirror, entranced by his own beauty.
‘At least that’s fortunate.’
Being intoxicated with one’s own beauty and being intoxicated with an invisible, fictitious existence were completely different matters.
At that moment, Rosetta whispered in a voice that was a bit hoarse but still beautiful:
“When will you recognize me?”
An Emperor making a wistful face while looking in the mirror. No matter how much it was an expression that suited a beautiful face, Puti, who knew the usual Emperor, got goosebumps.
Unable to bear it any longer, Puti carefully called out to Rosetta.
“…Your Majesty.”
Rosetta lightly ignored Puti’s words. No, it seemed he couldn’t even hear them at all.
“It seems you’ve been taking more naps lately. Actually, it’s not bad. It’s quite useless that I can only see you when you fall asleep.”
Puti called out to Rosetta once more.
“Your Majesty.”
Rosetta, who had been looking at the mirror with eyes fallen in love, turned to look at Puti.
“Be quiet.”
His emotions had been washed away in an instant, leaving a face and voice that was dry to the point of being cold, but Puti couldn’t back down like this.
“Th-that is.”
Rosetta looked at Puti with eyes that had become coldly sharp.
“What is it?”
Puti squeezed his eyes shut and shouted:
“The Saintess has requested an audience!”
Puti, the competent attendant, knew how the Emperor would react to the name ‘Saintess.’ That’s why he had spoken directly to him, breaking the Emperor’s order not to speak to him even when entering the room unless it was an important matter.
Fortunately, the Emperor didn’t get angry as Puti had expected.
“The Saintess?”
After pondering for a moment, Rosetta asked:
“I had something to ask too…. When?”
“She said to have dinner together today.”
“Tell her I understand.”
As Puti bowed his head, Rosetta added as if annoyed:
“And until the appointment time, if I don’t call for you, don’t let anyone enter my room.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Puti carefully left the room. Behind him, he could hear Rosetta’s voice whispering while looking at the mirror:
“How can even your sleeping form be this beautiful?”
Puti swallowed another sigh. He’d swallowed so many sighs that it felt like his lungs would burst, but there was nothing he could do. Rather, whispering about how pretty like that was acceptable.
“My fate. My lover.”
It was a bit chilling, but still, that was better. Because if just a little more time passed, he would cry miserably with tears streaming down, saying he wanted to see, wanted to touch, wanted to hold him.
The great Emperor Rosetta Aurora Borealis crying?!
“I want to meet you soon.”
Already, Rosetta’s voice was full of tears. Puti trembled.
The Emperor was definitely crazy.
‘What will become of my future?’
Puti hoped that Angel, the starting point of this matter, would meet the Emperor today and make him stop that absurd behavior.
Right now, few people knew exactly what state the Emperor was in, but given the Empire’s characteristic of being very interested in the Emperor, if things continued like this, it was obvious that bad rumors would spread soon.
‘If that happens, my job?’
It felt like he could hear the sound of his dream job, which had been like a solid iron fortress, crumbling.
