“Seoho-nim.”
Seoho, who had been recalling the yellow canary that wouldn’t disappear from his mind, came to his senses at Aris calling him while organizing books.
“Ah, Aris.”
Seoho smiled apologetically. Aris nodded as if it was fine, then looked around here and there.
From his appearance of turning his head as if looking for someone, Seoho realized who he was looking for. Sure enough, Aris asked Seoho.
“Where’s Puti?”
Seoho recalled Puti, who after the walk ended, asked him various things and fidgeted restlessly for a while, then upon hearing the news that Aris was coming, hurriedly left the room saying he had urgent business.
‘It’s the first time he’s left before Aris even arrived.’
It seemed the matter the chamberlain had conveyed was important.
Moreover, Puti, who had left the room like that, hadn’t returned even now when the lesson had ended.
“He seemed to have urgent business.”
But even at Seoho’s answer, Aris made a puzzled face. He too seemed to question Puti’s behavior, just like Seoho.
Puti usually wouldn’t leave the room no matter what, even during lessons with Aris.
‘Rather, he would keep his eyes peeled and monitor in case Aris said something strange.’
Aris, who seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, made eye contact with Seoho, then smiled brightly and asked the question he always asked after lessons ended.
“Isn’t the lesson difficult?”
“No, because the interpretation comes naturally. Though I don’t know if this is my actual ability.”
At Seoho’s worry, Aris encouraged him.
“Since you’re working hard, it must be Seoho-nim’s ability.”
“Thank you.”
“We have a little time left, so shall we have a common knowledge lesson?”
The reason Aris was suggesting this was probably because Puti had left his post.
Puti wasn’t particularly fond of Seoho being alone in the room. He was originally like that, but especially recently, saying that guests at the imperial palace had increased, he was taking care of Seoho more diligently.
‘Though it doesn’t seem like it’s become noisy just because guests increased.’
Seoho accepted Aris’s consideration.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Hasn’t His Majesty been very busy lately?”
“That’s what I heard.”
Yesterday, he hadn’t seen Rosetta at all.
Rosetta had told him in advance that he’d be busy, but he didn’t know he’d be so busy that he couldn’t return to the room.
‘Is he sleeping properly?’
He heard it was a meeting at the imperial palace, but if he was so busy he couldn’t return to the room, he could guess how busy it was.
‘Well, he is the Emperor.’
Because Rosetta acted so freely around him, Seoho often forgot that he was an Emperor, but he was an Emperor ruling a huge empire. Hadn’t he learned just the other day when looking at the continent map that the Empire’s size was tremendous?
‘I should definitely talk about the bird after Rosetta returns.’
While Seoho was gaining confidence in his own choice, Aris, who had guessed from Seoho’s answer that he hadn’t seen Rosetta, spoke as if he’d expected it.
“As I thought, he didn’t return to the room. During meetings, staying up all night is frequent. Anyway, because of that, the palace is now full of nobles gathered from all over the Empire.”
All over the Empire—so that’s why Puti said there were many guests at the imperial palace. And as worried, Rosetta wasn’t sleeping properly.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, though you probably didn’t notice because they don’t approach near the Emperor’s Palace.”
For a moment, Seoho recalled the canary. The one he encountered earlier when he went out for a walk.
‘That bird is also from this guest…, no. I saw it before too.’
Seoho, who had been denying that thought for a moment, soon shook his head. There was a sufficient possibility that the canary that came to Seoho back then and this bird weren’t the same bird.
It wasn’t like there was only one yellow canary in the world.
‘Though there probably aren’t many canaries that talk.’
Among the common knowledge he learned through Aris, wasn’t there no mention of birds talking?
“Seoho-nim?”
“Ah, no. So?”
“Don’t you want to go outside the palace, Seoho-nim?”
He thought it might be a question with the same meaning as Puti’s, but it seemed a bit different in nuance. Seoho tilted his head and answered.
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
At Seoho’s answer, Aris asked with a strange expression.
“Isn’t it frustrating to only stay in the palace? You don’t have any acquaintances other than His Majesty and Puti, do you?”
Seoho stared intently at Aris, who was smiling with a good-natured face, then opened his mouth.
“Um, Aris.”
“Yes.”
Seoho, who pondered for a moment about what to say, soon slowly began talking.
“Before I came here. I had many friends and my peer relationships were fairly good.”
He had many friends, and there was no one he had severely bad relations with. Throughout his time at school, he got along reasonably well with his classmates.
Yes, reasonably well.
“But after my parents passed away, among the people remaining around me, there wasn’t a single person I could truly rely on.”
That seemed to be the problem. There weren’t many people he could open up to and talk comfortably with.
Of course, there weren’t none at all. However, that friend who was someone he could open up to like that just felt very sorry to Seoho.
Only then did Seoho realize.
‘There weren’t as many people I could show my everything to as I thought.’
His parents and that one closest friend. They were all the people to whom Seoho could show his most vulnerable side. But they all disappeared.
“I just felt empty.”
He felt hollow and his thoughts vanished. He was living but had no vitality. Then he met Rosetta.
“When I was completely empty with no one around, someone was by my side for the first time in a long while.”
Seoho smiled faintly at Aris, who was quietly listening to his story.
“Because people around keep saying that Rosetta is a destiny connected by a red thread, I don’t know if I opened my heart because of that, or if it’s because Rosetta opened his heart wide to me first.”
It was truly a mysterious thing. Opening his heart to someone this easily.
Though they say they’re connected by a red thread, since Seoho hadn’t actually seen it, truthfully it didn’t really resonate with him as having great meaning.
Nevertheless, the emotions Rosetta showed sparkled so much that he was naturally drawn to him.
“Anyway, it’s been a while since I let another person into my boundaries. But maybe because I rested from forming relationships with anyone for too long, even concentrating on my relationship with just Rosetta alone is a bit overwhelming for me.”
Just trying to return those big emotions, just solidifying his relationship with him more—Seoho was doing his best with just that.
Because Rosetta’s feelings were so big that they couldn’t compare to any emotion Seoho had experienced, it required even greater effort.
Seoho smiled sheepishly.
“And I still haven’t properly adapted to this world either. Because my sphere of activity is narrow, the shock of the world changing seems lessened.”
Saying that he still hadn’t fully accepted this place made him feel a bit sorry. But this was Seoho’s true feelings.
When Seoho’s words ended, Aris slowly nodded and answered.
“…I see.”
Knowing that Aris’s strange question from a moment ago was said out of concern for him, Seoho added.
“Still, since both Puti and Aris say that. When Rosetta finishes all his urgent matters this time, I’m going to suggest we try going outside the imperial palace once.”
At Seoho’s answer, Aris smiled faintly and answered.
“I worried unnecessarily.”
“Thank you for worrying. Since I’m a bit awkward, I think it’ll take more time to make friends.”
Seoho, who answered like that, smiled playfully and shrugged his shoulders.
“And it’s not just Rosetta, right? There’s Puti, and even if not as much as Puti, I have comfortable conversations with Aris like this from time to time.”
Aris blinked his eyes a few times, then erased the smile from his lips.
But that expression didn’t feel strange. Rather, it looked more natural. Seoho was making eye contact with Aris whose smile had disappeared when Aris said with an indifferent face.
“…I understand why Puti likes Seoho-nim so much.”
Not knowing what answer to give, Seoho rolled his eyes around. Aris too, perhaps embarrassed by what he had said, rolled his eyes like Seoho.
Just as laughter was about to burst out at that sight, the sound of knocking on the door was heard. When he turned his head, Puti was entering the room.
“Seoho-nim.”
Seoho didn’t hide his delight.
“Puti.”
It was the same for Aris.
“Puti.”
Puti gave Aris an eye greeting and approached Seoho, saying.
“Seoho-nim, His Majesty said he can return by today as scheduled.”
“Ah, really? Then we’ll sleep together today.”
In an instant, Puti and Aris looked at Seoho in surprise. Feeling puzzled by their gazes, Seoho asked.
“Why?”
Aris, who had been staring blankly at Seoho, smiled awkwardly and shook his head, saying.
“No, it’s nothing. Just the nuance was strange…”
“Nuance?”
At Seoho’s question back, Aris answered.
“It’s nothing. That seems natural for you…”
Then Puti interrupted.
“Aris-nim.”
At Puti glaring at him, Aris stood up from his seat and said.
“Ahaha, since the lesson is over, I’ll be going now.”
“Thank you for today. I’ll see you at the next lesson.”
“Yes, Seoho-nim.”
Seoho looked at the back of Aris leaving the room with Puti’s guidance and let out a laugh. As he felt before, it was truly amazing that everyone he met in this place was a decent person.
Rosetta, Puti, and Aris too.
They were all people who truly cared about Seoho.
Of course, not all connections were good. Because there was Saintess Angel and that canary from earlier.
‘I still don’t know what kind of person the owner of that voice is.’
Seoho glanced at the clock.
‘He said he’s coming today, so I definitely have to talk about it today.’
The current time was 4 PM, so if he waited a maximum of 8 hours, he could meet Rosetta. Whether long or short, after that time passed, he would meet Rosetta again.
‘Come to think of it, since coming here, I’ve never been separated from Rosetta for such a long time.’
No, perhaps he should say it was the first time since his eyes appeared on the wall of his house before coming here. Seoho giggled recalling those eyes that had kept him from sleeping.
At the time, it was a tiring and difficult thing, but now that he thought back on it, it seemed like it could be called a memory of sorts.
‘Though that’s beautifying it.’
Seoho propped his chin and looked at the clock with a faint smile. The ticking sound of the second hand coming from the clock was cheerful today.
