Episode 52
Even Simon, who was always cautious, and Felix were startled by her outburst.
Olivia, who had seemed defeated just moments ago, suddenly clung to the doorknob, her eyes glazed over, and muttered,
“This isn’t Chelon’s room anymore. It’s my room now…”
“…Tsk, she’s possessed by Chelon’s ghost or something.”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Right, of course you are. You have to be.”
Olivia clenched her fists, angered by Felix’s sarcasm.
Tristan, who had been silently observing their heated exchange, stepped forward and soothed Felix.
“Your Highness, please be patient. Princess Olivia is at a sensitive age.”
“…!”
Olivia flinched, averting her gaze as she met Tristan’s eyes.
Felix, ignoring Olivia completely, focused solely on Tristan.
“Tristan, you’re too kind… Tsk, fine. It’s pointless arguing with her. Simon, keep an eye on your sister.”
“Yes, Brother…”
Felix sighed, glancing at the two troublesome siblings, then turned and left.
Olivia watched him leave, her gaze lingering on his retreating figure, when her eyes met Tristan’s.
“…!”
She quickly ducked behind the door.
Tristan, a chilling smile playing on his lips, followed Felix.
Olivia and Simon were now alone in the hallway.
Simon, his eyebrows drooping, looked up at Olivia with his watery green eyes.
“Sister…”
“Get lost.”
“Sis—”
Slam!
With Felix gone, Olivia had no reason to be nice to Simon.
She slammed the door shut, and Simon, after standing there for a moment, sighed and left.
***
Artius, returning to his bedroom after a long day, was surprised to see Elonia waiting for him.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Elonia? You’re still awake?”
She was sitting on the sofa opposite the wall where the family portrait hung.
Artius approached her, a mixture of surprise and delight on his face.
Elonia, hugging a cushion, swung her feet back and forth.
“I want to hear more about the academy.”
Even though her visit hadn’t ended well, hearing about her companions’ experiences had piqued her interest in Artius’s time at the academy.
She had just come from pestering Sarah with questions.
Artius chuckled, removing his warm fur cloak and wrapping it around her.
“We can talk about it tomorrow. You need your sleep. You won’t grow taller if you stay up late.”
“What’s one night going to do? Besides, I’ll grow tall anyway, just like Mother and you. Sarah said Mother was tall.”
Philemon had indeed been tall, despite her frail constitution.
Artius chuckled, amused by her confidence.
He sat down beside her and asked,
“What do you want to hear about?”
“Just everything.”
“That’s a bit vague…”
He trailed off, unable to resist her eager gaze.
He did have one story in mind.
“Alright, I’ll tell you a short story.”
“Yay!”
Elonia nodded excitedly.
Artius smiled, launching into his tale.
“I spent most of my time at the academy with Aaron. We were in the same department and major. He was also the first friend my father assigned to me.”
“Oh, so Aaron was an early enrollee too?”
She had heard they had known each other before attending the academy, and Aaron had mentioned that Artius had enrolled early.
But she hadn’t heard anything about Aaron enrolling early.
Artius shook his head.
“No, he passed the interview but failed the exam.”
“He must have been disappointed.”
“He was. It was the first time I saw him cry.”
“He still cries a lot.”
“…That’s true.”
But those tears were usually reserved for Elonia.
When he was alone with Artius, he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, even scolding the Emperor.
He had been the same even when Artius was at his worst.
“I ended up attending the academy with Aaron a year later, after I finished the common curriculum and entered the fourth year. He boasted that he would catch up by skipping a grade and join me.”
“And what happened?”
“He did skip a grade. But it was too late. I graduated first, of course… and ascended the throne.”
Come to think of it, Artius had lost his parents at a young age.
He had been the Emperor in name since his father’s death, but he officially ascended the throne and wore the crown after graduating at seventeen.
‘But this story is all about Aaron.’
Lucid Academy was a mandatory educational institution for Ravanta’s elite.
Chelon must have attended as well, being a member of a prominent noble family. But she wasn’t mentioned in Artius’s story.
Elonia asked directly,
“What about Mother? Didn’t anything happen between you two at the academy? You weren’t that far apart in age, and your time there overlapped a bit.”
Philemon had been four years older than Artius, and according to Sarah, their time at the academy had overlapped slightly.
Elonia was actually curious about how they had met and fallen in love.
She had no interest in romance, but this was different.
‘They were such a romantic couple, their love story was even famous in other nations.’
Elonia, still sprawled on the sofa, looked up at Artius.
Artius blinked, his eyes widening innocently.
He had sharp eyes, but when he smiled or widened his eyes, his expression softened considerably.
Like father, like daughter, they said. He resembled Philemon in those moments, reminding Elonia of the portraits she had seen.
Artius smiled, his gaze lingering on Philemon’s portrait, and spoke,
“The Theology Department and the Academic Department were relatively close, but your mother was often ill, so she missed more classes than she attended. We didn’t have much interaction back then.”
Philia was the nickname Artius used for Philemon.
This was the first time he had used it in front of Elonia.
Elonia, following his gaze, asked,
“Don’t you have to meet a certain attendance requirement to graduate?”
“…Yes, but Philemon fell seriously ill before that became an issue and could no longer attend the academy. She was unconscious for years after that.”
“Oh…”
She shouldn’t have asked.
Lady Asta had mentioned it too.
‘Empress Philemon had been seriously ill and barely survived.’
She knew, but she had been careless. Elonia chastised herself.
Artius, sensing her regret, gently stroked her hair.
Elonia, cautiously gauging his mood, asked another question.
She still felt a twinge of guilt, but curiosity was a mage’s primal instinct.
“I heard it’s rare for nobles to choose the Theology Department. Did Mother choose it because she was sick?”
“…Yes. It was less physically demanding than other departments, and the professors were all skilled priests, so it was a safer environment for her.”
That made sense.
Elonia nodded.
Artius continued, reassuring her,
“But she eventually recovered after a long battle with her illness, and her health improved considerably. She was still frail, but much better than before. She even took a special exam to receive her diploma and entered society.”
“Is that when you met her?”
“Yes. We met at my birthday celebration. She was quite striking that day.”
What had she looked like?
Elonia turned to Artius, her curiosity piqued.
From that point on, it was all about his wife.
“Society is a jungle. Some malicious nobles targeted Philemon, taking advantage of her gentle appearance and frail health… She might have graduated after taking a special exam, but they still used it against her, claiming she wasn’t a proper graduate.”
In other words, she had been an easy target.
“But she didn’t back down.”
Philemon might have been physically weak, but she was more righteous and courageous than any noble.
And she was incredibly kind to the weak, Artius added, gazing at her portrait.
“She always had a bright smile. But perhaps because of her long illness, she would sometimes stare at the sky with a vacant look in her eyes. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. So I gathered my courage and approached her.”
Artius had approached Philemon to apologize for the rudeness of his own people, the nobles.
She had smiled gently, her bright green eyes sparkling.
She had told him that he, the Emperor, shouldn’t lower his head for a mere commoner, but she appreciated his concern.
“That’s when we became aware of each other. Approaching your mother that day is one of the few things I truly believe I did right in my life.”
“Who confessed first?”
Elonia’s blunt question rendered Artius speechless.
His face flushed crimson.
That was all the answer she needed.
“You did.”
“…”
Artius covered his face with his hands, nodding sheepishly.
He almost looked like a boy again, lost in the memory of his youth.
“Anyway, Philia accepted my proposal… I had to wait a few years since I wasn’t of age yet, but she was willing to wait. Lady Asta wasn’t very happy about it, though.”
Artius continued his story, his voice low and soothing, filled with warmth and affection.
Elonia, exhausted from her academy visit and already past her bedtime, struggled to keep her eyes open.
The story was interesting, but sleep was slowly creeping up on her.
She mumbled, her voice drowsy, something she would never say to Artius if she were fully awake,
“I wish I could have met Mother.”
“…Indeed.”
Artius chuckled wryly after a brief silence, patting her back gently.
“But I’m sure Philia is watching over you, even now. She was stubborn, so she must be frustrated that she couldn’t even see her daughter’s face… She was looking forward to meeting you more than anyone else.”
“Do you think so?”
“Of course. She must be watching over you, even if it’s just to spite me.”
“That’s true.”
Elonia giggled softly, then finally succumbed to sleep.
Artius smiled tenderly at her sleeping form, then carefully lifted her into his arms and laid her down on the bed.
He gently kissed her forehead.
“Sweet dreams, my daughter, Elonia.”
Elonia’s lips curved into a small smile as if in response.
***
The next morning, Sarah headed to the Main Palace to wake Elonia up.
She bumped into Aaron on her way to the Emperor’s bedroom.
“Oh, Sir Aaron, good morning.”
“Lady Fortrun, good morning.”
“You’re here to wake His Majesty, I presume?”
“Yes. And you are…?”
“The same.”
Sarah chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand.
Aaron immediately understood the situation.
“It seems Her Highness slept in His Majesty’s room.”
“Yes. She pestered me with stories about the academy last night, and it seems she wasn’t satisfied, so she went to His Majesty.”
Typical Elonia.
Aaron and Sarah chuckled.
They walked down the hallway together, heading towards the same destination.
“Is His Majesty a late sleeper?” Sarah asked.
“Yes. Fortunately, he doesn’t have any meetings this morning, but he still has work to do.”
“Oh dear. I hope Her Highness won’t be overworked when she becomes Empress.”
“I doubt I’ll have to push her that hard. She’s already quite diligent.”
They reached the Emperor’s bedroom, still chatting.
Aaron and Sarah knocked on the door.
“Your Majesty, it’s time to wake up.”
“Your Highness, it’s morning.”
But there was no response from inside.
Aaron, as usual, opened the door, and Sarah followed him cautiously.
As expected, Artius was still asleep in bed.
“Your Majes—”
“Sir Aaron, shh.”
Just as Aaron was about to wake Artius up in his usual gruff tone, Sarah covered his mouth and placed a finger on her lips.
Aaron looked at her in confusion, and Sarah pointed to the center of the bed with a warm smile.
Aaron followed her gaze and saw…
“Your Highness?”
Something was wriggling in Artius’s arms.
It was Elonia.
She was kicking Artius with her tiny feet, but her hands were clutching his shirt tightly, her breathing soft and even.
The sleeping father and daughter looked incredibly peaceful.
“…It’ll be difficult to wake them up now.”
“Right?”
Sarah chuckled softly.
Even Aaron didn’t want to disturb this heartwarming scene.
“It seems Her Highness had a lot of questions.”
“…Well, we can let them sleep in today.”
“Agreed.”
Aaron scratched the back of his head, conceding.
They quietly closed the door and left the bedroom.