“Indeed, this is truly the best gift ever!”
Rupert was drawing comics in the workshop during the early dawn.
After collapsing from overwork in the past, he had refrained from working nights unless it was absolutely necessary, but since receiving the goddess’s gift, he no longer felt fatigue.
Even if he stayed up all night, he would feel refreshed after just a couple of hours of sleep, thus naturally increasing the time he dedicated to his work.
“Since the imperial family is scheduled to summon soon…”
It was a blessing for Rupert, who needed to pour more time into his comics as he had to be busy in the near future.
“My lord Rupert, I’m relieved it ended well, but it was truly dangerous.”
This was what the imperial courtier Julius said to Rupert after finishing his investigation.
It was more of a piece of advice coming from concern rather than just a simple warning.
If it had only involved the Somerset Family, it would be one thing, but it included not only the prince and royalty from other nations but also heirs from powerful noble families of the empire.
The background of those involved in this incident was undeniably precarious.
Thus, Edric had no choice but to return to the palace with Count Julius.
In fact, Rupert had the trust of both the emperor and the crown prince, which was why no further words were exchanged.
If such figures had gathered in another noble’s mansion, the emperor might have shown his true colors.
For the sake of imperial power, the emperor could easily cast away even children without shedding a tear.
*
“Rach, why aren’t you transforming?”
The once bustling mansion became quiet after all the guests had left.
However, Aida was still filling the quiet mansion with her lively energy.
In the garden of the mansion, Aida was desperately questioning Rach while holding his cheeks regarding his transformation.
“Woof?”
But Rach just looked at her with eyes that seemed to say, “What’s that?” as if it had nothing to do with him.
“My dad and brother said they saw you transform into a human!”
Aida glared at Rach as if he had nowhere to escape, though Rach felt it was unjust.
“Woof! Woof!”
“What? You can’t transform from now on?”
When Aida asked, seemingly understanding Rach’s words, Rach nodded as if to agree.
The Blue Werewolf clan usually grows up in wolf form until they undergo a coming-of-age ceremony.
Then, they consume the Blue Flower, which is guarded by their clan as a protector, to attain their true form.
During this time, someone who can guide the energy of the Blue Flower residing in them is necessary.
However, with none of Rach’s parents or older clan members around to guide his energy, for now, consuming the Blue Flower would only allow him to transform briefly, as in the case of dealing with Sataniel.
Rach was in a situation where he couldn’t awaken as he wished.
“Woof!”
“I have to do it?”
Rach nodded again.
He believed that Aida was the only one who could guide his energy because he had been cherishing her and feeding her the clan’s treasure, the Blue Flower, along with various forest potions.
But Aida, unaware of this, simply climbed onto Rach and whined, asking him to teach her how to transform.
*
“Thank you!”
“Not at all, it’s really nothing…”
Rupert was flustered as he saw Jenia, whose mouth was stretching all the way up to her cheeks, unable to hide her happiness.
“My lord Rupert, may I ask you something?”
Seeing Jenia, who had come to him asking if she could make a request, Rupert became quite tense.
It was understandable, given that the original Jenia displayed near-mad obsession and ruthless cruelty.
Of course, he knew that the current Jenia was different from the original, but still, unease was unavoidable.
But then,
“Please sign this book for me!”
With a sweep.
Jenia’s request was for him to sign her collection of precious books.
“Actually, I was planning to ask you when I came last time, but you looked too fatigued then, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask…”
As Rupert signed one book after another, Jenia seemed truly delighted and gushed.
“I see. Oh? This must have been hard to find…”
“Hehe… I borrowed money from my master for a 10-year contract to get this.”
What caught Rupert’s attention was none other than the [Cinderella] fairy tale book that was originally published in a limited edition of only 100 copies.
It was an extremely rare item that had been difficult to find, and Jenia began to explain how hard she had worked to obtain it.
Listening to her for a while, Rupert finally accepted that Jenia was completely different from the character in the original work.
“You seem to really like Cinderella.”
“Yes… I actually also like A Dog of Flanders, but of course, Cinderella is the best.”
Jenia stroked the book possessively, responding to Rupert’s question.
Though she still smiled, there was a bittersweet feeling in her expression unlike before.
“May I ask why?”
“Yes?”
“Oh, if this is too personal, you don’t have to answer. I’m just curious.”
Jenia looked flustered, as if she hadn’t expected Rupert to inquire about the reason.
But she eventually began to speak in a serious manner, different from before, as if it was okay.
“Actually, I don’t have parents. They both passed away when I was young.”
“Ah… I apologize for asking such a question,”
“No, it’s fine. I lived at my uncle’s house, but honestly, I was beaten and scolded every day back then.”
Though Jenia pretended it was no big deal, Rupert could sense the sadness in her voice.
He understood well the difficulties of not having parents.
“Then one day, a kid from next door came over bragging about a book he had.”
It was an illegal copy that had briefly circulated in the market, not the authentic ones sold by the Yuren Merchant Association.
“Looking back now, I realize it was rough compared to what you drew, my lord Rupert, but at that time, it became an irreplaceable memory for me.”
Jenia shared that she felt Cinderella, the protagonist of the fairy tale, was just like her.
And she said that seeing Cinderella finally meet the prince and have a happy ending molded her into who she is today.
“Do you know what my nickname was in the village?”
“…No, I don’t know.”
Though the thought of a witch came to mind, Rupert wasn’t dense enough to say it out loud.
“I was called ‘the Witch.’ The kid who fed on red-haired parents. My uncle’s family and the village folks all called me Witch Jenia.”
Upon hearing Jenia’s words, Rupert suddenly recalled the time he was making [The Little Mermaid].
Originally, the protagonist of [The Little Mermaid] was characterized by her red hair, and Rupert felt embarrassed for having edited it when he thought people might react negatively if there was a red-haired character in the fairy tale.
So later, when creating [A Dog of Flanders], he intentionally changed the protagonist Nero’s hair color to red, but it was still among the regrets he carried to this day.
“If I hadn’t seen your fairy tale book back then, I might have truly become a witch.”
Jenia said she had endured through hardships by drawing strength from seeing the protagonists of fairy tales go through trials and ultimately achieve happiness.
She reported that, one after the other, miracles akin to fairy tales occurred to her.
From reading Rupert’s first comic book [Kingdom of Ice] and meeting her master Yustaf, to developing new magic by reading [Iron-Blooded Alchemist] and gaining everyone’s recognition.
“Everything I have would not exist without you, my lord Rupert.”
To Jenia, Rupert was the person who changed her life.
“…There was once a portrait of a woman I painted a long time ago.”
Rupert began an unexpected story after pondering for a moment, having absorbed Jenia’s story.
“The portrait painted by the finest painter of that time became famous rapidly. Do you know why?”
“Was it because the model of the portrait was a beauty?”
“Well… it was an ordinary portrait. However, the reason it became famous was that everyone who saw it offered different opinions.”
– Some said she was smiling, others said she was expressionless, and some claimed she looked angry.
Before long, Jenia was captivated by Rupert’s tale.
“That’s really fascinating; they must have all seen the same picture.”
“Yes, they all saw the same picture, but their impressions were all different.”
Rupert smiled as he answered Jenia’s response.
“It’s just like that. I’ve created many books, but everyone’s reactions were different.”
“Really?”
“Some people got angry that the villains didn’t get properly punished in the ending!”
“Seriously?”
Jenia laughed, thinking Rupert was joking. In reality, it was true, and Rupert couldn’t bring himself to say it was the imperial princess who expressed her dissatisfaction.
“Thanks to my work, but because you, Jenia, are a righteous person, you’re happy now.”
“…Really? I still doubt myself sometimes.”
Although Jenia was living a life full of happiness, incomparable to before, being acknowledged by everyone, there were moments when she felt anxiety for no reason at times.
Whenever she felt that this luck that had come to her could be snatched away by someone, she couldn’t help but fall into feelings of gloom and anxiety.
“From the moment you read my book and wanted to become a hero, perhaps you were already a hero, not a witch?”
“…”
“I’ve created works, regretted, and sometimes even run away. You’re much stronger and cooler than I am, Jenia.”
Rupert’s earnest words made Jenia feel her heart pounding once again.
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