Chapter 14: The Little Prince (1)
What I had asked President Dorling for my new project was pretty straightforward.
“I want to hire an illustrator.”
An illustrator.
I needed a picture artist to breathe some life into the fairy tale.
“Yes! I’ll bring in the empire’s best artist!”
“Oh, I already have someone in mind.”
“Excuse me?”
“Could you bring me the list of participants from the last competition?”
The ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ fan art contest.
The format of the contest was completely open. Epic poems, novels, scripts—any kind of creative work was allowed.
And there were illustrations too.
The artist I wanted to hire was among those who participated in that contest.
“Are you planning to ask one of the winners?”
“Not one of the winners. Actually, it’s someone who got eliminated right off the bat…”
“Excuse me?”
‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ has this rough, dark vibe.
The winning works had to fit that ambiance, of course.
I flipped through the list until I found the name I had pointed out before and showed it to the president.
“Please hire this person.”
“This artist… Ah! This person would definitely be great for fairy tale illustrations. I’ll contact them as soon as possible!”
It was a participant who submitted a simplified, cute version of Hyde.
With this person, I could perfectly recreate my fairy tales from my past life.
“But, Sir, how should I explain the new fairy tale you’re writing to the illustrator?”
“Tell them it’s a fairy tale about a little prince from the night sky.”
“Got it!”
The Little Prince.
That was the title of the work I was about to “borrow” this time.
…
[“I am responsible for my rose…” The Little Prince kept repeating.]
The Little Prince is classified as children’s literature.
It’s also the book that’s been translated into the most languages worldwide, even having versions in Jeju dialect and Gyeongsang dialect.
It was simply The Little Prince that had been loved by so many.
“It’s a fairy tale written by you, Sir… I can’t wait to see it.”
Sion took the manuscript with a nearly reverent posture and began to read The Little Prince.
The only sound in the quiet room was the soft rustling of pages turning.
It didn’t take long for Sion to finish reading the fairy tale. He dabbed at his moist eyes with the back of his hand, flinching like the manuscript might get wet, and then awkwardly handed it back to me.
Sion, despite wiping his tears, couldn’t hide that dazed expression.
With a voice slightly choked, he finally spoke.
“…I feel like I’ve forgotten too much over the years. This is the first time my chest has felt so tight… I’m not even sure how to express it…”
Sion’s gaze flickered around.
The manuscript in my hand, the sunlight filtering through the window—none of these seemed to hold his focus.
But he was definitely looking at something—perhaps something deep within himself.
“There are times when I ponder my own existence. What do I want to do? Of course, serving as your retainer is enjoyable, but… sometimes, it feels empty. So, um, yes. Honestly, I haven’t been very satisfied with myself.”
While I may not know much about magic or mysteries in this world, I do know one thing about the kind of mysteries that existed since my past life.
“…But this fairy tale kind of reprimanded me.”
Books really do change people.
“My heart’s tight… but it feels like my mind has suddenly awakened. Like finding a single rose among the stars…”
The Little Prince had dug deep into Sion’s heart, nudging his feelings.
“Lord Ed.”
“Yeah, Sion.”
“I’ve found something I want to do.”
“Go ahead, spill it.”
“I want to swear my loyalty to you.”
“Huh?”
Sion knelt on one knee, bowing his head.
He looked like a knight pledging loyalty to his lord.
“All of your novels… the books you’ve shown me… the stories you will create… My soul has been trained by your literature.”
“Uh… okay?”
“Even though I’m kind of dim-witted and don’t fully grasp your vision of literary ‘advancement’… I want to follow your path. If there are obstacles, I’ll clear them. If storms arise, I’ll shield you. If you need a stepping stone, I’ll be the ground you walk on. I want to see your dreams come true.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, I want to swear my loyalty to you.”
I was a little taken aback.
It was just too sudden.
“Will you accept my loyalty?”
“…Alright. Sion.”
I nodded to give him the go-ahead.
And Sion made his loyalty vow.
“From the Orhen Baronetcy, third son Sion, under the holy name of the Celestial, I swear to serve Lord Ed with my body and soul.”
“…From the Fríden Viscountcy, second son Ed, I vow to uphold the honor and faith entrusted to me as long as Sion serves loyally, under the Celestial’s name.”
In this world where gods exist, an oath made under the Celestial’s name is absolute.
It’s not something to be taken lightly… but I think it’s going to be okay.
If Sion’s wish is the ‘advancement of literature,’ which aligns with my dream, then it has to come true.
No.
It’s already in the works.
…
Dorling Kindersley Publishing House.
I went to the president with a manuscript outlining simple ideas for illustrations.
As she read the manuscript I gave her, Dorling nodded in admiration multiple times and even read some lines from The Little Prince aloud.
If Sion reflected on himself while reading The Little Prince, President Dorling was just happily enjoying it as literature.
“Oh wow! This work is great too! But who is this Léon Werth mentioned in the dedication?”
“It’s a secret.”
The Little Prince was dedicated by its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, to his friend Léon Werth.
When transferring the manuscript, I kept the original dedication.
This wasn’t just about respecting the original author. The dedication to Léon Werth in The Little Prince was a part of the fairy tale itself.
[All grown-ups were once children… (though few remember it.)]
[So I’m revising my dedication like this.]
[To Léon Werth when he was a little boy.]
With this dedication, The Little Prince is complete as a ‘fairy tale for adults.’
Of course, I couldn’t explain all that, so I just brushed it off as a secret.
President Dorling seemed to buy it.
“This book is just delightful! It gives the feeling of a thrilling first love, doesn’t it? But… won’t it be tough for kids to grasp? There’s quite a bit of satire…”
The Little Prince indeed mixes satire about a complex and nonsensical society.
It is a challenging book, after all.
“President, who is the intended audience of a fairy tale?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s probably children?”
“Nope.”
“What?”
“Fairy tales are sold to adults who have kids.”
“…Oh.”
Fairy tales are books that adults read to children.
And The Little Prince feels very different depending on whether you’re a child or an adult.
“Children are far wiser than we think.”
“True, sometimes it feels like kids have a better understanding than adults.”
Adults can’t see the world with the same purity that children do.
When children listen to The Little Prince, they connect with his voice, while adults reading his words often feel a pang of shame.
There aren’t many adults who can stand confidently in front of a child’s perspective.
Those adults are either ridiculously shameless or…
“I think I was smarter when I was a kid too! Nowadays, my brain feels a bit rusty. Hehe.”
Just like Dorling, who kept the old publishing house running all by herself, only those outrageously honest with themselves remain in this world.
“You’re still wise enough as it is.”
“Hehe, thanks! Because of you, writer, I feel completely revitalized! Looks like I’ll be pulling an all-nighter tonight!”
“Just take care of your health while you work…”
…
The Little Prince didn’t take even a month to become the most beloved book in the empire.
The hype of Homer as the author was enough to get everyone to at least take a peek at the book.
Anyone who read The Little Prince fell head over heels for this wise and charming work.
“The Little Prince is like an oasis that soothes the weary heart…”
“Maybe the desert is beautiful because that’s where the Little Prince resides?”
People who were burnt out found solace in reading The Little Prince.
Those who were running blind toward success got to reflect on themselves after reading it, just like how the fox tamed the Little Prince.
And just as the Little Prince tamed the fox, he enchanted people’s souls, getting them to think about what ‘truly matters.’
“I wonder what kind of person this author Homer is…”
“If someone can write such a story, they’ve got to be cultured and kind.”
Don Quixote made Homer a great writer, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde made him a fascinating one.
However, The Little Prince accomplished what those two works could not.
The Little Prince made Homer a ‘beloved’ author. Anyone who read the story found it impossible not to respect the one who wrote it.
“Son, how about a trip to the park with Dad today?”
“Sure! But don’t you have to go to work…?”
“Such things aren’t important. What really matters can’t be seen…”
The Little Prince gifted its readers with peace.
But not everyone found only peace in this fairy tale.
“The talking fox… Hoo… I want to be tamed too…”
“Homer is clearly a ‘gentleman.’”
“We need to find the illustrator for The Little Prince! I’ve got to commission some art!”
Amidst the suspiciously rich folks, some peculiar tastes began to spread.
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