Chapter 83

“Amelie. You said you wanted to go to the clock tower last time.”

“Huh? Yes!”

“Shall we go?”

Amelie opened her eyes roundly.

“Right now?”

“You don’t like it?”

“No! I want to go.”

“We have to go before the sun goes down, so let’s hurry up and leave.”

“Yes! Then I’ll hurry up and get ready and come back.”

Amelie left the cat to the maid and tried to move to the powder room. Serwin got up habitually to follow.

“I’m changing clothes, do you want to follow me?”

“…No. I’ll wait.”

“Your Majesty, you should get ready to go out too.”

“Yeah.”

“Meow…”

The cat glared bitterly at Serwin. Serwin smiled at victory and called the servant to prepare for going out.

‘Hmph, you’re pathetic. Without noticing at all that I’m a witch— you’re just jealous. You’re such a fool.’

The cat, Lira, laughed at the sight. How perfect her own acting was, to make no one doubt her.

‘No I mean, don’t you still have to be suspicious as a witch? Well, but it’s good for me.’

The more relaxed the opponent was, the more likely the attack was to succeed.

‘It’s hunting day in a few days. Then Amelie will be alone—’

Moreover, on the day of the Hunting Day, the emperor’s knights also had important duties, so many of them were absent. In other words, Amelie’s escort was loosened.

‘I’m looking forward to it. Hunting Day. Until then, I’ll stay as a cute cat as much as I can.’

******

The top of the clock tower is the tallest building in the capital of the empire, so the panoramic view of the capital is clearly visible. It was also considered an essential tourist destination that should be visited first if it is someone’s first time in the capital.

Amelie had asked Serwin to go to the clock tower because it was famous and the scenery was good, but she regretted saying that later. It was because she realized later that she had to walk up the tall building herself.

‘Why did I ask him to come here?’

She regretted it belatedly, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

When she arrived at the clock tower, Amelie was excited to go out to play and was eager to go up the stairs, but as she climbed the narrow and steep stairs she couldn’t even see the end of her legs started to hurt. She was out of breath, and her thighs felt like they were being pulled tight. But it was already too much to go back.

‘Ugh— I’ll do more exercise than usual.’

It’s a relief that there are no people. If there were other tourists, it would have been a great inconvenience.

Amelie climbed the stairs with her hands on the wall. Serwin looked pitifully at Amelie suffering like that.

“Let me help you.”

Amelie shook her head.

“It’s okay. How can I not be able to climb this one too?”

“Why are you so stubborn? Or do you want me to hold you?”

Serwin teased Amelie.

“That’s it!”

“Huh?”

When Amelie said that’s it, Serwin was rather embarrassed. He thought she would refuse to hug him because she was embarrassed. So Serwin was thinking of carrying Amelie on his back instead of holding her.

‘Is it fine?’

Of course, it was not difficult to climb the tower with Amelie’s weight. However, thinking about Amelie, who was quietly entrusting her body to him during that time, his face was somehow bright.

“I will turn into a hamster, so please take me with you.”

Serwin suddenly lost his strength.

“Hamster… That’s…a very good idea.”

“I want to climb while watching, so please put me on Your Majesty’s shoulder.”

Amelie admired her genius idea.

“Yeah.”

Becoming a hamster with the sound of Poof, she reached out under Serwin’s feet.

‘Hurry up!’

She jumped and jumped as if to urge him. Serwin picked her up and placed it on his right shoulder. Amelie sat comfortably.

‘Let’s go!’

She tapped Serwin’s shoulder and stretched her arms forward.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Serwin climbed the stairs. His right shoulder was very light. It was much more comfortable than hugging a person, but somehow it was disappointing.

‘It goes up! It’s like a monorail— or a cable car.’

Serwin climbed a few stairs at once with his long legs. It was a different speed than when Amelie walked up the stairs on her own. She was sitting on his shoulder without a single safety device, but it was comfortable because there was almost no shaking.

‘Even if I fall, Serwin will catch me.’

Amelie took it easy and looked around. The stairs are endless in a narrow spiral, and there are long and narrow windows in the middle, so it was fun to see the scenery changing little by little.

As she stayed on Serwin’s shoulder they reached the top quickly. Amelie turned into a human after jumping off his shoulder.

The top floor of the clock tower was open on all sides, with only five pillars, it was possible to see the capital regardless of which direction they were looking.

“Wow, the capital was this big.”

“Didn’t you see it often while flying in the sky?”

“The height is much higher when flying, so it’s hard to see.”

“If it’s that height—”

Serwin became pale when he recalled riding a broom with Amelie before. It was an experience he didn’t want to do again.

“There are so many people on the street. That’s the square, right? It was really fun before.”

Amelie wandered around and enjoyed the scenery. She couldn’t stop admiring what was so amazing. Serwin watched Amelie with his arms folded.

After looking in all five directions and designating landmarks in each direction, Amelie found Serwin standing blankly.

“Ah, Your Majesty must have seen it often, so it won’t be fun.”

Amelie smiled awkwardly. I guess I’m the only one excited.

“No, I think this the third time for me too? The last time it was almost ten years ago.”

“Really?”

“There is no need to come. If I’m curious about the geography of the capital, I can look at the map.”

“I see. When was the first time you came here then?”

“Maybe it was when I was crowned.”

“Huh, that was more than 20 years ago. When Your Majesty was six years old? It must have been meaningful for you to come here to commemorate the coronation.”

Serwin made a subtle expression.

“It was the worst. I came out excited because it was my first outing, but they told me to go up here. I went through a lot and came up, but all I heard was nagging.”

As if searching for a memory, Serwin’s eyes lit up with a faint light.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that you’re going to become a tyrant and that you shouldn’t become a tyrant like your father. In this endless territory, the lives of countless imperial people depend on me, so I always live with that responsibility in my heart.”

“Who says that to a kid?”

“The regent king. Well, he has a worse reputation than my father, so in a sense he’s following the will of the regent king.”

Serwin spoke lightly, but Amelie was a little angry.

“They should have something to say and something not to say. Why does that person say that to a child? When you hear such a story, you want to become a tyrant.”

The more she learned about the regent king, the more she hated him. Wasn’t he the one who caused a witch-hunt behind the scenes while faking a good image in front of the people?

“He locked up Your Majesty, didn’t he? Why does he bring you to places like this, put pressure on you, and lock you up?”

“…That’s right.”

Amelie pouted her lips. The amazing and beautiful view of the capital now felt heavy.

“This view must be a burden to Your Majesty.”

“If I thought it was a burden, I would have already died.”

The lives of countless imperial people depended on him. The burden was too heavy, but he became an adult in no time after struggling to hold out.

“Sometimes, a sense of duty supports life.”

Serwin laughed bitterly. Amelie sometimes came to imagine his twenty years struggling when she saw loneliness in him. She felt even more sorry for him because she had also lived a life of loneliness without a place to rely on.

“How about now?”

“Now? Now that I have you. Everything isn’t the same as before.”

Amelie gently stroked his hair.

‘I like this touch.’

Serwin bowed his head slightly and rested his head into her hand. It was a little joy for him. As the walls of his mind loosened, he was overcome by the urge to vomit everything. If it were her, wouldn’t she tell him everything’s okay? He hopes so.

“Amelie, I—”

He opened his mouth impulsively.

“Yes.”

Amelie waited for Serwin to speak. But he eventually swallowed what he wanted to say.

‘I’m not the pitiful person you think I am’

Instead of telling the truth, he kissed Amelie’s hands. Soft lips pressed into her palm, exhaling a breath like a sigh. Amelie felt that somehow he was pouring out words he couldn’t say into kisses instead. The words he was trying to replace were so heavy and difficult that he could barely breathe. It was strange and pitiful to see a powerful Emperor hanging like that from only one hand.

‘Serwin seems very different from what he looks like. He has a lot of thoughts and is much more delicate.’

Amelie decided not to ask what he hid. Instead, she smiled and called him.

“Your Majesty.”

“Hmm.”

“I want to go down now. Let’s go eat!”

Serwin nodded. He was grateful that she noticed how he felt and returned her words on her own. On the other hand, he hated himself for choosing to avoid telling her.

*****

Time passed quickly and it was hunting day. Amelie and Renia agreed to have lunch together. During her free time, Amelie watched Serwin as he prepared.

He wore a black shirt and pants, a style that was tighter than usual, streamlined for activity. Like a prosecutor, his strong body was exposed. The line from his broad shoulders to his waist was smooth and beautiful.

‘Wow, you have a good body.’

Amelie was amazed inside. He drew attention even though he was bending down to wear boots. Serwin stopped putting on his shoes and looked at Amelie.

‘Ah, did I stare at it too much?’

Amelie made a lame excuse out of embarrassment.

“I think you’re dressed similar to when you came to Dellahaim. Haha.”

She can’t say she was appreciating others’ bodies.

Fortunately, Serwin had a different mind and was preoccupied with it, so he didn’t notice Amelie’s gaze. He quietly came and sat down next to Amelie.

“Why?”

“Just because.”

“It looks like you like hunting.”

“Who said that?”

Serwin frowned hard.

“Everyone said Your Majesty’s hobby is hunting.”

“That’s true, but—”

Serwin blurred his words.

‘Hmm, as expected it’s weird.’

Amelie was unsure of his condition. He’s been acting strange lately.