Rupert surprisingly enjoyed creating storybooks.

It wasn’t that he didn’t put effort into his manga, but the sheer volume and time constraints made it difficult to show intricate illustrations. On the other hand, the illustrations for a storybook required detailed and careful drawing, which gave him a greater sense of fulfillment as an artist.

Moreover, he appreciated the straightforward, uncomplicated stories and linear narratives that storybooks tended to have.

The latest story he had illustrated, Hansel and Gretel, was a simple yet intriguing story that even young children could understand without difficulty.

And as always, Rupert's first reader was already decided.

"Here, Ada, this is your gift."

Though Rupert no longer made personalized storybooks, he still created one now and then, and each one was a special book made just for Ada. It was her most treasured possession.

Of course, not too long ago, the position of her most prized possession was almost overtaken by a branch she received through bartering, but her favorite thing remained the storybook made by her brother, Rupert.

"Ada wants to read the storybook!"

The moment she received the storybook from her brother, Ada didn’t even go to her room but instead lay down in Rush's arms, her face brimming with excitement as she started reading.

Rupert watched her, feeling slightly nervous.

As his most consistent first reader, Ada was unexpectedly sharp in her critiques, and she had rejected his work a few times before, so he couldn’t help but focus on her reaction.

'The whale! The whale needs to be bigger! This big!'

He still remembered when Ada had complained that the whale in his Pinocchio illustration was too small, prompting him to enlarge it significantly.

As he waited anxiously to see how she would react to Hansel and Gretel, the last page finally turned.

“…Brother.”

"Yes?"

"Is the witch and the gingerbread house real?"

Rupert was taken aback by the sudden question about the witch and the gingerbread house, instead of any critique of the story itself.

‘How am I supposed to answer that?’

He didn’t want to shatter Ada’s childlike wonder, so he answered with some hesitation.

"Of course, they’re all real!"

Though his conscience pricked him, Rupert said it with conviction, causing Ada's face to brighten instantly.

Then, in a flash, Ada's expression turned serious again.

Rupert felt something was off, but before he could fully grasp the situation, Ada and Rush had already disappeared like the wind.

"Did she like it?"

Rupert wondered if the lack of complaints meant she was satisfied, but he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling of not receiving a clear verdict.

 

"Ada has figured it out, Rush!"

"Woof?"

Clutching the new storybook Hansel and Gretel in one hand and clenching her fist with determination in the other, Ada declared her discovery.

Although it was questionable whether speaking to Rush counted as a proper conversation, Ada’s tightly pressed lips showed how resolute she was.

“Owen was the witch all along!”

After reading the storybook her brother had made, Ada couldn’t stop trembling.

Her sharp intellect had led her to realize that there was a wicked witch hiding right inside the mansion.

It dawned on Ada that Owen, the villain who had recently teased and tormented her, had used the same trick as the witch in Hansel and Gretel.

“How dare… how dare he tempt me with sweets!”

In recent days, no child in the village had been able to catch Ada, and within the mansion, as long as Rush was with her, no one could stop her. The memory of that defeat still stung deeply.

The fact that Owen had tricked her with her favorite candy and cookies and trapped her was, in Ada’s mind, an unforgivable, underhanded act.

“Woof!”

Rush, who had been swayed by the white veal that Owen had given him, now wholeheartedly shared in Ada’s righteous indignation as if nothing had happened.

"Ada must protect the house!"

Ada made her decision.

Owen was a wicked witch, though technically, since Owen was a man, calling him a witch wasn’t quite accurate.

However, since Ada had learned the concept of witches from Rupert’s storybook, she equated 'bad person' with 'witch' in her mind, and thus, Owen was now a witch.

Ada resolved to defeat the wicked witch Owen and reclaim her peaceful life.

"Let's go to Alain, Rush!"

Having made up her mind, Ada climbed onto Rush’s back and headed toward Alain, the butler.

Why Alain? The reason was simple.

Of all the people Ada knew, Alain was the strongest.

 

"Father, I plan to visit Goldpool Valley soon."

"Your destination is Somerset, I assume."

In a beautifully maintained garden, with flowers and grass trimmed to the perfect length, and trees surrounding the area like a natural fence, two men were enjoying tea together.

It would have been an ordinary tea time, if not for the fact that these two men were the most important and the second most important people in the Empire.

"Yes… As his godfather, I should visit."

"I never imagined you would take such a liking to the child."

The peaceful conversation about their day-to-day lives might have seemed normal for any family, but anyone familiar with their relationship just a few months ago would find it hard to believe.

Emperor Leonious Bel and Crown Prince Alex Bel, sharing tea and talking peacefully, was as unfamiliar to them as it would be to an outsider.

But…

"Let’s enjoy a cup of tea when the weather’s nice."

That simple statement from a father who usually only commanded his son to study, behave, or reflect, had changed their relationship.

The father had made an effort to understand his son, and the son had come to realize that his father, in his position of power, carried burdens alone.

It was a significant step forward from their earlier tea times, when they had remained silent until the tea was finished.

"Well… He’s simply a very charming child."

-Just seeing him makes me feel at ease.

The scruffy little boy had grown on him to the point where Alex now missed him when he wasn’t around. If it were up to him, he’d have brought him to the royal palace.

"You should give your siblings the same attention."

The emperor couldn’t help but laugh, seeing how enthusiastic his son was about meeting the child.

'He never used to let anyone into his world.'

The emperor’s gaze shifted to his son’s right arm.

By now, the sight of the new golem arm was familiar, but it still drew attention each time.

Without it, the emperor might have lost his mind.

A certain young man came to mind as the emperor pondered this.

“You’ll likely meet Professor Rupert Somerset when you visit the Somerset estate.”

“Yes, unless something unexpected happens.”

The emperor was still unsettled by Rupert’s refusal to take up a position close to the crown prince and his decision to go to the academy instead.

‘I’d still prefer if he were assisting the crown prince.’

The position of royal chamberlain had been perfect, but Rupert had declined, so the emperor had to consider other options.

And then, his daughter Iolin came to mind.

‘It’s time for her to marry.’

One of the emperor’s ongoing concerns was the marriages of his children.

His eldest, Alex, had been engaged, but due to certain circumstances, the engagement had been broken, and a new match needed to be found.

His second, William, was being pushed into a political marriage.

And now, his only daughter, Iolin, was also nearing the age of marriage, so the emperor began mentally reviewing the potential candidates for her husband.

Too old? Out.

Too powerful? Out.

Surprisingly, there weren’t many suitable families for Iolin’s marriage.

One of the better options was a marriage alliance with a foreign royal family, but the emperor wasn’t thrilled by that idea.

Iolin was his only daughter, and though he didn’t show it openly, he cherished her deeply.

With her beauty, kind nature, and incredible talents, she was a treasure, and the emperor didn’t want to send her somewhere beyond his reach.

‘Rupert… He might just be acceptable.’

Though the fact that Rupert had surpassed even his own father was slightly concerning, the emperor thought that such ambition was not necessarily a bad trait in a man.

As the heir to the Somerset estate, Rupert wasn’t quite of royal status, but that might actually be an advantage.

Any family more powerful might try to exploit Iolin for their own purposes.

Rupert’s abilities were impressive, and the emperor respected that.

During the last selection of royal advisors, Rupert had remained calm and unshaken by the emperor’s sharp questioning, which showed he had guts.

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to start preparing too.”

“For what…?”

“There are things to be done.”

Though the crown prince looked puzzled at his father’s cryptic words, the emperor simply smiled as he walked away from the garden.

"My judgment was right!"

 

"My judgment was correct after all!"

Vera, the head of the Vera Trading Company, once the top firm in the Empire but now demoted to one of the Seven Great Trading Companies, roared with satisfaction.

The decline of Vera Trading was largely blamed on Vera’s own ambitions. Rather than being content with maintaining what the company already had, Vera had pushed too hard in an attempt to surpass the achievements of the previous generation, leading to the downturn.

But had those risky endeavors finally begun to pay off?

The Vera Trading Company had been one of the first to follow Yuren Trading into the distribution of storybooks and manga, and they were slowly seeing results.

Of course, the journey had not been without its difficulties.

At first, they had tried to copy existing works, only to nearly face the wrath of the Imperial Court. Then, when they finally released original titles, their publications were dismissed and ridiculed, always compared unfavorably to Rupert’s works.

But Vera had refused to give up. By consistently improving their offerings and sticking with the business, they had managed to climb to a respectable position, seen as an alternative option for consumers.

However, Vera remained on edge, knowing that their success was only possible during the absence of Rupert’s new works. The moment Rupert released a new piece, the situation could change drastically.

"That damn Rupert! Rupert!! No matter how talented he is, he’s just one man! Meanwhile, we’ve already recruited three artists and storytellers, and we’re producing multiple works."

Vera found some comfort in that thought. No matter how brilliant Rupert was, he could only work on one project at a time, which left a gap for them to fill.

But then—

"Master Vera, we have a problem!!!"

"Again?"

There was something strangely familiar about the situation, giving Vera a sense of déjà vu.

It was as if this had happened before...

"Yuren Trading has just announced a new release!"

"So what? We were expecting that! No need to make a fuss over it!"

"Well... the thing is..."

Rupert hadn’t released anything new since The Alchemist of Steel, so it was about time for him to put something out. Vera had expected this, so what was the big deal?

But when the employee continued, Vera had no choice but to shout again.

"Author Rupert Somerset, along with the winners of the recent contest, the Empire's top artist, Saint, and a 13-year-old prodigy have all contributed new manga! See all these works in a single volume!"

"The manga magazine Manafia is coming to you soon!"

"And the new storybook Hansel and Gretel will also be released."