Don’t Concern Yourself With That Book

Tellus’ sculpture wanted Amor. It wanted all who it deemed pitiful to grow in a loving world.

That was what the boy’s mother told him. To head to the north where he could love (Amor) freely.

But he had always been a bird trapped in the cage that was his palace. He could never escape.

In spite of the ruthless and cruel things he was forced through, he managed to grow up. However, Amor only became who he was now after losing his childhood self forever. As he lost his faith and trust over time, he became a tough yet sensitive man. It was thanks to his maid and his brother that he learned to know what the world was like.

Though it was as if only Amor knew the truth.

To Amor, Castor was like this absolute being that he could never go up against. It was as if he was forever living within his mind. How could he count on the man who was currently holding his life in his hands and had the power to shake it at will? Although he was not actually dead, he felt as if he already died as his hatred had already shattered to pieces.

“You want to live.”

In his mind which was filled with doubt and questions, there was no space for those small shiny things.

From now on, he was going to obey him as per normal. Because his brother was always right and he was sure he was right this time round too.

Still. However. Nevertheless.

When he opened his eyes again, a cold look took over his green eyes making it look like a forest that had frozen over.

“… It’s not that I want you to live.”

Then he picked up the pen.

***

“The girl lives.”

When he had finally unraveled the stories that the grass was whispering to him, Amor’s face looked neither sad nor happy.

1. 1. A Person’s Circumstances

T/N: hi sorry for the intrusive note but I realised that since thrs 3 people talking here and the story did no explicitly state who’s talking to whom (as with most korean novels) i shall be signposting them. A – Ashley, G – Granius and S – Sorinx

Sometimes, even on days I was unlucky, the sky would still be sunny.

It had been three months since I had escaped the time loop. I adapted surprisingly quickly to my new position and had become a professional helper and errand girl. Though I was not so sure I could call it a job.

In the hands of someone who came to pick me up three months ago, I was brought to the Empire’s 4th Administrative Solatorium. Once I had started working, I realised that my position was quite ambiguous.

“You’re running errands? When you’re a girl?”

In this place, the work of maids and footmen were strictly divided. So, claiming myself to be working as an errand person when I was a girl myself was as contradictory as saying that I was both an aristocrat and a commoner.

It was for that reason that when news of my assignment first spread, Fleon, Dane and Sir Ray belatedly stepped up for me. Though this might be the second time being next to the Crown Prince in such close proximity, I did not know how much stress I would get just by working next to him all day. I had just barely escaped death but I was being dropped into hell again. I could tell how worried I was being just by looking at how skinny I had gotten in the past three days.

But when I first came to work, someone other than Castor was my immediate superior. The fact that I was not assigned to the administration in charge of the Central Palace or even an administration that had any remote ties to the Crown Prince surprised me.

The 4th Administration, the Aventinus Solatorium. I was assigned to be running petty errands for an ‘Aedile’ which was the highest position here. They could not dare to order a princess to be a maid but it was no different from working as one. (1)

‘By the way, this 4th Administration.’

Out of the 7 administrative positions the Empire had, the Aedile was the fourth greatest in power. Another example was Curules (a term referring to someone who was a templar and an aristocrat) which in words of my previous life, would refer to the Ministry of Land, infrastructure and Transport.

Even after I had started working, I would often be sitting still. It could be either because of the fact that they were being considerate of me or the fact that I was only 14. It made me feel as if I was just a decorative doll.

Oh right. After the three months had passed, I had become a year older.

(A) “It’s wonderful to be back in business again.”

I stretched and gazed at the window. Most of the buildings near the Central Palace including the Administrative Offices of the Government would be gold-plate, gold-roofed or conspicuously decorated in some way. In comparison, the Western Palaces only glimmered under the sunlight with their sheer whiteness.

The Aedile’s office where I began to work was not much different. Just like Amor’s room, its floor was made out of white marble but its door and window frames were all sparkling gold.

(G) “Oh, you’re here.”

Everytime I looked at it, I thought I would be blinded by the light but I did not want to bring it up lest I bothered my boss.

(A) “Yes. Good morning, Aedile.”

Anyway, my boss to whom Castor had sent me to was a man at the prime of his career at the age of 38. He was an outstanding templar and I knew from the first day what kind of powers he had. Because the day I began, he wanted to break open the door.

“Are you kidding me, Duke? Isn’t she like eight? How am I supposed to use this little thing?”

He looked exactly like a strong wild beast that someone like Matisse would have depicted and his build was exceedingly sturdier than an average adult male. I understood that I looked young but thinking that I was eight was too much, right? (2)

On the last day of the month of Habermia, as a new year arrived, I became 14.

Staring back calmly, the Duke stepped up to take care for the matter.

The Aedile barely managed to calm down and stop himself from destroying the door.

“It’s an order from His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

The Duke managed to calm him down though he only managed to do so by name dropping Castor. After hearing the circumstances, he accepted me whilst looking displeased.

Of course, he had accepted me without a word more but I could see his muscles twitching beneath his long sleeves. He looked so displeased that I thought it would not be strange for me to be hit by him but fortunately, I was not kicked out.

Although, it was more like he was forced to accept me.

(G) “Young one, the parchment! Goose feather!”

(A) “Yes!”

I bolted to the other side of the room and grabbed the parchment ink from the bookshelf before bringing it to his desk. The Aedile who was watching me do everything with a big snort then grabbed everything he needed in one hand.

(G) “Hey, how do you expect me to do anything when you only get me this much? Don’t you think so, too?”

(A) “Hehe. Why don’t you say that to His Majesty, the Emperor?”

(G) “Look at this child. You can’t make fun of your boss. Are you saying you want me to die young?”

Slap.

The palms that hit me square in his forehead brought much pain to me whilst Granius looked as if he was immune to the pain.

‘Ah. Seems like there’s someone else who can’t control his power.’

I held my forehead and winced.

Although the templars under this God had experienced many pains over the years, they were all firm believers in justice and power. A templar specialising in strength. Of course, he did not have enough power to break a door but he was strong enough to smack me on my forehead painfully. This was especially striking to a young delicate child such as himself.

(A) “Ow…”

I looked at Granius bitterly.

This was worse than even Fleon. My eyes flickered around to look for a cool object. When I found one, I immediately placed it on his forehead. When I raised my gaze, I was faced with a face I had never seen around before.

(S) “Did you develop a new habit while I was not paying attention? Have you begun liking child abuse?”

He was a man with an impressive build and fiery reddish-brown hair.

(G) “That’s not what you should be saying when we’re way past the deadline. Bothersome pest.”

(S) “Ah, I told you not to call me that.”

The man grumbled.

I could not see his eyes from down here. It could have been grey, brown, silver or something more noticeable. Something that was different from the people around him. Perhaps he felt my gaze but the man looked down at me.

(S) “Hello?”

His crack of a smile looked refreshing.

(S) “So, who’s this little kid then? If only Granius had a daughter… Oh, are you his daughter?”

(A) “I’m not! Who’re you calling trash? He hasn’t even gotten married yet.”

(G) “Hm. Must you announce to everyone that I’m just an old bachelor.”

The man, who looked to be much older than his actual age and with freckles scattered across his face like sunspots, was freely teasing and joking around with an Aedile. At his gentle personality which was rare in this world, I thought of a junior I had at work in my previous life. I thought that this man would have done very well in workplaces.

(S) “So, who are you, little girl? I think you might be a client’s child. Did anyone visit today?”

(A) “Are your eyes only for decoration? Look at what I’m wearing.”

The green eyes that had been staring at me then widened in surprise a while ago.

(S) “I mean?! Are you the new errand child? You’re too young. How could they bring me a 10 year old?”

(A) “Oho, I’m 14. Would you mind paying attention?”

(S) “Huh? 14? No, no. That makes sense… Hold on, who’d believe that?”

(G) “Don’t question it. It’s orders from up there.”

Granius raised his hairy arms before scratching his temple as if he was troubled.

(S) “I mean, you can ignore such a command, Sir. An Aedile is also a candidate for the Senate.”

(G) “I wish there was some justification to this command. This order was given by the First Child himself. We should not go against it.”

In this Empire, there was an unwritten rule that templars would become aristocrats. However, over 2000 years, people blessed with divine powers began disappearing or even if they were still present, their powers had only degenerated from the past. Now, people could become aristocrats even without any special powers.

The status of aristocrats could be divided to templars that rose to nobility, the ‘Curules’, and normal people who were granted the title, ‘Plebe’. However, the Curules still remain the majority. The Aedile I was looking at right now was also a Curules.

(S) “Impossible. What do you mean the first… Didn’t you swear to stay away from him, Sir?”

(G) “Do you think that’s up to me? Stop asking questions and do your work.”

The brownish-haired man stared at me with a look of fluster and hesitation, wondering whether or not he could joke or complain about the Crown Prince in front of me. It was as if he was forced to take care of the new employee who was rumoured to be the Chairman’s child. When I took another look, I realised that it was a strange look of pity.

To give an appropriate analogy, he looked as if he was staring at cows that were about to be killed in slaughterhouses?

‘Hm, the horrors of Castor’s being are only becoming more and more obvious the longer I stay here.’

Well, I did not think he would have let me out of his sight.

‘Why isn’t he coming to see me?’

The absence of the Crown Prince around me for the past three months caused me to feel both a sense of relief and anxiety.

I did not know when he was going to appear and ruin my life.

The terrible memories he left me did not fade even after three months. The number of times I had to go through the horrors piled up and filled my heart and mind with rocks. It was the burden of being forced to stay young. All my anxiety, nervousness and helplessness were due to Castor. It was a shackle that Castor had tied me with.

T/N:

edited because i made a mistake (a pretty big one HAHAHAH) and edited further to clear some misunderstandings

(1): Aedile – Either of two (later four) Roman magistrates responsible for public buildings and originally also for the public games and the supply of corn to the city.

(2): Henry Matisse for anyone curious — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Matisse