chapter 8
“He’s clever—he even knows how to hide his name.”
I quietly looked down at the child.
His clear green eyes contrasted with his cream-colored hair, sharp and intelligent. Despite his ragged appearance, his brilliance couldn’t be concealed.
The maturity and perceptiveness that didn’t match his age made it obvious—he was talented.
“Your family?”
“…They passed away in this war.”
“……”
The moment Jeff finished speaking, I was at a loss for words. If I were just a bystander, it would be one thing—but I was the one who had started this war. I wasn’t in a position to offer comfort. So there was nothing I could say.
“He’s scrawny, but stronger than he looks. Take him along and have him do odd jobs.”
“Yes, understood.”
In any case, it was certain he would become someone great in the future. For the time being, I decided to take the boy in, look after him, and observe him.
Not out of guilt or a desire for redemption—but simply because it felt like a waste to let him go.
And so Jeff became part of the household, and he worked better than expected.
When told to clean the corridors, he polished the marble floors until they gleamed. Other tasks also yielded satisfying results.
And as much as he worked hard—he ate a lot.
* * *
One morning.
“Think of your sword as part of your body!”
I received a report that Jeff had recently been sneaking into the training grounds early in the morning where the soldiers practiced.
Apparently, he would hide behind a tent and secretly watch General Roy train the troops.
“What are you loitering around for? Go do your work.”
“Hey, bring some water.”
Even busy General Roy had noticed him. Every time Jeff was caught, he would startle and rush off to do chores.
After catching him for the fifth time, General Roy, impressed by the boy’s interest and effort, decided to keep an eye on him.
“Push forward! Focus!”
“Strike from the side!”
The rumor spread quickly among the knights, and since it had come to this, I decided to see for myself.
From afar, I watched Jeff practicing swordsmanship with a tree branch.
“Is this how you do it?”
Perhaps because the clearing was quiet—or because my hearing was sharp—I could hear his muttering clearly.
“For someone imitating without a teacher, he’s quite good… though still clumsy.”
Resting my chin on one hand, I admired how well his self-taught form had taken shape. It was awkward without formal training, but his draw movement looked convincing.
If trained properly, he could become a great asset to the empire.
“Hah!”
Swish—!
The sound of the branch cutting through the air was impressive. I found myself considering giving him a wooden practice sword soon.
‘Go ahead.’
Then I made eye contact with General Roy approaching from the training ground. I gestured for him to go to Jeff, and the perceptive general nodded and moved immediately.
‘Looks like I won’t need to prepare anything myself.’
I crossed my arms as I saw he was already holding a wooden practice sword.
“Jeff.”
Approaching him, General Roy smiled at the startled boy who dropped his branch.
“Do you want to learn swordsmanship?”
“Yes.”
General Roy had already taken a liking to Jeff. He laughed heartily and handed him the wooden sword he had prepared.
“You’ve got good eyes.”
Seeing Jeff’s eyes fill with determination and passion, General Roy was very satisfied—and I smirked as well.
“From now on, come here every morning by six. Of course, after finishing your duties.”
I decided it was time for me to appear and stepped forward.
“Ah!”
At that moment, Jeff accidentally let go of the practice sword while following instructions, and it flew straight to my feet.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“It’s fine.”
Since I had come to encourage him, I let it slide generously. I picked up the wooden sword and examined it.
“I almost didn’t recognize you after cutting your hair.”
I returned the sword and complimented his changed appearance.
Now clean, neatly dressed, and properly groomed, he looked completely different—like flowers had bloomed around him. He would likely grow into a fine-looking man.
“Your Majesty, you’re here?”
“I was just taking a walk.”
I exchanged a few words with General Roy, who pretended we had just met, and he sent Jeff away.
“Practice what I just taught you.”
“Yes!”
Jeff answered energetically and ran off.
“Why are you teaching him?”
I asked while watching him train in the distance.
“He showed interest, so I started casually. I thought he’d quit soon, but he exceeded expectations.”
“That’s good. At least he’ll earn his keep.”
Back then, Jeff was just a promising boy.
As time passed, he rose to become not only capable of assisting me directly but even a close aide.
“Jeff Header Piccadilly, there’s a rebellion in the northwest. Suppress it and return. Use as many troops as needed.”
“Yes.”
He left immediately to carry out his duty. By then, he had already been granted a dukedom and formally joined the nobility, firmly establishing his position in the empire through his abilities.
“He’s grown a lot. About twenty now?”
“He is 23, Your Majesty.”
I felt proud seeing someone I had watched grow become so accomplished.
“He’s grown a lot. Already twenty.”
Ignoring the correction, I looked at the pile of documents on my desk.
“When am I supposed to read all this? I’ve got mountains of work.”
As I stared at the endless workload, my aide approached with a tray.
“Your Majesty, the southern region requests permission to build a new temple.”
“Can’t I get a moment of peace?”
“There are several other urgent matters as well.”
“Why are there so many demands?!”
The pile of paperwork only kept growing. I collapsed onto the desk in despair.
Soon, unable to endure the dizziness, I slammed the desk and shouted:
“Someone save me!”
* * *
“Your Majesty!”
“You woke up! Your Majesty!”
The moment I opened my eyes, I sprang up. The Fleur siblings were on either side of me.
‘That damn paper boat gave me a nightmare!’
As I moved suddenly, the paper boat that had been placed on my head fell off.
“There’s lots of paper, Your Majesty!”
“Let’s do it together!”
As I held and fiddled with it, Ronowe and Beris smiled brightly, asking me to join them.
“……”
Instead of answering, I glanced sideways at Carlisle.
The child was calmly folding paper with several paper boats stacked on his head, completely focused and even excited.
‘He seemed mature for his age… but moments like this remind me he’s just a child.’
While I was asleep, the Fleur siblings had made various origami creations, which I briefly looked over.
‘Well… that’s probably why he plays along with those troublemakers without getting annoyed.’
Kids will be kids.
“Your Majesty, this is…”
Beris suddenly approached and handed me his creation. I took it without thinking.
“Please just look at it… don’t take it…”
Thinking I was stealing it, Beris teared up.
“Here.”
I gave it back, holding back a laugh.
“Use it sparingly, you little brats…”
Even if the imperial library had plenty of paper, wasting it didn’t feel right, so I scolded them.
“Your Majesty, try it too.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
But that didn’t work, and when I acted uninterested, they were about to cry again.
“…Fine.”
It’s just paper folding anyway. I reluctantly joined them and decided to start with the easiest—a paper boat.
“Ah…”
As I focused on making it, Beris, watching closely, suddenly shouted:
“Y–Your Majesty!! The boat…!!!”
