Goddess Kingmaker Chapter 20

The only possible guest would be Count Montes or the Emperor.

 

If it were Grandpa Emperor, I was determined to sleep for the next ten years.

 

‘He couldn’t even tell the difference between a boy and a girl—what use would he have seeing his granddaughter’s face?’

 

“Oh my. You can’t sleep now. Open your eyes, okay?”

 

“Huuh.”

 

“What should I do? It’s about time for them to arrive.”

 

“Huuhm.”

 

“100 jellies!”

 

Wow, I almost shook a little.

 

My eyelashes fluttered, but I barely held it in.

 

‘Yes, I can hold it.’

 

Still, using up that much energy in a baby’s body made it impossible to fight off sleep.

 

Just as I was about to close my eyes in the arms of Roen, there was a knock on the door and a guest stepped into the room.

 

“Oh, looks like she’s still sleeping.”

 

Neither His Majesty the Emperor nor Count Montes.

 

Nor was he rude or ill-mannered like Harmel and Thebes.

 

That rare, elegant, and polite voice drove away sleepiness completely.

 

“Huh?”

 

‘Who’s this guy now?’

 

 

◇ ◆ ◇

 

Lunas was a professional designer in charge of the clothing of the royal family of the Caronin Empire.

 

Especially as the Emperor’s personal designer, he had worked with the finest fabrics and jewels in the world—one could say he stood at the highest position as a designer.

 

But does it match his sense of personal satisfaction? Unfortunately, no.

 

First of all, the emperor was not very interested in clothes.

 

He had spent his youth in endless wars and his later years worrying over succession. To him, clothing was nothing more than a way to cover the body—nothing more, nothing less.

 

So for a designer with artistic passion, the Emperor was the worst model imaginable.

 

Lunas couldn’t change his model or refuse to make clothes, so he was disheartened and thought that his life as a designer was over.

 

“Your Majesty, do you like it?”

 

Until he received that request.

 

“You didn’t give me any details about the baby, so I just made a sample outfit.”

 

“Are these really clothes….?”

 

The Emperor frowned as he held the small clothes with his fingertips.

 

Lunas hadn’t expected praise, but the Emperor always found a way to react beyond his expectations.

 

“Are you telling me hands and feet actually fit in here? Without tearing it apart?”

 

“Yes. Babies around ten months old usually wear this size.”

 

“Hah. Ridiculous. It’s not like it’s a doll.”

 

It was a typically imperial reaction, but Lunas considered it fortunate.

 

The Emperor he knew, if truly displeased, wouldn’t have questioned the outfit—he would’ve shoved Lunas’ head through it instead.

 

‘Didn’t I almost end up in that situation just a few days ago?’

 

“Make new winter clothes. And put real effort into it this time.”

 

Lunas thought he always had. The Emperor’s sudden summons and demands were baffling, but it was also the first time Lunas, as a designer, had asked his model: “What kind of outfit would you like?”

 

“Why are you talking so much? Just use fabric and decorations that fit the value of the item!”

 

It always happens, but this time the Emperor seemed particularly insistent.

 

When he said that he would prepare all the materials he could, the Emperor absentmindedly let out a word.

 

“If you prepare that much… there’ll be leftovers.”

 

When Lunas replied that he would then prepare less, the Emperor’s brows furrowed even more. In the end, Lunas said he would prepare everything, and only then did the Emperor add:

 

“Hmm… with the leftovers, we could make another outfit.”

 

“It could be a little smaller, I guessed. Since it’s a girl, something in a brighter color would be better….”

 

As soon as the Emperor finished murmuring, he swatted away Lunas’ hand, which had been reaching out to take measurements.

 

It finally hit him—the Emperor never cared about his own clothes in the first place.

 

Had Lunas not realized it at the time, the victim would not have been the silk dress, but his own neck.

 

‘Phew.’

 

Lunas, whose heart still sank when he thought about it again, looked at the lovely dress and her eyes sparkled.

 

Still, he was a designer after all, so he was very proud of the dress he had put so much effort into making after such a long time.

 

“I can guarantee, among all clothes made for ten-month-old babies, this will be the most precious and beautiful.”

 

“Hmph. A waste of effort.”

 

Though the Emperor mumbled disapprovingly, his expression softened a bit.

 

He still flicked through the lace with his index finger, but didn’t point out any flaws.

 

Standing beside them, Count Montes finally gave Lunas a look of relief.

 

‘Well done.’

 

He had wondered why the Emperor had urgently summoned Lunas—he hadn’t expected such intentions behind it.

 

This was a slightly different side of the Emperor than the one he had served for years, but as a Count, he didn’t mind the change.

 

After all, this was a man who had lost his eldest son, the Crown Prince, and spent a lifetime worrying about succession.

 

Now that he was entering old age, the Count only hoped his heart would find some peace.

 

But that warm sentiment ended quickly.

 

“Hey, bring out your gift.”

 

“……”

 

When the Emperor gave a slight nod, Count Montes nervously brought out the baby’s dress his wife had prepared with care.

 

As the Emperor compared the two dresses, his expression grew increasingly pleased—and the Count’s loyalty steadily wavered.

 

“Hmm. Very good.”

 

“Yes….”

 

Now, whether His Majesty the Emperor’s old age was comfortable or not, the count didn’t really care.

 

Especially when the Emperor lightly touched the crooked lace his wife had clumsily stitched and chuckled—his expression became even darker.

 

“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”

 

Only Lunas smiled brightly, enjoying that rare moment of satisfaction.

 

“If the baby happens to have a favorite color, I’ll prepare an even better gift next time.”

 

“Hmph. Like something that tiny even knows what she likes.”

 

“You never know. We might end up with more leftover fabric again.”

 

“…..”

 

Nice!

 

Judging by the Emperor’s face, the shot had landed again.

 

Lunas had been the Emperor’s designer long enough to master these subtle cues.

 

“I was thinking… Perhaps next time, the royal gold thread might be suitable. It’s a precious commodity that just arrived from the Kingdom of Fermin last week.”

 

“If it’s that precious, we shouldn’t waste it—out of respect for the kingdom’s gesture.”

 

As the two continued their somewhat vague conversation, Count Montes folded his gift for the baby.

 

Seeing that, the Emperor raised his chin.

 

“Oh, right.”

 

As if it had just occurred to him.

 

“If you’re planning to go to the Clayton Palace, I’ll go with you. It’s on the way to mine anyway.”

 

“No. It would be difficult to go back that far.”

 

“……”

 

The Emperor’s expression, which had been satisfied for a while, suddenly distorted.

 

Count Montes seemed surprised by his own words and quickly corrected himself.

 

Even if the Emperor smiled while laying two dresses side by side, he was still someone worth dying for.

 

“Ahem, actually, I was planning to go next time. The maid said there was a guest who arrived first.”

 

“A guest?”

 

The Emperor’s voice became fierce as he unconsciously recalled the commotion caused by the Grand Duchess and her children the other day.

 

Thankfully, they had gone back to their own estate—but this was the imperial palace. Even the Emperor himself had never truly let his guard down.

 

Especially not when it came to a little girl.

 

“Who is it?”

 

As the Emperor’s eyebrows rose sharply, Count Montes opened his mouth and said there was no need to worry.

 

“I heard Young Master Lucas is stopping by.”

 

“Lucas?”

 

The Emperor bit the inside of his mouth at the unexpected answer.

 

Lucas was the only son of his second son, Kerix—his eldest grandson.

 

Unlike his ambitious father, Lucas was mature and reliable even in his early teens and received praise from everyone around him.

 

“He must be curious about the new baby who arrived at the palace.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“There won’t be any incidents like with Young Master Harmel or Young Master Thebes. Nothing to worry about. You know Young Master Lucas’ capabilities.”

 

Just as the Count said, Lucas wasn’t just well-mannered—he was also competent.

 

His ability to control water, the most important power for royal blood, was twofold: purification and, to a weaker extent, creation.

 

Though his ability to generate water wasn’t stronger than Harmel’s or Thebes’s, the fact that he possessed two water-related abilities was rare in itself.

 

Thanks to that, Lucas’ father, Kerix, was able to walk around quite proudly.

 

It was certain that Lucas was the most prominent among all the bloodlines of the emperors up to now.

 

“So there won’t be any incidents like last time.”

 

“Yeah, I guess so.”

 

The Emperor muttered absentmindedly as he lifted his head, gazing into the fading sunset.

 

Stroking his beard, his expression was not simply grumpy—it was somehow bittersweet.

 

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