How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World
chapter-314

Queen Maria left Lara in my care and immediately returned to the Kingdom of Ters. I suggested she rests for a day before departing, but she declined, saying time was of the essence.

As I watched her departing figure heading back to the volatile situation in Ters, I couldn’t help but feel bitter. She ended up in trouble because she met the wrong man, despite being a person of great character.

If King Friedrich had gracefully admitted his mistakes, Queen Maria wouldn’t be in this predicament. That doesn’t mean she’s flawless, though.

As she mentioned, she committed mistakes by being a bystander. She might have pitied Adelia, but she didn’t directly intervene.

Moreover, she watched from a distance even though she knew her children were bullying Adelia. Regardless of the circumstances, her inaction was a mistake.

As mentioned in our conversation, the Kingdom of Ters is already beyond my control. The future will depend on Friedrich’s choices.

It seems Queen Maria will try to persuade Friedrich, but whether she can break his stubbornness is the key. Friedrich was the one who confirmed the kill in front of everyone.

This experience made me reflect on many things. I wielded power for Adelia’s sake, but is it right that even people like Queen Maria should suffer as a result?

King Friedrich is indeed a devoted family man who showered his family with love. Adelia was just excluded from that affection.

Originally, I was in a position of watching from a distance, but I realized that careless actions with the pen can cause unintended harm to innocent people.

‘It’s like how someone’s tweet can make stock prices soar or plummet.’

As someone once said, “Social media is a waste of life,” I should avoid sending letters unless absolutely necessary.

Unless it’s a special case like now, overusing them could lead to backlash and harm those around me.

But while I’ve realized my actions, I will still keep an eye on the Kingdom of Ters. As Queen Maria mentioned, if they get through this well, the kingdom will grow stronger.

King Friedrich, despite his flawed character, has been an effective ruler and enjoys good reputation among the people. The only reason this mess happened was because he touched the sensitive issue of ‘censorship’.

If he temporarily sets aside his honor and clearly admits his mistakes, the people will likely understand. Even if he gets criticized, the state needs to exist for him to maintain his throne.

“Xenon.”

“Yes, Princess Lara. What is it?”

First, I need to take care of the conscience of the Kingdom of Ters (Lara). I looked puzzled as Lara asked her question with her bright blue eyes wide open.

I pondered for a moment on what her question implied but soon understood her meaning.

“My real name is Isaac. Xenon is my pen name as a writer. I would appreciate it if you called me by my real name, Isaac.”

“Can I call you Isaac?”

“Whatever is comfortable for you, Princess.”

“Then, how about Isaac Oppa?”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by her calling me Oppa. Lara seized the opportunity to smile brightly and spoke with a friendly tone.

“I’ll speak comfortably, so you should do the same.”

“Uh… okay, I understand.”

“Can you drop the formal speech and just call me comfortably?”

“…Alright.”

When I accepted without hesitation, Lara beamed with joy, her white teeth showing, clearly pleased. She exuded the air of a youngest child who was raised with plenty of love.

In a way, she seemed a bit naive, but it wasn’t bothersome and rather endearing.

Moreover, it seemed that Lara didn’t fully understand ‘Xenon’ yet. To be precise, she didn’t grasp the power that the name Xenon held.

To Lara, Xenon might simply be a writer of enjoyable novels. I bent down slightly to meet Lara’s eye level.

“Lara, do you read Xenon’s Biography?”

“Of course! I don’t think there’s anyone in our country who hasn’t read it!”

“Do you know how famous Xenon’s Biography is?”

“Since many people read it, it must be really famous, right?”

Lara answered, placing her index finger on her cheek. I gave an ambiguous smile at her response.

Royalty and nobility like Lara receive various education from a young age to maintain their dignity.

So, even at 15, she should display maturity, but she showed none of it. This means she was likely pampered and treated with utmost care by those around her.

Or it could simply be her natural personality. Either way, since she was close to Adelia, it didn’t matter to me.

“Oppa, who did you inherit that hair from?”

“I inherited it from my father.”

“Can I touch it once? I’ve never seen red hair before.”

Thanks to her personality, we quickly became comfortable with each other. She showed the most interest in my red hair.

Her chirping like a lark was endearing. She was truly adorable.

Lara played with my hair, marveling sincerely.

“It’s really soft. Who takes care of your hair, Oppa? Is it Adelia? She used to brush my hair a lot when I was younger.”

“Really? No wonder she’s good at brushing hair. Then Adelia will brush your hair starting tomorrow?”

“Yes! Did you hear that, Adelia? You have to brush my hair from tomorrow!”

Lara nodded vigorously and spoke to Adelia with a tone full of expectation. It was very impressive.

Adelia couldn’t resist Lara’s earnest gaze and smiled wryly as she nodded. Lara beamed with happiness.

She must really like Adelia. As Lara continued to play with my hair, I asked her,

“Do you like Adelia that much?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Everyone else was too busy to play with me, but Adelia always did. She read me books, walked with me in the palace gardens… She played with me a lot.”

There was a reason she followed Adelia so devotedly. I glanced at Adelia upon hearing her response.

Adelia smiled too, perhaps reminiscing about the few happy memories in the otherwise hellish life at the palace.

Her affection wasn’t limited to just Lara, she showed it to everyone. Even without looking far, she poured her affection on Hiriya as well.

It only resulted in brutal humiliation due to Hiriya’s inferiority complex. And Laos, from what I heard, disliked Adelia from the beginning.

“But Isaac Oppa, are you secretly a royal like Adelia?”

“Huh? Why do you ask that suddenly?”

“It just seems like it. You have red hair and golden eyes. Plus, you’re prettier than me.”

Though I’ve been called handsome many times, being called pretty is a first. Still, a compliment is a compliment, and I didn’t take it negatively.

“I got my looks from my mother.”

“Oh, really? Anyway, you’re not a hidden royal, right?”

“Definitely not. My father was promoted from commoner to noble.”

Though I said that, I sometimes wonder if there’s more to it. While I don’t think I’m a hidden royal, I do speculate that we might be descendants of a hero.

This is mainly due to my family’s extraordinary strength. Our physical abilities are far above average.

My father is one of the top three strongest in the empire, and Dave and Nicole are skilled enough to join the Navy Knights.

Even I, who was considered the least talented, have grown impressively with just basic training after a late growth spurt.

Of course, I have overwhelming divine power, but even considering that, my physical stats are still remarkable.

‘As for my mother, well…’

Let’s skip discussing my mother. Like father, like son; it’s not surprising that my mother’s strength is considerable. If she were weak, it would have been hard for her to endure the nights.

Anyway, I haven’t neglected to investigate the origin of our red hair. It’s extremely rare, as our family seems to be the only ones with it.

If we were descendants of a specific ethnic group, it would make sense, but there’s no such connection. There’s no mention of red hair in books or even in the descriptions from the wars that produced numerous heroes.

‘Grandfather was said to be strong too. Is there really something to this?’

The martial arts and physical training my father taught us came from my grandfather, whom I’ve never met. Over time, my father passed down these skills to my siblings and me.

What’s more, unlike most knights who wield swords, our family uniquely specializes in using ‘battle axes.’

Given our inherent strength, this makes sense, but it’s still an unusual choice of weapon. Even Nicole, who appears delicate, can carry around a boulder.

Thinking about all this gives me a lot of inspiration. The idea of a people whose records were completely erased for some reason is fascinating. It would be a lie to say it doesn’t pique my interest.

After all, even the ‘fusion’ of elves was recently rediscovered after being erased from records due to its dangers.

Of course, I won’t add this to Xenon’s Biography right now; it would be better suited for a sequel. Adding it now risks complicating the story.

“So, are you satisfied with the explanation? My family and I are just ordinary nobles.”

“I see. I thought you would know since you’re Xenon.”

“I don’t know everything. Contrary to what people say, I’m neither a sage nor a prophet. I’m just a regular writer.”

“A regular writer who makes prophecies and saves the world? Mom said lying is bad.”

“…”

Lara, either full of energy or brimming with curiosity, continued to ask numerous questions. I answered each one diligently.

As we spent time together, evening approached. It seemed like a good point to end the conversation, as we needed to prepare dinner and provide Lara with some indoor clothes.

“Let’s stop here for now. We need to get ready for dinner and find some clothes for Lara. Do we have suitable clothes for her?”

“I’ll check and see.”

“Alright. Thanks for that.”

“Oh, Isaac Oppa.”

“Yes?”

Just as I was about to stand up, Lara called my name. I turned to look at her, and she gazed at me with sparkling eyes.

“Can I sleep with Adelia tonight? I really want to sleep with her since it’s been a while.”

“Hmm…”

I pondered for a moment, seeing the deep affection Lara had for Adelia in her request. Adelia’s work hours were almost over, so if I gave permission, she would likely agree.

I looked at Adelia to see if she was okay with it. If she was fine, I’d allow it.

Surprisingly, Adelia seemed hesitant. Normally, she would have nodded, but now she appeared a bit restless.

Seeing this, I realized the situation. At least for tonight, it wasn’t possible.

The reason was simple. Until yesterday, Marie had been here, but now she was gone. In other words, this was Adelia’s chance to have me to herself for a while.

Even if she couldn’t express this directly, her actions showed it.

“Sorry, but I don’t think it will work tonight.”

“Why not?”

Lara looked more puzzled than disappointed. I replied, not forgetting to wink playfully.

“Because tonight, she’s planning to sleep with Oppa.”

“Hmm.”

Adelia blushed and cleared her throat at my response.

“Oh my…”

Even though Lara was young, she had apparently received proper education on such matters, as she covered her mouth with her hands.

Time passed since then.

[King Friedrich’s Shocking Confession: “I Have a Hidden Child.”]

Queen Maria’s persuasion worked, and Friedrich set aside his honor.

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