Chapter 9

There were plenty of reasons for all the young men on the continent to revere a hero, a living legend despite his upbringing.

No. So, what is that kind of feeling anyway? Kathia tilted her head again but to the other side this time, walking up the stairs to the second floor while thinking it didn’t matter either way.

Whether she’s from a commoner background or not, she still adored the cozy home.

Sure, she admires dazzling dresses and jewelry but this was a wholly different preference.

“Ah, how lovely!”

Kathia laughed heartily, when opening a window, the first thing she saw on the second floor.

She could see a neighborhood of commoners outside the hallway window.

How cute! Only used to seeing the grand imperial palace, she couldn’t wait to see the crowded, bustling single-story homes.

What’s that over there? A cotton candy store? It is. That sure brings back old memories.

It seemed like she barely managed to enjoy it once or twice a year. She wasn’t sure why she was so fond of it…

She wanted to have a closer look at it, but when she leaned her body out the window, somebody held her back by her waist. It was Deon.

“It’s dangerous.”

“Nah, it’s fine.”

“What are you going to do if you fall?”

“I won’t fall, even if I do, it’s just from the second floor, so I wouldn’t die anyway.” Kathia snickered while answering carelessly.

Deon’s voice hardened somewhat after her irresponsible response.

“If you fall headfirst then it wouldn’t be impossible for you to die.”

“Huh?”

“People could accidentally fall from their beds and still die. These days, some inns use bunk beds to accept more customers, but if someone were to fall from the upper bunk, there could be a fatal accident. Even if they were lucky and lived, they would be paralyzed from the neck down and wouldn’t be able to move for the rest of their lives…”

His languid tone contrasted the serious implications. As Kathia blinked, she quickly shrunk away from the window.

“I won’t do it again.”

“Good idea.”

Bending over, Deon straightened her dress for her.

The wrinkled lace found its original form after Deon shaped it back with his hand.

Receiving this kind of treatment from him, the Emperor, Kathia scratched her cheek, tentatively wondering if she could let this happen.

Well, it seemed a bit late to think this.

Just think about what kinds of people helped Kathia achieve her dreams along with Deon.

Jean Troy, the Empire’s living legend, and the successor to the highly-reputable Glodis marquisate.

Jonathan, who entered the house late, was also the youngest son of the Kiten viscountcy.

Even Madam Murphy, who raised Kathia well for the past eight years, was also from a Count’s family, who oversees land from the northern region.

As she was considering them one by one, it was enough for her to swallow her pride.

“…I should be ok?”

“Do you not feel well?”

“No. It’s not that. Is it the standard? Or a concept of a commoner… Anyways, it feels like I lost something like that.”

Her tone had a touch of concern about living as a commoner from then on. Deon just replied with a, “it’s alright,” and then straightened his back up again.

As Kathia looked toward his face which had grown rapidly over the past few months, she lifted the corner of her dress and then excessively bowed.

“Thank you, dear gentleman.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As expected, he understands me well. The grinning Kathia darted about the second floor, poking around whilst talking to herself.

“Let’s see. I need a floor plan. Although it’s perfect as is, I should probably put my own touch on it, right? Since I have all this furniture, I just need to preserve this atmosphere as best I can. In short, a cute antique doll shop! Wow~ Just talking about it sounds great. I think the first floor should be the shop and the second floor could be where I’ll stay and have my workshop. Alright, let’s have a look. Since this is the biggest room, I should use this as my workshop. I can also use the room across as my bedroom.”

Looking around the stairs, Kathia clapped her hands.