TPOK 09

Chapter 09

Come to think of it, this wasn’t just some ordinary family. In the royal palace, it probably wasn’t possible to casually change the “father who had already been decided.”

Even if, while growing up, a child eventually realized who their “real father” was.

Once again, I felt how carefully I needed to make the choice placed before me.

I was lucky that I looked exactly like my mother……. No, was that really something to be thankful for?

“Um, Great King, your father has been looking for you since two days ago. If you don’t mind, could you meet him right away?”

“I will not.”

“But……”

“I am currently spending time with the child—”

“Shouldn’t you go?”

Unable to stand watching the large man act like that any longer, I interrupted.

I couldn’t believe what this man was saying. A child that young was sweating profusely while asking for his help, and instead of offering to help first, he was acting like this?

“No, I am currently with you—”

“The kid asked you for help.”

“Yeah, the kid asked you for help, you piece of trash.”

Great King pressed his lower lip tightly as if he was about to shout something back, then let out a sigh.

“Fine. I understand. But the two of you should return immediately as well.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then later, please spare some time for me alone. There are many things I would like to discuss with you further.”

Great King didn’t bother waiting for my answer before disappearing together with my little brother.

Before leaving, my adorable little brother hesitantly hugged me and whispered,

“Thank you.”

Cute.

Chagatai was a little short, so his arms only reached around my waist. His small, warm body felt just like a tiny puppy.

So this was what having a younger sibling felt like.

I proudly watched the backs of the two of them as they walked away.

“Hey, child. Isn’t that yours?”

The Clown King called out to me just as I was about to get lost in my thoughts.

“Huh?”

“That. It fell.”

When I turned around, there was a small cloth pouch lying on the ground.

It was the pouch containing my notebook.

“Ah. When did it…….”

Had the string come loose?

I instinctively touched my waist.

But the soft leather texture that had been there only moments ago was gone.

Where could it have fallen off? I looked around, but I couldn’t see it anywhere.

“Huh… uh……”

The first gift I had ever received in my life, something I had gotten only a few hours ago, had disappeared without a trace.

“Where did it go?”

“Why?”

“The watch strap is gone.”

“You weren’t wearing a watch.”

“I attached it to my bag and tied it around my waist……. The pouch… it was attached to this pouch.”

I said while feeling around my waist.

I didn’t even realize I was on the verge of tears until after I finished speaking.

“The old man gave it to me. I just got it……”

It wasn’t even a strap I particularly liked.

But regardless, it was the first gift I had ever received.

The unfamiliar experience of someone giving up something of their own because of me felt much better and more meaningful than I had expected.

I never thought it would disappear so quickly.

“I’ll find it.”

The Clown King tied his hair back tightly, crouched down on the ground, and looked me in the eyes.

“What did it look like? Well, if you got it from Great King, it was probably something ugly.”

“Yes, it was kind of ugly……”

I quickly picked up the pouch containing my notebook and looked around.

“It was a reddish-brown color, so I don’t know if it’ll be easy to spot. It was leather, with patterns like this, and it was long… like this, like this, it was around my waist. I didn’t even notice it came loose……. I really tied it tightly. I really did.”

“It’s okay. I’ll find it. You trust me, right?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“Right?”

“……”

“……”

“Yes.”

“Okay……”

He really wasn’t a very trustworthy adult.

But right now, the only person I could rely on was the Clown.

“…Thank you.”

“You’re grateful, right? Very grateful, right?”

As expected, he wasn’t a trustworthy adult.

However, the way he scratched the back of his head as if trying to hide his embarrassment made me smile for no reason.

He searched the ground with a serious expression, then suddenly straightened his back and stood up.

“Did you find it?”

“No. Wait a moment. Keep looking first.”

“Did you think of something?”

“No… I just realized this hairstyle doesn’t suit today’s outfit. I’m going to redo it into a rose braid……. It’ll only take a moment, so look by yourself for now.”

“Ah, yes.”

Right.

He definitely wasn’t a trustworthy adult.

3.

Even after wandering around for a long time while staring at the ground, the leather strap was nowhere to be found.

The passing servants repeatedly looked strangely at the two royals crouched on the ground digging through the dust.

But none of them approached to ask if they could help.

Earlier, when Great King had been with us, people kept coming over asking if they should bring water or an umbrella.

I glanced at the Clown King and thought.

He seemed used to this situation and didn’t appear bothered at all.

“You should go inside now. Sunlight isn’t good for a child’s skin.”

“But……”

“It’s fine. I already applied sunscreen.”

“I know… you spent two-thirds of the time we were searching putting that on.”

“Then why are you so gloomy?”

I answered in a depressed voice.

“Because Great King gave it to me……”

“Would he get angry over something like this? Great King is an opportunist. His personality is trash, but he never does anything bad to people he needs to impress.”

“…It’s not like that. I’m just sad because it was the first gift I ever received.”

“The first?”

“Yes. The first gift I’ve ever gotten……”

An awkward silence followed.

Had I said something unnecessary?

Maybe he thought I was being ridiculous.

I hid my face between my knees, trying to conceal the tears welling up in my eyes.

Then I heard a jingling sound from beyond my knees.

“Here.”

“Huh?”

What the Clown King handed me was a sparkling amber-colored chain bracelet.

It seemed to be one of the many ornaments hanging from his arm.

The material itself might have been expensive, but when I looked closely, it felt strangely crude.

“My second-ever gift.”

“Uh……”

“You know, um… I’m not good at saying serious things.”

I lowered my head while pretending I wasn’t crying and fiddled with the bracelet.

“…You’re going to receive lots of gifts from now on. Your third, your fourth, and many more… so don’t worry too much about some ugly little gift like that.”

The Clown King smiled brightly.

The rose-shaped braid he had tied up swayed lightly.

“I’ll tell the workers nearby. If they find it, they’ll keep it safe.”

“Yes……”

“Great King came out of his room too, so I think we’ll probably all have dinner together tonight. Go back to your room, wash up feeling happy, change into clean clothes, and eat a good meal. How about that?”

I wiped away the tears gathered in my eyes and nodded.

When I returned to my room, I checked the notebook inside my pouch.

As expected, it wasn’t only my vision that had changed.

The contents of the notebook had definitely changed as well.

[Clown King. A fairly decent person. Pretty.]

[Thunder King. A person I don’t really understand.]

[Great King. Scary.]

[Rock King. Haven’t seen him.]

‘Even after losing the strap, this remains the same.’

After losing the strap, I tried to look at the Clown King’s “notes,” but they wouldn’t appear.

However, the notebook that had been connected to the strap still contained these strange records.

I doubted whether they would continue updating in the future.

Some sentences disappeared, and others changed.

What determined the changes?

I wanted to show this to someone and ask what on earth was happening.

But this wasn’t something I could show just anyone.

“If I become friends with my little brother… with Chacha… maybe I can tell him.”

I opened a new page of the notebook and wrote Chacha’s name down.

As soon as I organized my pen and closed the notebook, someone knocked on the door twice.

“Child, today’s dinner will be held in the main building.”

“Ah, yes.”

I hurriedly hid the notebook and left my room.

The dining area was the large, round room I had seen when I first arrived.

Though calling it a dining room might not be entirely accurate. It seemed like a place everyone used whenever they needed to gather together.

“Your chair has been replaced. I didn’t want to watch another idiot do something strange again.”

“I chose it!”

“Thank you.”

The chair was still slightly tall, but this time it had armrests, making it easier to climb onto.

With a single grunt, I managed to climb up.

Across the table, Thunder King covered his mouth with both hands and looked incredibly moved.

Why was he so touched?

I was old enough to climb onto a chair.

“We’ll start eating once everyone arrives.”

“Rock King says he cannot come again today. Chagatai said he will eat with his father. Only Clown King remains.”

“That guy is late without even an excuse? He must be slacking off somewhere again.”

“No, actually, he was with me—”

“Entrance of the Desert Star—!”

I was about to explain, “He was late because he helped me look for my lost item,” but the dining room door suddenly burst open noisily.

“If you’re late, enter quietly.”

“I came late because I wanted to make a dramatic entrance.”

“Sit down.”

The Clown King sat down in the seat near me with his usual cheerful smile.

His clothes were completely unsuitable for a dining setting.

Compared to during the day, his makeup was simpler, but his high-collared shirt and sparkling outerwear stood out because they were so out of place.

His arms still jingled with dozens of accessories.

“Wait.”

Among all those flashy ornaments, there was something that looked strangely familiar.

“…What is that?”

“What is what?”

“Why do you have that?”

Great King pointed toward the upper part of the Clown King’s arm.

A plain leather bracelet that looked completely out of place.

Among the dazzling golden accessories, its simplicity made it stand out even more.

“This? Child gave it to me.”

“What?”

“Child?”

“Me?”

Without realizing it, I spoke informally.

Ignoring Great King’s extremely displeased expression and Thunder King’s confused look, the flashy man began explaining proudly.