The place he'd brought me to was a main street in a district of the Imperial Capital lined with shops.
However, if you went around to the back, the same buildings had separate entrances distinct from the storefronts.
"What is this place?"
"Ah, I see. You wouldn't know about places like this, would you?"
The fact that Helkov was surprised meant this was apparently common knowledge—something you'd recognize at a glance.
But since this was my first time seeing it, I looked around with great interest at the completely separate space behind the shops.
The first floor had nothing but stairs as its main feature, so I hurriedly followed Helkov as he climbed.
Then a straight corridor appeared, with doors spaced at even intervals.
"Could this be... housing?"
"Yes, it's commoners' quarters. Is it unusual? It's a fairly common structure."
Helkov said this with an embarrassed look as I continued glancing around curiously.
It resembled apartments from movies, but was more rustic—or rather, lacked any decorative elements.
While France is famous for apartments, these weren't as compact as those in Paris; the atmosphere was closer to Japanese housing complexes.
However, since they didn't use concrete, they exuded an exotic atmosphere.
"It's a humble, uninteresting dwelling, but please come in."
Helkov said this as he opened the door to a corner room.
"This is Helkov's house? Pardon the intrusion."
"Don't look at it with such expectant eyes. There's really nothing here."
The interior was a simple two-room layout, which made it feel spacious.
It was larger than the single-person apartment I'd lived in during my previous life, but there was no kitchen or washroom.
"The fireplace serves as the stove, right? But what about water and baths?"
"Well, first of all, baths are a luxury—you don't take them often."
I sat in the finest chair that Helkov had yielded to me and decided to ask about commoner life.
The landlord who had given me the chair with a backrest and armrests was sitting on something like a work chair without either.
What was explained to me was that commoners don't light fires unnecessarily, and water must be drawn from wells and carried.
In other words, they don't need bath facilities, and kitchens are inefficient.
"I understand wiping your body with a damp cloth instead of bathing. But what about toilets?"
"There are shared ones on the first floor. This place is conscientious in that regard. It's not unusual to have none, and in that case, you'd have to use public toilets at every street corner."
In other words, places you can't go to at night when public order deteriorates.
It would be wasteful to light a fire just to go there.
But in a life without plumbing, water itself is limited, so having a toilet nearby is apparently not inconvenient.
"Then how do they prepare the hot water I use every night? There's hot water in the bathtub, right?"
"Harty instructed the kitchen to boil water at designated times every day. It's delivered to the Red Room at the set time along with an equal amount of water, and we mix it in the bathtub to create the appropriate temperature."
Apparently, my close associates and servants had been doing this for me behind the scenes.
The palace kitchen lights the fire at set times and extinguishes it at set times.
I was taught anew that palace residents live in the luxury of using hot water as they please.
"It's not something Your Highness needs to worry about—or rather, it's a position where worrying about it is wrong for a prince to begin with. If you don't live according to your status, those below you suffer losses, so please continue the bathing custom."
Luxury creates jobs in the palace.
And by living luxuriously, we demonstrate national prestige, which contributes to the empire's stability.
The sequence for demonstrating this prestige places the Emperor and his relatives at the top, and if the highest-ranking person doesn't live luxuriously, those below can only live anxiously.
"Besides, who could stand to see their superiors living stingily?"
"They don't tell you to live luxuriously even if it means going into debt. Sephira read someone's memoir that said you need to show off and be respected to form connections."
"Such ostentation can become power. You're thinking for yourself how to conduct yourself, Your Highness. Spend money as you please. Also, the fact that you used hot water so abundantly without thinking anything of it until now shows you're properly acting as a prince, so I have nothing particular to say."
I thought I wasn't acting very princely, but from others' perspective, I'm acting as a prince—which is somewhat amusing.
But probably, this wasn't the main reason he brought me here.
"You brought me all the way to your house to talk about how I should conduct myself?"
"Precisely. ............Sigh, you turned eight this year, didn't you? When I was that age, I wasn't thinking about having to leave home yet."
Though his bear-like face is hard to read, I can tell he's worried.
"Well, if there's any reason you absolutely can't stay in the palace, please come here. At that time, I probably won't be able to move either, so leave it to a certain eccentric."
In other words, he saw that with Morley also enthusiastic about funding the liquor venture, the financial prospects have become realistic.
On top of that, he designated his own home as an escape route, saying Helkov won't be able to move.............
"Something that would harm His Majesty?"
"Is that the first thing you suspect? I won't say it's impossible. If you're going to fight, you strike at the weak point first. In that sense, His Majesty's position is still weak."
I became Emperor at three, and now at eight, Father has solidified his footing considerably over five years.
Still, the situation of being thrown among nobles who have built their positions within the palace through generations hasn't changed.
This existed in my previous life too—regency government.
A political form where maternal relatives hold real power while deliberately placing a child incapable of self-judgment on the throne.
"Since Terry and the twins were born, he's fulfilled the imperial duty of producing heirs, so there may be those who think of deposing His Majesty............"
"Ah, wait, wait. That's outside my expectations too, so please wait a moment."
Since Helkov couldn't follow, I explained about maternal relatives holding real power.
(To step into that situation, there are still too many enemies comparable to Duke Lucaios.)
Sephira interjected despite my having explained to Helkov.
"I know. It would be if His Majesty made a serious blunder, or if he fell out with Duke Lucaios. But you see, if I'm the one used as the pretext for that blunder, or if I could become the cause of the falling out with Duke Lucaios."
"No, that's............ possible?"
Helkov tried to stop my bad imagination, then fell into thought himself.
"It's an extremely extreme imagination, but right now it's just bad rumors. What if it develops into a false accusation? His Majesty would protect me. But that would incur resentment. If he drives out the one who falsely accused me, that faction becomes an enemy. And there's no guarantee that isn't Duke Lucaios's faction."
Currently, Duke Lucaios of the Empress's family is the one who sees me as their primary enemy.
Paranoid that I might block the path for Terry, his daughter's son, to become Emperor.
It's not bad to act considering possibilities, but he's the one pushing me to the edge of the left wing, using faction nobles to obstruct contact with Father.
Honestly, he was at the top of my list of people likely to do extreme things.
"Well, I don't know Duke Lucaios directly either, so I might be getting paranoid from imagination."
When I said that, Helkov somehow hung his head dejectedly.
With such momentum that his head seemed about to fall between his open legs as he leaned forward.
"Why are you so calm? Actually, Your Highness, haven't you developed emotions?"
"That's a bit rude. I do get angry when something unpleasant is done to me. Besides, I enjoy enjoyable things, and I like you, Helkov, who cares about me."
When I smiled at Helkov as he raised his face, he scratched behind his ear covered in fur and averted his eyes.
I know this—he's embarrassed.
"I'm calm because I have no intention of becoming Emperor. I'm not interested in power struggles, and since I think of it as a place I'll leave someday, I can view it with distance."
"............If it's you, Your Highness, I think you could manage there too?"
"Even if I managed to, do you think I could master alchemy? I still have so many things I want to do."
When I said this childishly with open hands, Helkov finally smiled.
"I spoke out of turn. Please forget it. Ah, but I'll give you the key."
"Is this place Helkov's owned home?"
"It's rented, but I've prepaid for the next ten years."
He can do that?
(Intruder approaching. Since the end of the corridor has no rooms other than this one, estimated that destination is here.)
Sephira suddenly issued a warning.
It seemed Helkov had heard it too, as he held a finger up to his lips.
I nodded and pulled my hood back up to hide my face.
On top of that, I ordered Sephira mentally to activate camouflage.
"............Ah, those footsteps."
Helkov muttered as if realizing something, and the next moment, a knocking sound echoed through the room.
"I know you're in there! Open this door immediately!"
Between the sounds of violent knocking, a somewhat threatening voice called out.
Without showing fear at this, Helkov walked straight toward the door, fixing his gaze on it.
Daily Updates
Next Time: Three Little Bear Cubs 3 The place he'd brought me to was a main street in a district of the Imperial Capital lined with shops.
However, if you went around to the back, the same buildings had separate entrances distinct from the storefronts.
"What is this place?"
"Ah, I see. You wouldn't know about places like this, would you?"
The fact that Helkov was surprised meant this was apparently common knowledge—something you'd recognize at a glance.
But since this was my first time seeing it, I looked around with great interest at the completely separate space behind the shops.
The first floor had nothing but stairs as its main feature, so I hurriedly followed Helkov as he climbed.
Then a straight corridor appeared, with doors spaced at even intervals.
"Could this be... housing?"
"Yes, it's commoners' quarters. Is it unusual? It's a fairly common structure."
Helkov said this with an embarrassed look as I continued glancing around curiously.
It resembled apartments from movies, but was more rustic—or rather, lacked any decorative elements.
While France is famous for apartments, these weren't as compact as those in Paris; the atmosphere was closer to Japanese housing complexes.
However, since they didn't use concrete, they exuded an exotic atmosphere.
"It's a humble, uninteresting dwelling, but please come in."
Helkov said this as he opened the door to a corner room.
"This is Helkov's house? Pardon the intrusion."
"Don't look at it with such expectant eyes. There's really nothing here."
The interior was a simple two-room layout, which made it feel spacious.
It was larger than the single-person apartment I'd lived in during my previous life, but there was no kitchen or washroom.
"The fireplace serves as the stove, right? But what about water and baths?"
"Well, first of all, baths are a luxury—you don't take them often."
I sat in the finest chair that Helkov had yielded to me and decided to ask about commoner life.
The landlord who had given me the chair with a backrest and armrests was sitting on something like a work chair without either.
What was explained to me was that commoners don't light fires unnecessarily, and water must be drawn from wells and carried.
In other words, they don't need bath facilities, and kitchens are inefficient.
"I understand wiping your body with a damp cloth instead of bathing. But what about toilets?"
"There are shared ones on the first floor. This place is conscientious in that regard. It's not unusual to have none, and in that case, you'd have to use public toilets at every street corner."
In other words, places you can't go to at night when public order deteriorates.
It would be wasteful to light a fire just to go there.
But in a life without plumbing, water itself is limited, so having a toilet nearby is apparently not inconvenient.
"Then how do they prepare the hot water I use every night? There's hot water in the bathtub, right?"
"Harty had instructed the kitchen to boil water at designated times every day. It gets delivered to the Red Room at the set time along with an equal amount of water, and we mix it in the bathtub to create the appropriate temperature."
Apparently, my close associates and servants had been doing this for me behind the scenes.
The palace kitchen lights the fire at set times and extinguishes it at set times.
I was taught anew that palace residents live in the luxury of using hot water as they please.
"It's not something Your Highness needs to worry about—or rather, it's a position where worrying about it is wrong for a prince to begin with. If you don't live according to your status, those below you suffer losses, so please continue the bathing custom."
Luxury creates jobs in the palace.
And by living luxuriously, we demonstrate national prestige, which contributes to the empire's stability.
The sequence for demonstrating this prestige places the Emperor and his relatives at the top, and if the highest-ranking person doesn't live luxuriously, those below can only live anxiously.
"Besides, who could stand to see their superiors living stingily?"
"They don't tell you to live luxuriously even if it means going into debt. Sephira read someone's memoir that said you need to show off and be respected to form connections."
"Such ostentation can become power. You're thinking for yourself how to conduct yourself, Your Highness. Spend money as you please. Also, the fact that you used hot water so abundantly without thinking anything of it until now shows you're properly acting as a prince, so I have nothing particular to say."
I thought I wasn't acting very princely, but from others' perspective, I'm acting as a prince—which is somewhat amusing.
But probably, this wasn't the main reason he brought me here.
"You brought me all the way to your house to talk about how I should conduct myself?"
"Precisely. ............Sigh, you turned eight this year, didn't you? When I was that age, I wasn't thinking about having to leave home yet."
Though his bear-like face was hard to read, I could tell he was worried.
"Well, if there's any reason you absolutely can't stay in the palace, please come here. At that time, I probably won't be able to move either, so leave it to a certain eccentric."
In other words, he saw that with Morley also enthusiastic about funding the liquor venture, the financial prospects have become realistic.
On top of that, he designated his own home as an escape route, saying Helkov won't be able to move.............
"Something that would harm His Majesty?"
"Is that the first thing you suspect? I won't say it's impossible. If you're going to fight, you strike at the weak point first. In that sense, His Majesty's position is still weak."
I became Emperor at three, and now at eight, Father has solidified his footing considerably over five years.
Still, the situation of being thrown among nobles who have built their positions within the palace through generations hasn't changed.
This existed in my previous life too—regency government.
A political form where maternal relatives hold real power while deliberately placing a child incapable of self-judgment on the throne.
"Since Terry and the twins were born, he's fulfilled the imperial duty of producing heirs, so there may be those who think of deposing His Majesty............"
"Ah, wait, wait. That's outside my expectations too, so please wait a moment."
Since Helkov couldn't follow, I explained about maternal relatives holding real power.
(To step into that situation, there are still too many enemies comparable to Duke Lucaios.)
Sephira interjected despite my having explained to Helkov.
"I know. It would be if His Majesty made a serious blunder, or if he fell out with Duke Lucaios. But you see, if I'm the one used as the pretext for that blunder, or if I could become the cause of the falling out with Duke Lucaios."
"No, that's............ possible?"
Helkov tried to stop my bad imagination, then fell into thought himself.
"It's an extremely extreme imagination, but right now it's just bad rumors. What if it develops into a false accusation? His Majesty would protect me. But that would incur resentment. If he drives out the one who falsely accused me, that faction becomes an enemy. And there's no guarantee that isn't Duke Lucaios's faction."
Currently, Duke Lucaios of the Empress's family is the one who sees me as their primary enemy.
Paranoid that I might block the path for Terry, his daughter's son, to become Emperor.
It's not bad to act considering possibilities, but he's the one pushing me to the edge of the left wing, using faction nobles to obstruct contact with Father.
Honestly, he was at the top of my list of people likely to do extreme things.
"Well, I don't know Duke Lucaios directly either, so I might be getting paranoid from imagination."
When I said that, Helkov somehow hung his head dejectedly.
With such momentum that his head seemed about to fall between his open legs as he leaned forward.
"Why are you so calm? Actually, Your Highness, haven't you developed emotions?"
"That's a bit rude. I do get angry when something unpleasant is done to me. Besides, I enjoy enjoyable things, and I like you, Helkov, who cares about me."
When I smiled at Helkov as he raised his face, he scratched behind his ear covered in fur and averted his eyes.
I know this—he's embarrassed.
"I'm calm because I have no intention of becoming Emperor. I'm not interested in power struggles, and since I think of it as a place I'll leave someday, I can view it with distance."
"............If it's you, Your Highness, I think you could manage there too?"
"Even if I managed to, do you think I could master alchemy? I still have so many things I want to do."
When I said this childishly with open hands, Helkov finally smiled.
"I spoke out of turn. Please forget it. Ah, but I'll give you the key."
"Is this place Helkov's owned home?"
"It's rented, but I've prepaid for the next ten years."
He can do that?
(Intruder approaching. Since the end of the corridor has no rooms other than this one, estimated that destination is here.)
Sephira suddenly issued a warning.
It seemed Helkov had heard it too, as he held a finger up to his lips.
I nodded and pulled my hood back up to hide my face.
On top of that, I ordered Sephira mentally to activate camouflage.
"............Ah, those footsteps."
Helkov muttered as if realizing something, and the next moment, a knocking sound echoed through the room.
"I know you're in there! Open this door immediately!"
Between the sounds of violent knocking, a somewhat threatening voice called out.
Without showing fear at this, Helkov walked straight toward the door, fixing his gaze on it.
Daily Updates
Next Time: Three Little Bear Cubs 3