The left wing of the palace where I reside isn't internally connected, despite being a single structure, due to differences in when the sections were built. The most obvious discrepancy is the varying floor heights between buildings. My section has five stories including the attic, yet the part that connects directly to Father's main residence is only two stories. Only the first and third floors, and the second and fourth floors connect, and there are other later additions as well.
"Are all historic buildings such labyrinths?"
Led by Harti, I was heading toward the gardens. Ikuto, the guard, was keeping his distance behind us, probably because that allowed him to observe the whole area.
Nominally, this was a stroll in the gardens. However, the vast gardens extended for kilometers, beyond what the eye could see, so it wasn't such a casual distance that you could call it a mere stroll. I'd heard that behind the palace were canals, grand fountains, forests, and even pastures. Within the grounds were three detached palaces built by successive emperors—a vastness that defied common sense.
It was luxurious to the point of absurdity, but I was the son of the owner of these vast gardens. Moreover, I rarely saw that father, and very few people treated me as a prince, so I didn't actually feel it much.
"There are security reasons as well, but the palace interior is also the work of artists representing their eras, so renovations are constantly requested."
Renovation after renovation, rebuilding after rebuilding. I somehow understood that this was also the vanity of the emperors of each era. Surely these excessively vast gardens had become so extensive to assert imperial authority as well.
I passed through the garden with geometric hedges with Harti. Then, without any particular destination, we walked through the cool shade of the birch forest. Yes, the stroll itself wasn't bad. I had no such leisurely memories in my previous life, so it was rather refreshing.
"...Fueh..."
"Hm? Harti, did you hear that just now?"
Harti placed a hand to her cheek and shook her head.
"I thought I heard a child crying. Is it this way?"
I pulled Harti's hand and headed toward the tall hedges higher than an adult's back, passing through the trees. Then, right at the border with the birch forest, I saw the figure of a child crouching down.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Fueh, uuu..."
The boy was desperately holding back tears of fear, his round face trembling, cheeks bright red against his pale skin. His childish features and dark blue hair—a color common among imperial nobility—marked him as two or three years younger than me. The lace cuffs of his clothes were of high quality. Since there are age restrictions for entering the palace, being here at this age served as a clue to his identity. Moreover, few could enter the palace gardens at this age; besides guests, only two people were permitted to walk freely, including me.
"You're... Teristras, right?"
"Who?"
The boy looked up when his name was called. The hand covering his eyes moved away, revealing moist dark blue pupils.
"Nice to meet you."
I said that with a full smile. This child is Teristras. Son of Emperor Keter and Empress Raminea, and my younger brother! I never thought I'd meet him so suddenly like this. Besides, why is this child, the next emperor, alone? Even I have a wet nurse and two guards with me; this situation is strange.
"Why are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere? Are you okay?"
"...Where... where is this?"
He was on guard, but apparently he's just lost. As far as I could see, he didn't appear to be injured.
"I see, you were lonely. Then, shall we search for others together? Don't worry, I'll stay with you the whole time."
I extended my hand and made the proposal, perhaps a bit hastily. The young Teristras looked at me, Harti, and Ikuto waiting behind us with a very hesitant expression. Yes, this judgment not to follow strangers at three years old. Promising future, yes yes.
"Teristras, may I call you Terry? This isn't a scary place. It's a lovely garden. Have you seen them? There are glowing flowers and trees that make sounds like bells."
Terry shook his head at me as I spoke with my hand still extended. Even that gesture was cute. And curiosity was budding in those dark blue eyes.
"Shall we look for the people you know while seeing the wonderful things in this garden?"
"...Yes."
My younger brother replied in a still high-pitched voice and grasped my extended hand with his small fingers. It was warm, and somehow I felt uneasy with those hands smaller than my own young ones. Is this rising itchiness what they call the desire to protect?
I pulled Terry up from where he sat and turned my eyes to Ikuto. Then Ikuto immediately nodded and went to search for the other guards who were likely searching for Terry. We'll be touring the famous spots in the garden, so Ikuto will surely bring them here.
"Now, let's go. What did you come to the garden to do today?"
"Walk."
He still has few words and is wary, but that shyness is cute too. And as declared, I took Terry to the flowerbed where the glowing flowers were planted. The flowers themselves normally have stamens protruding from the petals, but now during the day they were closed, becoming slender tubes.
"Look, see?"
I gently cupped the flower with both hands to darken it. Then, through the thin petals, you could see the stamen emitting light. Flowers that glow when darkened—truly fantastical flowers. A plant that three-year-old Terry had likely never seen.
"Wa, waa! It glowed!"
"Try it. Gently, so you don't crush the flower."
Terry happily imitated me.
"Color, different."
"That's right, you noticed well. Look, what color is this one?"
"Red!"
Terry seemed to have taken a liking to how each flower glowed a different color. He cupped them one after another in his hands to make them glow, laughing brightly. He even cupped flowers of a different variety in the neighboring bed, tilting his head when they didn't glow—also cute. Harti and I, watching over him, naturally smiled as well.
"Why? ...Yaa!?"
"Terry!?"
Suddenly Terry sat down with a thump, cried out, and began to weep. Then a black round bug flew out from the flower Terry had been covering. Apparently a bee or similar insect had been inside.
"It's okay, I'll protect you. Look, I chased the bug away. Harti, does that sting?"
"No, that one doesn't sting. He was probably just surprised seeing it for the first time."
I was worried because Terry wouldn't stop crying, but it seems he's okay.
"It's okay, it's okay so don't cry. ...Um, look at this. Fold it like this, open this up. Here, a flower that bugs don't come to, see?"
I folded a handkerchief and made a banana that a friend taught me in elementary school, peeling the skin. It resembles the glowing flower in its bloomed state, but come to think of it, Terry has never seen it opened. Just as I was about to withdraw it out of embarrassment at the slip, Terry grabbed my hand with both of his to stop me.
"Flower? Amazing."
"It's easy, you can do it too."
Since he stopped crying, I let him hold the handkerchief, and then I heard the sound of many people moving. Turning my face, I saw a woman in a dress out of breath and unfamiliar people in guard uniforms running. Finding me and Terry who had just stopped crying, the first thing she did was shout angrily.
"What are you doing!? Step away from him immediately!"
Terry was about to cry again at such fierceness, but the woman ignored that, picked him up, and glared at me. Furthermore, seeing that the handkerchief he held wasn't Terry's, she snatched it and threw it to the ground. Moreover, the three guards put their hands on their swords and tried to stand before me.
"What... do you intend to do?"
At the cold voice, the three guards straightened their spines. Ikuto, who had returned unnoticed, stood before me while intimidating the guards with an icy gaze.
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Next: The Emperor's Eldest Son 5
I should review for any awkward phrasing and ensure the tone is appropriate for the genre. The text has a mix of childlike wonder and mature observation (due to reincarnation), so the voice should reflect that.
One check: "左翼" - left wing
"造られた時代の差" - differences in construction eras
"屋根裏含めて" - including the attic
"直通の部分" - direct connection part
"後付の建物" - later additions/attached buildings
"キロメートルの単位で広がっている" - extending for kilometers/spread across kilometers
"光る花" - glowing flowers/luminescent flowers
"ハンカチを折って...バナナを作って皮を剥く" - folding a handkerchief to make a banana and peeling it (origami banana)
"剣幕" - fierce attitude/aggressive manner
"冷やりとする声" - cold/chilling voice
Everything looks good. I'll make sure the final output is clean with no translator notes. The left wing of the palace where I reside isn't internally connected, despite being a single structure, due to differences in when the sections were built. The most obvious discrepancy is the varying floor heights between buildings. My section has five stories including the attic, yet the part that connects directly to Father's main residence is only two stories. Only the first and third floors, and the second and fourth floors connect, and there are other later additions as well.
"Are all historic buildings such labyrinths?"
Led by Harti, I was heading toward the gardens. Ikuto, the guard, was keeping his distance behind us, probably because that allowed him to observe the whole area.
Nominally, this was a stroll in the gardens. However, the vast gardens extended for kilometers, beyond what the eye could see, so it wasn't such a casual distance that you could call it a mere stroll. I'd heard that behind the palace were canals, grand fountains, forests, and even pastures. Within the grounds were three detached palaces built by successive emperors—a vastness that defied common sense.
It was luxurious to the point of absurdity, but I was the son of the owner of these vast gardens. Moreover, I rarely saw that father, and very few people treated me as a prince, so I didn't actually feel it much.
"There are security reasons as well, but the palace interior is also the work of artists representing their eras, so renovations are constantly requested."
Renovation after renovation, rebuilding after rebuilding. I somehow understood that this was also the vanity of the emperors of each era. Surely these excessively vast gardens had become so extensive to assert imperial authority as well.
I passed through the garden with geometric hedges with Harti. Then, without any particular destination, we walked through the cool shade of the birch forest. Yes, the stroll itself wasn't bad. I had no such leisurely memories in my previous life, so it was rather refreshing.
"...Fueh..."
"Hm? Harti, did you hear that just now?"
Harti placed a hand to her cheek and shook her head.
"I thought I heard a child crying. Is it this way?"
I pulled Harti's hand and headed toward the tall hedges higher than an adult's back, passing through the trees. Then, right at the border with the birch forest, I saw the figure of a child crouching down.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Fueh, uuu..."
The boy was desperately holding back tears of fear, his round face trembling, cheeks bright red against his pale skin. His childish features and dark blue hair—a color common among imperial nobility—marked him as two or three years younger than me. The lace cuffs of his clothes were of high quality. Since there are age restrictions for entering the palace, being here at this age served as a clue to his identity. Moreover, few could enter the palace gardens at this age; besides guests, only two people were permitted to walk freely, including me.
"You're... Teristras, right?"
"Who?"
The boy looked up when his name was called. The hand covering his eyes moved away, revealing moist dark blue pupils.
"Nice to meet you."
I said that with a full smile. This child is Teristras. Son of Emperor Keter and Empress Raminea, and my younger brother! I never thought I'd meet him so suddenly like this. Besides, why is this child, the next emperor, alone? Even I have a wet nurse and two guards with me; this situation is strange.
"Why are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere? Are you okay?"
"...Where... where is this?"
He was on guard, but apparently he's just lost. As far as I could see, he didn't appear to be injured.
"I see, you were lonely. Then, shall we search for others together? Don't worry, I'll stay with you the whole time."
I extended my hand and made the proposal, perhaps a bit hastily. The young Teristras looked at me, Harti, and Ikuto waiting behind us with a very hesitant expression. Yes, this judgment not to follow strangers at three years old. Promising future, yes yes.
"Teristras, may I call you Terry? This isn't a scary place. It's a lovely garden. Have you seen them? There are glowing flowers and trees that make sounds like bells."
Terry shook his head at me as I spoke with my hand still extended. Even that gesture was cute. And curiosity was budding in those dark blue eyes.
"Shall we look for the people you know while seeing the wonderful things in this garden?"
"...Yes."
My younger brother replied in a still high-pitched voice and grasped my extended hand with his small fingers. It was warm, and somehow I felt uneasy with those hands smaller than my own young ones. Is this rising itchiness what they call the desire to protect?
I pulled Terry up from where he sat and turned my eyes to Ikuto. Then Ikuto immediately nodded and went to search for the other guards who were likely searching for Terry. We'll be touring the famous spots in the garden, so Ikuto will surely bring them here.
"Now, let's go. What did you come to the garden to do today?"
"Walk."
He still has few words and is wary, but that shyness is cute too. And as declared, I took Terry to the flowerbed where the glowing flowers were planted. The flowers themselves normally have stamens protruding from the petals, but now during the day they were closed, becoming slender tubes.
"Look, see?"
I gently cupped the flower with both hands to darken it. Then, through the thin petals, you could see the stamen emitting light. Flowers that glow when darkened—truly fantastical flowers. A plant that three-year-old Terry had likely never seen.
"Wa, waa! It glowed!"
"Try it. Gently, so you don't crush the flower."
Terry happily imitated me.
"Color, different."
"That's right, you noticed well. Look, what color is this one?"
"Red!"
Terry seemed to have taken a liking to how each flower glowed a different color. He cupped them one after another in his hands to make them glow, laughing brightly. He even cupped flowers of a different variety in the neighboring bed, tilting his head when they didn't glow—also cute. Harti and I, watching over him, naturally smiled as well.
"Why? ...Yaa!?"
"Terry!?"
Suddenly Terry sat down with a thump, cried out, and began to weep. Then a black round bug flew out from the flower Terry had been covering. Apparently a bee or similar insect had been inside.
"It's okay, I'll protect you. Look, I chased the bug away. Harti, does that sting?"
"No, that one doesn't sting. He was probably just surprised seeing it for the first time."
I was worried because Terry wouldn't stop crying, but it seems he's okay.
"It's okay, it's okay so don't cry. ...Um, look at this. Fold it like this, open this up. Here, a flower that bugs don't come to, see?"
I folded a handkerchief and made a banana that a friend taught me in elementary school, peeling the skin. It resembles the glowing flower in its bloomed state, but come to think of it, Terry has never seen it opened. Just as I was about to withdraw it out of embarrassment at the slip, Terry grabbed my hand with both of his to stop me.
"Flower? Amazing."
"It's easy, you can do it too."
Since he stopped crying, I let him hold the handkerchief, and then I heard the sound of many people moving. Turning my face, I saw a woman in a dress out of breath and unfamiliar people in guard uniforms running. Finding me and Terry who had just stopped crying, the first thing she did was shout angrily.
"What are you doing!? Step away from him immediately!"
Terry was about to cry again at such fierceness, but the woman ignored that, picked him up, and glared at me. Furthermore, seeing that the handkerchief he held wasn't Terry's, she snatched it and threw it to the ground. Moreover, the three guards put their hands on their swords and tried to stand before me.
"What... do you intend to do?"
At the cold voice, the three guards straightened their spines. Ikuto, who had returned unnoticed, stood before me while intimidating the guards with an icy gaze.
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Next: The Emperor's Eldest Son 5