Gulp. The Saint unconsciously swallowed.
Mausoleum smiled slyly and spoke lazily.
“I don’t mind, really.”
There was no way he wouldn’t mind.
If the Church and the Mausoleum family went to full-scale war, the family would undoubtedly be the ones to perish.
Yet the Church would also suffer significant damage and have to crawl back under the Emperor’s shadow.
The Saint knew this. That was why he could afford to display such nonchalance.
“This blasphemer…!”
The Saint muttered in anger, barely audible.
Crunch.
Hella, who had been standing behind Seymour, stepped forward.
“……”
Hella silently looked down at the Saint.
Long black hair tied in a horse-tail down to her waist, the magical circuits near her eyes signifying her deadly resolve against enemies.
And she was a towering figure—one head taller and nearly twice the width of the Saint.
“……gulp.”
The Saint unconsciously stepped back.
Hella said nothing, but sometimes silence itself could be the strongest weapon.
“……It seems we are disrupting the party’s atmosphere.”
Gritting his teeth, the Saint decided to retreat for now.
“We came to celebrate the Mausoleum family’s new leap forward, but I suppose the seating wasn’t suitable.”
Seymour silently regarded the Saint with a languid smile.
“Until next time, Count.”
“Do take care, Saint.”
As he turned away, the Saint thought,
‘Seymour… truly a dangerous man.’
According to what Johannes had heard, Seymour had killed Hella’s father, the captain of the Black Dragon Knights.
Yet Hella appeared more loyal to Seymour than anyone.
‘Seymour has his hands on the entire Mausoleum family. He’s a pillar of the underworld, and now even the Hetzling is under his control.’
It was said that the Crown Prince had a strong interest in that Hetzling.
‘If the Hetzling and the Crown Prince marry—or even just become engaged—Seymour would become the most powerful person in this realm.’
Power in the system was divided: the Church’s, the Emperor’s, the nobles’, and the underworld’s.
Holding three of the four meant dominance.
‘This must be stopped.’
It was imperative that the city and the people’s ideology not fall into the hands of a villain.
“I shall offer my cloistered prayers once we return to the Church.”
At the Saint’s words, the priests attending him looked up, surprised.
“But, Saint!”
“There are countless schedules starting this afternoon!”
“Cloistered prayers…!”
But the Saint paid no attention. He turned to glance at the building he had just left.
‘Descendants of a graceful beast…’
The Saint narrowed his eyes. A viscous loathing showed in his gaze, as if he were staring at a demon’s castle.
I stroked Lucis in my arms, watching the place the Saint had vanished from.
‘His hostility toward Lucis is stronger than I thought.’
Since the Saint is also a character in the original game, I was aware of his hatred toward the Mausoleum family.
Yet I hadn’t realized that this hatred extended to Lucis as well.
‘Though his views and the twelve churches’ views may not fully align…’
The Saint was like a cog in the Church’s machine.
Just as saints are discarded when useless, the Saint was only as useful to the Church.
‘Still, better be careful.’
Being a symbolic figure, he had quite a few followers—inside and outside the Church.
I was pondering how to handle him while stroking Lucis’s head.
“His Majesty, Emperor Grandal Dux Grenium II of Grenium, and Her Majesty, Empress Benefi Dux Grenium, accompany him!”
The sudden cry from the court usher made everyone kneel.
All the models on stage did the same, the only exception being Lucis, who remained in my arms.
Crunching footsteps and a deep voice reached us.
“Lift your head.”
I raised my head and almost burst into laughter.
“It is an honor to accept your invitation, Your Majesty.”
“Hm. I have high expectations, Count Mausoleum.”
“Thank you. It seems you liked the outfit I previously presented.”
The Emperor wore the outfit I had made earlier: a black suit and white dress shirt, which complemented his golden hair perfectly.
Above all, the Emperor’s naturally muscular body looked impressive under the suit.
‘The Emperor is a surprisingly good model.’
In my design, the most important elements were “restrained wildness” and “subtle sexiness.”
In that sense, the macho Emperor fit my design perfectly.
“Ohho….”
“Hmm…”
As if confirming my words, the nobles’ gazes intensified on the Emperor.
Apart from the Mausoleum family members and models, only the Emperor could wear the Luxé suits.
Normally, he might have shown displeasure at such scrutiny, but he quietly adjusted his collar, emphasizing the outfit even more.
Clearly, he liked the suit.
Then, from behind the Emperor, the Crown Prince stepped forward. His appearance was slightly unexpected, but I bowed respectfully.
“You have arrived, Your Highness.”
“Pleased to see you again, Count Mausoleum.”
Despite his youth, Crown Prince Erad’s greeting was dignified and intelligent.
Yet his expression was odd. Blushing, he hesitated while addressing Lucis next to me.
“Um… Lucis, have you been well?”
“…….”
Lucis… “Miss Lucis”?
I frowned instinctively.
‘This kid…’
As I glared at the Crown Prince, my side felt hot. The Emperor was staring at me intently.
‘This kid…’ the Emperor seemed to say.
In a suit, with a stern expression, he looked less like the Emperor and more like a mob boss.
I suddenly understood what the underworld’s pillars must have felt seeing Hella.
Even the Emperor seemed almost matched with Hella in presence.
While dodging the Emperor’s gaze, Lucis tilted his head curiously.
“……Hm?”
Erad’s eyes reflected despair.
“Do you… not remember?”
He lowered his head as if to dig into the ground in shame.
“You… liked the jewel-like one last time…”
Hearing his almost mournful tone, Lucis seemed to recall.
“Oh, sparkling.”
“Y-Yes! That’s sparkling!”
Lucis recognized him, and Erad’s eyes sparkled with joy.
Even stripped of his princely dignity, the Crown Prince’s face radiated the look of someone who had everything in the world.
While the Empress sighed and the Emperor smiled faintly, I thought differently.
‘In the power structure, the Church’s greatest rival is the Imperial family.’
If the Saint hated him but the Crown Prince loved him…
Then, should a conflict arise between Mausoleum and the Church, the Imperial family could intervene.
Ideally, that conflict could even escalate into a Church vs. Imperial battle.
“Let’s escort him to the VIP seat, Your Highness.”
I smiled and gestured toward the runway.
“Lucis will soon be walking up there.”
Bright lights illuminated Lucis’s path.
Most animals instinctively protect their young.
It’s an evolutionary trait for the species’ survival.
‘Adults evolved to find babies cute; babies evolved to appear cute to adults.’
For humans, the cutest moments are often when children imitate adults.
‘Like putting on mom’s makeup or wearing dad’s clothes.’
The subtle imbalance between children and adults, combined with children’s admiration of the adult world, makes it endearing.
‘What am I trying to say?’
The show was essentially over the moment Lucis stepped onto the runway in a baby suit.
“Heh.”
Lucis walked with pride, as if his turn had finally come.
The band changed their music to a majestic march from a soft ballad.
People turned to watch, mouths agape, unable to look away.
‘We really prepared this meticulously.’
Lucis wore a child-sized version of the suit—a baby suit.
His plump torso and short limbs, characteristic of children, were highlighted, making him irresistibly cute.
Even more, Lucis’s suit was my first black-and-white inverted design: only the dress shirt was black; jacket, pants, vest, tie, and shoes were white.
‘Adults might find this combo hard to pull off, but children suit it perfectly.’
His white hair complemented the color scheme beautifully.
“A baby suit… Count, you really know how to sell.”
“This will cause a stir in children’s fashion too.”
“And the little Radiant Dragon is as angelically cute as ever.”
The nobles couldn’t take their eyes off Lucis. Some quietly commented; others stared blankly, including Erad.
Marco’s younger siblings, Marek and Mari, stood behind Lucis.
They wore ordinary baby suits, in stark contrast to Lucis.
It was their first time wearing such fine clothes and standing before so many nobles, and their faces were flushed.
“Heh.”
Reaching the runway’s end, Lucis stopped.
Looking at those gazing up at him, he radiated self-love and pride.
Hands on his hips, he struck a pose.
Thunderous applause erupted.
Lucis spread his arms like a singer at a concert, basking in the cheers.
Praise me!
Behold, I am magnificent, and I even wear this fine outfit! Praise me now!
Watching the crowd, I thought:
‘This baby suit could easily sell for triple the price of a regular suit.’
Whether on Earth or here, parents spared no expense dressing their children.
Wealthy nobles tended to prove their love by buying the most expensive things.
‘For the royal family, I should add embroidery and sell it ten times the price.’
Even at twenty times, they’d probably pay without hesitation.
That sucker… I mean, the Crown Prince, would cling to his parents if he could wear the same outfit as Lucis.
“Hehehe…”
The applause sounded to me like the jingling of gold coins—and it wasn’t just my imagination.
