Clockwork Lovers — Chapter 13

ARE YOU TELLING ME I WAS ORDERED TO EAT THE ALLEYWAY LUNCH TOO...?

IT WAS UNDER MS. MARIANNE'S ORDERS.

WHAT...!

HUMMINGBIRDS REALLY ARE FAST. They ran right over and tattled on me~

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO LAST A WHILE THIS TIME. JUST WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE DID YOU CAUSE?

THEY RAN RIGHT OVER AND TATTLED ON ME

HE ALWAYS HAS TO TRY EATING THINGS LIKE THAT.

I GUESS HE NEEDS TO TASTE IT TO KNOW WHETHER IT'S POOP OR CHOCOLATE.

YOUR GRACE! HAVE YOU ARRIVED!

THEO!

WHY ARE YOU EATING ALONE?

I COMMITTED A DISCOURTESY AGAINST HER GRACE TODAY, SO...

THESE ARE THE BLUEPRINTS AND SECURITY PLANS FOR THE BANQUET HALL AT *VOLKOV PALACE.

THE FIXED DEPLOYMENT ZONES FOR THE IMPERIAL GUARDS, AND

*THE RESIDENCE OF THE EMPEROR OF THE CARDONIA EMPIRE AND THE PALACE WHERE OFFICIAL IMPERIAL BANQUETS ARE HELD.

I HAVE ALSO MARKED ALL THE BLIND SPOTS OUR DUCHY NEEDS TO COVER.

I WILL CONTINUOUSLY UPDATE AND REPORT ON ANY RISK SCENARIOS THAT COULD THREATEN THE PRINCESS.

GOOD WORK. I WILL REVIEW THEM.

THEO.

DID YOU INTEND TO TEST THE PRINCESS?

CALLING IT A TEST MAKES IT SOUND GRANDER THAN IT WAS.

SHE WAS A PERSON SURROUNDED BY RUMORS, SO I SIMPLY NEEDED TO FIGURE HER OUT FOR MYSELF.

TO SEE WHETHER THE PRINCESS IS JUST A FAST-TALKING SMART ALECK OR NOT?

WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THE SAME TO PRINCESS IREMIA?

A RETAINER OF AN AUTONOMOUS DOMAIN INTERROGATED A PRINCESS OF A NATION,

AND CORNERED HER INTO LOOKING LIKE SHE WAS RUNNING AWAY IF SHE REFUSED.

YET THE PRICE THAT RETAINER PAID WAS MERELY SKIPPING A SINGLE LUNCH.

THAT IS THE REALITY THE POWERLESS PRINCESS CURRENTLY FACES.

YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO CALCULATES THAT REALITY FASTER THAN ANYONE ELSE.

SO EVEN WHILE TAKING IT UPON YOURSELF TO DO SUCH A COWARDLY ACT THAT YOU HATE SO MUCH,

WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO FIND OUT?

...WHAT I EXCHANGED WITH THE PRINCESS TODAY

WAS A GAME FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF RAENE THEOLOGY, WHERE THE GREATEST THEOLOGIANS WOULD PROVOKE THEIR OPPONENTS WITH VERSES FROM THE SCRIPTURES

TO SHOW OFF AND COMPETE WITH THEIR INTELLECT.

THIS IS ONLY POSSIBLE IF BACKED BY DEEP INSIGHT IN ADDITION TO A GENIUS- LEVEL MEMORY,

AND SURE ENOUGH, THE PRINCESS'S SCHOLARSHIP WAS FOLLOWING THE PATH OF THE GREAT SCHOLARS WHO DOMINATED THAT ERA.

...HOWEVER...

IT BOTHERS ME THAT SHE MENTIONED A FORBIDDEN TOME CALLED THE GEMINUS GOSPEL AT THE END.

...I HAVE A GUESS AS TO WHAT SHE MEANT BY IT, THOUGH.

EVEN THOUGH IT CANNOT BE COMPARED TO FORBIDDEN TOMES DEALING WITH NECROMANCY OR ALCHEMY,

IT IS A BOOK FILLED WITH ALL SORTS OF PROFANE AND WICKED RECORDS THAT GO AGAINST THE DOCTRINE.

BUT IF YOU'RE A SCHOLAR, YOU'D FIND A WAY TO READ THAT BOOK NO MATTER WHAT. JUST LIKE YOU DID, THEO.

BECAUSE THE MORE SOMETHING IS FORBIDDEN, THE STRONGER IT STIMULATES THE DESIRE FOR INQUIRY.

...YOUR GRACE.

DO YOU KNOW CHAPTER 13, VERSE 4 OF THE GEMINUS GOSPEL?

GOD FINALLY ANSWERED THE PRIEST WHO DESPERATELY CRIED OUT TO HIM, SAYING,

I WILL NOT SAVE YOU FROM THE CLIFF,

SO YOU SHALL NOT BELIEVE IN ME.

EVEN THOUGH I'VE COME OUTSIDE,

BOOKS ARE STILL MY REFUGE FROM MISFORTUNE.

WHETHER THAT MISFORTUNE IS BIG OR SMALL,

I KNOW THAT I AM SHAKEN BY IT MUCH MORE THAN OTHERS.

AND I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE HARM TO ANYONE BECAUSE OF MY EMOTIONS.

SO I HAVE TO CALM THIS TURBULENT HEART OF MINE SOMEHOW.

ONE EXPERIENCE ENDING MEANS ONE CHAPTER CLOSING.

EVEN IF THE CONTENTS OF THAT CHAPTER WERE A MESS,

THE PAGE WILL EVENTUALLY TURN TO THE NEXT CHAPTER ANYWAY.

ON A DAY LIKE TODAY,

LET'S JUST CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY TO HAVE FOUND A STORY I REALLY LIKE.

AH... THIS SENTENCE IS REALLY NICE.

SHOULD I TRY MEMORIZING IT IN MY HEAD AS IF SLOWLY SAVORING IT...?

I REALLY DON'T LIKE THAT DOORBELL CONTRAPTION.

EVEN IF IT RINGS, I CAN'T ACTUALLY TELL WHO HAS ARRIVED,

THEY HAVE TO WALK ALL THE WAY DOWN THE HALLWAY TO MY DOOR BEFORE THEY FINALLY STATE THEIR NAME,

AND IF I TELL THEM TO GO BACK AT THAT POINT, IT JUST MAKES THINGS AWKWARD FOR BOTH OF US.

SHOULD I TELL THEM TO LEAVE?

BUT...

IT'S USUALLY MARIANNE OR CECIA ANYWAY...

OR IT COULD BE HIM...

IT SEEMS YOU ARE VERY GLAD TO SEE ME.

...I JUST REALIZED.

I REALLY DON'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO USE SARCASM ALL THE TIME.

WHAT IS THE MATTER?

REGARDING WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING,

I CAME TO SEE YOU BECAUSE I HAVE A QUESTION.

...WHAT KIND...?

IT IS ABOUT THE VERSE FROM THE BOOK OF SAINT SEVERUS THAT YOU PERSONALLY POINTED OUT, PRINCESS.

YOU REFERRED TO IT AS AN "UGLY APPEARANCE," BUT...

"WISDOM LEARNED ALONE IS LIKE A FACE GROWN WITHOUT A MIRROR,"

"SO ONE DOES NOT KNOW THEIR OWN UGLY APPEARANCE UNTIL THEY STAND BEFORE OTHERS."

ISN'T THE ACTUAL WORD WRITTEN IN THE SCRIPTURE "TRUE APPEARANCE" RATHER THAN "UGLY APPEARANCE"?

IT SEEMED LIKE CECIA WAS TWICE AS PROVOKED BY THE PHRASE "UGLY APPEARANCE."

"SIR THEORIX! YOU HAVE CROSSED THE LINE, SIR!"

SO HE'S ASKING IF I DID THAT ON PURPOSE TO GET HIM IN TROUBLE, RIGHT?

THE <BOOK OF SAINT SEVERUS> IS A SCRIPTURE RECORDING THE TEACHINGS THE SAINT LEFT FOR HIS DISCIPLES.

THERE ARE SLIGHT DIFFERENCES IN THE EDITIONS PASSED DOWN BY EACH ACADEMIC SECT,

AND ONE OF THEM JUST IMMEDIATELY CAME TO MY MIND.

SINCE I WAS CONSTANTLY GETTING PUSHED AROUND, I MIGHT HAVE JUST LASHED OUT A LITTLE.

BUT PERHAPS IT'S MORE SO BECAUSE THE FEELING OF CONSIDERING MYSELF UGLY WAS IN MY SUBCONSCIOUS...

WOULD AN EXACT ORIGINAL TEXT EVEN EXIST FOR A SCRIPTURE THAT HAS BEEN TRANSCRIBED BY HUMAN HANDS OVER SUCH A LONG TIME?

IT MUST HAVE BEEN ALTERED COUNTLESS TIMES DEPENDING ON THE INTENTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF THOSE PASSING IT DOWN.

THE BOOK OF SAINT SEVERUS IS A BOOK WHERE THE NARRATIVE DIFFERS SLIGHTLY DEPENDING ON THE ACADEMIC SECT.

I SUPPOSE I SUBCONSCIOUSLY RECITED IT FOR YOU IN A RATHER SHARP NARRATIVE.

IN THE BOOK OF SAINT SEVERUS, IT IS ALSO WRITTEN THAT FAITH CAN BE FOUND EVEN WITHIN THE MOST PROFANE STORIES,

AND THAT CONTRADICTIONS CAN BE FOUND EVEN WITHIN THE MOST HOLY SCRIPTURES.

THAT SOUNDS INCREDIBLY INTERESTING!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO DEBATE THAT TOPIC WITH ME?

I am... not feeling well today, so... maybe next time...

OH, OF COURSE, I DIDN'T MEAN RIGHT THIS INSTANT EITHER.

BY THE WAY, SINCE YOU AREN'T FEELING WELL, HIS GRACE SHOULD PROBABLY RETREAT AS WELL.

HE MUST BE WAITING IN FRONT OF THE RECEPTION ROOM DOORS BY NOW...

...AH...

EVEN IF YOU ARE A LITTLE TIRED,

SURELY YOU CAN MANAGE A SHORT CONVERSATION!

Geminus Gospel, Chapter 13, Verse 4.

GOD FINALLY ANSWERED THE PRIEST WHO DESPERATELY CRIED OUT TO HIM, SAYING,

I WILL NOT SAVE YOU FROM THE CLIFF, SO YOU SHALL NOT BELIEVE IN ME.

AT FIRST GLANCE, IT SEEMS LIKE GOD IS VAINLY ABANDONING THE PRIEST WHO IS BEGGING FOR SALVATION, BUT

IF IT IS THE PRINCESS, SHE MUST HAVE INTERPRETED THAT VERSE FROM THE FORBIDDEN TOME

AS MEANING THAT THE FAITH OF A PRIEST WHO EXPECTS A REWARD IS NOT GENUINE.

In that case, that priest is me.

A TRUST THAT IS ONLY GIVEN AFTER PASSING A TEST IS NO DIFFERENT FROM FAITH THAT EXPECTS A REWARD.

SINCE YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO KNOW THE TRUE ME WITH YOUR PETTY LITTLE TEST,

IT MUST HAVE MEANT FOR ME TO BACK OFF.

BUT PARADOXICALLY, WASN’T SHE REVEALING EVERYTHING ABOUT HERSELF IN THE END?

BOTH HER BRILLIANCE AND HER CHILDISH BOLDNESS,

ALTHOUGH SHE IS STILL A ROUGH GEMSTONE, IT WAS AS IF SHE WERE DESPERATELY CRYING OUT

FOR SOMEONE TO RECOGNIZE HER TRUE WORTH.

HOW IS IT THAT SUCH A STAR WAS HIDDEN AWAY UNTIL THE DYNASTY’S DOWNFALL?

IT TRULY IS THE *CURSE OF NEPTUNE...

*NEPTUNE - IN ASTROLOGY, IT CAN ALSO SYMBOLIZE FOG, ILLUSIONS, MYSTERY, DECEPTION, ETC.

ANYWAY, A ROMANCE...

IS IT ROMANCE...

FINALLY, SOME ROMANCE IN THIS DESOLATE PALACE...

PRINCESS...

PLEASE KINDLE THE SPARK OF LOVE IN THAT LONELY MAN'S HEART...

I'M HUNGRY...

AND IN FRONT OF ME,

SOME TEDDY BEAR APPEARED.

HELLO.

I AM ROCHE BEAR.

THIS ROCHE BEAR GREETS THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS.

THE BONUS CUTTOON <LOVERS OF THE N-CUT> CONTINUES BELOW.

ISOLDE.

WHY DO YOU THINK HER GRACE IS HIDING?

SHE DOESN'T WANT TO RUN INTO US JUST YET, BUT WE HAPPEN TO BE RIGHT BY THE DOOR.

THEN WE SHOULD GET OUT OF HER WAY.

OHO...

OHOHO...

ISOLDE, WHAT KIND OF IMAGINATION ARE YOU RUNNING WILD WITH NOW?