/
“…… Is that so?”
“Yes. So, I wanted to meet the illustrator so badly…… that I became impatient.”
The classic ‘I’m just a kid, so I threw a tantrum. Understand?’ tactic.
“Did I make you very angry by coming here like this?” I asked as I looked up at him with a sulky gaze.
He coughed loudly and avoided my eyes.
“No, I’m not, but if you are…… then I’ll take you to a nice coffee house.”
Huh?
I tilted my head in confusion.
The publishing house is right in front of us, so why suddenly suggest going to a coffeehouse?
The manager must have noticed my puzzled stare because he quickly explained, “Oh, our office is just so crowded. It’s too humble to receive a distinguished guest like you.”
Isn’t that strange?
I narrowed my eyes.
“Don’t normal offices have a reception room for receiving guests?”
Of course, I understand that very small publishing houses might not have that luxury, but this place is obviously fancy.
It’s almost like…
‘It’s like there’s a reason I shouldn’t be in this publishing house.’
At that moment, I took a deep breath. I’m a child. I’m a kid who hasn’t met his favorite illustrator.
I’m a kid who would roll on the floor in a massive tantrum if I couldn’t meet my favorite illustrator…….
“Well, then…….” I clasped my hands tightly above my chest and looked up at the manager. “I… Can I not meet the illustrator?”
My eyes were filled with desperation, as if I would shed tears any moment now.
The manager clicked his tongue and opened his mouth in a lecturing manner.
“Little Lady, since you’re still young, you may not know, but illustrators don’t work here.”
“Really?”
“They work in their own private studios and deliver their work.”
I pretended to be clueless and stared at him.
“I see… Then, could you at least give me the address of the studio?”
“That’s difficult. It’s their personal privacy.”
“Then, can you at least tell me the real name of the illustrator? I want to send a letter!”
“No, I can’t.”
The manager remained stubborn as ever.
This isn’t just a wall… What is this?
Without even realizing it, I found myself making an incredulous expression, completely forgetting to cosplay as a child.
But then.
“Manager.”
Nora, who had been silent the entire time, broke into the conversation.
“Excuse me, but why are you so intent on hiding the identity of the illustrator?”
For a moment, the manager’s shoulders stiffened.
“We’re not saying we’ll meet the illustrator right away and proceed with a contract. We simply want to meet and have a conversation for now.”
“Well, that’s…”
“From the beginning, the work between the publishing house and the illustrator is carried out through one-time contracts, and doesn’t the illustrator have the right to contract with whomever they want?”
I stared at Nora in a daze.
It seemed like Nora must have thoroughly researched all the legal issues before coming to the publishing house.
Wow, she’s very competent.
“So, even if we propose good conditions to the illustrator and proceed with the contract, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“But still…!”
“Moreover, we even mentioned that if the illustrator agrees to a contract with us and it burdens their work with you, we would provide compensation for that.”
Nora faced the manager with a cold gaze.
“We have actually taken the publishing house’s perspective into consideration when making this proposal, so it’s quite unpleasant to see you react this way.”
“Well, if you found it unpleasant, we apologize. However,…”
“While the manager claims to not reveal the illustrator’s name in order to protect their privacy,” Nora calmly continued confronting the manager, who couldn’t even maintain a poker face, “It’s quite puzzling that someone who claims to protect personal privacy doesn’t adhere to publishing laws.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“From what I’ve seen, the illustrator was responsible for the entire collection of traditional folk tales published by this publishing house,” Nora spoke sternly. “According to publishing laws, the main creator of a work must have their name listed in a place where anyone can recognize it. But you, manager, didn’t do that.”
“That, that’s…!”
“The illustrator’s name, which is supposed to be on the cover, was only listed on the inside pages, and even then, it was a pseudonym, which is a clear violation of publishing law.”
Wow.
Listening, mesmerized, to Nora’s ramblings, I suddenly noticed the boss’s strange reaction.
‘What was that?’
The manager appeared nonchalant on the surface, but to me, who was shorter and had a lower eye level, it was clearly visible.
He was clutching the hem of his shirt tightly. It was as if he was trying to hide his nervousness.
“W-What can I do if the illustrator doesn’t want it?” The boss defended himself with a suppressed voice. “I can’t do anything about it either. The illustrator specifically requested to keep their real name hidden!”
“…The illustrator asked to conceal their identity?”
“Yes, that’s right! Do you think I would violate publishing laws just because I wanted to?” The boss shouted, spitting out saliva. “Do you know how sensitive and stubborn artists can be? I’m doing all this to provide a comfortable working environment for the illustrator!”
“…….”
Nora narrowed her eyes at the boss.
The boss raised his voice again.
“You may be a lady from the Duke of Orleans, but isn’t that a little rude? Are you threatening me with publishing laws or something?”
No, this is absurd.
You’re the one who didn’t give me the illustrator’s name in the first place, and you’re the one who prevented me from contacting him.
Why are you twisting everything around to blame us?
But–
“Nora.” I tugged at the hem of Nora’s skirt.
“Miss?”
“It seems like the boss is having a hard time because of us,” I said, drooping both shoulders. “If the illustrator doesn’t want to meet us… there’s nothing we can do.”
“What? But…”
“Let’s just go back home. Okay?”
Nora had an angry expression, but she couldn’t resist my insistence.
So, we climbed into the carriage.
“Miss, are you sure you want to go back to the townhouse like this?”
As soon as we got on the carriage, Nora couldn’t contain her frustration and asked me.
“That’s clearly the wrong thing to do. In the first place, according to the current law, that publishing house doesn’t have the right to monopolize the illustrator. So…”
“I know.”
At my reply, Nora stared down at me blankly.
I shrugged nonchalantly.
“Still, if we keep running our mouths here, he’s not going to just hook us up with the illustrator, is he?”
“Well, yeah, I guess so.”
“By staying here and waiting, we won’t be able to witness the moment when the boss and the illustrator meet.”
I sighed exaggeratedly.
“I can’t help it; I have to do what my first dad taught me.”
“What? What did your first father say?””
“Something like that.”
I recalled Siegfried’s teachings once more.
He’d said it clearly when I’d fought that brat, Rudolf.
’Just do as you please. The Duke of Orleans won’t stop you.’
‘That’s the power of our family. It’s meant to be used in situations like this.’
…that’s what he said.
“For now, let’s go home, Nora.”
I turned to Nora and smirked like a mischievous demon.
Boss, just you wait.
Even if I have to go against my own principles, I need to find out why you’re going to such lengths to keep the illustrator from meeting us!
***
That evening.
I saw faces I hadn’t seen in a long time.
It was Kirios and Cesar.
“Wow!”
Excited, I rushed towards them.
“What’s up with you Second and Third Dad? Didn’t you two say you were busy?”
“I can endure as long as I catch a glimpse of Tati,” Cesar replied gently,
“You missed me, didn’t you, kid?” Kirios added with a mischievous smile.
“Ha…… those bastards are at it again…….”
Siegfried was the only one with a tired expression… But at least smiled when he faced me.
“Go wash your hands first and then return. We want to eat.”
“Yes!”
After washing my hands and returning to the dining room, my three fathers were already seated.
I sat at the table as well.
Normally, we would follow formalities and the dishes would be served in order.
But today, it seemed like a relaxed gathering, as all the food was already laid out on the table.
“Hey, kid,” Kirios casually took my steak plate in front of me and began speaking. “You weren’t at the townhouse earlier today, what have you been up to?”
“Oh, I went to a publishing house.”
“A publishing house?”
Kyrios sliced the steak into small pieces and raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, I was looking at a picture book and there was an illustrator I liked, so I wanted to meet them.”
“Do you have to go all the way to the publishing house?” Kyrios put the plate with the sliced steak back in front of me and asked, “Shouldn’t the illustrator’s name be on the cover? It would be quicker to contact him directly.”
“Well, the thing is, there was no name on the cover.”
“No name?”