Special Story 9

“Son. Are you going to keep carrying that around?”

“Yes! He’s my friend!”

“You have plenty of other friends, even without that one…”

Because of her lonely childhood, Lee-Jae hoped her child would make as many friends as possible. Thanks to this, a significant number of young guests of the prince’s age attended the birthday party held the other day.

However, a curious incident occurred at the party. Instead of being afraid of the grotesque statue, the Prince’s friends were curious and flocked to it. Throughout the party, they kept glancing at the statue with envious eyes, and when they returned home, they pestered their parents to get them one too.

Roderick had just come from listening to the complaints of nobles who were tormented by their children this morning.

“Your Majesty, where can one acquire that statue?”

“You know the answer, so why ask? Don’t bother the Queen. Her hands are red from carving that thing day and night.”

“Then what should we do? As a father yourself, surely you understand. Kids won’t stop until they get what they want.”

“That’s for you to figure out with your own abilities. If you’re in a hurry, carve one yourself. You knew this when you had children, didn’t you?”

Roderick chuckled repeatedly as he recalled the resentful faces of the nobles. Then, his eyes met Leo’s, and he belatedly wondered about the purpose of his son’s visit.

“But Leo. What brings you here?”

Leo, who had been spirited until he entered the study, hesitated at the question. The attendant who had followed the prince answered on his behalf.

“Well, His Highness the Prince wishes to try carving.”

“Carving?”

“Yes. Would it be acceptable to give him a carving tool? Since it is a blade, we felt we needed Your Majesty’s permission…”

Leo looked at his father with an earnest gaze. However, Roderick clicked his tongue and shook his head, looking displeased.

“What if you get hurt? You might cut your hand.”

“No! I won’t get hurt!”

“Oh, really? So confident, are we? But didn’t you slip when you climbed a tree trying to follow a squirrel yesterday? Did you think you would fall then?”

“…”

“Accidents are just like that. And your mom gets very heartbroken if you get hurt. More than if she was hurt herself.”

Roderick watched his son’s reaction with his arms crossed. Leo looked disappointed when his father used a harder line than expected. Yet, not wanting to give up on carving, he mumbled in a small voice.

“I want to give it to Mama…”

“To Mom? Give her what?”

Roderick, who had been tilting his head, soon understood the child’s intention and asked with a mix of belief and disbelief.

“You want to carve something and give it to Mom as a gift? A wooden figurine?”

“Yes…”

Roderick, who had initially opposed it, thinking- ‘What kind of trouble is he planning to cause with a knife now?’ fell silent for a moment. He had thought the child was still at the age where he only followed his own desires. He was so touched by the admirable, even precious, desire to repay his mother’s kindness.

“My son is all grown up. You’re better than me.”

However, since a knife was undeniably dangerous, Roderick pondered for a moment. Of course, there would be blunt carving tools for children, and the attendants would be watching him like hawks to ensure the Prince wouldn’t get hurt, but…

He ultimately decided to personally assist his son to ensure his safety. His heart was moved by the precious sincerity of the child toward his mother.

“Your father will help you.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, but you have to be careful. If you get hurt, I’ll confiscate it immediately.”

“Yes! I’ll be careful!”

Leo, without being asked, immediately made a pinky promise with his father to be cautious.

Soon, the attendants brought a few blocks of wood the size of a child’s arm and a set of carving tools, both for adults and children. Everyone expected a heartwarming scene of a father and son creating something together. However, the two immediately bickered over their difference in opinion.

“Papa, please make a squirrel!”

“A squirrel? Wouldn’t a fox be better?”

“A fox?”

“Yes. You said this is for Mom. Mom’s hair is like a fox’s.”

When Leo hesitated, wondering, ‘Is that so?’ and unable to answer readily, Roderick whispered, trying to entice him.

“This is still a secret, but we’re going to have a birthday party for Mom in a few days.”

“…”

“Let’s give her this then. To surprise her.”

At the word ‘secret,’ Leo’s eyes widened, and he looked around. And like his father, he lowered his voice and whispered.

“But Mama’s birthday has already passed.”

“Ah. That? Due to certain circumstances, we decided to change the date.”

“…Huh? You can change birthdays? Then I want to change mine too!”

The attendants who were listening to the conversation between the two let out a collective sigh. The attendant who had accompanied Leo looked especially like he wanted to cry. ‘Why did he say something unnecessary and give the Prince an excuse to throw a tantrum?’ The situation ahead was so frustrating that he only resented the King.

However, Roderick was skillful even in the face of this unexpected challenge.

“You too? Ah… I think that might be a bit difficult.”

“Why?”

“Mom and Dad like that date. We both cried a lot on the day you were born. Because we were so happy.”

“…”

“Do you still want to change it?”

“No, then I won’t change it.”

Roderick nodded, satisfied with his son’s filial decision. And leaving the relieved attendants behind, he began the first carving of his life.

After finally persuading his son and agreeing on making a fox, Roderick soon came to the conclusion that carving a squirrel would be slightly easier than a fox. He figured that for a beginner, a squirrel would be better since its small front paws could be pressed right against the body, and only the outline needed to be expressed.

“This won’t work, son. Let’s just go with a squirrel.”

Roderick said, embarrassed by his change of mind, but Leo welcomed his father’s decision wholeheartedly. It seemed he was more attached to the squirrel he grew up playing with than the fox he had only seen in picture books.

“Okay! But please make a lot of squirrels!”

“…A lot?”

“Yes! A hundred of them!”

Roderick flinched at his son’s bright request. If he were to carve all one hundred, the state affairs would surely be paralyzed. But he skillfully overcame this crisis as well.

“Well. Your father thinks one is just right.”

“Why?”

“Your mom always says that if you get too greedy, bad things will happen. Mom is always right. So let’s stick to a modest one.”

Leo was simply beaming and nodding, happy to be doing something with his father. Besides, it was going to be a secret from Mama for a while. ‘Surprise Mom!’ To the young boy, this plan felt absolutely wonderful.

However, carving was closer to a repetitive and tedious task than an exciting and interesting one at every moment. Leo couldn’t watch the long preparatory work until the end and began to doze off.

Roderick snickered at his son and instructed the attendants.

“Put the prince on the sofa for a while. And cover him with a blanket.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

While the attendants moved with bated breath, Roderick returned to his work. However, carving for the first time was not easy, and it wasn’t just the child who felt it. With a time difference, the limit came to the adult as well.

“Why did no one tell me this was so difficult?”

“…”

“Why did I bring this suffering upon myself?”

Roderick frowned and lamented over the work speed that didn’t match his expectations. Then, finally losing his temper, he put down the carving tool and ground his teeth, as if he couldn’t do it anymore.

Lee-Jae always had an indifferent expression, except when infusing energy or carving spells into the statue. She would often say, ‘It’s no big deal; should I make one for Roderick too? It doesn’t take long; it’s nothing.’

But doing it himself, he realized this was not just a matter of patience but asceticism itself. In every passing moment, the thought, ‘Why am I sitting here doing this?’ crossed his mind dozens of times.

So, perhaps carving is truly a field where the process is more meaningful than the result. For ordinary people, it would be impossible to go through that long period without a single complaint, even being careful not to sigh and silently wishing only for the well-being of the recipient.

Roderick couldn’t shake the feeling that he had stepped into a domain that only clerics should dare to attempt, without any mental preparation.

“…But I have to do it anyway. What can I do?”

His son was stamping his feet because he wanted to give his mother a gift, and if he ignored that precious desire, he wouldn’t be worthy of being called a father. Of course, his skill would never satisfy Lee-Jae, who had spent her life carving, but if it was given through his son’s hands, wouldn’t she smile generously?

Roderick chuckled and picked up the carving tool again. The King’s study, which had been filled only with heavy sighs, was now filled with the scraping sound of wood being carved.

The attendants smiled gently as they watched the scene. The King, not the Queen, holding a carving tool. It was a sight so unfamiliar they had never even imagined it.

Yet, this scene seemed quite admirable to the attendants. Affection was contained within the grumbling words. A strange warmth was felt. Most importantly, the King, who had been looking dejected for a while, was enjoying himself immensely.