Just Hold My Hand - Chapter 4
“Hmm, you see me as too cruel an Emperor. I will not blindly kill my people.”
‘You won’t kill me blindly, but you’ll kill me anyway if I fail’. He had just said that he would use her as his last straw until it was all worn out and tattered, and eventually torn to shreds. Sonidor swallowed her words and glanced at Terry. All that the emperor required for his request was herself, the dream artisan. She didn’t have to get Terry involved in this dangerous situation for nothing.
“Then, please leave out my assistant for this job.”
“What? No way!”
Terry’s eyes went sour at the sight of Raizel Guards, and he glared at Sonidor.
‘There’s no use in raising children – look how ungrateful they turn out,’ she thought.
Sonidor glared back at him fiercely . The emperor glanced lightly at the two of them in turn, and raised the corners of his mouth in amusement.
“That is impossible. He has already heard everything.”
‘He too will die if you fail.‘
Sonidor read the hidden meaning of the Emperor’s words, and silently patted Terry on the shoulder. She swallowed her sigh. ‘I really need to risk my life for this to be successful.‘ She just hoped that it wasn’t complicated, whether it was a curse or a disease that had befallen His Highness the crown prince.
“Okay, let’s postpone talking about the case of failing the request for now. Let’s talk about compensation first.”
After a brief pause, the emperor ran a finger across his smooth chin – he already had a rough idea of what they wanted.
“First of all, I will give your assistant a chance to receive training directly from the knights of the Raizel guard under my command.”
“…!”
Terry’s auburn eyes widened wide.
His fingers trembled in disbelief, then he suddenly grabbed Sonidor by the shoulder. Then he rocked her back and forth and gave her a look as if asking if he was dreaming. She restrained herself because she was in front of the emperor, but her face too looked as if she would jump on the sofa, and dance and shout cheers at any moment.
“And as for you.. It must be money.”
‘Come on, it’s not necessarily like that.’ Sonidor muttered to herself, but she didn’t bother letting the words come out of her mouth. Now, it seemed that the emperor had branded her as a lazy snob, but what was more sad was that it wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Well, money is money.”
Talking in a fawning voice, she continued, pulling the still-excited Terry away from her.
“I don’t even want to ask for artisans to be recognized as citizens of the empire. But could you please guarantee our freedom? That is, so that I can at least leave the empire after enduring persecution all these years.”
Having the money would be enough for most people, but Sonidor knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And as a Descencian tribesman, she could not turn a blind eye to the artisans who were still enduring insults and persecution for no reason.
If possible, artisans wanted to regain their lost land and many of the rights they had taken away from them, but they would die right on the spot the moment they spoke of such a notion that would be perceived as ridiculous by most non-artisans.
The emperor said with a slight frown.
“That’s rude.”
“I apologize.”
“Good. What would I do if you wake up the sole heir of the empire? I want you to know this one thing. I will bet everything on you, the only dream artisan of the Arche Empire in existence. If you succeed, I will give you the right to leave the empire, and you will have enough money to play and eat for the rest of your life.”
It was an amount of money that seemed like it would break Sonidor’s back under the weight of the amount. She lowered herself involuntarily, rubbing her hands together like a merchant hungry for money would do. She asked cautiously, forcing her breathing to slow down.
“I-I’m sorry, but if you say it’s a property that will remain even if I play and eat for the rest of my life… …?”
“How about 10 billion bukh*?”
[*t/n: bukh is the name of the currency used in the Empire.]
‘Whoa! ‘
Sonidor sighed and clutched her chest. Certainly, it was a shocking amount for an ordinary artisan like her to hear. As Terry glanced at the Raizel guards and blushed, Sonidor twitched the corners of her mouth at the thought of having tens of billions.
‘Oh, I almost drooled,’ she thought, wiping her mouth.
“Now then, let’s talk about what happens if you fail.”
Sonidor woke up from her fantasies in an instant, as if she had been thrown to the floor. She nodded her head slowly with dead eyes.
“I think I know enough without you saying that.”
“It’s good that you know.”
The emperor smiled and said,
“Dream artisan. Get rid of this curse with your own hands.”
* * *
“Hmm.”
Sonidor stood in front of the mirror and studied her face. If nothing else, her eyes were really pretty. She had large, clear green eyes that sparkled like dewy blades of grass. However, her crimson hair that curled madly to no end was a bit irritating. No matter how much she combed her hair, it always stood up in a mess.
“Ah, I finally tidied it- Oh.”
Eventually, giving up on unravelling all the tangles, she tied her hair up again. It would look neater if she pinned it or braided it neatly, but she didn’t have that kind of dexterity.
‘There’s not exactly anyone to look good for, but because it’s the Imperial palace, I am a bit worried.‘
Sonidor chose a shirt that was as free from lint as possible, and put on a black vest over it. After that, she put on a woollen grey coat and skirt. Certainly, this kind of suit was not the kind of clothes women would wear usually. However, the clothes Sonidor wore were specially made for comfort, so she wore them every day.
Lastly, she put on magic shoes that made her taller by an inch. Terry tutted, saying that she was trying hard to cover her height by the size of a sack of shit today. ‘Doesn’t her feet hurt?’
“Aren’t I okay-looking today?,” Sonidor asked.
“It’s the same as usual.”
“No, look closely. My clothes are ironed well with no wrinkles, and my hair’s tied up higher than usual.”
“I guess, if you say so.”
Terry answered dryly and packed his luggage in a bag that was enchanted with magic that makes bags feel light. Sonidor put on a tired expression as she looked back at the endless amount of luggage in his bag, and the office that was now empty. Except for the furniture, everything in the office seemed to be inside Terry’s luggage. ‘How is he going to take it out later when he’s put it in so much?‘
“Where are you running away to, packing that much luggage?”
“We may never come back here. There’s nothing wrong with taking care of it.”
“Hey, don’t be silly.”
It was a new chapter of their lives. Sonidor had bruised Terry with her hands earlier* [*t/n: referring to when she hit him on the forehead], but his body trembled merely at the sight of the Emperor’s cold gaze. She had to wake up the Crown Prince. She must. Not only did her own life depend on it, but Terry’s as well, and even that of her own people. If the Prince didn’t wake up, she wouldn’t be able to hide that fact forever. Not only that, if rumours circulated among the people of the empire that the curse had started again, there was a very high probability that a terrible bloody history would repeat itself, like the massacre that took place 500 years ago.
The thought of the seriousness of the request, which she had been trying to ignore, made her depressed again. She was an ordinary artisan, but she had such a heavy responsibility on herself. She felt like she was about to die from the weight of it.
It would’ve been nice if there were no restrictions on the use of her ability like most artisans, but Sonidor didn’t have that. Someone could bend iron or manipulate water as if it were easy as breathing, and she felt like she was dying when she entered and exited a dream only once. Although it was painful to the point she would rather have her arm broken by force, it was difficult to touch and manipulate people’s memories and consciousness, and there were always trade-offs when it came to strong powers like hers. Similarly, artisans with powers of prophecy who could predict the rise and fall of a country, and those with time-travelling powers, also had limitations in using their abilities.
‘Anyway, I have to move as efficiently as possible when I go in his dream the first time.’ When she used her ability, she created a new instance of a dream by connecting the consciousness of the sleeping client with her own consciousness, but the actual world of dreams was not something Sonidor could control. Simply put, it meant that it was impossible for her to design the world of the dreams she went into. The world was created based on what the client had seen, heard, experienced, and felt. It could be the past, it could be the present, it could be the future they hoped for, or maybe it could be the land of their imagination. Sonidor had to work hard in the world built by the client’s consciousness.
However, most people who come to make a request have something they desperately wanted, so Sonidor would make a world that is easy to work with even if the client themselves don’t intend to. For example, in the case of Leponse, who was her most recent request, he had a strong desire to meet and confess to his first love before dying. He also regretted not confessing to Lila for so many years. That’s why he commissioned the request, and as soon as she created the dream instance, the garden Leponse met Lila in for the first time was used as the background. Sonidor was also able to transform into the first love that the client had desired most to see.
Only when Sonidor was lucky would a request be completed in one shot, and sometimes if she wasn’t so lucky, she’d land in a place that she’d seen for the first time. So, once Sonidor got a request from a client, she had to ask for everything there was to know about that person – starting from information about the people around them, what kind of childhood they had, to things like their tastes in the opposite sex, hobbies, and dreams they wanted to achieve, in as much detail as possible.
But right now, Sonidor knew nothing about the Crown Prince. Based on the rumours she heard in the streets, she knew that there was an expectation held by those in the empire that he would become a great scholar in the future due to his excellent knowledge and gentle temperament. She also knew that he had a very tall figure, resembling both His Majesty the Emperor and the late Empress. But all of this aside, she didn’t even know what he desperately wanted right now, or even why he collapsed, so what could she do to help?
Sonidor ruffled her hair, recalling the conversation she had with the emperor just a few hours earlier.
“Your Majesty. There is one more condition.”
“There must be no lies or secrets with me – I need all the information about His Highness the Crown Prince. I’m talking about every detail, from his childhood to the people he always kept close to him. It is absolutely necessary to wake up His Highness.”
“If that’s the case, then I don’t have anything to say. I will send you documents separately later, so when you finish reading, burn them on the spot.”
“Hmm…Such superficial records are necessary, of course, but…”
She put on a troubled expression at the Emperor’s indifferent reply. Normally, she could ask for even the smallest details of information by talking to the client themselves, but she couldn’t ask the Crown Prince who was currently in an eternal sleep.
“For example, I need even the smallest details of what he likes and dislikes. Ah! Anything related to the weather would be better.”
“Weather?”
“Yes. For example, I really hate rainy days, and that’s because I’ve been through some bad experiences on rainy days in the past…Many people have happy memories on sunny days without clouds or something like that.”
