Chapter 1149: The Warmest Season, Winter (21)

Special Screening Side Story!

The screening held in the Duchy of Stern took place in a theater located in a separate wing of the palace.

"This is where Sophie watches movies."

It was about the size of a small screening room in a movie theater.

The princess sitting beside me explained.

"Last time, Grandpa Butler and Sophie watched a movie here."

"What movie did you watch, Princess?"

“The New Black: Making Waves.”

Perhaps because it was related to stanning, the little girl's English suddenly became fluent, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Jiho poked his head out from the seat behind us.

"Wow. Did you watch our documentary film here?"

"Yes!"

The princess stomped her feet excitedly before covering her mouth with her hand and tattling.

"But Grandpa Butler fell asleep while watching it. He promised Sophie he would watch the whole movie until the end with me."

"Ahem, ahem."

The butler with a monocle and mustache cleared his throat and looked away.

While the princess continued telling us every little detail, we all looked at her with affectionate smiles.

She's adorable...

Ah, she's so cute.

Maybe it was because of her short, chubby arms and legs.

She was sitting in her seat, but since her feet couldn't reach the floor, the way she kept swinging them back and forth was incredibly cute.

Is this why people become obsessed with their nieces and nephews?

"We are ready."

A court attendant approached and whispered something to the Grand Duke.

While the Grand Duke looked around, we also looked around.

There were ten people besides us.

The royal family of Stern and people close to them were gathered together in a cozy little group.

Junghyun whispered.

"The atmosphere is completely different from the other screenings."

"Right? I think this is nice too."

It was a very family-like atmosphere.

Maybe it was only my imagination, but perhaps this was what it felt like when relatives or an entire family gathered together to watch a holiday movie.

I smiled and spoke to the Grand Duke.

"Shall we begin the film, Your Highness?"

"Please do."

The lights in the theater dimmed, and the logo of Silver Screen Pictures appeared.

Since most people in the Duchy of Stern spoke English almost like their native language, there were no subtitles for the English portions. However, German subtitles appeared during the Korean scenes.

Scenes I had watched countless times during previous screenings began to play.

I had focused closely the first three or four times I watched it, but perhaps because I had seen it so many times, I now found myself paying more attention to the reactions of the people watching rather than the film itself.

I wanted to see how this movie would resonate with European audiences. Unlike the screening in France, where I had been too busy to carefully observe their reactions, this time I wanted to pay attention.

"Hmm..."

What surprised me was that the older guests, including the Grand Duke and the butler, focused especially intently on the Korean scenes.

American audiences had seemed somewhat uninterested during this part, but these people nodded while watching the Korean scenery of the 1960s and 1970s, as if they found something they could relate to.

The Grand Duke whispered to me.

"We were like that too after the World War ended. Everything was in ruins."

"I see..."

Although, in Korea's case, that was actually a period when things were already improving compared to before.

It gave me an idea of just how prosperous Europe had been before the World War.

Either way, once the setting moved away from Korea and shifted to Japan and America, the European audience showed similar reactions.

"Oh dear..."

They sighed during the scenes where Genji Hashimoto's faction pressured him in Japan.

"Oh."

They nodded and their eyes lit up as his father gradually achieved success in America.

I remembered hearing something like that from Director Kim Bora once.

"Wooju, do you know what the characteristic of a truly great movie is?"

"What is it?"

"It is that it works no matter what country in the world you go to. No matter what language the protagonist speaks, no matter how much of that country's unique background is included, truly great movies always connect with people."

The director's voice from when she had explained her philosophy during the early planning stages of echoed in my ears.

"I'm going to make this film like that. Whether ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the audience is from South Africa, India, or the Czech Republic, I want everyone to be able to immerse themselves in the emotions of this movie."

And those words had been true.

Unlike Japanese audiences who understood the story because they knew about his father, or American audiences who were familiar with the main setting of the film, these European audiences had absolutely no connection to it.

Yet...

Clap clap clap—

Watching the European audience clap at the exact same moments as the American and Japanese audiences, as if someone had instructed them to do so, I became certain.

This movie really had been made well.

And it truly could work anywhere in the world.

"Wonderful."

During the scene where everyone sang together, the Grand Duke muttered and nodded.

Several audience members had tears in their eyes, dabbing them with handkerchiefs.

As I smiled while watching the European audience show such a passionate reaction, I suddenly felt a hand tapping my shoulder.

I turned around and saw Biju smiling.

"?"

Biju put a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet, then pointed somewhere else.

A laugh escaped my lips before I realized it.

Snaaap—

Princess Sophie was sleeping while hugging a cushion.

Her braided hair had become messy.

Her plump cheeks.

Drool gathered at the corner of her mouth.

I didn't know whether she was exhausted from running around all day or whether the movie was simply difficult for her to understand, but the princess had fallen asleep with the most exhausted expression in the world.

While the butler beside her gave a look that seemed to say, Princess... this is not proper etiquette..., a smile spread across the Grand Duke's wrinkled face.

[THE SOUND OF SUN]

As the title appeared and the ending credits began rolling, everyone consciously kept their applause quiet because of the sleeping princess.

"Bravo..."

"It was wonderful..."

The butler and the others whispered their thoughts to one another, chuckling, while Princess Sophie shifted in her sleep.

Soft applause.

Quiet voices.

The tiny, adorable breathing of a princess.

With all of that together, the final screening finally came to an end.

After the screening.

Princess Sophie began insisting.

"Sophie wasn't sleepy."

"Eh? That's a lie."

Jiho placed his hands on his hips and said.

"I saw you falling asleep, Princess. I did."

"Sophie didn't sleep..."

Seeing the disappointed princess, Ri Hyuk poked Jiho.

After whispering something to him, Jiho's face immediately turned pale as he spoke to the princess.

"Come to think of it, I was mistaken. Princess, you weren't sleepy. I was just wrong."

Watching the princess brighten again, I leaned toward Ri Hyuk.

"What did you tell him that made him change his attitude so quickly?"

"I told him that if he kept doing that and made the princess cry, he might be arrested for insulting the royal family."

"Is there such a thing?"

"No, but he doesn't know that."

"!"

While I admired him with an "Oh," Ri Hyuk spoke with a proud expression.

"I really learned well from you. Using deception like this to manipulate an opponent..."

"......"

"Huhuhuhu."

Ignoring Ri Hyuk's laughter, I looked toward the distant mountains.

Anyway, together with the princess, whose sparkling eyes insisted she had not fallen asleep at all—the eyes of someone who had obviously slept deeply—we enjoyed the remaining time happily.

"This appetizer was made with cheese brought directly from the Alps."

It was also my first time experiencing a royal meal.

A banquet eaten while sitting at a long table just like the ones I had only seen in movies.

Every time the chef personally came out and explained each dish, all of us opened our mouths in amazement.

"Wow..."

Even Princess Sophie looked excited, perhaps because she did not have meals like this every day either.

"Ah, what do we do? This is so delicious."

"It's really good."

Apparently, the chef had adjusted the seasoning in a Korean style, taking our tastes as Koreans into consideration.

After happily finishing the meal, we watched a concert held in the greenhouse garden.

"They are the finest performers in our grand duchy."

The musicians of the Duchy of Stern performed classical music.

Listening to the harmony of the violin, piano, and cello, I smiled pleasantly.

As night fell and guests began gathering one by one, the garden quickly transformed into a party venue.

Clink—

The sound of glasses meeting everywhere.

Greetings and conversations with people who were nobles from various castles and families.

It seemed like a social event had been held to commemorate the film screening.

Rather than a traditional ball, it looked more like the kind of high society party one might see in a James Bond movie.

"I met your father before, Sunny. I believe it was sometime in 1994..."

"I think I saw you in my father's records. May I ask your name?"

"Randolph."

"I see~"

We smiled, shook hands, and exchanged friendly glances.

So this is the person who used to look down on Dad with that dismissive expression.

I never imagined he would become that successful.

We also joined the crowd and socialized with the guests.

After repeatedly chatting with people, our main vocalist, who was introverted down to his very bones, approached me.

"Ugh."

Ri Hyuk swirled his wine glass and took a sip.

I asked my younger brother, who seemed to be trying to borrow courage from the alcohol.

"Is it manageable?"

"No. If anything, I am only painfully realizing that I am a person completely unsuited for events like this."

"You seem to be talking just fine."

"Well, I've adapted."

Ri Hyuk refilled his glass and continued.

"It is a cliché thing to say, but I suppose we really did achieve great success."

"Why do you think that?"

"The way these people react."

The pale fingers holding his wine glass pointed around us.

People who all had impressive titles, yet somehow gave off a similar atmosphere.

"If we hadn't achieved this level of success, they would never have let us stand here with them."

"That's true."

Descendants of famous banking families.

Families that had been nobles for generations but were now running businesses.

Those people were treating us as equals.

It was similar to how royal families from various countries maintained their aloof dignity on the surface, yet still wanted to dine with Hollywood stars, take pictures with them, and maintain friendships.

Ri Hyuk spoke.

"Well, it's not like we need their recognition. I just realized that we really did succeed."

I felt the same way.

Then, suddenly, a scene from came to mind.

The scene where, only after his father succeeded, the proud people in the music industry changed their attitudes and treated him with great respect.

I think it was near the latter half of the movie.

"Random thought, but if NewBlack's career were a movie, where do you think we would be right now?"

"Hard to say. If it were a 100-minute film, perhaps we would be around the 95-minute mark."

"Really?"

"What do you think, hyung?"

I shook the glass filled with ginger ale.

"About 60 percent?"

"...You think there is still more to go?"

"It's just a feeling. Nothing based on evidence."

Like Dad, who had once shone brilliantly like the sun.

No.

Perhaps these days, I had a desire to heat up the world even more than my father had.

"......Sometimes, when I look at you, I think it's amazing. That desire to improve."

"You're the same."

That was not something I needed to hear from someone who was already as skilled as an established singer but still practiced relentlessly because he wanted to improve further.

Saying that, I looked around.

People who were kind and warm, yet somehow had the expression of We'll allow you into our league.

And people who, just like they had done with Dad in the past, would have looked down on us with doubtful eyes if we had not achieved overwhelming success.

"Let's go higher."

So that everyone would become small before the shining sun.

Not just world-class stars.

The greatest stars in the world.

After saying that with Ri Hyuk, we clinked our glasses.

"But..."

I smiled.

"First, let's go promote the movie a little."

"Sounds good."

"Let's spread some word of mouth in Europe too."

With our arms around each other's shoulders, we walked back into the crowd.

Thanks to the Duchy of Stern's hospitality, after spending one night there, we said goodbye to the royal family.

After giving the Grand Duke a proper farewell in our formal clothes, we said goodbye to Princess Sophie, whose eyes were full of regret.

"You're leaving now?"

"Yes."

"When you leave, when will you come back?"

Just as I was wondering if she meant something like "after sleeping a few nights," as children often say...

"2019? 2020? 2021?"

"Th-that... we'll have to see when the time comes, Princess."

While realizing that Princess Sophie could count numbers beyond 2,000 with ease, I looked at the butler.

I gave him a look asking if I could crouch down to match her eye level, and he nodded.

"We don't know when we'll be able to come again, Princess. There are many people who want to meet us, just like you do."

"Yes."

"So if we travel around meeting all those people, we might not be able to come back for a while."

"Souffle."

"Yes. Souffle."

As I said that, I looked at the princess.

My situation was different from hers, but perhaps because her parents had passed away in a plane accident and she lived with her two grandfathers, I felt a particular affection toward her.

"But maybe we can come again someday."

"Really?"

"Yes. But only if Princess Sophie studies hard too."

The butler immediately mouthed from behind me:

Etiquette! Etiquette!

Like an avatar, I repeated it.

"You should study etiquette as well."

Dining manners! Dining manneeeers!!!

"You should learn dining manners too."

Brushing your teeth!

"And brush your teeth well..."

Then the male and female attendants began joining in.

Sleep! Go to bed early!!!!

Eat vegetables! Vegetables!!

"Eat your vegetables, and go to bed early..."

"Yes. Sophie will listen well."

The attendants and butler covered their mouths, looking deeply moved.

Apparently, no matter how much they nagged her normally, Princess Sophie never said she understood.

"So when Princess Sophie becomes a wonderful princess, we will come back again."

After finishing our farewell with the princess, who nodded with her lips pushed out, I stood up.

It was then, as my brothers also finished saying goodbye and we were about to get into the car.

"If..."

"?"

The princess spoke with a determined expression.

"If..."

"Yes."

"You said you have to travel around to meet Souffle everywhere."

"That's right."

"Then if all Souffle live together, don't you not have to go anywhere?"

We burst into laughter.

"Then we really wouldn't have any wishes left."

"That would be amazing. The Souffle Kingdom where all Souffle gather together... Hahaha!"

But unlike me, who was laughing happily, the expressions of the Grand Duke and the butler gradually darkened.

Princess Sophie clenched her tiny fists, eyes sparkling.

"Sophie has decided."

"Yes?"

"When Sophie grows up and becomes queen, Sophie will turn Stern into the Souffle Kingdom."

"Hahahahahaha!"

We burst into laughter, but the princess herself was completely serious.

Jiho asked nervously.

"You're joking, right?"

"Huhuhuhu."

"Princess...?"

"Huhuhuhuhu."

The princess suddenly turned around.

The sight of her walking proudly with her short legs was the very image of royal dignity.

"Butler Grandpa!"

"Yes."

"Let's go study. Sophie needs to become queen."

She insisted that there was no time to waste and immediately needed to study, dragging the butler away.

After Princess Sophie suddenly disappeared into the palace...

We exchanged awkward glances with the Grand Duke.

"......"

"......"

My eyes met those of Grand Duke Richard III, who was rubbing his temples.

"Princess Sophie is... the heir, correct?"

"That child is first in line for succession."

"......"

"This is quite a problem..."

"I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault. Thanks to this, I have a reason to hold onto the throne for as long as possible..."

The sight of a king worrying about the future of his country.

No.

At this moment, he was not the ruler of a nation.

He was simply a grandfather dealing with a troublesome granddaughter.