“So the plan is to make it sound as if this were all intentional?”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head, Lyse,” the emperor declared as he puffed out his furry chest. It was cute, but not exactly reassuring. “Whenever monsters come attacking, I shall be there ready to meet them.”
“In human form though, Your Majesty?”
“Indeed. I want impact.”
That might be too much impact, Your Majesty. Anyone seeing the gaggle of emperors for the first time would be dumbstruck—but Lyse had to agree that it was effective. No one would ever be able to forget witnessing the Egberts descend upon a swarm of monsters. They’d see his power manifold, which should increase their confidence in him as a ruler. And if this was all said to be thanks to the Light’s aberrations...
“That would certainly paint it in a positive light,” Lyse agreed. Because the knights near the Light when it acted up fell ill, it was a big stretch to say that it was entirely a good thing. But with the right spin, Sidis would have less reason to fret over what people were saying about Lyse.
“To boost my image, I’m planning on going to the city walls whenever monsters appear. That should buy us some more time too. Well, hopefully, at least,” announced Egbert.
The group briefly stopped to open the northern door of the villa before entering. Once inside, they stopped again when they beheld the courtyard housing the Light of Origin.
“They’ve multiplied again,” the emperor muttered.
Lyse nodded, for there were now two of her giving young Sidises piggyback rides around the Light. Sidis glanced over at his fiancée, concerned about how she would react to the sight, but she’d already seen the worst of it the day before. Lyse had accepted this as a testament to Sidis’s desire to be loved and to be the center of her world.
“There are definitely more of them. But...” Lyse trailed off before continuing, “at least it isn’t as bad as Your Majesty’s situation, I suppose?” For some reason, there were only two of her and Sidis’s clones.
“I’m sure this is a clue that will help explain what’s going on, but as of right now, I’m completely baffled,” confessed Egbert. “Wouldn’t it make more sense if it was duplicating the two of you first and foremost?”
Lyse had wondered the same thing herself.
“Oh, look, Your Majesty. Over there,” Sidis said, pointing to a brunet man clinging to a pillar and staring at the group from the shadows. It was Seren.
“That’s not the real Seren, is it...?” Egbert questioned.
“I don’t expect he’d trespass here. He’s been diligently working on his communication skills, and it’s not as though he’s completely socially inept either. I don’t think it’ll be long before he can fit in on his own,” explained Sidis. “If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say he’s probably busy with the chickens at the coops right now.”
“The coops, you say?” Lyse couldn’t imagine what Seren would be doing there.
“You see, there aren’t really any animals on the palace grounds to pet or play with. Aside from the coops near the kitchen, the only other animals on palace grounds are the raptor mounts, right? I mean, I suppose His Majesty counts when he’s transformed,” Sidis began to explain.
Egbert picked up from there. “Seren says that playing with animals soothes his soul, but I’m not exactly keen on other men touching me all over. So we gave him permission to visit the coops instead, thinking he might enjoy it. Little did we know just how much he’d enjoy it, and now he spends all his free time there happily watching the chickens.”
“I see. So they’re the next best thing,” Lyse concluded after hearing the story. Seren’s only friends for the past fifty years were his dogs, so it was perfectly understandable that he was so affectionately attached to animals. Still, was he truly content with chickens?
“Yes, they’re a substitute for a dog. Seren seems happy enough, however, so I think it’s fine,” Sidis asserted, but Egbert looked conflicted.
“It’s almost a little creepy to see him so elated to be pecked at by those birds. I mean, Alcede’s words, not mine,” Egbert clarified, deflecting the blame. “His clone, though, is definitely staring at me.”
Seren’s clone emerged from behind the pillar and slowly slinked over to the group. Thus, with a brief sigh, Egbert ordered one of his clones, “Keep him company, will you?” A white dog reluctantly approached Seren, whose face lit up when he got his hands on the fluffy beast.
“I can’t imagine how disappointed Seren’s clone would be to know that that’s really His Majesty...” remarked Lyse just as the door behind them creaked open.
“Prince Sidis, I’ve come to hear your—” Lasuarl was rendered speechless as soon as he laid eyes on the dogs and the Lyses. His hair was a mess, likely owing to the aftermath of the battle. “What in the...”
“Thank you for coming, Duke Lasuarl,” Sidis said with a smile. “I was hoping to explain everything about the dogs earlier—rather, the dogs here right now. Would that be all right?”
When asked to, canine Egbert dragged his clothes over to his cousin. Sidis shook out the emperor’s coat and trousers before putting them over the white dog and finally covering him with his cape. Lasuarl’s grimace betrayed exactly how he felt about this.
“If I may have your attention, please,” pronounced Sidis. With that, there was a bright flash as the dog beneath the clothes began to grow and shift shape, ultimately becoming a blond man lying on the ground. “All finished?”
“Indeed,” affirmed Egbert.
Lasuarl’s eyes nearly popped out of his head upon hearing the emperor’s voice. Save for his shoes, Egbert was somehow fully dressed after transforming, and he wasted no time getting up off the floor. Lyse watched in wonder as well.
Oh, the other dogs are...
After a few seconds, Egbert’s clones began reverting to their human forms as well—albeit with slightly ruffled collars. Seren’s clone was rightfully astounded when the dog he was petting suddenly became a grown man. He tumbled over onto his backside in shock.
“You’ve...multiplied?!” The words practically stumbled out of Lasuarl’s mouth.
“Hey, you don’t have to say it like that, Duke Lasuarl. I’ve harnessed the power of duplication,” Egbert quipped dryly.
That’s really not much better, Your Majesty... Lyse didn’t care for the emperor’s choice of phrasing, which made it sound like some kind of demonic ability. The duke, however, offered no additional comment.
Egbert conceded defeat, smoothed out his clothes, and began explaining the circumstances. “I’m not exactly sure how, but the Light of Origin has been producing clones when it acts up.”
“And this happens every time?” Lasuarl asked.
“Indeed. Now, more importantly, I’ve learned how to control and use the clones.”
“What even...?” After the emperor’s explanation, Lasuarl stared off into the distance before uncomfortably focusing on the horde of Egberts. Perhaps because they were before the Light once more, they stood shoulder to shoulder and broke out into some sort of dance. “Are they doing that on your orders too, Your Majesty?”
“Nope. That’s all on them,” said Egbert.
His clones apparently had some degree of sentience. If they were dancing on their own, surely that reflected Egbert’s inner desire to do so. It was the same reason Sidis’s and Lyse’s clones were playing together. In Sidis’s case, he wanted to relive the lost days he missed with Qatora; and for Lyse, she wanted to ease her lingering regrets about leaving the young prince. She knew she would’ve been happy to do anything she could for that boy.