Chapter Text
The Imperial Study was quiet.
Sunset stained the walls in hues of amber and rose, flickering off gold filigree and books that smelled of ink.
At a heavy oak desk sat a man, who seemed seemingly young.
His features were sharp, but familiar with umber curls tied at the nape of his neck, one long strand escaping over his forehead.
His robes were royal blue trimmed in silver, but he wore them loosely. There was no crown on his head, only reading glasses perched on his nose.
Now a Crown Prince no longer, Emperor Calixto Henituse-Crossman of the Roan Empire picked up a little book and started to read.
The title at the top of the parchment read.
“Papa the Bald Knight and Daddy the Hero: A Royal Memoir”
He smiled faintly at the memory.
“Chapter One: On Eggdom and Baldness,” he murmured to himself.
I once believed my Papa was bald because he saved the world.
My Daddy never corrected me. He just laughed and told me bedtime stories.I now know that ruling an empire causes stress. That hair loss can be genetic, or emotional, or sometimes just the result of dealing with one too many noble families.
But I stand by my original belief.
Papa did save the world with Daddy.
Every single day.
His smile trembled once he read that part.
He reached beside him and opened a small box. Inside it lay a perfectly preserved glitter-covered paper crown labeled “Eggbert I”. The back had scribbles in his old handwriting.
Property of Calix.
DO NOT THROW AWAY.
Cale had kept it all these years, and now Calix did too.
He ran a hand through his hair, still thick like his father's had once been. He glanced at a painting on the wall, and stared at the family portrait with a soft smile.
Cale was in red robes, his face unreadable and posture elegant.
Alberu sat beside him with his golden crown tilted slightly as he placed a hand on Calix’s head.
And Calixto himself, still five years old, was proudly holding up an egg.
“...Idiots,” he whispered fondly.
Papa used to sneak me sweets behind Daddy’s back.
Daddy used to tell me bedtime stories and roll his eyes when Papa acted dramatic.They were both terrifying and ridiculous.
And they were mine.
Calixto's eyes stopped as he stared down at the page.
Daddy passed away first. He was still beautiful.
And not even time could change that.Papa lasted a little longer. Stubborn till his death.
I remember the last thing he said to me.
“You were the best thing I ever did. Even if you made me bald.”
I told him he was still the shiniest egg.
He had laughed.
But it was then that a knock at the door sounded.
Calixto blinked his eyes before quickly wiping at his eyes.
“Come in.”
Immediately, a young page poked her head in.
“Your Majesty? Dinner’s ready. Lady Maelis says if you skip again, she’ll have you arrested for imperial malnourishment.”
Calixto chuckled amusedly with a shake of his head when he heard that.
“Tell my wife I’m coming. Just.... give me a minute.”
The page, not questioning him any further, bowed to him and promptly vanished.
Calixto set the paper crown gently back in its box and stood. His hand lingered on the edge of the desk.
He looked around the study one more time.
At the egg crown, the painting, and at the framed poem in childish scrawl that still read.
“Papa is my sunshine egg,
Strong and bald and never begs…”
He took a deep breath, then whispered softly as he turned to leave the room.
“Thank you, Papa. Thank you, Daddy.”
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END