Page 64 - The Grotesque Children's Book

thorough; though, truth be told, both of the brothers were impatient and
arrogant sorts and had left the room far more quickly than their sisters.
Emperor's sons are rather like their Emperor fathers in this regard, you know.
They can be so --

“Surely I, as a man, will do the rescuing when rescuing is what's
needed!”

--wrong.

“B-but --” This is you again, pleading with me still not to gloss over the
adventures of the brothers and sisters. “At least tell us what they guessed how
Diavolo transforms gold.”

Very well. But there's the ninth child still to tell you about.

“Oh, that's right! The Emperor had nine children, didn't he? And the
Gold Demon took only eight. What happened to the ninth child? Did she save
the day?”

I thought you wanted to hear about the guesses from the brothers and
sisters.

“Now you're just mocking us.”

Habit. So, which will it be, continue with the story and see what
happens with the Youngest Child, a small shy girl by the name of Citia; or stop
the action cold in its tracks and list the other siblings' guesses?

“Citia next! Tell us about Citia!”

The second oldest child had done just as her older sister had done,
racing out of the octagonal room sooner than it turns out would have been
wise, so when Diavolo turned to her and asked “Now child, how do you think I
transform objects into gold?”

64