Episode 42
‘There’s no way someone as gentle as my grandpa would do something like that.’
“Uwooooh!”
At that moment, the clown’s hands moved so fast they became invisible.
Sshyashashashak!
‘Huh?’
Balloons created in an instant……
Theo opened his mouth wide enough for his jaw to fall off and clapped enthusiastically.
‘They’re really putting in effort for customer satisfaction.’
Well, come to think of it, these kids would grow up, become parents, and possibly bring their own children here someday.
You could say it’s a business strategy with a long-term view. Mr. B seems to be excellent at managing personnel too.
‘Hah. But now’s not the time for this.’
Sitting among the endlessly generated balloons, I hugged my knees.
‘That kid earlier.’
I recalled the pitch-black hair and the crimson eyes that sparkled.
‘What was he?’
Never mind the act of being a clueless prince.
When I met him, memories struck like lightning.
What were those memories?
— I regret this, Sir. I never imagined I would have to execute you like this.
That low, chilling voice echoed in my head.
‘Execute, huh.’
I bit my lip hard.
‘Who is he executing?’
My eyes squeezed shut on their own.
Over the darkened vision, the glimpse of the future I had seen earlier reappeared.
A massive secret chamber.
A tall man’s silhouette and the sword he held, embedded with a red ruby. Crimson blood trickled down the pale blade.
The tip of the sword pointed at someone who looked utterly exhausted and worn out…….
Duke Kalec Wintervalt.
— My mother died, ─ died, and even ─ and ─ were lost. How could I possibly not go insane?
The scene I had replayed hundreds of times continued once again.
There wasn’t a single trace of warmth in my father’s voice. Only immense pain and sorrow that knew no bounds could be felt.
— Tell me. What reason do I have not to destroy this empire?
I’d always wondered.
At the end of his life, who exactly was Dad speaking to?
And.
Who could possibly execute my father, a man considered the strongest on the continent?
Now that question had an answer.
‘Prince Argen.’
That boy would grow up and eventually be the one to kill my father.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, making my hair stand on end.
“Sweetheart, Lirin?”
Sensing my disturbance, Grandpa turned to look at me.
“Are you…… feeling unwell?”
“Ah, no.”
I scooted close to Grandpa, who was watching me with worry, and leaned against him. Then I pointed ahead with a small smile.
“I thought the clown was dropping balloons!”
Leaning against his mountain-like frame made my racing heart calm down a little.
‘Geez. That was scary.’
Honestly, just imagining the scene of Dad’s death made my whole body tremble.
Of course, I knew this was a future that hadn’t happened yet.
Besides, from the circumstances, it seemed Dad had done something wrong and was being punished, so technically, the one named Argen wasn’t at fault.
But the instinctive repulsion I felt was unavoidable.
‘Come to think of it, he’s my enemy in the future.’
A potential one, but still……
‘He’s definitely worth being wary of.’
And there was another reason to keep an eye on him.
— Wow, this novel’s interesting.
I also had to figure out the identity of that voice.
‘The word “novel”…….’
And the sound of pages turning that I always heard in dreams of the future.
‘Maybe…….’
What I was seeing in my dreams wasn’t just the “future.”
‘What if it was something I already knew, slowly coming back to me?’
If that were true, then maybe, just maybe—
‘I might be forgetting something important too, just like Dad…….’
Maybe it wasn’t just Dad who needed to recover his memories.
Sniff.
What am I, really?
My lips stuck out in a pout. In any case, I needed more clues to find the answer to this problem.
‘What’s certain is……. that boy triggered something in me. I started recalling dreams about the future and that mysterious voice out of nowhere.’
So, the conclusion:
‘I need to meet Argen again!’
I rubbed my eyes vigorously. Then I took a deep breath in and out.
Recovery: complete!
Eyes sparkling, I gripped the strap of my bag tightly. I felt something inside roll around with a rattle, but ignored it.
‘But how am I supposed to meet a prince living deep inside the royal palace?’
When I secretly looked at Dad’s office documents, it said that the one coming for the conference was definitely the first prince.
Hmmm.
Should I stand guard in front of the enchanted toy store or something?
***
……That was just a few hours ago.
“I looked everywhere for you.”
“Huh……?”
This is……
What’s going on?
As soon as I locked eyes with those cat-like eyes on that handsome face, I blanked out.
“I thought you went straight home from the toy store…….”
Argen furrowed his brows and smiled. His gaze didn’t leave my bloodied hand.
“Why are you suddenly in danger?”
“Wait…….”
That’s what I want to say.
‘Didn’t you, Prince, go home yawning because you were sleepy?’
So…….
Here’s what happened…….
***
Slide.
The boy’s head tilted.
“He’s asleep.”
“Yaaawn. Did you send word to the palace?”
The servant of Prince Argen asked while stretching. Another servant replied.
“Yeah. Told them the prince fell asleep and won’t be able to take the oral exam.”
“Hehe. Nice. Let’s go grab a drink somewhere before heading back!”
“Is that okay?”
“Why not? I mean……”
One of the servants, called Bern, waved his hand in front of the sleeping Argen’s face.
“He’s out cold.”
“Well, yeah. He ate that jelly. Even a lightning strike next to him wouldn’t wake him. Jeez. He always falls asleep like this and just disappoints His Majesty……. What a pity, our prince!”
The man chuckled and pretended to pat Argen’s head.
“Hah, really. Taking care of this spoiled brat is pathetic. Ah! I once dreamed of being part of the central power of the palace, you know!”
Another scoffed.
“Yeah, right. Then why are you stealing from the royal kitchen?”
“And you should stick to menial chores in the Ministry of the Interior, not beating up innocent gardeners!”
“I beat him because he deserved it, okay? Huh? Hey! Stop right there!”
The snickering servants were heard opening the front window and chatting with the coachman.
Most of the prince’s servants were those who had committed various offenses in the palace.
They didn’t truly consider the second prince as their master.
The one who had gathered those on the verge of being expelled and planted them around the prince—that was their true master.
That affectionate face briefly crossed Argen’s mind as he pretended to sleep.
Of course, he quickly pushed the thought away to keep his expression calm.
The carriage came to a screeching halt somewhere in an alley.
‘Looks like I’ll be late again.’
Eyes shut like a painting, Argen quietly sighed. His milky-white skin and flawless features were impeccable.
‘I planned to investigate the eastern maid quarters tonight.’
The servants slipped out of the carriage.
Argen stayed still for a while longer before slowly opening his eyes.
His black hair, messily scattered over his smooth forehead, slightly softened his sharp, cat-like eyes.
‘Can’t be helped. I’ll settle for having thrown away the jelly today.’
It wasn’t a bad method.
Sometimes insisting on visiting the toy store just to toss out the drugged jelly might be a viable plan.
‘But that girl……’
Argen’s indifferent gaze reached into empty space.
‘She didn’t say anything about me throwing out the jelly, did she?’
For some reason, curly pink hair danced before his eyes.
‘She must be the one staying at House Wintervalt…….’
Wandering around the palace unintentionally reveals all kinds of information.
Like that time I pretended to catch frogs and snuck into Father’s audience chamber.
— She’s the one who found the item I lost in the south. Said she got caught up in the demon beast labyrinth and lost her guardian, so I let her stay for a while.
— I see. A child at House Wintervalt.
I overheard that kind of conversation.
‘But why did I say “See you again”……?’
Argen tilted his head slightly.
He hadn’t meant anything special by it.
After all, he was hiding his identity as a prince. There was no way that girl would know who he was.
“Then why do I keep thinking about her?”
Argen shook his head sharply.
‘No time to get distracted by nonsense.’
The boy bit his lip and steeled himself.
Whenever he needed to discipline himself, he always took out one thing.
Argen reached into his robe and pulled out a worn note.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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