By Zephyria 
Even after opening his eyes and sitting up blankly, blinking around his surroundings, Isaac wasn’t consciously aware that he was awake. Then, as he looked around the unfamiliar, chilly room that was almost devoid of furniture, the thought slowly occurred to him: ‘Where am I…?’ Looking at the wall without a single window, he wondered, ‘What time is it…?’ And as he looked at three grumpy-faced cats, each trapped in a large birdcage and dangling one by one, he thought, ‘Whoever did this, they did a great job….’
It was only after he discovered the heavy iron shackles fastened to his ankles that his dazed and foggy mind finally snapped awake.
“…What is this?”
As Isaac muttered, rattling his ankles, a clicking sound of a tongue followed by a response flew in from his side.
“What do you think it is? Shackles to keep you from running away.”
Blinking, Isaac looked to the side and saw Brick standing guard by a sturdy wooden door a few paces away. Isaac blinked back at his former colleague, who was staring at him with a crease between his brows.
“What on earth did you do? If you run away, my head is the one that’ll roll.”
Before he could ask the colleague who was clicking his tongue, So you’re saying you’re the one who put these on?, reason and memory slowly flooded back into Isaac’s mind.
The last memory remaining in his head was a sensation so abrasive it felt like sandpaper being rubbed directly against his heart, and a few words from the Prince—he couldn’t remember exactly what was said, but it seemed to mean something like, ‘Just you wait until you wake up.’ And then….
“—The Wall-Shadow Palace,”
Isaac felt his heart sink and turned back to Brick. Facing Isaac’s suddenly grave and urgent expression, Brick said nothing. Seeing Brick’s heavy face faintly frown, Isaac’s lips twitched.
“Yesterday was the joint funeral,” Brick said quietly.
Isaac stared at him blankly before dropping his gaze. “I see,” he murmured softly, staring down at his own hands for a long while.
“How many are left?”
When Isaac finally asked after a long silence, Brick shook his head.
“Aside from those who were off-duty that day, no one but Lord Kaion and you.”
Isaac stared silently at his hands and let out a soundless sigh. When he looked up, Brick was watching him. Despite likely having many things he wanted to ask the survivor, Brick asked nothing. He simply looked at Isaac in silence and told him the things he would be curious about now that he was awake.
Isaac had been unconscious for three full days.
Naturally, the royal palace was in an uproar, as if a beehive had been poked.
Everyone working at the Prince’s palace on the night of the full moon had been slaughtered without exception. Those on duty that night accounted for nearly a quarter of the total staff at the Prince’s palace. The primary cause was revealed immediately: sorcery resulting from a massive amount of magical power beyond human capability—the work of a witch. Opinions were divided on which witch had done this and why, but the prevailing theory was that it was not unrelated to the death of the Guild Master that had occurred recently.
The number of dead was staggering, but the shock was compounded by the fact that such a tragedy had occurred in the heart of the capital, inside the royal palace. Some argued that prayer rituals should be held, claiming that too many strange occurrences had happened in the palace lately, while others suggested that since a witch dared to cause such a disaster in the royal palace, efforts to root out and execute hidden witches should be intensified. Because of this incident, every department in the palace, from the court mages to the general administrative officials, was in a state of chaos.
In the midst of that turmoil, which felt like a raging typhoon, the only person maintaining a state of silence was—.
“Is Lord Kaion alright?”
“Do you think he’d be alright? How could he possibly be alright?”
“…….”
Isaac, who had asked out of concern, fell silent upon hearing Brick’s retort. Right. Even as he asked, he knew the answer. He couldn’t even imagine what an ‘un-alright’ Prince would look like. Brick frowned and clicked his tongue.
“Thanks to that, people’s fear of Lord Kaion has grown even more. I mean, the people working in his palace died like that, yet at the funeral, he didn’t shed a single tear, nor did his expression change. I mean, we already knew he was that kind of person, but… he doesn’t feel human. He feels like a completely different entity from us. Honestly, I’m afraid of him. Truly.”
“…I suppose so, naturally.”
Even though it’s not his fault. Isaac swallowed the words.
The wall between that man and others was becoming thick again. Though he likely wouldn’t care.
“I’m just glad you’re alive. You wouldn’t wake up, so I thought something might have happened to you too… Thanks for surviving, you idiot.”
Brick spoke as if tossing the words away. The sincerity contained in that indifferent tone reached Isaac, making him let out a small laugh. It was times like these—living isolated from people, yet occasionally picking up bits of warmth and feeling full-hearted.
At the same time, his heart ached with a heavy pang. He thought of the Prince anew, realizing that the man could not obtain the things that even someone like him, who wasn’t human, could occasionally receive.
“But how did you survive completely unscathed without a single scratch in the middle of all that? Since you were out for three whole days, my colleagues and I were quite worried.”
“Huh?”
…Come to think of it.
Isaac blinked and looked down. He pulled at his clothes to look at his chest, but he saw only a clean chest without a single wound.
He was certain a sword had pierced his heart.
Then, the memory connected. Now that he thought about it, there had been an abrasive sensation before he lost consciousness. It had been so painful, even as he drifted away, as if his heart were being scrubbed raw with sandpaper.
Isaac shifted his gaze. The birdcages he had glimpsed upon waking came into view. Three birdcages hung from the ceiling, roughly between the wooden door and the bed. Inside each was a cat. They were staring at Isaac with incredibly sullen faces. As soon as their eyes met Isaac’s, they began to meow—a voice that sounded utterly wronged and sorrowful.
“…….”
Looking closer, the cages were made of silver. Seeing how those creatures were trapped so obediently, they must be consecrated items.
“Why are they hanging there like that?”
When Isaac asked, Brick shrugged.
“Lord Kaion told us to leave them there. Oh, hey, don’t touch them, don’t touch them. He said if even one of them escapes, along with you, he’ll have my head.”
Isaac, who had been about to get out of bed and walk toward the cages, stopped at those words. In truth, even if he had tried to go, the chain of the shackles on his ankles was too short for him to move more than a couple of steps away from the bed.
The momentary wonder of why they were imprisoned was quickly replaced by a fact he had completely forgotten, striking his mind like a bolt of lightning.
Right.
Right, that’s right. Now that I think about it—.
It was at that exact moment Isaac’s heart dropped.
The wooden door opened. The person who entered was the very man Isaac had just remembered: the Prince.
Passing indifferently by Brick, who quickly straightened his posture, the Prince slowed his pace for a moment upon seeing Isaac sitting up, then continued walking and sat in a chair a short distance from the bed. He looked at Isaac in silence.
Isaac also looked at the Prince in silence. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he kept glancing between the Prince, the edge of the bed, the Prince again, and the foot of the bed, constantly gauging the atmosphere.
The Prince watched Isaac for a while before turning to Brick.
“Step outside.”
“Pardon? …Ah, yes.”
Brick seemed momentarily flustered, but he bowed his head without a word and left. Through the closing gap of the door, a look of concern flickered in his eyes: I don’t know what’s going on, but survive well, my friend.
Vainly, Isaac’s internal plea—Don’t leave me, don’t leave me alone with that man—was ignored. With the sound of the door closing, only the Prince, Isaac, and the three birdcages containing cats remained in the room.
“…….”
A thick silence settled.
Only after Isaac had spent a long time unable to say anything, glancing between the bed and the Prince, did the Prince finally speak after a long, steady gaze.
“So, what are your impressions, child of the witch?”
Isaac flinched at that slow, low call.
Right, that was it.
The thing that should have remained hidden, but had been discovered. And now, his situation was….
Isaac, his shoulders drooping, murmured gloomily.
“…What impressions could I possibly have….”
The Prince stared intently at Isaac. Isaac kept his gaze lowered to avoid eye contact, but feeling as if he were suffocating in the silence, he mumbled, “But….”
“Since I made a vow on the new moon, I’ll end up with Lord Kaion whether I like it or not… but could you please not lock me up? The dungeon is bad for physical health, bad for mental health, and if health declines, the freshness of the blood drops, and if the number of prisoners increases, the national treasury is wasted….”
As Isaac rambled on with whatever came to mind, the Prince tilted his head slightly.
“I take it you dislike being imprisoned.”
“Who would like it?”
“Is that why you deceived me?”
“……. …I am sorry.”
Isaac shut his mouth, unable to utter another word.
Is it the dungeon for sure now? My free life is over. Spending my whole life wasting away in a cell….
The Prince gazed steadily at Isaac, whose shoulders were drooping further and further. After a long while, Isaac stole a glance up at the man, who was examining him as if he were some strange creature. Their eyes met.
“So this is what you looked like,” the Prince murmured.
As the Prince finally confirmed the appearance of the witch of the new moon, Isaac felt a mix of novelty and embarrassment, merely giving a small nod.
“So, in your mind, are you a witch or a human?”
At the Prince’s question, Isaac couldn’t answer immediately and sank into thought. Eventually, he shook his head.
“I do not know.”
“You don’t know your own mind?”
“Does Lord Kaion know what he is?” Isaac asked.
This time, the Prince looked at Isaac without answering. It was impossible to tell if his slightly raised eyebrow meant he was considering the answer, thinking Isaac was brazen, feeling displeased, or amused.
“All I know is that I am the son of Gaia and Kalina, that I am a guard assigned to the Wall-Shadow Palace, and that I am someone who wishes to live quietly and peacefully wherever I may be. That is all.”
Isaac answered softly.
Whether he was a witch or a human. He had given up searching for the answer to that long ago. It had been a question he often dwelled upon in the past, but he eventually stopped thinking about it, realizing it was something that neither he nor anyone else could decide.
The Prince, leaning loosely back in his chair, gazed at Isaac. His narrow eyes, the hand propping up his chin, his languid posture—nothing moved, as if frozen. Then, suddenly,
“Fine.”
The Prince murmured and stood up.
“Whether the one guarding the house is a gatekeeper or a dog doesn’t matter, as long as they perform their role properly.”
That’s not a very pleasant analogy… Isaac felt uneasy for a moment, but he froze when he saw the Prince draw his sword. Walking toward Isaac, the Prince raised the sword indifferently and swung it—Isaac, who had closed his eyes and held his breath, felt a cool, sharp sensation around his ankle in the next instant.
After a few seconds, he slowly opened his eyes to find the shackles that had held his ankle had been severed. …To cut through iron without leaving a single scratch on the ankle; he had known it before, but that sword was terrifying, and the hand wielding it was even more so.
Though his ankle hadn’t been cut off, Isaac felt a lingering chill and rubbed his ankle. Seeing the Prince cast a glance as if telling him to follow and then turn to leave, Isaac hurriedly stood up. As he quickly followed him out of the room, Isaac suddenly stopped and turned back. The three dangling creatures were staring at him with wide eyes.
“They should have just locked them all together in one cage….”
Isaac grumbled to himself and gathered the three cages, threading them together with a curtain tie. Carrying them on his shoulder, they felt quite heavy with the weight of the cages, and the three of them meowed incessantly, sounding as if they were dying of injustice, frustration, and boredom, making his ears noisy.
Upon stepping outside, the Prince stood before him and scanned Isaac. Casting an indifferent gaze at each cage, the Prince turned around without a word. Isaac, flinching slightly, quietly followed behind. Only the cats continued to meow incessantly.
「Why did you just wake up? Why did you just wake up?」
「Do you know how many times a day that handsome guy sat by your bedside with such a terrifying face?」
「And do you know how rudely he spoke to us? Asking if the heart had been licked properly, saying that if you didn’t wake up, you witches in animal form would be burned at the stake immediately,」
「Do you think that was all? For three whole days, he fed us crow meat! Crow meat! He couldn’t give us goat meat, but crow meat?!」
「Unless one is incredibly impoverished and wretched, a witch wouldn’t even look at that smelly, dry crow meat! To noble and elegant witches like us!」
「He did it on purpose!」
「No doubt! He did it on purpose!」
「It’s humiliating!」
「Let us out, let us out right now! I’m going to crunch and chew that insolent handsome guy’s head!」
The three, who had been chattering as if venting several days’ worth of resentment all at once, snapped their mouths shut the moment the Prince, who had been walking a few paces ahead, stopped and looked back. They became so quiet in an instant that one could almost hear the sound of their eyeballs rolling.
“Now that their master is awake, they’re excited and noisy. They spent three whole days curled up sullenly.”
“These guys?”
These noisy creatures who are all over the place? Isaac looked back at the cats with disbelief. The cats, with their pouting, swollen faces, merely muttered, 「Not master」, 「Not master」, sticking their snouts out. Looking at them, Isaac turned to the Prince with a serious face.
“Lord Kaion, this may be presumptuous, but I humbly request that you grant me these incredibly useful and practical birdcages….”
「Kyahhh!」
「Don’t do it! Don’t do anything presumptuous! Don’t grant them!」
The cats immediately broke into a chaotic uproar inside the cages. Carrying the clinking cages, Isaac smiled mischievously, then quickly regained his composure once his eyes met the Prince’s.
The Prince scanned Isaac intently. In the next moment, Isaac paused. He thought he saw the Prince’s lips quirk into a faint smile… but he wasn’t sure. Since the Prince’s expressions were so sparse and he had turned away so quickly, it was hard to tell.
“I borrowed those from the High Priest, so I cannot give them to you. However, I can ask for new ones to be provided.”
As the Prince spoke calmly and walked away, Isaac quickly followed, saying, “Yes, I would be most grateful.” Behind him, the cats continuously chattered, 「Don’t provide them」, 「Don’t be grateful」, but their voices were drowned out by the clinking sound of the cages.
Upon stepping outside, he realized that the place he had mistaken for a dungeon was actually an annex attached to Byeokyeong Palace. Located right next to the main palace, the annex was a secluded building designed for visiting dignitaries, though it was rarely ever used.
Isaac, who had been lying in an annex that wouldn’t be granted to just any guest, thought to himself, I’m grateful enough that it wasn’t a dungeon, but to be given such an honor… As he pondered this, he slowed his pace, following behind the Prince.
A large black cloth draped over the main gate of Byeokyeong Palace caught his eye. And beneath the black cloth lay white flowers.
There were as many flowers as there were people who had suddenly died just a few days ago. Standing guard before them was a guard he had never seen before, likely a replacement for the fallen soldiers.
Right. That’s how it was.
So many people had lost their lives without any crime.
Isaac stopped in front of the main gate. He silently gazed at the white flowers, which formed a vivid contrast against the black cloth. One by one, he looked at the blossoms, overlapping them with the faces he had seen for the last time that night. Only after staring at the various sizes of the flowers did he lift his head to find the Prince standing there, looking at him. The Prince, who had waited in silence as if giving him time, turned away only once their eyes met. Isaac followed him inside without a word. Even though the building and the paths were familiar, everything felt strange today because the faces he encountered were unfamiliar.
The Prince went straight into the study. Isaac took his usual spot, standing diagonally from where the Prince sat in the chair.
Unsure of what to do with the birdcage he was carrying on his shoulder, he quietly set it down beside him. The cats meowed, asking how much longer they would be kept locked up, but they shut their mouths with disgruntled expressions the moment the Prince’s gaze flew toward them.
If I can’t have the cage, I wish I could at least borrow that gaze… While such a thought crossed his mind, Isaac realized the Prince’s gaze had shifted to his own face, and he quickly straightened his posture. I should take that back. Having that gaze so close to me wouldn’t be very good for my heart health.
“Did you rest well for the past three days?”
The Prince’s question flew toward him.
“Yes, thanks to you…” Isaac trailed off, suddenly becoming aware of the passage of time.
He had closed his eyes for a moment, and three days had passed. He had once slept for a full twenty-four hours after being worked to death for three days and nights, but this was the first time he had been asleep for three whole days.
Was cutting into the heart such a burden on the body? He felt he should have woken up at least once in between, yet he had been unconscious as if dead.
“They said the heart was cleanly reattached and there were no abnormalities in bodily functions, yet you wouldn’t wake. I was just about to devise a way to wake you.”
Rubbing the area over his heart, Isaac gave a bashful nod upon hearing the Prince’s words.
“I apologize for causing you concern.”
“No, I wasn’t concerned.”
“…Yes.”
Of course you weren’t, Isaac muttered sourly. Before him, the Prince gave a casual glance to the cats in the cage.
“Those beasts did nothing but chatter among themselves occasionally and showed no other signs, so I figured nothing was wrong. If I could understand their speech, I might have known why you wouldn’t wake, but I do not know the language of beasts. Now, why is it that you didn’t wake for three days?”
At the Prince’s question, Isaac only blinked. Since Isaac himself had no way of knowing the reason, he turned his blinking eyes to stare blankly at the cats.
The cats looked at them with narrowed eyes, but the moment they locked eyes with Isaac, they snapped their heads away. That grumpy attitude clearly said, ‘I know the reason, but I’m not telling you.’
Whether Isaac crouched in front of the cage and shook it vigorously, saying, “Hey, you little rascals, tell him quickly!” or not, the three cats simply turned their heads away and ignored him. It wasn’t long, however, before the three of them suddenly twitched their noses.
The Prince was watching them indifferently while pouring and drinking a glass of wine he had taken from the display cabinet. The wine was so fragrant that even Isaac, who didn’t particularly enjoy wine and had little knowledge of it, took a deep breath. Meanwhile, the cats were poking their noses through the bars of the cage, panting. Drool was streaming from their mouths.
「This… this… this is the wine from the legendary ‘Hand of God’ Go-Bushild, who personally brewed exactly ten casks from the Ailsent region—the most famous wine-producing area—during that year fifty-three years ago when the grape harvest was unprecedentedly magnificent!」
「No mistake! It’s definitely that wine, of which there are barely a hundred bottles left in the world!」
「To think such a magnificent and beautiful work of art is right here, oh my god!」
“…”
Are these things’ noses some kind of ultra-precision detection analyzer or what… As Isaac looked at the cats with disbelief, the Prince approached. He held a wine glass in one hand and the wine bottle in the other. The cats looked up at that hand longingly, their eyes shimmering.
“So, why didn’t you wake?”
The Prince spoke languidly as he tilted the wine bottle. Red wine trickled into a palm-sized saucer inside the cage. Gasp, that precious stuff… Before Isaac could stop him, the cats rushed the saucer and buried their noses in it. The sound of them licking the plate—chap chap chap chap—was quite cheerful.
The Prince refilled the plate several times as it emptied, and by the time the precious bottle was gone, the cats were licking their lips with expressions of absolute ecstasy.
「The handsome one was a good one.」, 「As expected, a person has to be handsome.」, 「Of course, after all, it’s all about the face.」 As the three lay comfortably in the cage, purring happily, they readily answered when the Prince asked again, “Why was it that this fellow couldn’t wake for three days despite having no physical abnormalities?”
「The body is fine, but the life force was depleted, so he couldn’t get up. He used up all his life force until it was completely discharged, so it’s only natural he couldn’t open his eyes until it was recharged.」
The Prince looked at Isaac as if asking him to interpret the meowing, but even though Isaac understood the words, he only blinked and stared at the cats, wondering what on earth they were talking about.
“Used up my life force…? When did I use such life force?”
「Your eyes, your eyes. You saw where Alikisa is. Do you know how much life force it consumes for someone who isn’t even a proper witch to use Mana like that?」
「Moreover, you used Mana on a full moon night when the body is already in poor condition, so how could your body survive intact? You should be grateful you only fainted for three days.」
Ah.
Only then did the memory return to Isaac.
The night view of the capital shimmering beneath his closed eyelids. Eyes that felt as hot as fire. That sense of exhaustion, as if all his strength had been drained in an instant, pulling him down into the earth.
The feeling of strength being sucked out of his entire body in a flash was like life leaking out like water through the cracks of a broken jar. He had thought it was because his heart had been stabbed and he was dying.
“Then you’re saying that trying to see where that witch is drains that much life force? I only saw for a few seconds! I couldn’t wake up for three days just because of that?”
「What do you mean ‘just because of that’? You should be grateful you didn’t turn into a skeleton immediately after using Mana with a bare body without even being a proper witch.」
“Still, he’s half a witch. Does it make sense to be unconscious for three days just for seeing a bit of that? Then if I watched for a few minutes, I’d just die?”
「It wouldn’t take a few minutes. Maybe about 30 seconds?」
「No, 20 seconds, 20 seconds.」
「No, our Manbang-a has pretty good stamina. I’ll bet on 35 seconds!」
He wouldn’t survive that long; surely he’d last about that much, the cats began to bicker among themselves. Eventually, they reached a conclusion:
「Manbang-a! Come on, quickly look at where Alikisa is! You have to watch until you die!」
「Fine, I’ll time it precisely to see how long it takes.」
「The standard is when the heart completely stops, right?」
Isaac tried to smack those brats—but failed because of the cage, so he just shook the cage vigorously and slumped his shoulders.
The time he had spent seeing the capital beneath his eyelids was only a few seconds. Ten seconds at most. If that resulted in three days of unconsciousness, then to properly survey the surroundings and confirm the location…
“…”
As he hung his head gloomily, Isaac suddenly locked eyes with the Prince. The Prince, who had been silently watching Isaac and the cats, seemed to have grasped the situation just from Isaac’s mutterings.
“It seems those eyes are difficult to utilize in your current state.”
“…It appears so.”
The Prince looked at the gloomily muttering Isaac and asked.
“Were you a mixed-blood?”
“Yes.”
Being a Half-Blood wasn’t a crime, yet Isaac felt strangely apologetic for his current inability to use his power properly because of it.
“On your mother’s side, or your father’s?”
“My mother was a witch.”
“And now?”
“My father passed away, and my mother crossed over to the land of the new moon.”
“When?”
“When I was ten…”
“So you’ve lived alone since then? Without a guardian?”
“Yes.”
I feel like I’m being interrogated… Isaac thought as he answered diligently. Just as he began to wonder why this mattered, the Prince’s questions returned to the main point.
“Then, can those eyes see where a witch is at any time, provided there is enough life force?”
Isaac hesitated at that question.
Could he see where a witch was regardless of whether it was night or day, a full moon or a Dark Moon? He didn’t know. Isaac looked at the cats, but they were preoccupied with regretfully licking the empty saucer that had held the wine.
“I think so, but…”
Muttering uncertainly, Isaac quietly focused his consciousness.
What had it felt like then? At that time, he hadn’t particularly tried to do anything. It had happened automatically amidst the chaos.
At that moment, his only thought was that he must not let the witch escape. Amidst the corpses of familiar faces, there was only a desperate heart that could not let the witch go. That he must find the witch even if it cost him his own life—
Thump.
Suddenly, his heart throbbed.
Thump. Thump. He felt the pumping grow stronger with every beat. It felt as if a giant fist was squeezing his heart—clench, clench. Along with that, his eyes grew hot. His eyeballs throbbed as if they were about to pop out. Because of the crushing pressure, hot blood seemed to rush into his eyes like fire.
Suddenly, his vision wavered darkly. He felt a surge of dizziness.
And simultaneously—
“—”
Strength drained from his body, as if the blood had vanished from his head down to his feet. It was incredibly sudden and fierce. It felt as if he were dying in an instant.
Is this what it feels like when life drains away like water?
Staggering, Isaac took a step back and leaned against the wall, instinctively groping for something to hold onto. However, it was useless; his legs buckled, and he slid down the wall, collapsing. He was lucky he didn’t tumble over completely.
No. I’m dying.
Stop.
In the midst of the sudden, encroaching black terror, Isaac instinctively snapped his eyes open. In the blink of an eye, the darkening, blurred vision suddenly brightened. And what he saw before him were the blue eyes of the Prince, who had just reached out a hand toward him.
Once the Prince locked eyes with Isaac—realizing that Isaac had recognized him—he slowly withdrew his hand.
Only then did Isaac, having fully returned to reality, realize he was breathing heavily. His fingertips were cold, and looking down, his nails were blue from the lack of blood. He suspected his complexion was similarly pale.
“If I concentrate a bit more, I think… I might be able to see,”
Isaac muttered haltingly. A bead of sweat gathered at the tip of his nose and dropped. After watching Isaac in silence, the Prince said shortly, “Stop.”
“It would be troublesome if you died after using it just once.”
Isaac didn’t even have the strength to answer; he just gave a vague nod and continued to gasp for air. He was exhausted to the point of death in an instant. Just from this. Now he finally understood why he had been lying down for three days. How on earth was he supposed to use this…
As Isaac struggled to breathe and looked distressed, the Prince also seemed lost in thought. However, as no immediate answer seemed to come to mind, the Prince scanned the shelves of the bookcase where materials related to witches were collected and muttered, “I shall think about it in due time.”
“Can you stand?”
Isaac glanced at the Prince. In his heart, he wanted to just stay sitting there and rest, but he knew he couldn’t possibly do that.
His body felt like water-soaked cotton, but he managed to stand up. When Isaac returned to his original position and stood, the Prince gestured with his chin. He was pointing toward the sofa.
Isaac hesitated, gauging the situation, but the Prince frowned slightly and gestured again, so Isaac quickly went to the sofa and perched on the edge. Wondering if he was indeed being told to sit, he waited tensely, ready to stand up at any moment. However, seeing Isaac sit, the Prince opened a book. After that, he seemed to have completely lost interest in Isaac; he looked as if he wouldn’t care whether Isaac lay down or rolled around.
After staying like that for a long time, very slowly, Isaac relaxed his body and finally sank comfortably into the sofa. It was then that the Prince, without taking his eyes off the book, suddenly muttered.
“Move your things and stay in the annex for the time being.”
“Pardon? …Pardon?”
He asked back instinctively, took a moment to reflect on what he had heard, and then asked again. He understood the words, but the content made no sense. The Prince only glanced at Isaac and said nothing more, as if repeating himself were too tedious.
Isaac, who had thought he misheard, began to think that perhaps he had heard correctly. The back of his neck grew colder.
“Uh… …I am deeply grateful for your grace, but as I have done until now, I shall serve Lord Kaieon by coming and going morning and evening…”
He stopped mid-sentence because the gaze from the book flew toward Isaac. That cold gaze, which looked at Isaac with a blank expression as if he were absurd, briefly shifted to the cats in the cage before returning to Isaac.
…Right, that’s right. His current identity here was the child of a witch. He should be grateful just for not being thrown into a dungeon.
“I will bring my things tomorrow.”
“Today.”
Isaac, who had been speaking while bowing deeply, froze in place. Above him, the only sound was the casual turning of a page. Even when Isaac slowly lifted his head to look, the Prince’s gaze remained fixed on the book, and that was the end of it. The powerless had no choice but to obey.
While Isaac, who was always quick to adapt to situations, slumped his shoulders and began counting the luggage he needed to bring and the items he needed to organize in his head, the Prince’s voice suddenly flew toward him.
“I’ll tell you now, child of the witch. Your eyes belong to me. Your life is the same.”
Isaac lifted his head and met the Prince’s eyes. The Prince, looking at Isaac, spoke as if nailing each word into place.
“The moment your breath stops must be the moment I desire. If you dare cut your own heart again as you did this time, I will not forgive you.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
Isaac answered with a bow, and after watching him for a moment, the Prince slowly withdrew his gaze. After that, no more words flew his way. Not even after Isaac, sitting blankly on the sofa with an exhausted body and mind, began to doze off repeatedly without realizing it.
The incident where everyone staying at Byeokyeong Palace died in a single night during the full moon had a massive impact. It was only natural, as so many people had died en masse within the Royal Palace; every department, regardless of size, saw an increase in the work that needed to be handled. In the midst of this, the fear of those related to witches or magic grew significantly, but at the same time, the person who garnered a fear that was equal to, if not greater than that, was Prince Kaieon.
The Prince had already been an object of fear and awe for many. When such an incident occurred in the Prince’s immediate vicinity—even if it was not something the Prince had intended—the people’s fear of the Prince reached its peak.
Not to mention the new servants who had arrived at Byeokyeong Palace. Even among the servants who had worked there for a long time, those who had managed to escape the tragedy because they happened to be off duty on the day it occurred trembled, unable to face the Prince. While it was true that everyone had feared the Prince from the beginning, it was incomparable to how it was now.
Furthermore, that fear was not limited to the servants or subordinates.
Fear is often irrational. Sometimes it has no identity and no reason. Even if the object of that fear is a direct blood relative.
“……, ――.”
Isaac started to click his tongue but stopped, his face twisting. Although he swallowed the groan, the sign of it must have reached Selbero, who was standing beside him, as he glanced over.
“You okay?”
“……, I-I’m f-fine.”
Whispering with slurred pronunciation, Isaac covered his mouth again, his face contorting. “Hey, hey, I get it, so stop talking, just stop,” Selbero said quickly, waving his hand to stop him.
Isaac nodded and sighed, stroking his parched lips. At least his lips were merely dry; his mangled tongue continued to emit a dull, metallic scent of blood. Thanks to that, even looking at the appetizing food the royals were enjoying in front of him, he didn’t salivate—instead, he felt nauseous enough to die.
In the spacious hall where the guards stood by the walls, the King and Queen Consort, along with their children and siblings, were having a cozy meal. Even for royals, the conversations shared at the table weren’t much different from those of commoners; they exchanged stories about which relative had done what, whose child was causing trouble, or how wonderful a certain vacation spot had been.
Yet, what differed from a few days ago was the atmosphere of the meal.
Though conversation flowed as if nothing were wrong, there was a tense, rigid air mixed in that everyone subconsciously felt.
It was particularly so around Prince Kaieon, who was eating quietly without saying much.
The Prince was no different than usual. As always, he swallowed his food with a dry expression, as if chewing on some tasteless scrap. It was only the demeanor of those paying attention to his every nonchalant gesture that was tense. It was as if something entirely different from them was sitting mixed among them.
It was then. The Prince reached his hand toward where the Queen Consort was sitting.
The moment the Prince’s hand approached, the Queen Consort recoiled in shock, dropping her spoon. Clang—the sound of it hitting the tray and then the floor echoed exceptionally loud. The silence that followed was equally loud and desolate.
As if all the mundane conversation had been a facade, the sudden, breathless silence converged on the pale face of the Queen Consort and the Prince, who looked at her indifferently.
The obvious bewilderment on her face was because she knew that the fear she had been trying so hard to hide had been clearly revealed in that moment.
“――.”
The first person that fear spread to was the Prince’s younger brother sitting opposite him—the second prince, who had been barely swallowing his food while gauging Kaieon’s expression.
Isaac suddenly felt a sharp throb in his lips and tongue, causing him to frown and catch his breath. His lips had been split and his tongue chewed up just yesterday. It happened right after that second prince had visited Kaieon and left.
The second prince, Ilian, was a young man of a gentle and soft nature, loved by all around him. Although he held the right of succession after Kaieon, he had no particular achievements and was not much of an ambitious man himself; consequently, it seemed that the position he held was a considerable burden to him. Whether he had heard something from others or had been overthinking on his own, Ilian had visited Byeokyeong Palace yesterday afternoon, looking visibly nervous.
‘Brother, I intend to go to my territory soon and spend the rest of my life tending to it. Unless you call for me, I shall not even come to the capital.’
Isaac, standing behind Kaieon, looked on with curiosity as Ilian brought up this sudden topic with a pale face. He wondered why someone who usually feared Kaieon so much that he never dared set foot in Byeokyeong Palace would come of his own accord to say such things, but—
‘I… I truly have no greed or other intentions for a high position. Therefore… therefore, if you happen to look upon me with disfavour, I beg you to let go of those feelings…’
Only after seeing Ilian bow his head so deeply he seemed ready to prostrate himself did Isaac realize the meaning behind the words.
Ilian had come to beg for his life in advance. Fearing that Kaieon might suspect him of eyeing the throne. Even though Kaieon had never shown any such sign.
Isaac turned his eyes toward Kaieon. Kaieon was looking at Ilian without expression. He silently watched as Ilian, gauging his reaction, bowed his head lower and lower.
During the time Isaac had been by Kaieon’s side, he had never once heard Kaieon speak of the throne or power. He had never once shown interest in such things. Yet, before his eyes, someone was trembling and bowing their head because of it.
‘I’m not interested.’
Eventually, Kaieon spoke.
That cold remark was likely his sincere feeling. It would have been better if Ilian had withdrawn immediately upon hearing that answer. However,
‘Brother, I will truly, truly be your loyal subject. Therefore, please do not be wary of me or view me with suspicion; please believe me.’
Ilian appealed to Kaieon repeatedly with a desperate air.
‘Please, please tell me that you believe me. Brother, if you command it, I would even welcome death.’
Speaking with lips trembling in fear, Ilian clung to Kaieon. Kaieon’s indifferent gaze fell upon Ilian.
How annoying.
Such a look flickered across Kaieon’s face. It was an emotion resembling slight displeasure or irritation. And,
‘――Lord Kaieon.’
It was at that exact moment that Isaac stepped forward, calling out in a whisper. And at that exact moment, Kaieon’s hand was reaching for the sword placed beside him. In the same way he usually removed things from his sight that he found annoying or bothersome.
‘Lord Kaieon, you must not.’
Only after blurting it out did Isaac realize his mistake. Kaieon had slightly arched an eyebrow. Keeping his gaze fixed on Isaac, he continued to move his hand and gripped the sword. Ilian’s face turned white.
‘What do you think I’m going to do?’
Kaieon spoke. His gaze was still directed at Isaac.
‘I am sorry.’
Isaac answered only that and bowed his head.
Kaieon could have harmed Ilian. Not because he disliked him or found him threatening, but simply because he was annoyed in that moment. Casting aside the vague hope that he surely wouldn’t harm his own biological brother.
Kaieon looked steadily at Isaac. As he gazed at Isaac’s stiff face, his lips seemed to tighten suddenly. Simultaneously,
‘――.’
Kaieon swung the sword down. The blade came straight down upon Isaac, slashing diagonally from his shoulder to his waist. Quite deep, but not enough to be life-threatening.
The scent of blood spread instantly. Isaac stopped breathing for a moment and collapsed to his knees. His heart beat violently against a pain that felt like spreading fire. Drops of blood fell with a patter-patter.
Looking down at Isaac, who was enduring the pain with ragged breaths, Kaieon flicked the blood off his sword. Even as droplets of blood splashed on his face, Ilian stood frozen, trembling, unable to even think of wiping them away.
Wiping the blade carelessly on a cushion, Kaieon turned his gaze to Ilian. Ilian flinched visibly, his lips barely fluttering, ‘Brother… Brother… please… please…’
‘Whether you covet something or not, I have no interest. Furthermore, if there is something I want, no matter what it is, whether it is yours or anyone else’s, I will have it. It is impossible for you to take what I desire, and if it is something I have no interest in, I do not care if you have it or not.’
Kaieon’s calm words were neither a declaration nor a warning. He was simply informing him of something obvious.
‘Go back.’
At Kaieon’s words, Ilian hesitated for a moment, but he stood up without saying another word. He realized that Isaac, who was enduring the pain while bleeding profusely, had paid the price in his stead. He also realized that if he stayed any longer, the blade might actually fall upon him this time.
After the pale Ilian, looking as if he had returned from the dead, hurried away, Kaieon looked back at Isaac. The cats that had been basking in the sun on the windowsill had rushed over at some point and were licking Isaac’s wound.
‘Witch’s child. Do not overstep your place.’
The Prince spoke. Those languid and chilly words were like a threat.
‘――I had to step in.’
Isaac spoke. It was a whispered remark, but it would have clearly reached the Prince’s ears. The Prince looked down at Isaac in silence.
‘It is those who did not step in who should be reprimanded.’
He should have. At the very least, in a situation where an older brother might harm his younger brother, anyone should have stood in the way.
Isaac lifted his head and looked straight at the Prince, and the Prince looked back at Isaac. Suddenly, the Prince’s brow seemed to twitch faintly. As if saying, Right, he was this kind of fellow.
The Prince grabbed Isaac by the neck. A crack sounded from the bone.
‘Witch’s child. You are a hateful breed that deserves to be torn apart a hundred times over for that blood alone. Your tongue is quite bold at times.’
The Prince’s coldly sunken eyes looked at Isaac from a close distance. They were blue eyes, as if they could freeze everything.
‘Do you think you will not die?’
‘Have I not already died several times?’
Isaac barely managed to squeeze the words out through his constricted throat.
Even now.
Even now, blood continued to flow from the wound where the Prince’s sword had passed, and if these cats hadn’t licked it, he wouldn’t have been able to move properly for a while.
The Prince stared at Isaac as if trying to pierce through him. Then, he suddenly released the neck he had been gripping, and his hand slowly traveled up to touch Isaac’s lips. The moment the fingertip touched, Isaac flinched and closed his mouth. As if displeased by that, the stationary finger forced its way crudely between his lips. The Prince’s finger pushed into his mouth.
As if stroking, as if checking the sensation with the fingertip, the finger pressed firmly down on the tongue. A strange sensation, as if something living had invaded his mouth—and then,
‘You would be better off keeping your tongue in check.’
Along with a low whisper, there was a crunching sensation of flesh being crushed.
He had only pressed down on the tongue with two fingers. However, the terrifying strength was enough to mash the small piece of flesh, and Isaac involuntarily let out a groan and pushed the hand away.
The Prince readily withdrew his hand. Isaac looked up at the Prince, unable to even close his mouth due to a pain that was beyond stinging—a numbness that made him wonder if he would never be able to use his tongue properly again—and the Prince, stepping back, gazed at Isaac.
‘You seem to wag your tongue recklessly because you have something you rely on, but do not forget. I shall let you live for now, but as long as you are a witch, you can die at any time.’
It was a clear warning. Not a mere threat, but a warning of the absolute truth.
Even though it was something he already knew, those words were engraved vividly, as if his heart had been struck by a chisel, because of the tone that seeped with a faint hatred just by uttering the word ‘witch.’
His heart felt heavy due to discouragement. With shoulders slumped from an unknown sense of despondency and melancholy, Isaac muttered behind the Prince, who was turning away as if he had finished speaking.
‘……Even if I cannot use my tongue, I will speak when I must.’
It was a slurred pronunciation that didn’t come out properly with a crushed tongue. The words flowed out low and blurred, like a groan. Perhaps that is why he didn’t hear it. The Prince seemed to stop his pace for a very brief moment, but he did not look back, and Isaac simply closed his mouth gloomily.
That was what happened yesterday.
At first, he could speak reasonably well, but as time passed, his tongue swelled up, and now even simple pronunciations were not working properly. It was difficult to put anything in his mouth, so he had barely eaten all day today.
Still, the reason he didn’t look longingly at the delicacies of the royals while standing guard behind them was first because he had no appetite due to the fishy taste that wouldn’t leave his mouth, and second because of the tense air of the dinner.
The atmosphere where everyone walked on eggshells and gauged his mood just by Prince Kaieon being present was not only for today. Almost whenever he was present, the atmosphere was like this. However, the reason the atmosphere was exceptionally rigid today was likely because Ilian had visited Kaieon yesterday.
An atmosphere filled with anxiety, as if someone had poked a sleeping dog, wondering if they had needlessly made him angrier or if he was in a bad mood today.
In the midst of that, the Queen Consort’s complexion had been pale and poor even before the meal began. She couldn’t even look at the Prince properly, and whenever the Prince said something, she would avoid his gaze and barely manage short, clipped answers in a small voice.
The Queen Consort had feared Prince Kaieon from the start. Unlike how she treated the other princes and princesses she had birthed with affection, she was cautious and fearful of Kaieon, as if dealing with some sacred—or ominous—entity. The King was the same, though he showed it less outwardly than the Queen Consort.
Furthermore, it went without saying after the tragedy of Byeokyeong Palace, touched by the breath of a non-human. Thus, it was not strange that the Queen Consort flinched and dropped her spoon when the Prince suddenly reached toward her—
“…….”
The spoon the Queen Consort dropped seemed to shatter whatever facade had been covering the scene. The fact they had been trying so hard to ignore. The fact that while they acted and spoke with a composed air as if nothing were wrong, in reality, they all shunned and feared one person—Kaieon—was revealed in that deathly silence.
The Queen Consort’s pale complexion turned white in an instant. The way she glanced at the Prince and hurriedly dropped her gaze, like someone who had committed an impious sin and feared divine punishment, was not the look of a mother seeing her son.
No one said anything to her, or to the Prince. There were no light rebukes, no words to smooth things over, not even blame or comfort. As if everyone agreed with her, they only gauged the Prince’s mood. It was as if all of them and the one Prince were standing at opposite ends of a confrontation.
The Prince, who had stopped his reaching hand, gazed at the Queen Consort for only a brief moment. Soon, he nonchalantly picked up the salt shaker in front of her, sprinkled a bit on his own plate, and continued his meal as if nothing had happened.
“Haha… the seasoning seems a bit bland today.”
“Quickly, bring a new spoon.”
“Bring a lap blanket to cover her. The Great-Aunt seems to be cold. Her complexion… Then again, the weather has suddenly turned chilly lately, so it’s quite cold in the mornings and evenings.”
Amidst the words of people hurriedly chiming in, the silence broke awkwardly and unnaturally. However, the sense of detachment that had been created in an instant already dominated the place.
He and they sat in the same place, yet they were in entirely different worlds.
Because that was so vividly apparent—.
“Isaac? …Does it hurt a lot?”
Only after hearing Selbero’s whisper did Isaac realize he had been clenching his jaw. Belatedly tasting the throbbing sensation in his tongue, he frowned and placed his hand over his mouth.
He knew. It was nothing new. Everyone feared him. Everyone. Now, even more so than before.
“I feel like you’re always getting hurt while working at Byeokyeong Palace. Like how you were unconscious until the other day…”
Selbero looked at Isaac with pity and spoke softly.
“I mean, it’s great to work while receiving a stable, high salary from the Royal Palace, but how can you stay here if it’s always this dangerous? Think about quitting as a guard.”
“I-I’m n-not q-quitting.”
Isaac shook his head. Selbero had said, “What do you mean you can’t quit? If you want to quit, you just quit,” but he didn’t understand. Now that his origins had already been exposed, there was no way Isaac could escape from the Prince’s side. If he could have, he would have done so long ago…
“…….”
Would he have quit……?
Leaving that man sitting alone among so many people. Moving far away from the one man who remained solitary even among those who could be called his closest.
He probably wouldn’t have.
The moment that thought occurred, the simultaneous question was, ‘Why?’ And the words that could serve as the answer surfaced along with it.
Pity. Sorrow. Compassion.
None of them. They seemed similar at a glance, but that wasn’t it. Yet, though it remained elusive and didn’t clearly come to mind, he knew that much. For some reason, Isaac felt that he would not quit working by his side of his own volition.
“The weather has grown quite chilly.”
The Prince spoke abruptly just as the meal was nearly finished. Because he was usually so silent, the people all fell quiet at once and looked at him, even at such a trivial remark.
“Haha, well, summer has passed, so that is only natural. If you say you are fine, I shall soon instruct the Court Mages to keep the air warm in Byeokyeong Palace, but…….”
The King asked for the Prince’s preference. The Prince, who had been looking out the window, only then turned his gaze toward him. Then, he spoke calmly.
“I am thinking of staying at the Star Palace in Hailen for a while; I wonder if you would grant me your permission.”
The silence was short but deep.
The Star Palace of Hailen.
It was a resort located a full day’s ride to the southwest of the capital. Geographically, the weather remained mild throughout the four seasons, making it a place many visited to escape the cold. However, even though it hadn’t become that cold yet, the Prince was suddenly announcing that he would be moving far away from them.
For a moment, the people shifted their gazes in silence, unable to say anything. The King also looked momentarily flustered, but after clearing his throat a couple of times, he nodded.
“Of course, if that is what you wish, you may stay anywhere in this country. Do as you please.”
“Thank you.”
The Prince answered briefly, and that was the end of it. As he drank his post-meal tea, he said nothing more. The people, who had been quietly exchanging glances, began to chime in one by one: “Hailen is a lovely place,” “It is warm and leisurely, perfect for spending the cold season.” “Yes, Hailen is a wonderful place,” the Queen Consort whispered with a nod, a slight flush of color returning to her pale face, as did the face of the second prince sitting across from her.
And standing behind them, Isaac watched only the Prince.
Drinking his tea with an expressionless, somewhat bored face, he was no different than usual.
Isaac’s chest felt heavy. Even the breath he unconsciously let out sank heavily. He quietly placed a hand on his chest and stroked it down.
None of them tried to stop him, none seemed reluctant, and none asked him to stay. It was nothing new, and there was nothing to be done. Nevertheless, unable to help the heavy feeling weighing on him, Isaac closed his mouth bitterly.
In that instant, the Prince suddenly looked back. Their eyes met.
“――.”
As if captured by those deep blue eyes staring straight at him, Isaac stood frozen, meeting his gaze. He couldn’t tell what the Prince was thinking as his gaze slowly scanned Isaac’s face.
The Prince’s gaze did not leave Isaac. Following that stare—which could be described as blatant—the others began to glance at Isaac with curiosity.
Why is he looking at me like that? While Isaac blinked, trying his best to hide his bewilderment, the Prince kept his eyes fixed on Isaac’s face and slowly drank his tea. He only withdrew his gaze after swallowing the final sip.
“I shall excuse myself first.”
Leaving only those words, the Prince set down his teacup and stood up. A few clumsy farewells followed behind him. As the Prince walked toward the door in the direction where Isaac was standing, he seemed to slow his pace for a very brief moment right in front of him. As if looking at Isaac once more, the Prince passed him by nonchalantly. Isaac, who had stood there dazed for a moment, hurriedly followed after him once he had moved a few steps away.
Then, suddenly,
――I thought you’d have a face like that.
It felt as if the Prince had muttered that. However, it was a word that flickered by in a very short instant, so perhaps he had misheard. Isaac rubbed his face and followed the Prince out.
“We leave for Hailen early tomorrow.”
“Eh? Did you… say tomorrow…?”
Isaac asked back in surprise at the words the Prince spoke while walking down the hallway after leaving the dining hall.
He had only just heard the plan to go to Hailen, and now he was leaving early tomorrow? Even for a day trip, preparations were usually made days in advance; he had never heard of traveling to stay at a Star Palace for a while with such lightning speed.
However, there was no way the Prince would speak empty or false words, which meant the servants would likely have to spend the entire night preparing. And Isaac as well.
Properly packing luggage was out of the question, so he would have to pick a few important things. As Isaac was mentally listing what to bring, the Prince, who had been walking straight ahead, suddenly stopped and looked back at him. Isaac stopped as well and looked at him curiously.
“Did those cats not have the skill to heal a tongue?”
“Eh? Ah… well, they might be able to… but I don’t want to get better to the point of having those things lick my tongue.”
His pronunciation was difficult and eating was inconvenient in many ways, but he didn’t want to stick out his tongue to be licked by cats. The Prince seemed to understand, nodding with an “Ah.” After a moment of silence, he muttered, “It will take a long time.” It sounded somewhat reluctant, but it was impossible to tell from his back as he turned and walked away.
“There is no need for special preparations; just send a message to Hailen. Everything necessary will be there. There is no need for servants to accompany me.”
“Then… are you planning to go alone?”
Thinking of the faces of the subordinates who would suddenly become frantic because of the “tomorrow” deadline, Isaac, who had been counting on his fingers, stopped again as he found himself face-to-face with the Prince, who had turned around to look at him.
“You are coming, witch.”
“……. Yes…….”
Right, come to think of it, I am the pain reliever…… The Dark Moon was not far off. Thinking of the things he had to prepare overnight and the appointments and schedules he had to cancel immediately, Isaac felt a moment of gloom, but he nodded obediently. If he was going to be dragged along anyway, there was no use resisting. Besides,
“I will gladly follow.”
The reason he answered so firmly, despite his leaking pronunciation, was that those words were sincere. He felt he should follow rather than let the Prince go alone.
The Prince gazed intently at Isaac. As if searching for something strange on his face, the Prince looked at him and then nodded without a word. His pace slowed slightly as he turned to walk away.
Hailen was located about a day’s ride to the southwest of the capital.
A day’s ride was the speed of a general government courier; depending on the situation, it could take less or more. In cases of urgent delivery, it could be reached in half a day, but when a noble went on an excursion or for recuperation, it usually took a day or two longer as they rested along the way.
Thus, even when the courier who had ridden through the night delivered the news that ‘The Prince departs for the Hailen Star Palace today,’ the people in Hailen must have found it sudden. But they could never have imagined that the Prince’s party would arrive in Hailen that very afternoon.
Of course, Isaac hadn’t imagined it either.
No matter how much the Prince said he didn’t need servants or preparations, a member of the royal family could not travel to a Star Palace alone. Although it was fewer than usual, and reduced as much as possible, about a dozen servants ended up following. However, the Prince did not wait for them.
Since he hadn’t mentioned the schedule a month or two in advance, but departed for Hailen less than a full day after bringing it up, a minor commotion broke out throughout the palace. This was true for the servants of Byeokyeong Palace who had to serve their master immediately, and some government offices expressed reluctance as their workload would inevitably increase or disruptions would occur in the Prince’s absence. On the other hand, there were several high-ranking officials who were secretly pleased that the Prince was moving to Hailen, given the current atmosphere of avoidance and fear toward him. Thus, no one could oppose it, and they followed the decision without complaint.
The servants argued that if he were to stay in Hailen until the heat subsided, there were many things to prepare. However, as he had said, the Prince left the palace early the next morning. Dressed more simply than those going on a day trip, the Prince simply mounted his horse and headed for Hailen, while the servants decided to pack as quickly as possible and follow him within a day or two.
And so, the Prince departed for the Star Palace with an unprecedentedly simple attire and a small group—namely, four or five servants to attend to him immediately and Isaac—but,
“…….”
Why am I riding my horse alone here……? Isaac had been thinking that for a while.
Until ten or twenty minutes ago, he thought he could faintly see the tail of the Prince’s horse far ahead, but now even that was gone. The other servants who were supposed to be chasing from behind had long since vanished from sight.
The Prince’s horse was one of the finest, even by the standards of Freya, a region famous for its noble steeds. With such a horse running unrestrained, there was no way another horse could keep up. It was only because of the Prince’s consideration that he was able to borrow an excellent steed from the royal stables, which is why he had seen the tail of the Prince’s horse until a moment ago; otherwise, he would have been panting and chasing from far behind with the servants.
I’ve never been told I can’t ride a horse anywhere. Isaac didn’t stop his horse even as he pressed a water skin to his lips, his throat feeling parched and dry. No matter how far behind he was, he couldn’t just slow down completely. He had to try and follow without letting the distance widen further.
Even though his physical condition wasn’t too bad as the Dark Moon approached, his whole body was exhausted from riding since morning. It was even worse because he hadn’t eaten anything in his struggle to catch up with the Prince.
“The scenery is truly breathtaking…….”
Isaac muttered unconsciously, even with his aching tongue. He had heard that the scenery of Hailen was beautiful, and indeed, as he drew closer, nature became more lush.
Above a vast plain where mountains tinged yellow by the deepening autumn could be seen in the distance, a single road stretched endlessly without a single house in sight. The mountain range, though not high, stretched long, with white snow covering the peaks here and there.
However, while the open landscape of nature was indeed exceptionally wonderful,
“It would have been nice if there were trees along the road,” Isaac muttered weakly.
On this long, single road, there was nowhere to escape the sun. Even if the weather had turned cool and it was chilly in the mornings and evenings, the midday sun was scorching.
Having ridden under the blazing sun without a single shred of shade for a while, Isaac’s heart was full of a desire to rest even for a moment, but he spurred his horse forward while gasping for dry breath. The horse also ran, exhaling rough breaths.
‘You’re tenacious, truly tenacious.’
That was something a colleague from the Royal Guard had told him once long ago. It was during the annual Royal Guard physical fitness competition, when bets were placed between squads. Originally, the purpose was to compete lightly and enjoyably to build unity, but that day, a colleague had been severely injured during the morning competition due to an opponent’s foul, and the atmosphere within the squad had turned grim. While everyone else solemnly vowed to win against those bastards even if it cost them their lives, Isaac alone was quiet. Born without a competitive streak, Isaac was the type to do things to a moderate extent and not care much whether he won or lost. However, that day, Isaac was the last one remaining in the long-distance race, the final event of the competition.
He ran until his breath reached his throat, and later, blood came from his parched, cracked throat, but Isaac ultimately remained until the end. And then he collapsed on the spot and was carried away, hovering between life and death.
The memory of that day, when he earned the reputation among his colleagues as ‘the guy we thought was just quiet and moderate, but turned out to be the most tenacious of them all,’ resurfaced now.
It was hot, hard, and exhausting. His body felt completely limp.
The Prince was already so far ahead that he was invisible, and catching up to him was impossible. If he couldn’t catch up anyway, there was no need to run himself to death like this; a voice in his head told him there was no point and to just go slowly, but Isaac did not loosen the reins.
He was growing further apart from the Prince, but he wanted to narrow that gap even by a little.
He didn’t want to leave him alone.
He wanted to be the one by his side. He didn’t know when he started thinking that, but at some point, he wanted to. Even though he felt afraid and nervous when he was close, he still wanted to be by his side.
“…….”
He wondered what this mysterious sentiment was.
Whether he did or not, that person probably wouldn’t care. No, he might even find it annoying. That possibility was actually greater. Just look at how he had ridden off alone without looking back once he left Byeokyeong Palace. Moreover, wasn’t a witch someone he hated even more than an eyesore? Thus, if Isaac lingered nearby, he might actually find it more unpleasant.
“He should… go with me.”
If they went together, the horse could run slowly, and it wouldn’t be boring on the long journey—though he might have left first precisely because he didn’t want to do that—Isaac grumbled again with his leaking pronunciation and spurred his horse once more.
Around that time, the shadeless road finally ended, and he entered a forest path. To call it a forest path was a stretch, as the trees weren’t lush but sparse, so it didn’t feel like a cool forest, but still, shade cast over his head and a small stream flowed on the right side of the path, making him feel much cooler.
His mind, which had been growing hazy from the relentless blazing sun, seemed to return a bit. Only then did he notice the horse’s rough breathing. Sweat was soaking into its back. He felt a bit sorry. He could endure through his own stubbornness, but what sin had this animal committed?
He thought he should let the horse quench its thirst at the stream before moving on. In the meantime, the distance from the Prince would widen further, but he couldn’t bring himself to deny a thirsty animal a sip of water just to try and narrow that gap.
Is there a suitable place to stop? It was while Isaac was loosening the reins and looking around. Beyond the fairly thick brush, he saw a large bird flapping its wings and taking flight.
That unusually large, snow-white bird of prey looks remarkably like the hawk the Prince keeps, he thought, watching it. That hawk, which the Prince had raised since the border and was violent yet clever, allowing no one’s touch but its master’s, was snow-white without a single smudge and, above all, twice as large as most birds of prey; such a similar bird could not be common. Just as he wondered why it was here, he saw something moving right beneath it. As expected, that white mane looked familiar…….
“……Oh.”
After passing through the brush and confirming the identity of the slowly moving, whitish thing, Isaac blinked. It was the Prince’s horse. A noble steed that couldn’t be mistaken, and couldn’t be found just anywhere, was drinking water by the stream. Meanwhile, as the reins were loosened, Isaac’s horse, feeling thirsty, clattered toward it of its own accord. The Prince’s horse glanced this way but remained preoccupied with drinking water.
“Why are you alone…….”
……He couldn’t be.
After confirming it was indeed the Prince’s horse, Isaac looked around curiously and discovered the Prince sitting in the shade of a tree behind. The Prince, who had been looking at the sky as if he had just sent the hawk somewhere, dropped his gaze to Isaac.
“Lord Kaieon!”
Isaac shouted unconsciously. His eyes and the corners of his mouth curved loosely because he felt a sudden surge of joy at the unexpected encounter. He thought the Prince would have gone so far that he couldn’t catch up, and he never imagined he would suddenly run into him here.
“I thought you’d be far away.”