Chapter 45
Since Raikal was the Emperor’s first child, he was declared Crown Prince the moment he was born. Yet, even for someone so exalted, the world was not always kind.
Those who coveted imperial power—distant relatives of the royal family and their supporters—had made numerous attempts on his life.
Raikal was only ten years old now, but he had already survived so many assassination and poisoning attempts that he didn’t have enough fingers to count them.
So when this strange situation unfolded, suspicion was the first thing that crossed his mind.
“An ambush!”
Hearing the commotion, the maids waiting at the greenhouse entrance rushed inside.
Screaming, they tried to shield the children.
One maid wrapped trembling Yuren in her arms, another pulled Lor behind her back.
“Uh? Uh?”
“Uu… uuu…”
Lor froze in shock, while Yuren was on the verge of tears. Raikal bit his lip as he looked at the two.
“Protect the prince and the Duke’s daughter!”
Raikal yanked his wrist free from Kainel’s grasp and gave the order. He tried to move to stand beside Kainel.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince! Please step back!”
“Escort His Highness Raikal to safety!”
But the maids’ hands pulled at him, preventing him from getting closer.
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Raikal shouted,
“I can fight too!”
“No, Your Highness. Your safety comes first!”
The maids swarmed around him like clouds, encircling him tightly. Raikal clenched his fists, trembling with anger.
“But—!”
“Stay where you are, Crown Prince.”
Amid his excitement, Kainel’s cold voice reached his ears. Without taking his eyes off the bushes from which the dagger had flown, Kainel spoke firmly.
“Lor, you just guard that kid.”
As much as he hated to admit it, judging from what he’d seen at the training grounds, the Crown Prince seemed to know how to handle a sword to some degree.
But Kainel had to deal with the assassin himself. It was safer if Lor stayed near the prince.
Pushing Raikal back, Kainel fiddled with the necklace hanging from his neck. Then—
Snap!
He tugged hard, breaking it.
He had promised the Duke not to remove this necklace, but under the circumstances, the Duke would surely understand.
It’ll… be fine.
He forced himself to ignore the ominous feeling in his chest.
Ssshhk.
Kainel’s nails lengthened, sharp as a predator’s claws. Holding them like blades, he scanned the surroundings.
Cheng—!
The assassin leaped out from the bushes, swiftly closing in on Kainel’s flank.
But Kainel twisted his body just in time, narrowly dodging.
Whoosh—!
In that fleeting moment, the assassin’s kick flew toward his jaw.
Kainel bent backward to evade while swinging his clawed hand.
Slash!
The sound of fabric tearing rang out. His claws grazed the assassin’s leg, drawing a shallow wound. Blood spread from the scratch.
“…Hah.”
The faint scent of blood filled the air. Kainel’s eyes widened.
The familiar stench of iron made his body burn hot.
Why… why now—
This wasn’t the time.
Kainel’s pupils elongated vertically. A golden shimmer spread from them, until his entire irises gleamed bright gold.
Even the assassin flinched at those beast-like eyes. Kainel did not waste the chance.
He leapt, soaring unnaturally high above the assassin, and stomped down on his shoulder. No human should have been able to jump that high.
The assassin lost his balance and fell. Kainel immediately drove his elongated claws into his shoulder.
“Ugh!”
The assassin’s eyes, visible through the mask, widened. His black clothes darkened as blood soaked them.
It was a successful strike. Yet Kainel felt something was wrong.
Though his shoulder had been pierced, the assassin smiled, satisfied.
His lips curled upward, not in pain, but as if savoring ecstasy—like he had achieved exactly what he wanted.
What is this… something’s—
Wrong. His instincts screamed it.
“K-Kainel?”
Lor called his name, panicked.
“No—!”
Raikal’s shout followed.
By the time Kainel turned around at the chilling sensation crawling up his spine, it was already too late.
A blinding white light had engulfed Lor and Raikal.
* * *
The smell of dampness. A cold stone floor. Darkness thick as the ocean’s depths spread in every direction.
“Hh… hic… sniff…”
Lor shivered in fear, glancing around.
Sitting on the dusty ground made his bottom damp, and the air was clammy and chilling.
“Wh-where is this…?”
His body trembled. His throat and nose were clogged from crying, so even his voice came out muffled.
There had been a sudden flash of light—and after that, he remembered nothing.
When he opened his eyes, everything was pitch black.
Even the faintest whisper echoed, the floor was hard and cold like stone, and the moist air made it feel like a cave.
It was the kind of place monsters lived in storybooks.
Knowing didn’t make it less frightening. Lor sniffled and wiped his runny nose with trembling hands.
“Stop crying.”
A sharp voice cut through the silence.
It was right beside him.
Lor quickly turned his head, blinking into the dark until his eyes adjusted.
“…Ra-Raikal?”
It was him.
Raikal sighed faintly as he looked at Lor.
He stayed close enough not to be separated, but kept one knee on the ground, body tense and alert, ready to move at any moment.
Lor blinked at him.
Why is Raikal here too…?
Holding back tears, he tried to recall what had happened in the Fiorleta Garden.
Kainel had suddenly rushed forward. Then, someone dressed head-to-toe in black appeared. But Kainel had fought that dark figure like the knight heroes in fairy tales!
The clash of claws and blades had been so terrifying that Lor nearly burst into tears.
But with the maids around him, he held it in. He couldn’t cry in front of everyone.
He was a brave child, after all!
Still, his heart pounded violently.
While he struggled to hold back his sobs—
Tsk…
The maid patting his back clicked her tongue.
Huh?
Lor looked up and locked eyes with her.
She was familiar—Ella, the maid who always trailed after Yuren.
E-Ella?
Yuren’s startled voice had called her name.
“Milady.”
Ignoring even the prince she usually cared for, Ella addressed Lor. Amid the chaos, her voice was eerily calm.
“This won’t do, will it?”
Her eyes glinted strangely as she reached for Lor’s arm, gripping it tight.
Her grasp hurt. Lor didn’t understand what she meant, only that it was frightening and wrong. He tried to pull away.
But then, white light burst from Ella’s hand holding his wrist.
“Huh?”
“Duke’s daughter. Things are about to get interesting.”
At that moment, the ground beneath Lor’s feet gave way. His stomach churned as if falling, his body floating unnaturally.
[No! Lor!]
The magic book beside him flapped its pages desperately. But even it had no way to dispel the light wrapping around him.
The light consumed his body in an instant.
And just as he was about to be swallowed—
“No—!”
A voice cried out, and someone seized his hand.
Looking back now, Lor realized that voice had been—
Raikal…
Sniffling, Lor looked up at him.
Raikal had thrown himself into the unknown light to grab hold of him.
He came here because of me. To save me…
At that thought, Lor’s tears threatened to fall again.
Not from fear—but from gratitude, and from not feeling alone.
“Snff!”
He blew his nose loudly, then wiped his damp face with determination.
Though his face was blotchy and tear-stained, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
Quietly, Lor pressed close to Raikal’s side.
