Chapter 1 - The Beginning
A boy's face is reflected in the window of the swaying carriage. His cheeks are a little gaunt, and his bluish-silver hair looks dull. His dark navy eyes are cloudier than usual.
That is the reflection of me, as I am now.
"Prince Ridil, how are you feeling?"
The gentleman sitting in front of me, his graying hair slicked back, turned his thoughtful dark brown eyes towards me.
"There's nothing wrong, really. How about you, Ferrol?"
"I’m used to it, so this is nothing at all,"
Ferrol replied with a smile. Honestly, I think it's much harder for an old man like him to follow me all the way to the remote territories, more than it is for me. Yet Ferrol never uttered a single complaint.
There’s nothing to be gained from following me, the sixth prince. It’s clearly just a way of getting rid of a nuisance, just like me.
Ferrol said it was to repay the kindness he received from my mother, who had apparently helped him greatly.
But even though he said that, I don't know anything about what transpired between my mother and Ferrol.
Whenever I asked him, he would only dodge the question and never gave me a straight answer. And as for my mother, I can no longer ask her, as she passed away a week ago.
I think she was probably murdered. Right after my mother’s death, the Second Queen, who had always hated her, was sent off to a convent. There must be some connection.
But that’s just my speculation. My father, the King, didn’t say anything.
He merely told me I was to manage the remote land where I’m headed now.
I was the only one among the royal family who couldn’t use magic. So, I always thought they’d get rid of me sooner or later, but I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. I wasn’t prepared at all. After all, I’m only seven years old.
“Sigh.”
"Prince Ridil..."
"I’m fine, but if this shaking continues, my backside might split in two."
"Pff! Prince Ridil, backsides are supposed to be split in two. Mine is quite neatly divided, as well."
"Oh, now that you mention it, you're right."
We exchanged glances and burst into laughter. Both of us had lost someone dear. If we didn’t laugh, we wouldn’t be able to endure it.
On the fourth day of the carriage ride, we finally arrived at our destination, a remote town. By then, my tears had somehow dried up, and I had accepted the reality of the situation.
The town is called "Northwest." It’s located to the northwest of the capital, so the name is quite literal.
Well, I expected as much, but it’s more like a large village than a town. There aren’t any two-story buildings, and it doesn’t look like there are any shops either.
From the window, I could see the townspeople, their eyes wide in surprise at the grand carriage that suddenly appeared. Everyone was covered in dirt.
The carriage stopped in front of the largest house in town. Though "large" is relative—it’s nowhere near the size of the royal castle. Still, it’s probably as big as one of the storage buildings at the castle.
A man with white hair came out of the house and fixed his dark brown eyes on me.
"Welcome, Prince Ridil. I am Johan, the mayor of this town. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask."
"Thank you. This is Ferrol, who will be my guardian."
"I am Ferrol, the butler. I look forward to serving you alongside my master."
Oh, Ferrol seems a bit angry. He didn’t like being referred to as my "guardian." But isn’t his job to keep an eye on me and report back to the king? Even a seven-year-old like me understands that much.
Well, maybe not every seven-year-old would grasp that, even with the royal education I received. The reason I can sense this is because of my faint memories from a past life.
I’m not sure when I realized it, but there were several times when conversations between my mother and me didn’t quite align. That’s when it dawned on me—what I considered common sense was completely abnormal in this world.
Perhaps my mother told the King that I was a strange child.
So, the moment she, my “protective charm,” disappeared, they exiled the troublesome Sixth Prince, Ridil, to the frontier.
Yeah, that explanation fits best. And Ferrol, he’s just the unlucky one who drew the short straw.
Yet Ferrol’s face now looks full of life. When he heard the news of my mother’s death, he had been so gaunt it seemed like he might follow her into the grave.
Could it be that he’s found a strange kind of purpose, thinking, “I’ll raise her son to be a fine man”?
"Prince Ridil, no, Lord Ridil. I am your personal butler, Ferrol. Please do not confuse my role. You may call me ‘Jiiyah’ (old man), if you like."
"Ferrol... Alright, I’ll rely on you. I’ll think about the 'Jiiyah' thing."
Why did he go out of his way to correct me? Was that some kind of formal ritual to establish our master-servant relationship? I have no idea. I should have learned about such things from my mother when I had the chance.
Ferrol pouted slightly, unhappy that I declined to call him “Jiiyah.” What’s that about?
"Ahem. Now, I’ll show you to your room."
Johan smoothly stepped in and moved the conversation forward after sensing our exchange had ended. I suppose they’re busy preparing a welcome party for me. I should stay quiet until things settle down.
Not that there’s much for me to do in this town, anyway. I’ll probably just eat and sleep. That might make me fat. I should consider going on a diet.
Before dinner, I had a bath. I was so happy. It was my first bath in four days. Though much smaller than the one at the royal castle, it was more than enough to satisfy me. In fact, I preferred this cozy bath over the grand marble ones.
Well, I wasn’t alone; Ferrol was with me. I told him I could handle it on my own since I’m already seven, but he wouldn’t listen. He insisted that I might drown. Apparently, he’s quite overprotective.
Dinner, as expected, was a grand feast laid out on the table. No doubt Johan had arranged it. I gratefully ate with Ferrol.
But Ferrol kept tasting everything before I could touch it, as if he were checking for poison.
Isn’t he being overly cautious? I doubt there’s anyone left who wants me dead. That was the case back in the royal castle as well. As a prince who can’t use magic, no one paid much attention to me.
After dinner, I returned to my room. Ferrol’s room is right next to mine, as expected.
Compared to the royal castle, the quality of the food was lacking, as I had anticipated. The flavors were quite simple, or rather, barely seasoned at all. To put it positively, it tasted like they had condensed the pure flavor of the ingredients.
But for a child like me, that flavor was tough to handle. I wish I had some seasoning—like miso, maybe. I drifted off to sleep thinking about such trivial things, though I couldn’t sleep right away.
I guess that’s to be expected in an unfamiliar place. There’s also this strange sense of foreboding. Unable to sleep, I looked out the window. I thought it would be pitch black, unlike the capital.
But off in the distance, I could see a faint light.
What is that? It’s hard to tell because
it’s so far away, but could it be... a glowing tree? Is that even possible? I never imagined such a thing existed in this world. I’ll have to go check it out tomorrow.
With that exciting thought in my mind, I finally began to feel drowsy. Yes, I’ll definitely go see that tree tomorrow.