“A, are you Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
“…..”
Yerhan remained silent, neither denying nor affirming. Then the man, convinced that Yerhan is the crown prince, bravely shouted.
“Please save our village!”
“…Village?”
Yerhan asked, frowning.
The man nodded again and again and fell down on the floor.
“The monsters attacked our village. We’ve tried to fight back, but we’re no match.”
As the man hurried to speak, Yerhan was momentarily lost in thought.
Monsters generally seclude themselves in sparsely populated places such as forests and rivers.
A few years ago, there were occasional attacks on villages, but almost disappeared after the knights of Tiriad went on to wipe out the ruins.
In particular, there had never been reports of the presence of monsters in this area.
It was strange, the lord would have sent a contact to the Imperial Palace if monsters appeared.
“What about the lord?”
The man answered with despair, scratching the floor with his hands.
“The lord… abandoned our village.”
Yerhan was silent. This has happened from time to time. When a small village was attacked by a monster, the lord pretended not to know it.
In particular, the more provincial the lords, the more they were taxed, and the more stingy they were in taking care of the residents.
“Leader, I’ve confirmed that it’s completely dead.”
Yerhan did not respond to Crayle’s report.
Yerhan had to decide now. Will he save the village abandoned by the lord, or will he just pass by, turning a blind eye to it?
The emperor asked Yerhan to wipe out the monsters. But there were no instructions to care about such a small town.
Since it was just for show, Yerhan travelled only to places that could be a problem, and such a small village was not even discussed from the beginning.
It had no meaning to the emperor. Yerhan closed his eyes.
If Rosena was in his position, what would she do?
She is sweet, so he was sure she wouldn’t pass by like this. Just like she saved him from the forest of echoes seven years ago.
“Leader?”
“…We’ll be going to the village.”
The knights, including Crayle, paused at Yerhan’s decision.
“It’ll be done by tonight.”
He thought he would return to Rosena a little later than intended, but at least he wanted to be able to hold his head up high in front of her.
As Yerhan mounted the horse, the knights moved in unison. Put out the bonfire with soil and collected tents. It took only a few minutes to pack all the bags.
The black horse carrying Yerhan immediately started running. It ran through the woods and through the white trees reflecting the moonlight.
When it completely escaped the forest, a bright village appeared like daylight. Flames were everywhere, hazy smoke wandered around the village like clouds.
Yerhan, who came down the hill, looked around.
People were screaming and crying, it could be heard even through the collapsed buildings. Yerhan, who was still listening to the thumping sound of the ground, said,
“There are at least three monsters.”
As the knights nodded, Yerhan ran forward, holding the reins of the horse. The knights were lined up around him.
Entering the village, Yerhan cut down the first monster he saw. It fell down without even striking back because it was a low-ranking monster.
The knights followed Yerhan in pursuit of other objects.
The knights, who had no divine power, were faithful to their role of being a ‘distraction’ because they could not deeply hurt the monsters.
Someone’s scream filled the sky. Yerhan unsheathed the sword and ordered the knights.
“To the west.”
The knights ran ahead. Elsid, who was in the lead, was the first to find the monster and shoot an arrow.
The arrow didn’t dig deep into the monster’s hard skin, but it was enough to attract its attention.
As the giant wolf-like monster rushed toward the knights, the knights drove their horses and induced it.
And Yerhan, who ran from behind, put a knife into the body of the monster.
With that, dawn rose as the knights carried out various joint attacks and killed the monsters.
A bluish light began to fill the village, and Yerhan and the knights laid down their swords with a slightly weary face.
There was no sign of monsters anymore.
As they got off their horses and sank to the floor, the people hiding emerged one by one.
Their faces were all filled with fear.
“Everyone, rest assured! We’ve taken care of all the monsters.”
The deputy commander, Elsid, shouted at the people. Then he heard a murmur from one side. People who were avoiding his gaze began to come forward.
Some people shouted when they saw knights in black uniforms.
“…Are you guys the knights of Tiriad?”
The reputation of the knights of Tiriad had already spread throughout the empire.
Young children knew that knights in black suddenly appeared and killed the monsters.
All those who were hiding, also showed their faces with the words ‘Knights of Tiriad’.
Those gathered together looked at the knights with incredible expressions on their faces.
As it was dawn, the rising red sun shone on Yerhan’s head.
As the red light poured over the blonde, someone mumbled, opening his mouth.
“You, Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
There was a pause in the words. The villagers stopped talking and knelt down urgently.
The imperial people knew that it was the crown prince who led the knights of Tiriad.
In addition, most people here have never seen the crown prince’s face because they were so far from the capital.
Elsid looked at Yerhan with a troubled face. He was sometimes misunderstood, but it was extremely rare in front of so many people.
Anyway, Yerhan was a substitute for the crown prince. It was the work of the crown prince, not the third prince, to kill the monsters and save the people.
Yerhan nodded slowly in everyone’s eyes. Then everyone opened their mouths with their heads pressed firmly to the floor.
“We greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
The knights, including Elsid, quietly watched the scene.
Crayle looked at Yerhan with regret, but Yerhan still had an expressionless face.
“If you hadn’t come, our village would have been wiped off the map.”
“Thank you very much.”
Those who misunderstood Yerhan as crown prince expressed their gratitude one by one.
Some of them were crying, and others couldn’t even raise their heads from the floor to thank them.
Yerhan, who was standing without saying much, tried to get on the horse when he saw the full sunrise.
Then, a man who came through the crowd cried out.
“Your Highness!”
Yerhan, who paused for a moment, looked down at him. It was a man dressed in decent clothes unlike the others.
Yerhan tried to ignore him, only giving him a glance. Even if he departed right now, he was pressed for time.
When Yerhan tried to get on the horse, the man came up urgently and stood in front of him.
He was not afraid even though the knights pointed their swords at him in unison. He whispered so softly that others could not hear him.
“I know your true identity.”
Yerhan stared at the man with an expressionless face. He didn’t know if he was just talking randomly, or if he had a purpose.
“Wait, I need a minute of your time.”
“…Let’s hear it.”
When Yerhan allowed him, the knights lowered their swords with a regretful glance.
The place for conversation was a house that was not attacked by monsters.
Yerhan sat in front of the round table first, and then two knights stood.
The man sitting opposite seemed nervous, unlike before, when he shouted out loud.
“So what do you want to tell me?”
“…I know you are not the crown prince.”
The knights standing in the back swallowed their breath in surprise. No one had ever suspected that Yerhan was not the crown prince.
Blond hair and blue eyes just like the crown prince, leading the knights of Tiriad.
It was only at the wedding that he appeared in public. So it could be said that only a few people knew who Yerhan really was.
Yerhan looked through the man with cold eyes and his arms crossed. Life and death could depend on his answer.
“That’s why you want to threaten me?”
“It’s not like that!”
The man who shook his head quickly took a deep breath.
“I really wanted to thank you one day.”
Yerhan stared at him, still expressionless. Then he bowed his head politely.
“My name is Denev, lord of the northernmost province of Haylor.”
“….”
“I stopped by this town for business, but I’ve seen you once before. Even then, you saved the villagers by killing the monsters.”
Denev bowed his head. He looked like he didn’t know how to express his gratitude.
“The ignorant people think that the crown prince wipes out the monsters. But there’s already a rumor going around in the suburbs.”
He lowered his voice a little.
“It’s a rumor that the one who is dealing with monsters isn’t really the crown prince.”
Yerhan, who was expressionless, reacted.
“And I was convinced. It is not the crown prince who leads the Knights of Tiriad, but the third prince.”
So far, this man had noticed that the emperor and empress had tried to hide thoroughly.
There were occasional rumors that the crown prince did not lead the knights of Tiriad, but the third prince was never brought up in the story.
The crown prince was the light. The third prince, Yerhan, was nothing but a shadow that would make such a crown prince shine.
And the light and shadow were incompatible.
Yerhan smoothed the handle of the sword.
‘Should I kill him now?’
If this story reaches others, it will get out of hand.
The empress kept Yerhan alive, and was just watching Rosena and Illian all because the secret was maintained.
“The emperor has no interest in the periphery. When the village asked for backup, they didn’t answer.”
The man continued, unaware of Yerhan’s murderous intention.
“We were devastated because we couldn’t deal with monsters even if we hired mercenaries. We were all about to abandon the village when Your Highness came.”
The man raised his head. He had eyes that were as if he was looking at a hero.
The deep-seated loyalty seen in the eyes could not be seen as a figment of imagination.
“I have been under your protection, and I want to return your favor.”
He sprang up from his seat. And he knelt down on one knee with an example meant for a monarch.
“Denev Million, lord of Haylor, vows to be loyal to Your Highness from now on.”
***
It had already been several weeks since Yerhan left the Imperial Castle.
It was late spring when he left, but summer now, was approaching in earnest.
Rosena got up from her seat, checking the bed next to her every day.
It had been a while, but she was still not used to it.
She thought she would soon adjust to life without Yerhan, but she was mistaken.
Rosena would sometimes forget that there was no Yerhan, went to his office looking for him and turned away.
He had already permeated into Rosena’s life naturally. She didn’t even know she was wet because it was falling little by little like spring rain.
“……”
Rosena felt empty and sat on the bed for a long time.
Then, as she was about to get up, she heard a noise outside the window.
As Rosena approached the window, a small hawk was tilting its head outside the window.
Occasionally animals came to visit Rosena, but this was the first time one knocked on the bedroom window.
Rosena, who was puzzled, opened the window. Then she saw a small piece of paper hanging from the hawk’s neck.
“Ah…”
The hawk bowed its head toward Rosena and cried a little. When she recognized that the hawk was sent by Yerhan, Rosena pulled out a piece of paper.
She hadn’t received a letter so far, so she thought he was just talking…
After putting the letter down on the desk, Rosena went out for a while to get food.
The hawk had a hard time bringing the letter to her, so she thought she should give it something to ear.
Listening to the happy laughter of the feeding hawk, Rosena sat in front of the desk.
It was just a letter, but she didn’t know why she was so nervous.
Maybe it’s because it was the first letter she had received in weeks.
Rosena carefully opened the letter.
[I miss you.]
There was only one line in the letter.
Rosena read and read the sentence again for a long time.
Why do these few words touch her more than a beautiful sentence?
Rosena took out a paper, agonized for a long time, and wrote it down, word by word.
“I’ll count on you.”
Rosena gently swept the hawk’s back and waist. The hawk rattled its head and flew away.
Rosena, who was waiting for the hawk to move away completely, rose from her seat. She was thinking of going out of the imperial palace today.
Now that summer had come, she wanted to check if she had received a letter from Astania and also to get a new fit for Illian’s clothes.
Out in the hallway, Rosena headed to Illian’s study room. She planned to take him out as soon as the class was over.
Rosena, who was standing in the hallway, was startled when she heard a voice coming from inside.
The content of the conversation could not be heard properly, but, unlike usual, Illian was speaking clearly.
“…You are a better teacher than I thought.”
The stuttering habit could not be changed no matter what she did, and in just a few weeks, he was talking like a normal child.
Rosena reflected for a moment. If Yerhan hadn’t brought up the idea of hiring a tutor first, Illian’s growth would have been really late.
When class was over, the voice cut off. The door opened and Grior, carrying a bag, came out.
“Your Highness…!”
Surprised, Grior bowed his head. Rosena lightly waved her hand and looked into the study room.
Then she made eye contact with Illian who was sitting casually.
Rosena, who saw Illian jump up from his seat, threw her gaze at Grior again.
“As I was passing by, I accidentally overheard Illian talking. It’s all thanks to the teacher that he stopped stuttering…”
Grior’s expression of bewilderment became strange. He looked at Illian and shook his head.
“No. I haven’t done anything.”
Rosena thought Grior was really humble.
After Grior nodded and went back, Illian glanced at Rosena and sneaked out into the hallway.
“Illian, you should sit up straight when you are in front of the teacher.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Illian answered with a sullen face. Rosena realized Illian wasn’t stuttering and asked softly.
“Is the class going well?”
Illian nodded without a word. Rosena lightly stroked Illian’s hair as usual.
He seemed to have grown a little bit taller. She was worried because he was so small, but since returning to the empire, he had grown little by little.
Could it be that the reason he hadn’t grown up until now is because of the disease he suffered from then?
Rosena, who took off her hand, looked at Illian.
He seemed to have just reached the same height as children his age, but he still looked small because he was thin.
“Shall we go out?”
At Rosena’s words, Illian’s face turned bright.
“Yeah!”
“A, are you Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
“…..”
Yerhan remained silent, neither denying nor affirming. Then the man, convinced that Yerhan is the crown prince, bravely shouted.
“Please save our village!”
“…Village?”
Yerhan asked, frowning.
The man nodded again and again and fell down on the floor.
“The monsters attacked our village. We’ve tried to fight back, but we’re no match.”
As the man hurried to speak, Yerhan was momentarily lost in thought.
Monsters generally seclude themselves in sparsely populated places such as forests and rivers.
A few years ago, there were occasional attacks on villages, but almost disappeared after the knights of Tiriad went on to wipe out the ruins.
In particular, there had never been reports of the presence of monsters in this area.
It was strange, the lord would have sent a contact to the Imperial Palace if monsters appeared.
“What about the lord?”
The man answered with despair, scratching the floor with his hands.
“The lord… abandoned our village.”
Yerhan was silent. This has happened from time to time. When a small village was attacked by a monster, the lord pretended not to know it.
In particular, the more provincial the lords, the more they were taxed, and the more stingy they were in taking care of the residents.
“Leader, I’ve confirmed that it’s completely dead.”
Yerhan did not respond to Crayle’s report.
Yerhan had to decide now. Will he save the village abandoned by the lord, or will he just pass by, turning a blind eye to it?
The emperor asked Yerhan to wipe out the monsters. But there were no instructions to care about such a small town.
Since it was just for show, Yerhan travelled only to places that could be a problem, and such a small village was not even discussed from the beginning.
It had no meaning to the emperor. Yerhan closed his eyes.
If Rosena was in his position, what would she do?
She is sweet, so he was sure she wouldn’t pass by like this. Just like she saved him from the forest of echoes seven years ago.
“Leader?”
“…We’ll be going to the village.”
The knights, including Crayle, paused at Yerhan’s decision.
“It’ll be done by tonight.”
He thought he would return to Rosena a little later than intended, but at least he wanted to be able to hold his head up high in front of her.
As Yerhan mounted the horse, the knights moved in unison. Put out the bonfire with soil and collected tents. It took only a few minutes to pack all the bags.
The black horse carrying Yerhan immediately started running. It ran through the woods and through the white trees reflecting the moonlight.
When it completely escaped the forest, a bright village appeared like daylight. Flames were everywhere, hazy smoke wandered around the village like clouds.
Yerhan, who came down the hill, looked around.
People were screaming and crying, it could be heard even through the collapsed buildings. Yerhan, who was still listening to the thumping sound of the ground, said,
“There are at least three monsters.”
As the knights nodded, Yerhan ran forward, holding the reins of the horse. The knights were lined up around him.
Entering the village, Yerhan cut down the first monster he saw. It fell down without even striking back because it was a low-ranking monster.
The knights followed Yerhan in pursuit of other objects.
The knights, who had no divine power, were faithful to their role of being a ‘distraction’ because they could not deeply hurt the monsters.
Someone’s scream filled the sky. Yerhan unsheathed the sword and ordered the knights.
“To the west.”
The knights ran ahead. Elsid, who was in the lead, was the first to find the monster and shoot an arrow.
The arrow didn’t dig deep into the monster’s hard skin, but it was enough to attract its attention.
As the giant wolf-like monster rushed toward the knights, the knights drove their horses and induced it.
And Yerhan, who ran from behind, put a knife into the body of the monster.
With that, dawn rose as the knights carried out various joint attacks and killed the monsters.
A bluish light began to fill the village, and Yerhan and the knights laid down their swords with a slightly weary face.
There was no sign of monsters anymore.
As they got off their horses and sank to the floor, the people hiding emerged one by one.
Their faces were all filled with fear.
“Everyone, rest assured! We’ve taken care of all the monsters.”
The deputy commander, Elsid, shouted at the people. Then he heard a murmur from one side. People who were avoiding his gaze began to come forward.
Some people shouted when they saw knights in black uniforms.
“…Are you guys the knights of Tiriad?”
The reputation of the knights of Tiriad had already spread throughout the empire.
Young children knew that knights in black suddenly appeared and killed the monsters.
All those who were hiding, also showed their faces with the words ‘Knights of Tiriad’.
Those gathered together looked at the knights with incredible expressions on their faces.
As it was dawn, the rising red sun shone on Yerhan’s head.
As the red light poured over the blonde, someone mumbled, opening his mouth.
“You, Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
There was a pause in the words. The villagers stopped talking and knelt down urgently.
The imperial people knew that it was the crown prince who led the knights of Tiriad.
In addition, most people here have never seen the crown prince’s face because they were so far from the capital.
Elsid looked at Yerhan with a troubled face. He was sometimes misunderstood, but it was extremely rare in front of so many people.
Anyway, Yerhan was a substitute for the crown prince. It was the work of the crown prince, not the third prince, to kill the monsters and save the people.
Yerhan nodded slowly in everyone’s eyes. Then everyone opened their mouths with their heads pressed firmly to the floor.
“We greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
The knights, including Elsid, quietly watched the scene.
Crayle looked at Yerhan with regret, but Yerhan still had an expressionless face.
“If you hadn’t come, our village would have been wiped off the map.”
“Thank you very much.”
Those who misunderstood Yerhan as crown prince expressed their gratitude one by one.
Some of them were crying, and others couldn’t even raise their heads from the floor to thank them.
Yerhan, who was standing without saying much, tried to get on the horse when he saw the full sunrise.
Then, a man who came through the crowd cried out.
“Your Highness!”
Yerhan, who paused for a moment, looked down at him. It was a man dressed in decent clothes unlike the others.
Yerhan tried to ignore him, only giving him a glance. Even if he departed right now, he was pressed for time.
When Yerhan tried to get on the horse, the man came up urgently and stood in front of him.
He was not afraid even though the knights pointed their swords at him in unison. He whispered so softly that others could not hear him.
“I know your true identity.”
Yerhan stared at the man with an expressionless face. He didn’t know if he was just talking randomly, or if he had a purpose.
“Wait, I need a minute of your time.”
“…Let’s hear it.”
When Yerhan allowed him, the knights lowered their swords with a regretful glance.
The place for conversation was a house that was not attacked by monsters.
Yerhan sat in front of the round table first, and then two knights stood.
The man sitting opposite seemed nervous, unlike before, when he shouted out loud.
“So what do you want to tell me?”
“…I know you are not the crown prince.”
The knights standing in the back swallowed their breath in surprise. No one had ever suspected that Yerhan was not the crown prince.
Blond hair and blue eyes just like the crown prince, leading the knights of Tiriad.
It was only at the wedding that he appeared in public. So it could be said that only a few people knew who Yerhan really was.
Yerhan looked through the man with cold eyes and his arms crossed. Life and death could depend on his answer.
“That’s why you want to threaten me?”
“It’s not like that!”
The man who shook his head quickly took a deep breath.
“I really wanted to thank you one day.”
Yerhan stared at him, still expressionless. Then he bowed his head politely.
“My name is Denev, lord of the northernmost province of Haylor.”
“….”
“I stopped by this town for business, but I’ve seen you once before. Even then, you saved the villagers by killing the monsters.”
Denev bowed his head. He looked like he didn’t know how to express his gratitude.
“The ignorant people think that the crown prince wipes out the monsters. But there’s already a rumor going around in the suburbs.”
He lowered his voice a little.
“It’s a rumor that the one who is dealing with monsters isn’t really the crown prince.”
Yerhan, who was expressionless, reacted.
“And I was convinced. It is not the crown prince who leads the Knights of Tiriad, but the third prince.”
So far, this man had noticed that the emperor and empress had tried to hide thoroughly.
There were occasional rumors that the crown prince did not lead the knights of Tiriad, but the third prince was never brought up in the story.
The crown prince was the light. The third prince, Yerhan, was nothing but a shadow that would make such a crown prince shine.
And the light and shadow were incompatible.
Yerhan smoothed the handle of the sword.
‘Should I kill him now?’
If this story reaches others, it will get out of hand.
The empress kept Yerhan alive, and was just watching Rosena and Illian all because the secret was maintained.
“The emperor has no interest in the periphery. When the village asked for backup, they didn’t answer.”
The man continued, unaware of Yerhan’s murderous intention.
“We were devastated because we couldn’t deal with monsters even if we hired mercenaries. We were all about to abandon the village when Your Highness came.”
The man raised his head. He had eyes that were as if he was looking at a hero.
The deep-seated loyalty seen in the eyes could not be seen as a figment of imagination.
“I have been under your protection, and I want to return your favor.”
He sprang up from his seat. And he knelt down on one knee with an example meant for a monarch.
“Denev Million, lord of Haylor, vows to be loyal to Your Highness from now on.”
***
It had already been several weeks since Yerhan left the Imperial Castle.
It was late spring when he left, but summer now, was approaching in earnest.
Rosena got up from her seat, checking the bed next to her every day.
It had been a while, but she was still not used to it.
She thought she would soon adjust to life without Yerhan, but she was mistaken.
Rosena would sometimes forget that there was no Yerhan, went to his office looking for him and turned away.
He had already permeated into Rosena’s life naturally. She didn’t even know she was wet because it was falling little by little like spring rain.
“……”
Rosena felt empty and sat on the bed for a long time.
Then, as she was about to get up, she heard a noise outside the window.
As Rosena approached the window, a small hawk was tilting its head outside the window.
Occasionally animals came to visit Rosena, but this was the first time one knocked on the bedroom window.
Rosena, who was puzzled, opened the window. Then she saw a small piece of paper hanging from the hawk’s neck.
“Ah…”
The hawk bowed its head toward Rosena and cried a little. When she recognized that the hawk was sent by Yerhan, Rosena pulled out a piece of paper.
She hadn’t received a letter so far, so she thought he was just talking…
After putting the letter down on the desk, Rosena went out for a while to get food.
The hawk had a hard time bringing the letter to her, so she thought she should give it something to ear.
Listening to the happy laughter of the feeding hawk, Rosena sat in front of the desk.
It was just a letter, but she didn’t know why she was so nervous.
Maybe it’s because it was the first letter she had received in weeks.
Rosena carefully opened the letter.
[I miss you.]
There was only one line in the letter.
Rosena read and read the sentence again for a long time.
Why do these few words touch her more than a beautiful sentence?
Rosena took out a paper, agonized for a long time, and wrote it down, word by word.
“I’ll count on you.”
Rosena gently swept the hawk’s back and waist. The hawk rattled its head and flew away.
Rosena, who was waiting for the hawk to move away completely, rose from her seat. She was thinking of going out of the imperial palace today.
Now that summer had come, she wanted to check if she had received a letter from Astania and also to get a new fit for Illian’s clothes.
Out in the hallway, Rosena headed to Illian’s study room. She planned to take him out as soon as the class was over.
Rosena, who was standing in the hallway, was startled when she heard a voice coming from inside.
The content of the conversation could not be heard properly, but, unlike usual, Illian was speaking clearly.
“…You are a better teacher than I thought.”
The stuttering habit could not be changed no matter what she did, and in just a few weeks, he was talking like a normal child.
Rosena reflected for a moment. If Yerhan hadn’t brought up the idea of hiring a tutor first, Illian’s growth would have been really late.
When class was over, the voice cut off. The door opened and Grior, carrying a bag, came out.
“Your Highness…!”
Surprised, Grior bowed his head. Rosena lightly waved her hand and looked into the study room.
Then she made eye contact with Illian who was sitting casually.
Rosena, who saw Illian jump up from his seat, threw her gaze at Grior again.
“As I was passing by, I accidentally overheard Illian talking. It’s all thanks to the teacher that he stopped stuttering…”
Grior’s expression of bewilderment became strange. He looked at Illian and shook his head.
“No. I haven’t done anything.”
Rosena thought Grior was really humble.
After Grior nodded and went back, Illian glanced at Rosena and sneaked out into the hallway.
“Illian, you should sit up straight when you are in front of the teacher.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Illian answered with a sullen face. Rosena realized Illian wasn’t stuttering and asked softly.
“Is the class going well?”
Illian nodded without a word. Rosena lightly stroked Illian’s hair as usual.
He seemed to have grown a little bit taller. She was worried because he was so small, but since returning to the empire, he had grown little by little.
Could it be that the reason he hadn’t grown up until now is because of the disease he suffered from then?
Rosena, who took off her hand, looked at Illian.
He seemed to have just reached the same height as children his age, but he still looked small because he was thin.
“Shall we go out?”
At Rosena’s words, Illian’s face turned bright.
“Yeah!”
