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"Oh? The queen's movements are quite odd." The count, Deruth Henituse, commented as he continued flipping through the documents containing the current affairs of high society.
Being a neutral territory doesn't mean cutting off the political world. In fact, they needed to be more knowledgeable about its mechanisms to navigate smoothly without antagonizing any parties. And if they did, then information was the most powerful asset to use against those nobles who thought they held the world.
That is how the Henituse family survived throughout the history of Roan without the need to hold anyone's hand for support.
After scanning everything, Deruth looked up at the attentive butler and asked, "Is there more I need to pay attention to besides these, Hans?"
"These are all of them, my lord. However, there have been some strange rumors surrounding the queen lately," Hans answered with a knowing glint in his eyes.
At this, Deruth perked up and told Hans to continue.
"As attached in the report, the queen has been quietly locking herself up in her palace—completely unlike her usual self. Rumors from the maids seem to narrate unusual things happening to Her Majesty, as if she was… cursed."
Hans then added, "And all of this began after the eldest prince, Alberu Crossman, miraculously appeared at his own palace a week after being attacked by unknown assassins."
Deruth raised his brows with interest, a small smirk forming on his lips. "Looks like he has chosen someone. So much for someone who ran away from the county to live quietly and not be involved with annoying flies." He chuckled, amused.
Hans nodded in agreement. "Indeed, my lord. It looks like there will be quite the chaos among the noble factions and the palace soon enough."
—
The Queen, Nora Elijah Crossman, was the daughter of a count from a faraway countryside. The count was not particularly rich nor extremely powerful. However, he was benevolent to his subjects. He taught Nora to live a frugal life and avoid greed for material things. He taught her that she should be thankful for what they had and never reach for things that were out of touch, or she might place herself in danger.
Everyone in their county respected her father. However, Nora only saw him as a cowardly, unambitious man who never tried to step out of his comfort zone.
She wasn’t like that.
She didn’t want to be frugal. She envied other noble ladies who dressed extravagantly for tea parties or banquets. She envied other nobles who showed off their wealth and power.
Why couldn’t they be like that?
Once, there was a baron’s daughter who looked down at her at a tea party simply because the dress she wore was one she had already worn at another occasion.
She had felt extreme embarrassment at that time.
She vowed to become someone powerful enough to look down on all those nobles who only knew how to flaunt their influence.
And she did become one soon enough.
She became the only concubine of the king. In just two years, she gained more power after the sickly queen of unknown origin died, and Nora was crowned the new queen.
It was easier than she thought. She did not even need to lift a finger.
Unfortunately for her, the former queen had left behind an eldest prince who kept living despite all her efforts to suppress him.
She wouldn’t have cared and would have continued focusing on her own sons, but the said prince had the perfect royal image—with his bright golden hair, porcelain-white skin, and jeweled blue eyes.
Moreover, the prince had shown a great deal of potential from the young age of four, even before the former queen died.
She would never let such a thorn remain.
—
One month ago.
The king, Zed Crossman, left on a month-long diplomatic trip to the Mogoru Empire, and the queen took this chance to finally get rid of the eldest prince—the only remaining obstacle to her path to power.
She couldn’t let that little brat gain anything more.
As such, she decided once and for all to take the opportunity while the king was away to eliminate the only uncontrollable element in her plans.
She finally used the personal group of assassins she had painstakingly acquired and hidden and tasked them with killing the prince.
Who would have expected that the meager servants in the prince's residence were strong enough to lead him out of danger? One of them was actually a powerful mage who teleported the prince away.
The only thing keeping the queen slightly sane was that one of the hired assassins managed to sneakily attack the mage while she was teleporting the prince, which definitely interfered with the coordinates.
Moreover, she had left something on the bodies of all her assassins, so the two captured by the prince’s people died the moment they were subjected to torture.
As a result, although they surely knew it was her, they did not have enough evidence.
It had been two days since the prince was teleported away, and his servants had been frantically searching for him everywhere.
The queen only hoped he had landed somewhere dangerous and died on his own.
Wouldn’t that be convenient?
—
The night of the incident.
The clock had already struck ten, but the young prince stubbornly clung to his book, studying diligently. Despite being only eight years old, he was clearly aware of his precarious situation.
He needed to study. He needed to learn. He needed to become a proper heir to this kingdom.
He needed the power to survive and achieve his goals.
Tasha could only sigh helplessly at the young child’s determination.
They could have left this complex political life and lived peacefully with their family outside the palace. However, that went against the wishes of the child. As such, they vowed to protect Alberu from any danger until he achieved his goals and could finally live with a lighter heart.
Seeing Alberu’s droopy eyes as he tried to finish the book in his hands, Tasha was about to persuade him again to go to bed and continue the next day.
However, alarm bells rang in her mind the next second as she felt the wind shift unnaturally.
Her reaction was instantaneous.
She was already shielding Alberu in the next breath, hands reflexively stretched out as she caught the fast-approaching arrow aimed at the child.
The atmosphere shifted.
The dark elves disguised as palace attendants, along with those hidden in the shadows, prepared to fight.
Alberu became wide awake at the near-death experience. The book fell from his hands as Tasha held him tightly.
A few seconds of silence passed. Then the assassins sent by the queen launched a full-blown attack.
Alberu’s heart pounded violently. He was afraid—not just for his own life, but for the lives of the people who continuously protected him at all costs.
While the others blocked attacks from multiple directions, Tasha ran with Alberu in her arms to bring him somewhere safe.
The assassins sent by the queen were high-level fighters.
Although the dark elves were strong, they couldn’t unleash full-powered attacks due to the limited space inside the palace. They could not risk it collapsing—especially while Alberu was still inside.
The elves redirected the attackers outside the palace to gain momentum.
Meanwhile, Tasha rushed toward the hidden safe room along with two powerful elves guarding her sides.
That was when the wind elementals warned them of someone strong approaching.
All of them halted.
A robed man holding a sword slowly emerged from the far corner of the hall with a confident stride. Two more figures followed behind him.
The man’s gaze locked onto Alberu.
"You have loyal servants, Your Highness," he uttered condescendingly as he raised his sword.
Tasha immediately sensed that the man was not simple. At most, he was a high-level swordsman.
They could fight him, but Alberu might be in danger.
She handed Alberu to Monica, the mage accompanying them.
The swordsman and the two assassins attacked simultaneously.Tasha and Martin, the other elf who went with them, blocked as much as they could.
Poisoned daggers and sharp blades clashed against spears and magic. Invisible elementals assisted from all sides.
During the chaos, Monica retreated with Alberu.
She began preparing the teleportation spell to send Alberu to the Northeastern territory—to seek shelter under the protection of that count.
After all, Katalina—Alberu's mother—was a close friend of the late countess Jour Henituse. The count would surely protect Alberu.
The swordsman noticed. He dodged Martin’s strike and rushed toward Monica.
The spell was nearly complete. Alberu would disappear somewhere they could not reach. He had boasted to the queen that he would eliminate the prince. His pride would not allow him to fail.
In desperation, he hurled his sword at Monica’s hands to interrupt the spell but the bright light had already engulfed the prince.
Alberu vanished the next second.
The swordsman cursed in frustration. However, upon seeing the mage’s panicked expression, he was certain his attack had interfered with the coordinates.
That night, the enraged elves eliminated every threat within the palace.
Only the swordsman survived long enough to crawl back to the queen—his body battered and broken. His right arm had been left behind, burned to a crisp by Monica’s magic.
—
That same night, on a forbidden forest located at the Notheastern territory.
Alberu almost fell down from dizziness due to the almost failed teleportation. Everything around him felt like they were swirling. All he could see were what seems to be green and brown hues mixed with the dark color of the night sky.
The teleportation was messed up but he should still be near the Henituse County. Not like he'd be unlucky enough to teleport at the Forest of Darkness, right?
Oh.
Oh.
He was unlucky, alright? After the dizziness subsided, he saw himself surrounded by tall trees untouched by humans for a long time. There weren't much forest in the Henituse Territory that was full of marbles except for some mountains with trees here and there.
He looked around.
The place was flat. Clearly not a mountain. He tried to calm his chaotic mind as he accepted the fact that he might be inside the Forest of Darkness— a forbidden region full of powerful monsters the deeper one goes. It was also becoming darker as night was approaching.
His heart started to beat faster with nervousness.
Even though he is young, he experienced fighting with words in palace banquets and even with the queen. He has also started training with the dark elves to defend himself from possible dangers just like those assasins. He experienced defending himself both from haughty nobles and weird 'accidents' definitely orchestrated by the Queen every once in a while.
Beyond that, there was nothing else. He was still an eight year old child who grew up in a cozy palace, usually protected by his people while he does his business of studying and playing politics.
Hearing the rustling sound in front of him, Alberu became alert. He reached for the hidden dagger on his sleeves.
He was just about to pull the dagger out when a black blur jumped at him. It moved so fast and he couldn't see what it was. Next thing he knew, he already fell on his butt after the thing collided with him. Alberu's heart almost leapt up to his throat from the shock but besides falling down the soil of the forest, no harm was done.
He opened his tightly closed eyes and saw a...cat?
He blinked and blinked but it was indeed a cat.
He studied the cat that was currently sitting upright on his lap. It has a fluffy fur as black as a void. It looked a bit chubby because of the fur. It was almost adorable. Almost.
Its eyes were of a navy blue color, darker than his own. Those two eyes were currently looking at him with piercing curiosity. It was unnerving. The cat seemed intelligent.
"Well, there wouldn't be a normal cat in the Forest of Darkness. If this is even a cat in the first place," Little Alberu thought.
Suddenly, the cat looked at the direction it came from and meowed.
The moment Alberu looked up, a person in dark robes went out behind a tree in front of him.
Alberu was startled and suspicious but his calm facade outside never broke. He looked at the suspicious person with curiosity and wariness, ready to run at any signs of possible attack.
He guessed that the person might be one of the Queen's people but it was impossible to follow a messed up coordinates. There were also no mages among the people that the Queen sent.
As guesses about the person's identity flooded the little prince's mind, the said person gestured at the cat.
The fluffy cat eagerly stood up and ran back to the person who was clearly its owner by now.
Silence.
The person and the cat who was now perched on the person's shoulder were both looking at Alberu without a word.
Alberu tried to stand up but he realized he doesn't have the energy to do so. His arms were also shaking. Was it fatigue? Fear? Or maybe both.
Seeing him struggle, the person raised their arm, gesturing him to stop moving. Alberu stiffened up at the gesture and waited. "Will I get killed? Like this?" He felt like it was ridiculous.
He has been fighting for the throne starting from a young age. He has the chance to live with his maternal relatives quietly instead but he wanted to make a change. He wanted to be recognized for who he really was without discrimination. It was a naive dream but he wanted to show and prove to others, even the Gods, that he and his maternal family were normal too. That they were also good-natured people.
He wanted to break the stereotype and prove his capabilities.
How can he achieve it if he was this weak?
As he drowned in the suffocating thoughts of regret, fear, and self-loathing, the person in front of him took off the hood of the robe, showing his androgynous, charming face.
His shoulder-length red hair tied in a low ponytail was strikingly vibrant and eye-catching despite the dark surroundings of the forest. His reddish-brown eyes glowed gold in a brief moment as he looked at the blank Alberu who stiffened up when he gestured for him to stop moving.
The person observed Alberu's dishelved appearance. The child was still trembling. There were shallow wounds on his small body, probably inflicted by sharp objects. He seemed weakened. Poisoned, maybe?
"Who are you? Why are you in this forest?" The person spoke with his oddly hypnotizing smooth voice.
Alberu, who was in a trance, answered absentmindedly. "My name is Alberu Cr—..Alberu. I...was teleported here accidentally."
The person's eyebrow twitched at his response. His face had an unreadable expression and a heavy sigh escaped his lips.
"You are currently in the Forest of Darkness. Do you know how dangerous it is here?" The person sighed once more as he informed Alberu of his current location.
Seeing the person's odd actions, Alberu had the feeling that he will not be harmed. Odd. The person continued scolding the little prince, letting out a curse slip accidentally here and there. He will try to reword those curses that Alberu found funny.
Alberu also noticed the smell of nature coming from the person, which made his tense body relax without him noticing.
As the man uttered out more reprimands trying to scold Alberu about safety and whatnots, the child blurted out words that he himself did not expect to come out. "Uhmm...Miss? Sir? Who are you, really?"
Both of them paused, and another few seconds of silence passed, only broken by the sound from the cat that Alberu swear sounds like it was snickering.
The man pinched his nose with a sigh and looked at him in the eye. "First of all, I'm a man. Second, I am Cale Henituse."
Alberu flinched at the name, uttered by the now identified man, who was suddenly smirking at him ominously. Cale Henituse. A familiar name.
It was rumored that the eldest son of the Count Henituse was a witch who was later kicked out after he was found out to be eating children. Of course, him eating children, was only an exaggerated rumor.
It was confirmed he is indeed a witch, though.
The Thames, Cale's maternal family, was known to be an ancient family who dabbled with rituals, hexes, and the likes. Every once in a while, a child from that family will be born with unique talents, said to be blessings from a God.
The Thames family was carefully hidden from civilization, only stories about their magical endeavors left. It was said to be only a myth or that they were just weird mages who were lost in the passage of time. There was no proof of their existence until Jour Thames resurfaced and soon married the Count Henituse.
Cale Henituse was born from Jour, and was said to have been blessed by the God who guards the Thames family.
Cale Henituse specializes in cursing people.
Those who were aware of the truth knew that Cale Henituse decided to isolate himself for reasons only the Count and his new family know. No family disputes. Just sudden disappearance from high society.
Alberu never met Cale in person but rumors had it that he was usually quiet and reserved. His peers were always scared by his piercing eyes that seems to want to curse them if they ever tried to bother him.
When his father remarried, it was rumored that there was a bit of chaos inside the family. Some distant relatives tried to intimidate the new family members but soon encountered weird problems.
Some foul-mouthed younger cousins suddenly had frogs leaping out of their mouth whenever they tried to speak. Some older aunts who only knew how to gossip fell ill for a whole week, healers unable to identify the cause nor heal them. Some uncles who tried to take some power for themselves during banquets and noble meetings suddenly had their pants tearing for no reason, embarrassing them in front of many people and destroying their fragile dignity.
They were only rumors, though. The Henituse Family remained peaceful and harmonious without any problems.
Alberu, closely associated and knowledgeable with politics and events around nobles, confirms that such event did indeed happened. Clearly the work of Cale Henituse who was protecting the new family they had.
"This is nuts." Little Alberu thought. After all, he just discovered that the disappeared Cale Henituse was actually isolating himself in the Forest of Darkness. "He wouldn't curse me for intruding his place, no?"
Everything darkened. "I heard he eats children? Haha. Will I wake up in an oven?" He muttered deliriously despite knowing the truth.
He then outright fainted and plopped down the dirt in front of the said child-eating witch who watched him chuckle weirdly before falling down the dirt.
"Human! You eat children?! I know you were weird but not this weird! Do you plan to eat me, On noona, and Hong hyung?" Cale heard the cat gasp scandalously in his shoulder.
He looked exasperatedly at the talking cat and denied it. "Why would I eat children?"
The cat then snickered, clearly teasing him. "Then, what should we do with that kid if you're not eating him?"
Cale sighed for the umpteenth time this evening. "First of all, he is older than you. Second, please teleport us back to the mansion. That child is a prince. We can't let him drop dead in our backyard."
The cat abided Cale's words and teleported them back at a five story mansion a bit deeper inside the forest.
As they arrived, two kittens—one silver and one red— welcomed them with bright smiles along with a black-haired teen.
However, they were stunned by the 'dead body' of a child that plopped down the floor soon after.
The three blinked dumbfoundedly at the body.
The black-haired teen spoke with hesitation. "Cale-nim...uhmm...is this....body? Child? The uhmm...new ingredient you decided to get... in the middle of the night?"
The kittens meowed in the background, sounding just as curious and concerned like the teen.
Cale looked at them weirdly and just uttered a "No." that leaves no room for argument and any other questions.
He then ordered Choi Han, the teen, to bring the child to one of the rooms and clean him up while he prepare some medicine. He also tasked the kittens, On, Hong, and Raon to assist Choi Han.
—
A few hours later, just as the sun started to rise.
A red, fat bird staring at him closely while standing at his chest greeted Alberu the moment he opened his eyes. His groggy mind was startled when the fat bird suddenly screamed after taking its eyes out of him and looking sideways. "Hey! Weird witch! The little goldie finally woke up!"
Stunned was an understatement of what Alberu felt at the moment.
He blinked at the bird who looked at him once more. "What are you looking at, brat? Want me to peck at your shiny golden hair to sell it?"
Alberu stared at the rude fat bird who was then swatted away by a familiar person.
"Shut up, Barrow. Go away. I can't see his condition because your ugly ass is blocking my sight." Cale said with annoyance.
The red fat bird with some white streaks of feather humped and flew out of the room while screaming for others to come because "the stupid looking golden brat" finally woke up.
Alberu watched as Cale's eyes narrowed at the noisy bird. "Get the communication device on your way," he ordered.
By this time, despite the brief yet chaotic interaction, Alberu already remembered the events that happened before he fainted.
Was he saved by the witch? He sighed in relief as he clearly was not being grilled nor stewed on a cauldron.
The said witch looked at him and suddenly asked about his condition.
Alberu checked his body and felt fine. No pain, no exhaustion. Honestly, he felt weirdly energized.
Cale nodded after hearing that Alberu was fine. He then helped Alberu to sit up from the bed and changed the bandage in his arms.
Just then, the bird came back with a video communication device and three kittens of varied colors—one particularly familiar with Alberu. The three meowed at him, as if greeting. Alberu nodded politely at the three instinctively.
The fat bird gave Cale the currently ringing communication device. "Father's calling?" He asked. The fat bird scoffed at that. "Who else would call a loner like you?"
Cale glared at the bird before standing up from the bed and sitting at the nearby chair instead. The black cat followed curiously while the red and silver cat jumped beside Alberu. The fat bird once again flew out of the room going to who-knows-where.
Alberu was locked in a staring contest with two kittens when he suddenly heard the Count in the communication device asking for Cale's help to 'divine' the missing eldest prince's current location.
"Ohh.." was Cale's only reply to the count before pointing the device to Alberu, fully displaying him to the wide-eyed count, mouth still slightly open, probably about to add more details but silenced by the sudden display in front of him.
"Ohh..." the count uttered after ten whole seconds of silence.
Cale informed the count about his encounter with Alberu, along with the little prince's current health condition.
Soon, the call ended and Alberu sighed in relief after overhearing that at least one of his people was allowed to be with him while he recovers. He feels fine but Cale said there was still some poison left in his body which made him worry a bit.
He doesn't know why but he felt like Cale can be trusted without any problems so he just went back to petting the kittens beside him while Cale went out to get his medicine and food.
A few minutes later, a knock was heard from the door, along with the voice of an old man, telling him that his food had arrived. Alberu was a bit startled that there was actually another person in this house besides Cale and his peculiar pets.
"Mr. Ron!"
Alberu was startled again. "Huh"
He looked at the cat who looked back at him with sparkling eyes. The red cat opened his mouth and the expected meow did not come out. Instead, it told Alberu that "the man outside is Mr. Ron, Cale's butler" and that it was safe to let him in.
Alberu nodded and told the butler to come in.
Meanwhile, his mind was slowly accepting the fact that the kittens beside him were talking with human words.
Of course. Why would a witch's pet be normal?
His little head bobbed up and down cutely at the thought, his hand holding his chin with the expression mixed with curiosity and resignation as he looked at the kittens.
Just then, the door opened and Alberu saw an old man with a benign smile. Following him was a stoic younger man, probably in his late 20s, pushing a cart filled with aromatic food that made Alberu's stomach growl.
The tip of Alberu's ears turned red when his stomach made a noise. The kittens and the old man just smiled at him softly while the younger man who was arranging the food at the table looked like he didn't hear anything and just continued on his business.
At the same time, Cale went back while holding two glass bottles. One transparent, half-filled with a shimmering light-blue liquid and the other one was oddly black.
He told Alberu that those were his medicines so he could be healed faster.
Alberu nodded at that. The two men who entered finished preparing the table and excused themselves. Cale invited Alberu to eat before drinking the potions.
He was about to stand up when the kittens who suddenly jumped down the bed became enveloped with a mist. Once the mist subsided, Alberu saw two children in place of the cats.
Huh. Of course they shape-shift.
Alberu stood blankly as the two grinning children helped him stand up and walk to the table where an amused looking Cale and a snickering black cat was already seated.
After eating, Cale gave the little prince the two bottle of medicine, instructing him to drink the shimmering one first.
Alberu abided and felt a refreshing sensation throughout his body.
He then opened the next 'medicine' and froze from shock. Technically, it was a medicine for him. After all, dead mana is indeed good for him.
He stiffly turned his head to Cale. "You knew?" He muttered in a small voice filled with disbelief.
Cale immediately understood what he was asking and nodded as if it was obvious.
Alberu instinctively became defensive as he looked meekly at Cale's face as if expecting something. Disgust maybe? Or abhorrence?
Cale felt the child's shift in emotions. His expression softened as he looked directly at Alberu's eyes. "It's fine. What if you're a dark elf? Death is part of nature. You are a natural being, Alberu. There is no need to feel bad about yourself."
His words were simple, as if it were a matter of fact. However, such words resonated deeply with Alberu. His eyes moistened as he gripped the bottle of dead mana tightly against his chest.
Cale reached out his hand and patted Alberu's head. "Look, I am a witch and no one questions it. Now, now, hurry and drink it. It's a dragon's dead mana, you know?" Cale said with a wide grin.
Alberu's touched heart almost leaped out of his chest at the words uttered by Cale. He's still young so he should have no hearing problems yet. But it does seem like he has.
Dragon? No way.
He eyed the bottle of dead mana blankly. On the other hand, Cale and the cat children were looking at him encouragingly.
He slowly consumed the dead mana with trembling fingers and instantly felt its effects.
"Wow." He exclaimed in his thoughts, eyes shining with both disbelief and admiration.
One second, he was being chased by assasins. In a blink, he is on a witch's abode, drinking a luxury called dragon's dead mana. Just wow. He can't wait to tell aunt Tasha about this.
—
Six more days passed by with Alberu staying on Cale's mansion with Tasha.
While recovering, he became closer with the cat children and Choi Han. They led him around to explore the mansion which was surprisingly normal unlike what he expected for a witch's home.
Of course, except for a few rooms on the fourth floor filled with weird plants and tools for witchy endeavors he doesn't want to imagine.
There was even a large cauldron taller than him. He shivered at the thought that he could be in there if the witch suddenly got bored and decided to treat him as an ingredient instead of a guest.
The fat, noisy red bird called Barrow also kept pestering them at any chance it gets.
Choi Han told him that the bird was originally a man who was cursed by Cale because he was aiming to be a God and almost put Raon—the black cat who, surprisingly or unsurprisingly was actually a dragon—in danger.
Barrow has actually changed for the better after being with Cale, but his curse would only be lifted after five more years. That is for the reason that he annoyed Cale for a long time and that he is still "annoying, ugly, and noisy" according to Cale himself.
Alberu also got to know Ron and his son, Vicross, who cooks better than the chefs of the palace. He also learned about how scary they were.
During that time, Tasha was arranging things so that Alberu could safely go back to the palace.
The King, Zed, was made aware of the situation and canceled his plans on Mogoru empire to go back as soon as possible to Roan. An information Cale deemed worthy of raised eyebrows and a scoff.
It was said that the King's travel to back to Roan was interrupted by a day. He was supposed to finalize his meetings with the Mogoru's emperor but no teleportation magic works for some reason.
He was also unable to travel by carriage because of the sudden trees falling on the way or thunder almost hitting the carriage despite the sunny weather.
—
The last day of Alberu's stay on Cale's mansion.
"Human! I like the little prince!" Raon exclaimed as he flew to Cale's bed early in the morning to stop Cale from falling asleep once more. On and Hong pawed at Cale's face and meowed in agreement.
With no other choice, Cale decided to get up early and eat breakfast with the kids.
While he was preparing, the children continued to tell him about Alberu, about how he was nice, polite, adorable, and smart. It seems that they have become attached to the little prince.
Honestly, he was also favorable with Alberu. The child was quick-witted and determined. He can see why that crazy, greedy queen wants Alberu gone.
That was why...
At noon, Alberu and Tasha teleported back to the palace to orchestrate the "prince's unexpected miraculous return."
Meanwhile, a red haired man with three cats were sitting comfortably on the prince's study. They were munching at cookies while watching the chaos unfold with mirth. A black-haired teen was standing at the side with a red fat bird attached on his shoulders, while an old man in butler suit was pouring a freshly brewed lemonade on a cup.
Somewhere along the currently empty kitchen, a man with stoic face and pristine white gloves has already started cleaning the cooking tools and preparing for a hearty meal.
On a handheld mirror, queen Nora's contorted face was displayed as she heard the report of Alberu's return.
The man—Cale—chuckled as he observed the queen with sharp, observing eyes.
When Alberu entered the study, his eyes widened, and the calm facade he always wore fell from his cute little face.
Tasha almost jumped from surprise at the entourage currently sitted comfortably at the prince's abode.
"Why are you here?" Alberu opened his mouth to ask while welcoming the three cat children running towards him in his arms.
Cale smiled faintly at the sight of the children and answered with another question. "Ever read fairy tales with fairy godmothers?"
Alberu looked up at Cale while petting the cats, face full of question marks. "Yes...and?"
Tasha was also puzzled. According to the information they gathered and from the Count Henituse himself, Cale was someone who would rather live on a forest filled with monsters rather than associate himself with people, especially nobles and the political world.
So why exactly would that type of man be sitting comfortably at a prince's palace?
At their questioning gazes, Cale picked up another cookie and took a casual bite before answering. "Well, I will be that to you now."
Alberu's face was filled with even more question marks after that answer. "But you're a witch," he retorted.
Everyone couldn't help but chuckle.
Cale smirked, "Well, isn't that better? I do curses."
Alberu eyed him suspiciously. "For free?"
Cale was taken aback. He sighed exagerratedly, as if resigned by his fate. "Fine."
Contrary to his exasperated words, his soft expression illustrates his geniuine thoughts about assisting Alberu. Obviously, he wouldn't leave Alberu alone with someone as greedy as the queen.
Moreover, who knows if Alberu become benevolent enough to shower him with golden plaques in the future. Not that he needs reciprocation for his voluntary acts. As long as the throne is given to the right person, then that is enough.
After all, he can't leave peacefully on a kingdom ruled by someone like the queen, no?
Cale nodded contentedly at his thoughts—he thinks he is selfish, using the prince for his own good.
Everyone thinks otherwise, though.
—
The first week after Alberu's return.
An ugly doll dressed in what seemed to be dirty rags looking like it was sewed hastily with the non-dominant hand of an inexperienced seamstress was shoved at Alberu's hands. He looked at it with a puzzled expression before redirecting his gaze to his so-called "witchy godmother" who's currently looking approvingly along with the cats.
Alberu gestured at the doll with a questioning gaze.
"That’s the queen!" Hong exclaimed. Raon and On nodded excitedly. Their eyes were shining with anticipation as they looked at the ugly doll.
"The queen?" Alberu hesitated. "I don't wanna say it but she does look beautiful in real life. And she's also extravagant with her dresses. How is this her? Are we cursing her to look ugly?" The little prince asked innocently.
At that, Cale explained, "She does look good on the outside but her inside is rotten. That doll represents her clearly. Now, you can just poke it with needles or cut of its head. Do whatever you want to do. It is connected to the queen."
Alberu's jaw dropped at the explanation. "Cut off it's...head?"
Cale chuckled at his reaction. "Well, unfortunately, my prince, the curse I put on that doll isn't that powerful that it could do...that. Though, it could give her a headache and neck pain that will last for at least three days."
Alberu nodded in understanding, looking at the doll with amazement. Suddenly, something came to his mind and he asked curiously, "The curse you put on this doll isn't that strong. But you do have one that can do that?"
Cale looked at the little prince, amused. He shrugged casually with a knowing glint in his eyes. He then plopped down on a nearby couch to laze around.
Meanwhile, the cats immediately crowded Alberu, their excitement unmasked, ready to explore the doll in his hands.
That day, Queen Nora suddenly tripped on her way to the garden after the sudden pain on her right foot. It was then followed by a stinging pain on her cheek, abdomen, and knees.
She glared at her attendant, feeling embarassment and annoyance at the pathetic image she has displayed.
However, the glare turned to moist eyes, wincing as various parts of her body randomly felt pain and discomfort.
The day ended with the queen screaming in frustration as her head and neck continuously ached. Something that lasted for three whole days.
Meanwhile, on the prince's palace, four children crowded at the doll with disappointment. Raon was holding its severed head. "Sorry, I swiped too hard. Let's ask the weird human to make a new one."
Alberu nodded in agreement. "It's okay, Raon. The doll is battered already, anyway. Let's ask Cale to make it stronger too."
—
The second week, just as the queen recovered after the sudden bursts of pain.
Queen Nora was on her way to attend a banquet for the celebration of Marquis Sten's birthday. She wants the Sten Marquisate on her side so she has been paying special attention to them lately.
As the celebration peaked, the queen was socializing with other nobles when a fly suddenly perched confidently on her nose. She angrily swatted the fly away, thinking about how unhygienic the place was and how the Marquis handled the banquet poorly.
More buzzing noise were heard and three more flies comfortably took their place on the queen's face.
She was about to question the Marquis with anger when a huge group of flies came, only approaching near the queen and not to anyone else.
Some nobles peeked with judgement as the dirty flies targeted the queen.
That night, Nora left the banquet hall filled with shame and an entourage of flies buzzing around, not leaving her until she arrived at the palace.
She also became the hot topic of the high society for a while.
On the other hand, the prince's palace was filled with children's laughter as four little ones—gold, red, silver, and black—openly laughed as they succeeded with their pranks.
Cale, the one who helped the children orchestrate everything, was smiling fondly at the children. He will surely ask them next time for more creative ways to annoy that queen.
—
After that day, the queen confined herself within her palace. The maids and butlers were also busy eliminating every single pest before the queen targets them with her increasing temper.
—
On a random afternoon, while the queen was busy plotting an evil stepmother scheme, random taps on the balcony door was heard. She ordered her attendant to check what it was, but the maid did not see anything.
A few minutes later, the same noise was heard and the maid checked but there was nothing at all.
A few more back and forth happened before the queen became enraged and kicked the attendant out before checking it for herself.
After she opened the balcony door, a red blur passed by and the wind blew her hair into a mess. She became alert, afraid of some attackers but what displayed itself once she turned around was a big fat red bird flying around her room madly.
She was so frustrated that she tried to chase the bird away but the bird was so fast despite looking so heavy. She panted as the red bird stood haughtily on her bed while looking at her.
She glared at the bird but it suddenly flew towards her, pecking at her hair and making it messier, looking like a bird's nest after the tussle.
Suddenly, the bird laughed.
It laughed while pointing at her with its wings. "You're so ugly. Even worse than that witch."
She was so dumbfounded she couldn't even comprehend that she was being compared to a witch.
The fat bird flew around her while spitting insults non-stop. She can't stop nor can she unhear the bird.
At last, after an hour of torturous session with the foul-mouthed bird, it squawked at her and finally left through her balcony.
It took a long moment before she recovered. It was only then that she realized that she lost a few valuable jewels and accessories.
On the prince's palace, a red bird happily circled the little prince as it proudly showed him the loots from the queen's residence. Choi Han on the side watched helplessly as Cale and the cats rummaged through the loots.
—
From that day on, the queen continuously suffered from different incidents, varying from mild ones like having her pillow warm on all sides, up to extreme ones where lightning seems to follow her every step.
Extreme ones always happens whenever she tries something against the eldest prince.
Time flew by fast but every moment seemed so slow for queen Nora.
Five years later, Alberu Crossman, a prodigy, was announced to be the crown prince—the next ruler of Roan kingdom.
The queen, still confined in her residence dare not utter a single word, afraid that the fat bird will come back to harrass her.
The said fat bird was finally transformed back to his human form, still ready to pounce on the queen at any given moment. It has become his hobby at this point.
That day, the witch also received his first golden plaque.
On the same day, rumors were that the prince was so blessed and that he was the rightful heir to the throne as every citizen experienced some type of luck consecutively. Of course, with the exception of the queen.
That day was the start of the magical chronicles of the blessed King who started the golden age where every species, even the dark elves and other dark creatures were able to live happily on the surface without facing discrimination and hardships.
Meanwhile, Cale, the witchy godmother nodded approvingly at the result of his hardwork. What a bliss to have the king as your godson.