Chapter 51

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*Devan’s childhood*

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Devan’s mother, who was weak from the beginning, died shortly after giving birth to him.

In just one month, the emperor replaced the empress who had waited.

A grand national wedding was held while the child who had never felt the touch of his father was living in a separate palace.

That was when it started. Devan was out of everyone’s interest.

Five years later, Astrilla was born from the new empress.

Her flaming red hair was enough to show off her presence as soon as she was born. Above all, she had golden eyes.

Just like the previous emperors had.

A child who couldn’t even babble, but everyone concurred and said that she would become the next emperor.

Another child imprisoned in a separate palace. A child abandoned by his father.

No one remembered the red-eyed prince who looked just like his mother.

***

Eight-year-old, young Devan Lantimos, lived in a separate palace.

Anyway, since it was an imperial palace, the annex was also large, and although it was splendid in its own way, it was poorly managed.

There, Devan lived with only one old butler.

Dirty, lack of maintenance, and the absence of parents were not a problem for Devan.

He had lived his whole life like that, so it was natural.

Because these things were routine to him, and other things were unusual.

He liked the large annex where no one would say anything about running around, the garden full of vines to burn and play, and the undercooked meat cooked by the butler.

But lately he had only one serious problem: the inability to see his little sister, Astrilla, a lovely little creature.

The only time he saw Astrilla was when she was born, and when a message came from the High Priest.

It only happened twice.

When she was born, Devan was summoned from the annex for one reason of being imperial and was able to stand next to her.

The child of the woman who became the new empress.

It couldn’t look pretty. Devan approached the empress and emperor, smiling brightly, with a resentment in his heart.

Two pairs of golden eyes looked at him. The emperor was full of signs of annoyance, and the empress did not hide her remorseful expression.

“… … I wish Astrilla the best of luck on the road ahead.”

Devan spat out the ceremonial greeting he had learned from the butler.

And unconsciously, he fixed his eyes to the tiny creature that was in the empress’s arms. Shortly after she was born, bright red hair was already full on her head.

With a curious mind, Devan’s finger headed towards it. The Empress didn’t even have time to stop, so Astrilla grabbed his finger.

Then, her little eyes fluttered open.

Maybe it was just a reflex action. No, it probably was.

But Devan felt his heart pounding at the soft touch that held his finger and the eyes twinkling like stars.

Among the golden eyes looking at Devan, she was the first to not have any hostility.

She must have been three by now when he was 8.

He wanted to see those eyes again. He wondered if she would still hold his finger or remember him.

It was for this reason that Devan escaped the annex for the first time.

He took advantage of the gap in the kitchen where the old butler was preparing a meal, opened the low window and jumped into the garden.

I climbed a tree using the vine, and crossed the wall. It was quite easy because it wasn’t the first time he played in the garden.

It was when he stood on the wall and smiled brightly at the sense of accomplishment he felt for the first time in his life.

A voice came from somewhere.

“Hey.”

Devan, startled, staggered and almost fell down.

He struggled, lowered his posture and balanced himself, then he hurriedly looked around.

The owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.

“Look here.”

Then he looked down.

On the other side of the wall, in the shade of a tree, a boy was sitting. Holding a thick book in one hand that looked uninteresting at first glance.

“What, what?”

“I want to ask. Are you a thief?”

‘A thief?’

Devan opened his eyes wide and tried to wave his hand, but instead he shouted because he felt he would lose his balance.

“It’s not like that!”

“Shh, they’ll hear you. I don’t think there’s anything good about getting caught.”

The boy looked about the same age as Devan, and he spoke very maturely.

“…it’s none of your business.”

“I’m sorry, it’s the same for me. But it’s annoying when you make a fuss.”

“Did you run away too?”

“Why don’t you think about how to get down from there?”

“If I jump down like this…..”

“I think you should use wood to climb, but unfortunately this tree is quite far away.”

Devon looked around.

The boy was right. There were no trees to climb down from where he was.

If he jumped off as he was, he had to be prepared to break at least one leg.

“Why don’t you just go back?”

He couldn’t. Devan had to meet Astrilla today.

He had just found a flower in the garden that had the same color as his sister’s hair and had carefully packed it in his pocket.

If it wasn’t today, the flower would wither, and he wasn’t sure that he would find the same flower again in the garden. 

Because it was the first red flower he had ever seen in that large garden.

He kept his mouth shut.

“I can run.”

“I don’t think so. If you accidentally fall and hit your head, you will die instantly.”

“…… What is instant death?”

“It means that you die immediately. Stupid.”

The boy got up from his seat and dusted his clothes.

He was ready to leave at any moment.

“Wait a minute!”

“Can’t you be quiet?”

“Where are you going?”

“If you stay like that, people are likely to gather, so I have to leave quickly. If I get caught by my father or the Duke, I’m dead.”

“Duke … ? Is your father a Duke?”

The boy’s expression darkened slightly.

“Pretend you didn’t hear it.”

“But I already heard it.”

“I don’t even care because you’re stupid.”

Devan wanted to argue that the boy, who used words like instant death at the age of eight, were far more strange, and that he wasn’t stupid, but he endured. 

Because he was disappointed.

Devan hurriedly caught the boy who took another step.

“Help me.”

The boy looked up at him with indifferent eyes. Under the sun, the boy’s brown hair shone brightly.

“Why?”

Devan began to work his brain.

The boy in front of him seemed to have no sympathy. Even if he tells him his desperate circumstances, no other expression will come to that indifferent face.

Although he had just been called stupid and ignorant, Devan wasn’t.

In fact, he had a faster brain for his age.

So Devan said something that would stop the boy.

He had to hold onto the boy somehow.

“…..My father is the emperor.”

The boy’s eyes widened slightly.

“Aha, are you the red-eyed prince?”

Even though he knew the identity of Devan, he didn’t seem to care.

“So?”

“So?”

“Is your being the prince a reason for me to help you? After all, you are the red-eyed prince.”

Giving extra strength to the word ‘prince’, the boy asked playfully.

“I hate wasting time on boring things. It’s the same as being here now.”

So, in order to catch the boy, Devan had to make something interesting. And fun things didn’t really mean play.

Devan meditated on cesarean studies and military studies that he was forced to read by the butler whenever he had spare time. 

He was sure the boy would be interested in this part.

“… … … You are the duke’s son. To have such a child in a place like this without an attendant means that you ran away from somewhere.”

The boy beckoned as if to continue.

“A place near here where a kid of your rank could run away…… It must be the Imperial Palace.” 

The boy narrowed his eyes.

“To be afraid of being caught by the Duke means that the Duke is now in the Imperial Palace. Perhaps to meet His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Why do you think so?”

“It’s November. It is time to re-evaluate whether the taxes collected from each estate are appropriate.”

Devan was saying what he had learned from the book. Noticing the boy’s interest, he hastily added.

“Ha, but! He wouldn’t have brought his young son for such a public event. So it’s probably a personal thing. If the duke had to bring his family to meet the emperor… Is it marriage?”

The boy changed his expression for the first time when he heard the words.

He wrinkled his face, and Devan realized he had the right answer. 

“…… You’re noisy.”

“You are too young to talk about marriage. There is no way they would let you run away if you were the main character of that marriage talk.”

“I don’t remember saying I would help you if you guessed it right. What are you talking about?”

“Aha, it’s your father!”

Devan smiled slyly, mimicking the tone of the boy’s voice just before.

The boy’s face contorted even more. He murmured in a shrill tone.

“What are you talking about?”

It was a small voice, but Devan heard carefully.

Earlier, the boy called his father the duke, and even this tone of voice that seemed to hate him.

Devan figured out a way to catch the boy.

“If you help me, I will help you too!”

“How can you do that?”

The boy returned to his expressionless face again.

Still, he was looking at Devan, and didn’t want to leave like before.

Devan felt the possibility of this alone.

“You don’t like your family, do you?”

“….”

“Me too.”

‘The truth is, my family hates me.’ Devan swallowed the back words.

“So? I ask what you can do? Are you going to get me out of my family? Does the Red-Eyes Prince have the power to do that?”

Devan kept his mouth shut at the boy’s stinging tone.

He realized that there was only one thing he could say. Words to convince this boy to come down from this wall.

***

*I think the boy is the young Pelos. Because Pelos hates his family.