CH 7

My earnest eyes were ignored.

“Do you know that the Chancellor is usually a madman?”

He now pointed a finger at me and told me that he would detain the prince at all costs because he failed to devour the country.

“On top of that running madman is me, young lord[1] Hendrick.”

In front of the mongrel-like Crown Prince, Belfry was like a kitten with fluffy fur.

As the Prince continued to linger, Belfry, who was finally annoyed, annoyed to the top of his head, shouted, “I have to deal with the mountain of papers His Highness has delayed!”

The Crown Prince said, “You’re the one who followed me because you thought it looked fun.”

The way the two of them chattered was like friends for ten years.

It’s a scene that I somehow miss.

Even though my childhood friends got busy making ends meet and we naturally grew apart, I can’t help but miss them sometimes.

The knights of Heneken were staring at Lindbergh’s soldiers in a straight posture, without even looking in that direction, while Lea stood stiffly and watched with a pathetic expression on her face.

“I got it, I’m going to really do it now.”

Eventually, I put my hands up and dried them both.

I am not sure, but I was really nervous.

If I had to get help from someone, it was only the Crown Prince, and I had to be grateful and make good use of the opportunity I was given.

The Crown Prince and the young Lord had a truce between their fuss.

It was Belfry who made a truce, although the Prince seemed to have no intention of doing more.

I wanted to quickly get a glimpse of the atmosphere in Heneken with my own eyes.

I had to check if it was a worthy place where my sister could marry, and discuss with the Crown Prince what Lindbergh would do.

And what I’m going to do to make ends meet when I stop being a prince.

“Look, the prince also wants to go quickly.”

“I know.”

With an expression of helplessness, the Crown Prince laid his hand on the rock at the top and vertex.

“Everyone, go inside.”

The knights, Lea’s maidservant, Marco and Elizabeth. And even the Crown Prince and Belfry, Lea and me. About a dozen people gathered in the magic circle.

“Was this magic circle made by Heneken too?”

I asked because no matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t think Lindbergh had the technology to create such a large magic circle.

“No, a long time ago, when Lindbergh stood shoulder to shoulder with the Empire. This is a joint venture created to commemorate the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries.”

There were no soldiers standing there at the time, Belfry added.

“If you don’t use magic, you’ll decline. It would take another 10 years for Lindbergh to create a magic circle like this.”

Belfry chuckled and looked at Lea.

“It’s not exactly wrong, so don’t look at me.”

Lea replied softly, and Belfry said, “Ah, yes,” and shut his mouth.

The wind blew and the mysterious scent that I had smelled when I first saw the Crown Prince earlier began to vibrate[2] again. At the same time, my heart began to pound.

For a fantasy novel, it was a difficult environment to see magic, so it was the first time I saw magic properly except when Lea lit her cigar.

Although Marco said that lighting up the dark night and controlling the air conditioning and heating were all thanks to magic, I was not impressed because I lived in a civilization full of convenience.

That’s probably why every time the scent vibrates, my hair stands on end, and the nape of my neck feels faint.

At this point, I concentrated on looking at the Crown Prince’s mouth.

Is it Abra Cadabra or Open Sesame?

The names of the main characters, the names of the magic circles, and the writing may be good, but the writer with poor sense must have set the spells to be sloppy.

I don’t know how to manage my expression when the Crown Prince shouts “Open up, sesame!” and the like with that handsome face.

Everyone was serious except me, but I might laugh and make a mistake even before the work starts.

“Move.”

Psskkk. There was a swishing sound.

At the same time as the tension subsided by the simple and clear incantation, my mind became hazy.

When you come in, you come as you please, but when you go out, you can’t go out as you want.

That was Lindbergh Castle and Prince Carl Lindbergh’s room for me.

It was a gorgeous prison. Even more so when I thought that the prison was made by grinding a living person.

It was a terrible analogy, but it’s true.

All of Lindbergh’s royal castle was obtained through the blood and sweat of the people.

There I lived for half a year, with my ears open, my mouth shut, and hiding my appearance as much as possible.

I was not yet completely free, but when the open plains and the dense small villages came into view, I felt like I’d live for a very, very long time.

“Welcome to Heneken.”

The Crown Prince, who got off the horse for a while to use the magic circle, got on the horse again.

Whether it was barley or wheat, the green crops that lie down together whenever the wind blows, and the small chimneys emitting white smoke as if they were cooking rice were amazing.

I was so fascinated by the scenery that I didn’t notice that the Crown Prince was reaching out to hold my hand.

“Carl Lindbergh.”

It wasn’t until the Crown Prince called my name twice that I came to my senses.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I place my hand on the calloused hand and he pulls me up with all his strength.

The horses flew up again.

But it flew slightly lower and slower than when it started from Lindbergh.

The children who were playing exclaimed and ran after us.

The person who hung the laundry in the yard waved and the farmers who were working on the field straightened their backs and smiled.

The children’s cheeks were plump and the faces of the people were bright.

The Crown Prince responded by occasionally looking down and raising his hand.

Lea, flying right next to me, was seeing the same things as me.

Her expression looked indescribably complicated.

It reminded me of Lindbergh’s employees, who fell on the floor and trembled when we ran into them.

I haven’t encountered them several times, but I could guess how difficult their lives were from a few things that I could see.

The weight of the heart between an outsider and a real Lindbergh royalty will be different.

“Is it fun to watch?”

The back of the Crown Prince I was holding onto hummed according to his voice.

Oddly enough, for the last few hours, it seemed as if I could read this man’s inner feelings according to the high and low of the Crown Prince’s voice and his gestures.

“Hm, it’s not bad. The scenery is beautiful. People seem happy, too.”

When I gave a sentimental comment with a lot of pure fondness to the innocent question, the Crown Prince’s back moved pleasantly.

“I don’t know if you are aware that this was one of the most barren lands on the continent. The ancestors worked very hard. It means a lot to us, so now it’s our time to protect it.”

Perhaps because we entered into his home ground, the Crown Prince looked much more comfortable than before.

Yes, because protecting is just as important as cultivating.

I know well because I read maps and history books alternately other than eating, sleeping, and washing.

Lindbergh was once a pretty decent country.

It flourished as much as the empire, and was peaceful with prosperity.

However, as the generations continued to decay and fall, pride and peace became a legend for the Lindbergh people today.

Everyone lived with a golden toad[3] before.

If Carl Lindbergh had met good parents, he wouldn’t have died in vain, and instead of coming here, I would have met Jeon Jae-young, who went to heaven first, on the stairway to heaven.

Is it because of the chilly air or a feeling of loneliness? Tears welled up.

Since there should not be any mishaps of putting a runny nose on the Crown Prince’s shirt, I leaned my upper body back as far as he could and sniffed and snorted.

“Today’s prince is really strange.”

Suddenly, the Crown Prince turned around and I shed the tears I couldn’t swallow.

His eyes that felt similar to those blue fields widened.

The Crown Prince was a little taken aback, but he seemed to be trying to keep his composure.

It was the same for me.

“What, what is it?”

When I roughly pinch the area around my eyes and smiled awkwardly, the Crown Prince looked like he saw something strange.

“Either I am crazy, or the prince is crazy, or the prince is cured, as the letter says. I don’t know what’s going on anymore……”

It almost sounded like he was talking to himself at the end.

What’s more. I know I look suspicious. Can’t you just let the little things go?

……I swallowed the sadness in my heart because I couldn’t answer.

We passed through a secluded village and crossed a wall. Leaving behind the sound of the drooping horns, the different scenery from before caught my attention.

Pretty houses with red roofs and white walls stand in a row.

The maze of intricate alleys was moving in different colors.

The busy people stopped what they were doing and waved their handkerchiefs to greet the Crown Prince’s party.

Unlike Lindbergh’s attire, which separates men and women as if determined by law, the distinction between men and women was not clear here because many women were seen wearing trousers, making me feel like I was in a modern European village.

On the café terrace, which drapes colorful tents and beautifully curved tables and chairs, people gather in twos or threes for dinner.

The smell of happiness and freedom vibrated.

“That’s the Imperial Palace.”

TL Notes:

[1] 소공자 (I’m still unable to decide on what word I should use to translate this. If you have any  suggestions, please comment down below.)

[2] The new theory of taste and smell brings these sensations also into the category of impressions produced by vibration (scientificamerican).

[3] Toads are a symbol of wealth and prosperity.