PRU | Chapter 1.4

Bang-

The sound of the door opening snatched away Jaehwan’s inhale and exhale in an instant. The sound of footsteps snatched away Jaehwan’s control over his muscles. Existence snatched away everything from Jaehwan.

“Apene.”

“……”

“Apene.”

“……”

“Are you deaf? Apene?”

“Y, yes? A, a, n, no.”

“A ridiculous sight.”

The king had no trace of anger left, but Jaehwan still carried the previous anger intact on his left pinky finger. This was how anger attached itself somewhere and proved its own existence. Red firelight flickered between his fingers, and a deep shadow fell.

“A ridiculous sight.”

“……”

“Keep your mouth shut. I do not care what you do.”

“……”

“Just do not make trouble.”

“……”

“Quietly.”

“……”

Jaehwan kept drawing in false breaths. The king looked at him like that for a while, then soon left. There was no use. Jaehwan lifted his head slightly and glanced at the king as he left. The only flame alive and moving inside the room where red swayed. The door slammed shut with a bang, and Jaehwan collapsed onto the bed, panting.

When the king disappeared, everything the king had taken away returned to Jaehwan. The fingers that had not moved no matter how hard he struggled, as if he were sleep-paralyzed, only then began to function and move properly. Still, it was not the worst.

The king had not promised his departure directly, but indirectly he had promised Jaehwan’s departure from the palace. When that would be depended on his own heart, but even so Jaehwan could live on with that hope alone.

Foolish, but Jaehwan lay in the bridal chamber and pictured tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow he would ask Alestia what talent he had and look for it. Then the king would send him somewhere, if not gladly. Then he should ask whether he could take a few of his jewels with him. Alestia would think for a moment and allow it.

Then he would carry them and live as far away from the king as possible, if not very far. Without even spitting toward the side where the royal castle was. Not in a place like the mage tower or the sorcerer’s house, even a temple’s attached priest who could never marry for life would be fine. He would not be able to have children or a wife, but that would be fine too. Just far away from here….

Jaehwan quickly fell asleep from the shock of his tension easing. While dreaming foolish dreams.

When he woke in the morning, the maids had brought clothes to change into and a bathtub. After washing while leaving his body in the maids’ hands, one maid came and told him that Alestia was in the reception room. Jaehwan approached Alestia with a gloomy gesture. Alestia waited until he sat in the chair, then sat after receiving permission.

“This is Apene’s room now. It was originally where Your Majesty’s partners stayed, but Your Majesty has always disliked such things. Because royal money goes into them. So the one using this palace is Apene alone. Be happy. You did not dislike troublesome things, did you.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I heard from the maids. They said you can now use language properly. As expected, you are astute, Apene.”

Alestia smiled with satisfaction. He looked as though the big hurdle had been crossed.

“Is there anything uncomfortable, or anything you want?”

“…It would be nice if you removed the red decorations from my room. My eyes are tired.”

“Yes, understood. Even so, the priest worried about Apene’s eye health to that extent.”

Should we redecorate it in green and blue tones? Yes. Jaehwan rubbed the corners of his eyes as if tired. Seeing that, Alestia ordered the maids to change the decorations and tidy the bedroom.

“For now, I will call a teacher in charge of etiquette. There are many things you will need to learn. And as for talent, Apene, I think I will have to call the proper person for that too. When would be good?”

“The sooner the better.”

“Good. Then I will send them as soon as I find them. Anything else you need?”

“No.”

“Then, excuse me.”

Alestia politely asked Jaehwan for permission and stood up. The maids busily carried away the decorations, and Jaehwan, still sitting at the reception room table, asked the maid carrying the candlestick to bring the book he had been reading. When she brought it, Jaehwan spread the book out on the table and pretended to read.

They moved like an ant swarm. Ha-ha, ho-ho. What was so funny? Jaehwan flipped the pages.

…And so, to rebel against all fate is a foolish thing. This is similar to the Cynics, but it differs in viewpoint, because they surrender themselves to such fate completely and end up damaging human dignity, whereas our school…

The book he had been trying so hard to read was full of nothing but useless nonsense. He wished there were other things to learn, but the books about science and mathematics that Alestia had brought were not of much help to Jaehwan.

The science book was full only of talk about elements, about all things coming from water among the four elements, about coming from fire, and the mathematics book was full only of the geometric constructions Jaehwan hated most.

The philosophy book he was about to read now had nothing to offer beyond nitpicking this and that. He had read more than ten volumes, and the criticism of the Cynics never stopped. At first it had been interesting, but now that had also worn off.

He wanted to stop reading books. But the only thing Jaehwan could do was read. He wanted to go out into the garden, but Alestia had been refusing him for a long time.

Could he die like this?

Lately Jaehwan had no appetite, or anything else. No, to be precise, he had an appetite, but he did not feel the need to consume carbohydrates, protein, or fat. He only ever ate salad or fruit.

When he was hungry, instead of the roast duck or roast boar that had been prepared, he ate vegetables and fruit as much as he wanted. Looking at Jaehwan like that, Alestia asked, “Apene, are you thinking of becoming a fairy or something?” but Jaehwan, smiling, replied, “Because greasy food won’t go down.”

He could not go outside, and there was even less anyone to keep Jaehwan company. The maids only answered questions, and Alestia only said what he wanted to say. Everything was disjointed. They were in the same space, but they were doing their own things.

“Apene. The bedroom reorganization is finished.”

Jaehwan did not answer at all to that and simply went into the bedroom and closed the door. When he went in, all the strange ornaments had been removed, and the soft furniture in green tones calmed Jaehwan’s unstable emotions.

In his original world, Jaehwan had been the sort of person who harmed no one, to the point that he could have lived without the law, but lately he had been becoming more and more irritable. No one had pointed it out, but he felt it painfully.

The maids were not at fault. The one who had made him like this was the king of this country. However, Alestia said it was my fault for not being able to accept it. The deepening in his chest shrank to ash without even becoming a flame inside. But the spark would someday catch fire. Jaehwan felt his chest grow hot.

Jaehwan walked to the window. The window of the concubines’ palace was different from the window of the detached palace where Jaehwan had been. The detached palace had been tightly locked with iron bars, as if to hide someone… but the window in Jaehwan’s room could be opened at will, and he could see not only the garden but also far away, even the blue tower that seemed impossible with the technology of this age.

In the detached palace where Jaehwan had originally been, it had been hidden by the other palace directly in front of it, and in Jaehwan’s room it had not been visible at all because the direction was different.

Jaehwan called the maid who had just brought fruit and snacks.

“Hey, what is that tower?”

“It is the mage tower. It is a place where only mages and some permitted high nobles are allowed to come and go.”

Jaehwan stared blankly at the tower standing high. The tower, standing a little straighter than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, looked as if a huge thorn had been driven into the ground. If God had fixed lightning onto the earth, that would be it.

“We do not know either how that appeared on this land. All we know is that it is an ancient relic related to Shin Kala.”

God’s touch reached every corner of the continent like this. Jaehwan shuddered once more, feeling God’s touch again. He truly would not be able to leave this world.

The etiquette teacher Alestia brought introduced himself as Galesteon Bereteduman, Viscount Banteil. He was a man with an impressive reddish-brown mustache. Jaehwan had initially been wary of his reddish hair color and eyes, but contrary to his stern-looking appearance, he was very kind to Jaehwan.

“Apene, it is a great honor to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“From today I will teach you the manners and etiquette of the Red Lion territory. There will surely be differences from where Apene was, so it will be useful.”

Viscount Banteil began by pointing out Jaehwan’s habits. When sitting, keep your back straight, and the same when walking, pull your head in slightly, and when speaking do this, and when laughing do that… Even these trivial things passed through Viscount Banteil’s hands.

Jaehwan was not very good at physical movement, but he was an excellent student, so when Viscount Banteil showed him the posture himself a few times and corrected him, he quickly understood and followed along. Viscount Banteil looked pleased at how quickly Jaehwan picked it up, and when he noticed signs of fatigue, he recommended a rest.

“Come to think of it, Apene, do you know? I really looked forward to seeing Apene. I am going to grow old soon, but His Majesty is not, so I thought there would be no Apene of His Majesty while I was alive.”

“Do the king and other people have different lifespans?”

“Yes, the venerable Red Lion, of course the other kings as well, are servants bound to Shin Kala. In fact, Apene too has a different lifespan.”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, those irreverent people. I knew it. The explanations only ever gave the parts that were favorable to them. They are unbelievers, Apene.”

Viscount Banteil became slightly angry. Then he began explaining kindly to Jaehwan.

“Apene is a body prepared for King Mehion. Because of that, you would have become a body similar to His Majesty, who was baptized and had his lifespan extended. Your lifespan grows longer, you do not get sick easily, and it is hard for you to die. Therefore, whatever lifespan you expected in the place you lived before, here you will be with His Majesty.”

“Ah.”

Jaehwan’s face twisted slightly. Then how long did he have to live?

“Be angry, Apene. You may do that. They are all foolish people.”