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Prrruk—
The horse poked its face over his shoulder, as if to say let’s go home already. Only then did Kinain come to his senses.
“…When did it get so late?”
It had clearly been midday when he’d arrived, but before he knew it the sky had darkened. Kinain realized he’d been staring at one spot for hours.
What had he been thinking, coming here. Even though it was his own doing, he couldn’t understand it at all. Trying to find someone he didn’t even know in a village he had no ties to.
Slap.
Kinain lightly struck his own cheek, then took the reins.
“Really a strange day.”
But even so, on the way back he looked behind him several times at where the village had been.
Only after forcing himself to believe it was just his imagination — this feeling that he’d left something important there — could he return to the royal palace.
Time flowed on without stopping. As was usually the case, Kinain soon forgot what had happened at the village.
There were times he felt a strange dissonance. When he saw a young servant whining about wanting to grow up quickly, or when selecting new guard knights. But before long, those too disappeared.
Kinain’s life flowed on peacefully, almost monotonously. Hasan still hated Kinain, the factions pushing him as king fanned the flames, and unpleasant disturbances occurred inside and outside the palace — but they were no real problem.
One year later, Kinain became engaged to the neighboring kingdom’s princess, called the most beautiful omega on the continent. Everyone who saw the two’s engagement ceremony marveled at what a heaven-matched pair they were.
Only Kinain seemed to feel no joy in this engagement.
No, there was one more person.
“Move!”
“You mustn’t, Your Highness!” “If you don’t want to die, don’t touch my body!”
After the engagement ceremony ended, unable to sleep, Kinain was gazing out the window when a commotion outside the door made him rise.
“I said move, all of you!”
Opening the door, he saw Hasan kicking the guards and causing a ruckus. The stench of alcohol reeked in every direction — he’d drunk that much.
Kinain gestured the guards, who could only take the beating, to withdraw. In an instant the corridor emptied.
To Hasan, who glared at him, Kinain spoke.
“It’s very late. Go sleep for now, and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”
“Are you ordering me now?!”
Kinain merely tilted his head slightly to dodge the liquor bottle Hasan threw. Whatever it was made of, the bottle shattered the window and fell three floors down.
“Why, why do you get everything? It’s unfair. If only I’d been born an alpha…!” Kinain was the one who’d nearly had his head split open, yet Hasan raised his voice as if he were the wronged one. Looking down at such a Hasan, Kinain suddenly asked,
“Hasan, did you like the princess?”
“…What?”
“No, right. You just want anything that’s mine, don’t you?”
“What did you just call me?”
Hasan looked flustered at Kinain casually dropping formal speech, but Kinain felt no need to be considerate of him. He’d protected Hasan’s dignity in front of others until now, but thanks to his rampage there were only the two of them here, so there was no longer anything to worry about.
Kinain strode toward Hasan. At the sudden narrowing of distance, Hasan’s shoulders hunched tight.
“You seem to be mistaken about something, but becoming an alpha doesn’t suddenly make you a genius or give you a fine character.”
“You…”
“So even if you’d been born an alpha, you’d still be you.” Kinain spoke clearly, as if teaching a foolish child, and thanks to that it got through well even to the thoroughly drunk Hasan.
Hasan’s face reddened, then turned beyond red to white. He’d never suffered such an insult once in his life.
“You!”
Hasan’s hand rose high. But it moved no further than that.
“Stop this kind of thing too.”
With his mood already unsettled, Hasan coming to cause a scene — even Kinain couldn’t endure it anymore. Come to think of it, for some time now he’d felt a strong loathing whenever he saw Hasan. Before, he’d avoided Hasan’s provocations because they were annoying; for the past year, he’d been avoiding him because he couldn’t control his own emotions.
And yet here he was, showing up on his own.
“I’ve said it many times — I have no greed for the throne. So take good care of your share. Stop picking fights too. If I get twisted and decide to make your suspicions come true, it’ll be troublesome for both of us. Right?”
Hasan shook off his grabbed wrist and glared at Kinain, huffing. He tried not to seem overwhelmed, but he was already cowed by Kinain’s suddenly changed attitude.
Looking down coldly at Hasan, Kinain soon wore a gentle expression as if he’d changed masks.
“Brother, then go in and sleep.” The moment Kinain turned to return to his room —
“Die!”
Hasan screamed.
As expected.
Hasan lunging from behind wasn’t surprising. He’d harassed Kinain with cowardly methods before this too.
But turning around, Kinain thought this time the degree was severe. Hasan was rushing at him with his sword drawn. Naturally, Kinain, who’d come out unprepared, was barehanded.
He had no choice but to face Hasan.
But perhaps he’d drunk too much. Hasan’s legs tangled as he charged, and his body, losing balance, tilted sideways with a lurch.
“Uh-oh?”
Whether to call it just deserts — right there was the window shattered by the liquor bottle Hasan had thrown.
In the end, Hasan, who fell from the third-floor height, unfortunately did not die instantly. He suffered a month in bed, unable to rise, then breathed his last.
As the only remaining prince, Kinain naturally became the crown prince. Most people believed Kinain’s account that the drunken Hasan had fallen alone, but a few suspicious ones thought Kinain had pushed Hasan out the window. Yet all of them welcomed how, with Hasan dead, Kinain naturally became the legitimate successor. Anyone could see the younger brother was far better king material than the first prince.
A man born with everything even seizes the throne.
“The gods seem to bless Your Highness.”
“…Really?”
“Yes?”
“No.”
Kinain shook his head and swung his sword. *Hup!* A knight fell to the floor, swallowing his breath. The knight shook his head sheepishly.
“I lost.”
“One more round.”
“Oh, I can’t anymore. How many hours has it been?”
“Right…”
Even after swinging his sword for hours without rest, Kinain didn’t look refreshed. A knight who’d watched the prince since childhood quickly read his mood.
“You seem to have much on your mind. Well, on the night before a wedding, men and women alike get complicated in various ways.”
“…Is everyone like this?”
“Of course. But Your Highness’s worries may be different from other people’s. No one in the world has as much as Your Highness.”
Kinain sheathed his sword, only smiling bitterly.
“You even marry your ideal type. Princess Riliana is perfect in everything, but her eyes especially are very beautiful, are they not?”
“Eyes? Why bring up eyes all of a sudden?” “Didn’t you say someone with pretty eyes was your ideal type?”
“Ah… I did say that.”
Kinain belatedly recalled his own past words. For someone who’d spoken of such an ideal type, he couldn’t even properly remember whether the princess’s eyes were green or brown — but to Kinain, this marriage was no more and no less than a royal duty. So it was right that he feel nothing, like handling necessary business. And yet, why? Thinking of the marriage made his chest strangely tight.
Seen objectively, he was clearly living — and would live — a life anyone would envy.
But why am I like this…
Kinain swallowed a sigh. He wanted to swing his sword a bit more, but he had to rest now to avoid looking tired at tomorrow’s wedding.
If he hadn’t heard a call from behind, he would have left just like that.
Turning his head, Kinain saw the knight standing in the same spot as before.
“Are you happy?”
At the abrupt question, Kinain went blank for a moment. *Happy?* Normally it was a question he’d never have answered seriously.
And yet, why?
“No.”
The honest truth slipped past his lips.
“Not happy? You’ll marry the most beautiful omega on the continent and soon become king?”
Like the knight before his eyes, people assumed Kinain must be happy because he had so much.
Power, honor, wealth…
He clearly possessed things anyone would want.
But…
“You say I have much, but I never wanted any of it. Having much yet not having what I truly want — that’s why I’m not happy.”
“Then what does Your Highness want?”
“I don’t know.”
Kinain laughed hollowly.
That was exactly the problem. He clearly wanted something, yet didn’t know what it was. Not knowing, he couldn’t even try to obtain it.
“But what can be done. Not everyone can have what they want and live happily.”
“No, Your Highness must.”
“Hm?”
Thinking the voice answering his resigned words somehow didn’t sound like the knight’s, he raised his head — and the ground beneath his feet began to tremble.
No, not just beneath his feet.
At first it was a fine crack. The fissure that had suddenly appeared in empty air spread like a spiderweb in the blink of an eye, covering the entire world.
“What’s this…” The moment he murmured blankly,
the world began to shatter like a broken mirror.
***
“Die!”
Hasan, charging at Kinain, tangled his legs and lost his balance.
His body tilted lurchingly toward the broken window.
“Huh?”
Horror crossed Hasan’s face at the sight of his own body going over the window. He tried somehow to stop it, but his body was already on the verge of falling three floors down.
Just then. As if anticipating this situation, someone’s arm shot out abruptly and seized Hasan.
With a single arm, he lifted Hasan at once and flung him onto the corridor floor.
Hasan’s eyes shook violently, confirming who had saved him.
“Why did you…”
Kinain looked down at Hasan, rubbing his stiff shoulder.
Honestly, he hadn’t much wanted to save him — but this time, he’d decided to.
This time?
Kinain frowned at the strange thought that had popped up out of nowhere.
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