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Chapter 10
Killius de Oscaldea.
The second sun of the Oscaldea Empire, yet a tragic crown prince abandoned because he was born without magic.
Killian’s biological mother took an extreme action when he was three, and he was cursed to stop growing one day just after turning eight.
The Emperor, believing that lack of magic must be overcome through sheer will, subjected him to harsh crown prince training.
[How do you expect to rule the Oscaldea Empire with such a weak mind? Pull yourself together, Killian.]
The Emperor’s words struck like a sharp dagger. Yet at that time, Beatrice, the Empress, treated him as if he were her own son. She thought she loved him even more than the mother who had died, leaving him behind…
[Theo, be patient. I’ve placed a life-draining magic stone in that room. In a few days, Killian will be dead.]
[…My brother will die…?]
[Of course. Soon, Theo will become the crown prince.]
When he learned the truth, he felt disgusted.
So he acted.
The moment he returned to his room and touched the magic stone, a massive black light burst forth, engulfing Killian, and he lost consciousness instantly. Later, he heard that Nathan had replaced the stone with another, but from that incident onward, Killian’s growth halted.
The magic within him, which he hadn’t even realized, had stopped his growth to keep him alive.
When the will to live returned, he couldn’t tell anyone. Everyone in the palace already belonged to the current Empress.
Killian pretended to remain an eight-year-old, deceiving Empress Beatrice, who had cursed him.
It took a year of living under the curse for him to realize he had made the right choice.
[Killian may have survived, but he’s become foolish, which is for the best. Theo, wait patiently. Killian will remain eight forever. Then your beloved son will have his chance. Why else would the Emperor make me Empress?]
[Mother, I want to become the crown prince…]
[Nonsense! Beloved Theo, trust only me. Be patient. You will one day hold the empire’s most precious position.]
Since Killian would ultimately have to step aside from the crown prince seat, he spent the next several years desperately acting like a child whose mind never grew.
While the Emperor trained Killian harshly, expecting him to become a perfect crown prince after losing his mother, Theodore treated him with nothing but love from birth. Each time Killian saw Theodore’s kind eyes, twisted emotions grew deep in his heart.
‘I will break this curse and return to the palace to take everything back.’
After living with Red, Killian felt the sealed magic slowly returning. In the dead of night, he would quietly open the door and extract magic from his body, training to control it bit by bit.
So that he could use it as soon as he returned to the palace.
‘This is my only weapon to protect myself.’
Once he regained his memories, Killian could return to the palace at any time.
Yet he stayed by Red’s side, enchanted by her endlessly cute and warm gaze.
‘Anyway, Nathan is imitating me, and I dislike the palace.’
Everything with Red was enjoyable—playing, cleaning, even eating tasteless bread.
‘Above all, her sleepwalking is dangerous. I must protect Red.’
Gradually, her sleepwalking symptoms lessened, until one day they disappeared entirely.
Moonlight poured through the window, partially covering Red’s face with her red hair. The bright moon illuminated her.
As always, Killian lifted her hair and gazed down at her serene face.
Brushing the moonlit glow from her cheeks, Red stirred slightly.
‘A face I’ve seen somewhere before… Where could it be?’
Although he had first seen her in this alley, her face felt strangely familiar.
‘Doesn’t matter. Red, you’ve found me, so now I’m yours. I only need you.’
Killian was willing to give everything to Red—music boxes, imperial jewels, even the throne.
Having Red as his goal gave meaning to his life, so the Empress and other princes were no longer threats. But to protect Red safely, he had to become Emperor.
A few days ago, the palace guard returned urgently with news that the Emperor wished to leave a will.
There was no more time to delay.
Killian wanted to give Red a gift in person, but couldn’t, leaving him heavy-hearted and confused.
He left a letter with the music box on the table.
‘Red, I will come for you. So please wait for me.’
A blue light enveloped Killian in an instant.
The blue mist faded, and the eight-year-old boy vanished, replaced by a seventeen-year-old, fully grown Killian.
He approached the sleeping Red and kissed her cheek.
‘Don’t be hurt, Red.’
After gazing at her for a while, Killian opened the door. Outside, Lloyd, the palace guard who had brought Killian’s black horse, waited.
“Let’s go now.”
“I’ll accompany you, Your Highness.”
Killian mounted swiftly and vanished into the night.
Five years had passed since Nocturne disappeared.
When I heard that the missing Nocturne was actually Crown Prince Killian of the empire, I was utterly shocked.
Nocturne—or rather, Crown Prince Killian—had sent a letter through a knight. He explained that he was the crown prince and that the palace was in turmoil. Once things settled, he would come for me, and until then, I should wait.
Confused, I showed the letter to Robin and Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill turned pale and said:
“Red, Noct… Nocturne is the crown prince! Listen carefully. You must escape immediately! If the Emperor and Empress learn you’re alive, they’ll kill you!”
“Uncle! What do you mean by that?”
“Brother? What’s going on?”
“I can’t explain in detail now. There’s no time. The important thing is that if the Emperor finds out that you, Robin, and I are alive, he’ll kill you. So we can’t stay here. You’re in danger, Red. Besides, you were with the crown prince, so they’ll think we kidnapped him.”
The situation was urgent. Uncle Bill left to gather more information, and Robin and I fled to the Principality of Fiordin.
‘I almost missed it… That was close.’
Later, I learned that the royal guards had searched the alleys, and I was so relieved it felt like my heart was in my throat.
When we arrived in the Principality of Fiordin, I didn’t intend to stay long.
If I hadn’t seen the filthy square…!
Seeing the square reminded me of the first alley in the slums. Seeing it again, I changed my name to Anna, dyed my hair brown, and became a professional street cleaner.
“Anna! Over here!”
“Yeah! Mari!”
Thin streams of sparkling water swirled around brown-haired Anna, cleaning the filthy alley.
“Mari, your ability is amazing as always!”
When I first arrived, Mari, a girl my age, quickly became close to me.
She always admired my latest water-cleaning techniques.
I was thrilled that I could control water freely—it made cleaning so much easier.
Of course, only Mari and Brown, the boy I had found, knew about this ability.
On the way home after cleaning, someone was standing at the door.
“Anna, sis!”
“Brown! Why are you out here?”
“I was waiting for you.”
I stroked Brown’s hair.
Even here, I’m not alone.
Is this a professional habit?
Two years ago, I had rescued a trembling brown-haired boy from the streets—small, wearing a tiny earring, ugly thumbs.
I knew that leaving him behind could end badly, just like with Nocturne.
But this boy, barely five, sitting in a corner of the square, covered in filth for days—I couldn’t just pass him by.
He was disgustingly dirty, and that annoyed me! Surely, I wouldn’t find a crown prince here, would I?
Such an event might happen once in a lifetime. If it happened again… I’d have to just lie face-down in a dish of water and die.
Being filthy really is unlucky.
Thinking of the dirtiness reminded me of Nocturne, and I laughed.
‘So filthy, Nocturne.’
Of course, the new boy I named Brown is equally filthy.
‘Are all boys this dirty?’
After fleeing to the principality, I had slept uneasily, fearing we’d be discovered. But after rescuing Brown, I could finally sleep peacefully.
‘It’s because of Nocturne. He made it impossible for me to sleep alone.’
I hope the sun of the empire is doing well.
After washing up, Brown grinned and handed me a letter.
“Someone left this at the door.”
Seeing the elegant envelope made me tense.
Had the empire already found me?
But the letter wasn’t from them—it was an offer to recruit me as a cleaner in the principality.
