As the light of dawn began to climb up into the sky, and the cold northern air began to blow into the room, the sound of a small sneeze was heard in the silent and dark room filled with empty bottles and drinking glasses.
"Hchiii!"
“…ah…chii!”
The thin voice that sounded small and adorable like a startled little animal disturbed the sound sleep of the two men in the room. Ezekiel and Heinrich who had been heavily drunk last night began to slowly open their eyes at the sound of the sneeze.
When Ezekiel opened his eyes, he saw someone's long black eyelashes that were shaking because that person was also opening their eyes. And when he saw their eyes open, he saw a deep and slightly hazy blood-red colour.
The first thing Heinrich saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of beautiful black eyes with a cold glint that made him feel that something was very wrong
“We should help Brother Bill and Brother Ben every day! If everyone does it together, the work will go faster,” said a seven-year-old child who was lifting a garbage bag with one of his friends.“You're right… we can do it before learning to read every morning,” said the six-year-old who helped him.The children gathered and discussed their plans, and all agreed.“If we help, Brother Bill and Brother Ben can go to work faster and come home early to play with us!”"Ahhh! You are right!""You're so smart!"The attitude of the little children made the teenagers who saw them shake their heads while smiling. The teenagers who also lived at the foundation woke up early every day and helped their older siblings, and now they were happy that their younger siblings were starting to find the passion to help too.
“C-could it be… Sister and Brother are... The Prince and Princess?"Ezekiel and Ezra didn't have time to answer the boy's question when someone called out to them."Your Highnesses, welcome," said Bill, who greeted them politely.Hearing this, the little children gasped in awe that they were right and exclaimed, "Woaaaahhh!"They surrounded the boy who guessed correctly and patted him on the back, laughing cheerfully. After that, Ben approached them and patted them on the head while asking them to salute the two Crown Prince and Princess who came to visit.The little ones obeyed and bowed their bodies in adorable gestures. “Welcome, Your Highnesses!”Ezra, Ezekiel and Heinrich smiled happily seeing the cute attitude of these children welcoming them. The children were carefree and unafraid of them, and still behaved the same as before even after they knew their identities.“Your Highness, let's go inside. Let us welcome the three of you,” said Ben then.The three followed the two orpha
Today, the sewing machine that Liam bought for Harriet arrived.After finishing lunch, suddenly someone knocked on the door, and Harriet's sewing machine appeared in front of the house.This was a simple treadling machine commonly used by novice seamstresses. Harriet chose it herself, and although she had never sewn before, Harriet had done a lot of research over the years.As the sewing machine was placed on the edge of the living room, and as soon as Harriet sat down on the bench Liam had prepared for her, her heart began to pound with enthusiasm.Liam pulled up another stool to sit next to the sewing machine, facing Harriet. And he saw the corners of Harriet's lips gently move upwards.Harriet's long, slender fingers ran down the body of the sewing machine and felt the details carefully. Her eyes slowly narrowed as she began trying to insert the needle, adjust the bobbin and t
Ezekiel remembered something.At that time, he accidentally saw Harriet's expression at the boutique.Harriet was writing a message to Liam on a card, and the woman had an expression he never thought he'd ever see. At that time, he was so intoxicated by the effects of the Sorcery that he didn't know what had happened to his head—but it was also the first time.It was the first time Ezekiel had seen Harriet as a 'human', not as a perfect, flawless noble.And today, he saw it again.Harriet Goldlane was a woman who was always able to show how perfect she was in front of others. She had a warm and friendly smile that always accompanied her cool head and calm demeanour.However, in front of that man—and only for that man…She was willing to show what lies behind all her perfection.She showed her weakne
“You guys know that we found so many horrible things in the underground laboratory of the Alchemy Tower in the Diamond Duchy. We know that was where they created serums or potions or whatever that transformed humans into Wyverns…”Harriet took a deep breath.“…but to think that this was what actually happened,” she whispered, finishing her sentence."Your Grace," Ezra widened her eyes. “So you mean… it was their research in the laboratory that led to the disappearance of so many underprivileged people in the outskirts of the Empire?”Harriet shook her head. "This is just a preliminary guess. But I'm sure that the creation of an army of Wyverns is impossible with just a few months or years of research…”Everyone at the table widened their eyes, while Liam began to close his eyes with a complicated expression on
Ezekiel hugged Ezra all the way back to the hotel. His mind was lost in everything that was revealed to him about the Sorcery and the Diamond Duchy.Silently, he could still hear Ezra's small, muffled sobs that were buried in his shoulder, but he didn't know how to calm her down. When they got to the hotel, he took Ezra down from the carriage and went straight to their room.“We need to talk,” Ezekiel said as he kicked the door behind him shut.He sat Ezra down on the bed and pulled a stool over to sit facing her. With a worried look, Ezekiel tried to see Ezra's drooping face.But he was surprised when he saw the blank look in Ezra's black eyes was much deeper than usual."Ezra?" he called softly.Ezekiel tried to touch Ezra's cheek, but the woman didn't respond at all. What happened?The worry that made his chest uncomfortabl
“Your Highness,” Heinrich called out to Ezekiel who was standing silently in front of his bedroom door. He looked at Ezekiel a little worried but also showed his usual warm smile. “Is Her Highness alright?”Ezekiel turned to him, looking a little tired and unfocused."I don't know," he answered flatly.Heinrich stared at the man before him for a moment.Ezra said that this man was one of the key figures who might change the world. But the Ezekiel before him was just an ordinary man trying to find himself again after surviving the Sorcery.And now, Ezra re-entered his life and confused him—Actually, from the outside perspective, this situation felt funny, yet so sad.“Maybe she needs time,” Heinrich said, slowly approaching him. He touched Ezekiel's shoulder and pulled him away from the front door
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCKEzra was drying her hair when she heard a knock on the door. She pulled a robe over her short nightgown and opened the door.She stared in bewilderment at the three men at her door, who emitted a strong smell of alcohol from their bodies. Heinrich at the back, lowered his head while leaning against the wall, while Ezekiel who looked completely wasted was being held by Zaha."What are you doing…? Didn't we just drink yesterday?" asked the confused Ezra."This is Crown Prince Hyacinth's idea," Zaha said flatly. He came forward to carry Ezekiel into the room and laid him on the bed. Meanwhile, Heinrich who was standing up and leaning against the wall had started to limp and sit cross-legged on the floor. His body felt weak and his head is dizzy. But they are surprisingly quiet."And why are you drinking this much, anyway? Even yesterday they weren't this dru