Chapter 1. This has been such a stupid life (3) A truly


    unfamiliar and strange day has passed.


    I thought that if I ever opened my eyes, I would be back in Secretia or in the underworld. The unexpected sound of Jan’s bell woke Kalian up, but nothing changed.


    “Did you have a nice dream, prince?”


    Kalian sat down and enjoyed the morning tea offered by Yan, then returned the empty cup to Yan. Afterwards, after washing my face and brushing my teeth, I said this.


    “I’m going to cut my hair.”


    Yan, who heard those words, blinked his big eyes. Calian could clearly see that he was thinking that he had misheard, so he spoke again.


    “My hair. I’m going to cut it.”


    Kalian’s two fingers pretended to cut his bangs in half. It was clear that Jan had not misheard Kalian’s words. Yan answered, immediately getting rid of any thoughts of what was going on.


    “Yes, my prince. I will be ready right away.”


    Before long, the royal hairdresser came to Kalian’s room. He carefully held the scissors in his hands and asked Calian.


    “Are you sure you don’t mind if I cut it off?”


    Calian’s brow furrowed.


    Like most knights, he was the type of person who did not like to speak twice. So, I didn’t like the situation where I had to repeat three times in a row just to cut my hair. What on earth is this that makes me tremble so much? Kalian said, pointing to the scissors.


    “Should I cut it?”


    “No, my prince. I’m sorry.”


    Only then did the scissors begin.


    After hearing a few crunching sounds, I was able to shake off the ck hair that was frustratingly covering half my face.


    Calian raised his eyes and looked at the face in the mirror. He was finally able to look at his own face properly.


    ‘Hoo.’


    Calian’s mouth formed a smile.


    This is because I realized that the statement that she resembled Freya, who was said to be the reincarnation of the goddess, was not a lie.


    ‘Isn’t this face Freya’s great legacy?’


    Calian nodded as if satisfied.


    “You look really good on me, prince.”


    Yan also spoke to me with a happy expression on his face. However, Jan spoke in a voice that gradually subsided due to anxiety on the other hand.


    “But I don’t know if Prince nz will just let it go.”


    “You lose your temper like that just by making eye contact, so I don’t think you’ll just let it go.”


    “That’s why I’m worried. I wonder how they’ll react to breakfast today…”


    “I heard it suits you well. That’s it.”


    Calian smiled and stood up.


    “You can’t keep being stupid just because you don’t like it.”


    In Jan’s eyes, it seemed like a smile. Yan looked surprised at the expression and words that were not like Kalian’s.


    What appeared on Calian’s face at that time was a confidence that had never been shown before. Jan was uneasy about this sudden change in Calian. Of course, it was a very wee thing, but still.


    “Still, I’m worried that you might suffer even greater harm.”


    “don’t worry.”


    On the way to the restaurant, Kalian said to Jan, who was restless, as if to reassure him.


    “I’ll take care of it.”


    As we arrived at the restaurant and sat down, it wasn’t long before nts came in. ntz, who looked into the restaurant with his characteristic cloudy eyes, turned to Randel’s empty chair and then saw Calian’s face.


    The narrowed light green eyes looked down at Calian’s red pupils. Calian did not avoid his eyes. I looked straight at nts with a face that was no longer covered.


    A clear look of ridicule appeared on nz’s face.


    After that, nz took his eyes off Calian’s face. Yan quickly erased his surprised expression.


    ‘Is it over? Are you doneughing?’


    Unbelievably, ntz sat down in his seat without saying a single word. And then he didn’t look at Calian anymore.


    Calian’s brow furrowed slightly.


    Kalian also had the same thoughts as Jan. The crazy prince sat quietly in his seat.


    ‘I don’t know what kind of whim this is.’


    Randel came into the silence, as if he had to leave at any moment. As always, Randel sat down without looking at Calian’s face.


    The meal was served and the three, without fail, focused on their own food.


    By this time, Jan was relieved to think that breakfast would end without incident.


    “…… hey.”


    In the end, something happened.


    There was only one person here whom ntz could open his mouth and call out like that. And that one person continued eating with perfect manners, as if he couldn’t hear anything.


    ntz’s lips twitched when Calian stopped looking at him. This was the look he always showed right before his temper exploded. Jan’s heart this time made a thumping sound in his belly button.


    However, the expression on the face of Calian, the person involved, was extremely calm. His face seemed as if it was none of his business.


    “Hey. Bloody eyes.”


    ntz spoke again as if chewing and spitting out.


    Calian, who was contemting whether to ignore it one more time, looked at nz a littleter. When ntz was about to say something to Calian, Calian’s mouth opened first.


    “Calian.”


    Calian, who quietly said his name, took a slice of bread with his fork and spoke in the same voice as before.


    “…… no see.”


    The response to these words came from Randel.


    The two hands that had been moving quietly stopped. Randel raised his head and looked at Calian, who had changed his attitude overnight. But that was all. That’s because I wasn’t the type of person to think about interfering. Randel soon moved his hands again and continued eating.


    “iced coffee.”


    ntz’s mouth twisted upward. He very slowly closed his eyes and opened them, pondering for a moment how he should react to the sound he had just heard. Then he looked at the knife in his right hand and spoke in a low voice.


    “Yes. I should call you by name.”


    “yes.”


    Calian’s answer came out right away.


    Soon, as Calian began to drink water, there was a sound of the tip of the knife ntz was holding touching the table.


    And the color disappeared from Jan’s face.


    ‘Is this what it means to take care of something, Prince? From where to how far you ‘know it’?’


    ntzughed again.


    A child-like and therefore even more eerie smile emerged as if drawn.


    After that, nz threw the knife he was holding in his right hand towards Jan.


    – Scum!


    He takes out his anger on Kalian on Kalyan’s servant.


    A fleeting moment. Jan’s arm came up to her face and then stopped.


    This was because I felt that if I prevented it, the next disaster would be directed at Kalian. Instead of covering his face, Jan closed his eyes.


    At the same time, Calian’s arm moved.


    -Tap!


    Yan put down the ss of water in his hand, stretched out his arm again, and grabbed the flying knife faster than he could close his eyes. nz’s gaze rested on the ss of water on the table for a moment.


    Even though I quickly put it down, the water did not move.


    Drip, drip, drip.


    Red drops of blood fell from the hand that was tightly gripping the dull de of the knife.


    ntz said after seeing that.


    “this.”


    Jan’s eyes looked at Calian’s back, Calian’s hand, the knife in that hand, the blood flowing down the knife, and ntz’s smiling face, rotating like the second hand of a clock.


    I felt like I was losing my mind.


    It wasn’t because the knife flew, but because I was worried that the situation would escte out of control.


    Kalyan stood up. He picked up the bloody knife and quietly ced it in front of ntz. Then he looked at nts and smiled brightly.


    “it’s okay.”


    The meaning of those words was truly strange.


    Is it ‘it’s okay’ to say not to worry about your injured hand, or is it ‘it’s okay’ to forgive ntz’s rudeness?


    Or maybe both.


    A few drops of blood fell on nz’s clothes.


    Calian walked out of the restaurant.


    * * *


    The afternoon passed while I waspletely absorbed inforting Jan, a seventeen-year-old boy who was crying because the prince had a wound on his hand.


    I was told I could ride a horse, so I resisted looking at nz and came to the horseback riding ss, where a pony was waiting for me. The round eyes that looked at Calian were so gentle that Calian frowned.


    Calian didn’t have anything to say yet. This is because Calian before was very afraid of horses. When that memory came to mind, Kalian covered his face with his palms out of embarrassment.


    “Are you too proud to ride that, Brother Calian?”


    nz.


    Calian looked in the direction where nz’s voice was heard.


    ntz, sitting on a silver-white horse that was clearly of good pedigree, was looking down at Calian. Calian cleared his expression and showed an example.


    ntz’s eyes nced at the bandage wrapped around Calian’s hand. And then heughed again. Calian’s eyebrows flinched as he saw that, but he looked away to avoid falling for his provocation further.


    Then I saw a horse that caught my eye. It was the second horse that ntz brought out. Calian naturally looked at the horse’s appearance and was greatly impressed.


    ‘Very good words.’


    It was a ck horse with white fur only on the ankle area of its right front leg. Every single strand of well-maintained mane and tail hair was flying. His well-defined muscles and slim body showed that he was a better horse than the one ntz was currently riding.


    “He’s extremely stubborn, so I was going to leave it to the teacher to train him.”


    He was a violent guy who had never been properly ridden or dismounted before. However, Calian’s eyes could not be taken off the horse. Seeing this, the corners of ntz’s mouth rose again. He said to Calian.


    “If you can ride it, I’ll give it to you. If you can’t, I’ll receive an apology from Kalian for what happened in the morning.”


    Then, without realizing it, Jan took a step forward. This is because I was worried that I might fall off my horse. At that sight, fire sparked in nz’s eyes again.


    Because it was annoying.


    The same thing happened when I tried to stop the knife in the morning. Trying to stand in front of yourself now.


    From beginning to end, it was as if I were Kalyan’s protector.


    Calian noticed this and stood in front of Yan. After bringing ntz’s gaze back, he answered calmly.


    “All right.”


    Soon Calian slowly walked in front of him.


    Calian slowly walked to the guy’s side. There was a clear look of anger in the guy’s eyes, as if he had learned something from nz’s personality. He showed a firm determination to never give up his back.


    A deep smile appeared on Calian’s lips as he looked at that guy.


    The soft eyes changed in an instant.


    To live.


    It was a look in his eyes that contained the killing power of someone who had cut off someone’s life countless times.


    That horrifying gaze, as if it was looking at itself not as one animal but as dozens of people, was not something a three-year-old horse raised beautifully in a good environment could endure.


    The haughty horse’s eyes were very shaken.


    Soon, his eyes became round like the pony from before. Only then did Calian’s eyes draw an arc again.


    In the end, he couldn’t refuse Calian to climb on the saddle. Only nz, who knew the guy’s personality, tried to erase his disbelief.


    Jan, who knew full well that Calian had never practiced anything like riding a horse, was ovee with emotion as he thought this.


    ‘Our prince learned horseback riding through writing!’


    Jan still believed that Calian had read the knightly novel. So it would be correct to just say that I have no thoughts.


    Calian said, patting the neck of the horse that had be quiet.


    “Raven. Your name.”


    ck color. And arge crow.


    Raven, whether or not she knew the meaning of the name, made a purring sound at her new owner’s words. Calian grinned at that and turned his head to look at ntz.


    “thank you.”


    To some extent, it was sincere. No matter the process, I got such good words. Kalian added a word to that good feeling.


    “Brother nz.”


    It waspletely intentional.


    nz’s face hardened.