Chapter 14. Mela opened her eyes. ...
Mela opened her eyes.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft, silvery glow on the dark wooden floor.
With this meager light, Mela could clearly see that in the corner, a corner of the deep red blanket was lifted, and the person who should have been sleeping inside was nowhere to be seen.
Outside the cabin, Lex sat on a flat rock, one leg bent, his hands behind him, quietly gazing up at the starry sky.
"What are you doing here so late at night instead of sleeping?"
Mela's voice came from behind Lex.
In fact, Lex had heard footsteps a while ago; Mela probably never intended to hide them.
She gave Lex a push without any hesitation, telling him to move aside, and then, lifting her skirt, she sat down on the rock herself.
Lex quietly gave up most of his space, but a small edge of Mela's light brown skirt still draped over his legs.
From Lex's perspective, the dress was naturally very ordinary. The fabric was too heavy, the texture was too rough, and the obvious loose threads at the seams made it look like he was wearing a burlap sack.
Because it had been starched and washed too many times, the color of the skirt had begun to fade. Even the lowest-ranking maid in the palace would not dress so undignifiedly.
But since it's Mela wearing this dress, it doesn't seem like it's worth making a fuss about.
She was completely different from the aristocratic ladies that Lex knew.
Her love of sleeping in late, her dislike of working, and her preference for praising herself are all minor traits compared to others. Her unkempt appearance is the least noteworthy aspect of Mela.
A minor flaw.
“You haven’t answered my question yet, what are you looking at?” Mela bent her elbow and nudged Lex’s shoulder beside her.
“…Looking at the stars,” Lex had to reply.
"Did you figure it out?" Mela pressed on relentlessly.
What flowers can you see by looking at the stars?
Lex was silent for a moment, then pointed with his index finger and said, "This is the brightest star in the vicinity."
"Ah, it's this star." Mela exclaimed as if she recognized it.
Seeing the subtle look in Lex's eyes, Mela smiled and cupped her cheeks, looking up at the deep night sky as well. "Is it strange? Astrology is an ancient and traditional art of divination that only witches can learn."
In the hearts of the witches, each star represents a person's fate. Basically, a star will become brighter and brighter as the person it represents grows up, and gradually dim as that person dies, until it is completely extinguished.
But not everyone is like that.
“For example, the star that represents you was born brighter than other stars. Not only that, many people, even in their prime, may not have a star as bright as yours,” Mela said with a smile.
"Why?" Lex's eyes flickered.
When it comes to mysterious knowledge that only witches know, Lex, like any ordinary person, is easily aroused to explore.
“Because you are different from others. You are a prince, and your every move can influence many people,” Mela said matter-of-factly.
It's like a small pebble thrown into a lake, which can only create slight ripples, but if a huge rock is thrown in, it will surely cause the entire lake to tremble.
Compared to ordinary people, Lex is that boulder.
Hearing Mela's words, Lex lowered his eyes. Of course, he had known since childhood that he had a great responsibility and had always held himself to the highest standards.
To put it bluntly, Lex coldly watched his father, the king, live a life of debauchery and indulgence. Although he had a trustworthy minister like Fernando to manage state affairs for him, if a king has to share some of his power with his ministers, then why can't someone else sit on his throne?
If the monarchy remains in the hands of Nurenger IX, it will only make the royal rule increasingly precarious.
As if unaware of Lex's unusual emotional state, Mela continued to explain astrology to him in the simplest terms: "Don't be fooled by the fact that the stars are scattered. Those particularly bright stars will use their own energy to draw other stars closer, just like your knight commander guarding you all around."
"The greater the energy, the more stars it attracts. So, in theory, the most stars should be around Nurengel IX, since he can influence tens of thousands of people with just a single command."
This enormous energy is enough to change the predetermined fate of many people.
For example, it can bankrupt a wealthy merchant in an instant, or transform a despised beggar into a highly sought-after figure. Or, it can cause once-respected witches to be hated and driven away by the crowd, forcing them to hide in remote wilderness.
This is the mighty royal power.
“But do you want to guess how many stars are left surrounding King Nurenger IX?” Mela turned her head and gave Lex a sly smile.
"..." Lex pursed his lips, expressing his resistance to the suggestion with silence.
Although as Crown Prince Lex disapproved of Nurenger IX's actions, as his son, Lex also felt that Nurenger IX had failed as a father.
But Lex's plan was simply to ascend the throne sooner, reclaim the power that Nurenger IX had delegated to his subjects, and incidentally curb his extravagant spending.
None of them hoped that Nurenger's rule would crumble.
Aren't you tempted?
Seeing this, Mela deliberately lowered her voice, creating a secretive atmosphere that only you and I knew: "Aren't you curious about what's happening in the palace since you left? Or don't you want to know what those people who caused you to fall to this state are plotting right now?"
"While I can't predict anything too specific, I can help you see if they can achieve their goals, which is a way of knowing the answer to the future, isn't it?"
Seeing that Lex remained silent, Mela calmly continued, "If you miss this opportunity, I might not be so kind next time, you know?"
“No.” Lex’s lips moved slightly; his voice wasn’t loud, but the determination it contained was unwavering.
“No,” he said.
"Oh? Why?" Mela propped her cheek up and turned to stare at Lex.
“Because I don’t need to know that,” Lex said.
His words seemed to be an answer to Mela's question, but also a message he was speaking to his innermost self.
"Since fate can be changed, I will only move towards the future I desire."
"You mean, you want to stop fate from following its predetermined path?" Mela narrowed her beautiful yet dangerous eyes.
“That’s really overestimating myself,” she said.
Upon hearing this, Lex quietly clenched his right fist. Anyone who heard this would probably find it hard not to feel a spark of anger rising in their heart.
Especially since the person whom Mela looked down upon was the one who should have been the proudest person in the entire kingdom.
However, Lex ultimately did not argue, for all arguments seemed pale and powerless before the facts were settled.
But he will definitely do it. Lex thought to himself.
“But I admire your courage. After all, not everyone has the determination to change their destiny like you.” The next second, Mela’s lips curled up slightly, and she raised her hand to clap twice for Lex, as if to reward him.
However, since Lex refused, Mela certainly wouldn't tell him that at that moment, the star in the night sky above him suddenly shone even brighter than before.
When Lex was rescued, his star was at its dimmest, as if it might go out at any moment.
Whether it is extinguished or not depends entirely on Mela's decision.
If Mela had chosen not to help Lex in his time of need, his star would likely have ended up falling from grace.
But Mela was saved, and as Lex gradually recovered, the star began to shine a little brighter.
But that's not enough. The clouds obscuring the stars are still thick, and Lex's future is uncertain.
Mela couldn't even see if he would succeed in ascending the throne.
Just now, when Mela made a tentative statement, the constellation hanging high above the entire kingdom suddenly underwent a new change.
Transform for Lex.
Look, fate has already been altered by Lex's will.
However, Lex himself was unaware of this.
"Ignorance is bliss," Mela thought mischievously. "Most people, if given the chance to know their fate, would only lament the unfortunate and rejoice the fortunate, but would never think of changing their destiny and turning bad things into good."
If Lex becomes such a boring and mediocre person, Mela might change her mind and send him away from the Dark Forest sooner.
It's just a matter of saving a life. If Lex were to offer half of the royal treasury to buy out this favor, Mela wouldn't necessarily object.
“In the afternoon, Ducwato told me that he could help me leave the Dark Forest if I wanted.” Perhaps this conversation resolved the dilemma that had been troubling Lex ever since he rejected Ducwato that afternoon, and Lex suddenly felt the desire to open up to Mela.
Of course, considering Ducwato's attitude, Lex had to clear his name in front of Mela beforehand, lest Ducwato use this incident to distort the truth and report him to Mela.
In the afternoon, beside the fallen black bear, Ducwato uttered the words that made Lex's pupils shrink.
Lex was stunned for several seconds before he found his voice. He said, "But I've already made an agreement with Mela to be her servant for six years."
"A verbal agreement?" Ducwato and Lex confirmed it, then chuckled dismissively. "What kind of agreement is a verbal agreement? Don't you want to go back to the palace? Cherke has been looking for you."
"You know Cherge?" Something even more unbelievable happened to Lex.
"What? Surprised? You can't possibly not know that Cherk is from a commoner background, can you? We grew up in the same village and started fighting as soon as we could walk."
Ducwato recalled his distant childhood, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, revealing a roguish and contemptuous smile. "I beat that guy a thousand and one times. Come to think of it, you're still the student of my defeated opponent."
"..." Lex remained skeptical about this.
He never imagined that the kingdom's most renowned and valiant knight would lose to this hunter a full thousand and one times.
Although Mela said he was also a well-known hunter in the area, Lex had more faith in Chelgården's unparalleled martial arts skills, which he had personally witnessed.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Ducwato scoffed, not bothering to argue with Lex about it, and urged him to make a quick decision about whether or not he needed his help.
He frequently travels through the Dark Forest and has long since thoroughly explored the area.
Furthermore, with Mela and Silas leaving the cabin today, this presents Lex with the perfect opportunity to leave.
“So you rejected Ducwato.” Mela nodded, knowing his answer just by looking at Lex still sitting on the rock talking to her.
“Yes.” Lex subtly observed Mela’s expression.
Although his confession came unexpectedly, Mela didn't seem surprised at all.
It's as if it was expected.
“Oh, well, I knew from the beginning that Ducwato was lying.” Mela was quite happy to share this with Lex.
Ducwato had once told Mela that he would rather hunt alone than have a troublesome burden on him. Yet, at that time, he deliberately provoked Lex, offering to take him hunting black bears. Mela immediately sensed something was amiss.
However, since she couldn't figure out Ducwato's purpose, Mera didn't get involved for the time being.
Now that Lex had mentioned it, Mela immediately pieced everything together.
So that's how it is. Ducwato, out of consideration for his past friendship with Cherk, decided to help his friend find his young master.
"That can't be right. He's not the kind of person who's quick to offer kindness." Mela raised an eyebrow, clearly seeing through the truth.
She guessed right.
After Lex rejected Ducwato, he didn't seem angry at all; instead, he sighed heavily in front of Lex.
"It's a pity. If you had agreed to my request, I could have used this to negotiate with Mela for something, like getting me to pay for those two healing potions."
As he spoke, he grinned maliciously. "Little Prince, you don't really think I'm going to help you, do you? It's his business who Cherk becomes a knight and who he protects. What does it have to do with me? Why would I be stupid enough to risk offending Mela to help you escape?"
"But you hesitated just now, didn't you? Heh, that's also a handle against you."
"..." Lex's forehead bulged with a vein from anger at Ducwato.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted at all, but considering the importance of keeping one's word, and the fact that he and Mela hadn't signed any contract regarding their master-servant agreement, Lex didn't want to break his promise like that.
fortunately.
Lex was extremely relieved that he had held the line.
"Hahahaha." Mela listened to the whole story and was absolutely overjoyed, laughing so hard that tears almost came to her eyes. She knew it.
Seeing Mela's big smile, Lex pursed his lips into a straight line. If it weren't for the fact that Ducwato had indeed saved Chelge, he might have really held a grudge against Ducwato.
However, Ducwato, like Mela, was unwilling to suffer a loss, so he stretched out his hand and asked Lex for eighty silver coins.
“I spent extra money to buy ten healing potions to save your knight. As his master, shouldn’t you bear this debt?”
It turns out that those ten bottles of healing potion were bought by Ducwato for Chelgoul.
Having already experienced its amazing effects, Lex suddenly realized that Cherk must have been seriously injured at the time.
“Of course. When I found him, he was riddled with arrows and wounds all over his body, the blood staining his shirt black inside his armor. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to fall into the trap I’d dug, and if I hadn’t happened to be passing by, he would have been dead long ago,” Ducwato said.
Nevertheless, it still took ten bottles of healing potions to finally keep Cherk alive.
Even if Cherk hadn't possessed an extraordinary willpower, he might not have been able to pull through and regain consciousness, even if he had been given more healing potions.
With great difficulty, Cherge was finally able to get out of bed. He quickly said goodbye to Ducwato and then rushed off to find Lex's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, Cherk searched around the tree hollow where Lex had been hidden for more than half a month but couldn't find a single clue. In the end, he could only return to the royal city in disappointment.
However, Cherk still held a glimmer of hope: if he couldn't find Lex on his own, perhaps he could find him by having more people come.
Who would have thought that the little prince Chernobog longed for was actually with the witch in the dark forest?
Upon seeing Lex's signature blond hair and golden eyes, Ducwato felt a surge of emotion, but fortunately, he was used to all sorts of things and managed to keep his expression steady so that no one could see through his act.
However, Lex was about to disappoint Ducwato; he was broke and even owed Mela a debt.
But Ducwato is right; Cherk is his knight, and Lex is responsible for those eighty silver coins.
So Lex and Ducwato made a deal: he would owe the money for now, and pay it back later when he found a way to earn it.
*
"I'm sleepy, do you still want to keep looking at the stars?" Mela yawned lazily.
It was getting late, and without waiting for Lex's reply, Mela jumped off the rock and walked straight into the cabin. "Watch if you want, I'm going to sleep anyway."
Lex had no intention of continuing to look at the stars. He had only come outside to be alone because he was feeling frustrated and couldn't sleep.
Now that the tightness in his chest had been swept away, Lex, who had caught Mela's yawn and was now sleepy, silently followed behind her back to the cabin.
Just before closing the door, Lex took one last look at the star-studded night sky.
He seemed to have never seen such a beautiful view while he was in the palace.
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