Chapter 33 The ball was like rain and hail.
Outside the palace, a torrential downpour was raging, with lightning and thunder, but to Lucas's chaotic mind, the entire outside world seemed to cease to exist.
He took off his mask, wishing the rain would fall even harder, enough to wash away all his frustration and pain.
The best-case scenario is that he drowns in the rain, then he won't have to face anything.
But clearly, he still had to face it: Ashlin came to his side, holding an umbrella made of leaves.
He had planned to process his thoughts on his own, but now it seemed he had no way out.
"Not dancing with your elf boyfriend anymore?" Lucas found his voice a bit sharper than he had expected.
So, age is the only problem?
Ashlin was puzzled.
This is really...
Completely upside down.
Lucas stared at her, a stifling heat rising in his chest.
Thanks to the sun god, he really tried to think, but logic in this respect is like a carriage without wheels.
“I’m not jealous.” He denied it so quickly he almost bit his tongue. “I just think you shouldn’t waste too much time on these elves. We’re pressed for time, and Knox is also looking for these items, don’t forget.”
"It's just one night, it won't cause any problems."
“In one night, Knox might already have obtained the Orcish wreath!” Lucas’s voice unconsciously rose, attracting curious glances from some of the elves in the hall. He then lowered his voice, trying to remain calm. “In one night, he has the ability to break Cynthia’s curse. Ashlin… the world is in grave danger. What we need is the magic flute, not the waltz. Knox won’t be in the north waiting for you to finish this dance.”
The rain poured down, its sound as loud as hail, seemingly carrying some kind of resentment.
Lucas felt he didn't care about anything anymore: his hair, robe, and shirt were dripping wet, and his socks clung to his feet like ice cubes, but nothing could compare to the turmoil in his heart.
Ashlin's face flushed slightly, perhaps from the alcohol, or perhaps from his words. Golden eyeshadow smudged onto her face from the rain, and her green eyes glared at him angrily.
Lucas laughed, but there was no real smile in his eyes.
"Alright then, once I've fully transformed into a cat, I'll personally catch a mouse for you to enjoy."
“Me? Afraid?” He scoffed. “Are you sure you know me? To be honest, you probably don’t know what I was like ‘before’.”
Turning into a cat was the least important thing, he thought. After all, he was still breathing; it was a complete and utter mistake. In the underground trading grounds of Helian City, the bottle of medicine appeared before his eyes. The white-green medicine gleamed eerily in the moonlight.
With just a small bite, everything is solved.
Ashley will never know that.
She knew absolutely nothing about him.
"Alright then, I'm all ears. What is Prince Lucas really like? Black Cat or Prince, which one are you, really?"
This question snapped a string in Lucas's mind. He felt as if he were back in the Dragon Crystal Cave, the disappointed voice of his mother echoing in his ears from the illusion:
"You're not like a prince, you're more like a wildcat..."
Of course, in reality, his mother wouldn't say such things, but he could see it in her eyes, while his father would say them. No, not just in words; his father was even capable of locking him in the dungeon for going to the lower town to play or to the forest to find mythical beasts.
If it weren't for this incident, he wouldn't have contracted that "lung disease".
“You don’t act like a prince at all.” The father would wrinkle his nose in disgust. “When I was your age, I had already conquered Dias single-handedly. And you are still making wishes to non-existent fairies in search of magic. You’re not even as good as your sister… You’re not my son.”
If he wasn't the king's son, nor a prince, then who was he? Was he actually the black cat transformed by the witch? There aren't that many coincidences in the world; curses vary from person to person.
But if he remains a cat, then who is the prince who smiles and nods in front of people?
Even now, she doesn't realize the seriousness of the situation.
“Who I am has nothing to do with our current situation,” Lucas said. “The problem is you, Ashlin.”
“The problem is, of course, with me.” Ashlin frowned. “I cursed you, and now I’m trying to break the curse. Isn’t that obvious? What are you trying to say?”
In truth, he didn't know what he wanted to express. He didn't even know where his emotions came from, or what was filling his stomach with crawling plants.
Perhaps the heavy rain and alcohol had muddied his thoughts, filling him with an inappropriate impulse. He threw out all those terrible words without thinking, for the first time in his life.
“I suppose you think this is fun, don’t you? Turning princes into cats, taverns into forests, befriending dragons, even empathizing with Cerberus, dancing with elven idols while the dark wizard is still on the run. Just because,” he paused, then went on, “just because your dream is to be a traveler, so you’re having a blast.”
Ashlin stared at him in disbelief.
"Oh, and also, what sweet words did Aidan say that made you fall for him?"
Lucas felt a wicked pleasure, but it wasn't what he truly wanted. He loathed himself even more, yet felt he had to say it.
Their conversation in the dungeon echoed in his ears:
Ashlin's wish.
She had always longed for an adventure, and now her dream was coming true. They clearly didn't have time to dance and have fun, but she was absolutely thrilled.
She's enjoying this moment so much now only because he's her mission. The story will end when he reverts to human form and continues being that boring prince. After all, she's a free witch, a child of the forest, and can continue traveling the world with Aidan or whoever else might be.
He even needed to be cursed to temporarily leave the palace, but in the end he still had to return in a sorry state.
He could have left forever.
Ashlin stood with her hands on her hips.
"What does Aidan have to do with what we're talking about now?"
It's a very important relationship.
"You didn't tell me that you two had agreed to lead the dance together." As soon as he said that, he felt incredibly childish.
Ashlin gave a sarcastic laugh.
Is it possible that I don't need to tell you everything about myself at all?
“We, along with Aidan,” Ashlin emphasized, “we the three of us defeated Cerberus.”
"Aidan, Aidan, Aidan. As a fangirl, you must be overjoyed, right? But I think he's not as friendly as he seems. This guy is quite suspicious. Do you need me to list the suspicious points for you?"
“Fine then, I’ll dance with whoever I want!” Ashlin said loudly, her eyes reddening. “I told you from the very first time we met, Lucas, I’m not your maid. The curse didn’t bind me to you. I’m still me, and you’re still you. The problem between Aidan and me is our own business! Since you don’t want to be my dance partner either, why are you so resentful of me dancing with Aidan?”
She looked extremely determined, and indeed had the tendency of a wolfhound to pounce.
Lucas decided to shift his attack target.
“You almost died!” Lucas didn’t realize that the volume of his words completely drowned out the sound of the rain until he drank a few mouthfuls of rainwater.
He finally spoke up.
He would have lost her completely. He would have lost her, his only companion on this journey, a life far more vibrant and colorful than his own, and the first person in all these years to have truly cared for him.
Magic can help people escape many things.
"But I'm alive and well, aren't I? I thought we had solved this problem."
Before he could finish speaking, Lucas realized he had gone too far.
How could he say such hurtful things?
But it was too late.
Rain, or perhaps tears, rolled down Ashlin's face. How he wished it were just rain.
She couldn't continue, sobbing, and Lucas almost regretted it.
“Maybe I don’t want to be standing here at all!” he blurted out.
"Alright then, no one is forcing you. You can leave at any time, Your Highness!"
With those words, she stormed off, her umbrella drooping listlessly, her skirt soaked in the rain, leaving a long trail of mud. He didn't leave; she was the one who went first.
Lucas stood alone in the rain, his anger extinguished by the downpour as she left, turning into something icy cold that sank into his stomach.
He saw his disheveled reflection in the puddle on the ground and suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.
He suddenly realized that he was now a human, but more like a beast in a dream than ever before.
He felt like vomiting, even though he hadn't eaten anything.
He knelt on the ground, hating everything about himself, praying that the rain would fall harder so that he could be family with the mud and water. Tears mingled with the raindrops, streaming down his face.
This time, he messed up.
They really messed it up.
It's halftime now, time for Ashlin to heal the Divine Oak with her magic flute.
In any case, he has to go over there and take a look, and then apologize properly.
They would have to keep going sooner or later, even if not to lift the curse on him, but to stop the dark wizard from succeeding.
He had already thought of his words: He was the biggest fool in the world, he was an emotionally numb idiot, his brain was no different in size from a cat's brain, his mind was dizzy, and he was overwhelmed by complex emotions.
She didn't do anything wrong, and it's normal for her to want to relax. Of course, she has already done everything she could...
However, all of these words sound like he is defending himself.
What else can he do to salvage their friendship?
Realizing that he seemed to have lost his only true friend, a bitter taste rose in his mouth.
Father was right. He was nothing; even his most basic manners crumbled completely in the face of emotions. Perhaps Father didn't allow him to make friends because he knew that with his terrible personality, he was destined never to have any.
“The prince doesn’t need friends, Lucas.” His father’s words echoed in his ears. “What the prince needs are servants, knights, subjects, allies, and a marriage that can bring benefits to the family.”
That's it; he shouldn't have had any hope for "friendship" in the first place. To Ashlin, he was just a grain of sand among many friends, and to him, Ashlin was merely a travel companion.
Ashlin was right; he was no different from the other nobles he himself disliked.
Lucas arrived at the garden, but to his surprise, the guards stopped him.
"His Highness Aidan forbids anyone or any elf other than Miss Bailey from going to the Sacred Oak," he said.
The rain continued to fall, and Lucas felt it was affecting his hearing.
"What? Why?"
The guard shook his head.
“I don’t know, it’s an order. The sudden intrusion of others could pose a risk to the healing ritual.”
Lucas sighed deeply. Today was truly an incredibly unlucky day.
Oh, you can't say that.
It could have been a wonderful day, but he ruined it all with his own hands.
He had no choice but to crouch awkwardly behind a marble statue to shelter from the rain, intending to observe the grand ceremony. He simply couldn't trust Ashlyn and Aidan to do it alone.
The statue depicts an actor taking their final bow, and Lucas felt that the stone sculpture's face seemed to be laced with mockery.
As he crouched down, he touched his pocket and remembered the letter the snow leopard had given him.
He quickly opened the letter, trying to stuff his thoughts into something else, anything at all, as long as it had nothing to do with Ashlyn Bailey.
The handwriting on the letter was beautiful and fluent, a font that Lucas was very familiar with and that he had admired and worshipped since childhood.
Dear younger brother,
Long time no see!
Sanova explained the situation to her father and mother a few days ago, and they accepted it fairly well at the time, but I feel they are becoming increasingly suspicious. Her mother recently went to visit distant relatives in the Kingdom of Gomer and won't be back for several months. Without her, it will be difficult for her father to be persuaded.
Lucas, how long are you guys going to be gone? If Melia hadn't suddenly contacted me, I wouldn't have known you'd already left Dias territory!
Oh, Sun God! Thank goodness Her Majesty Melia contacted me instead of Father or Mother, or you would have been in deep trouble. Quickly thank her!
That's not my point.
The point is, Lucas, regarding Ashlin cursing you into a cat, I think I have a different perspective. Remember those fairy tales? The truth is often hidden in books. Don't always be so stubborn and end up with a dead end (you used to do that all the time)!
It's dangerous for you to act alone, but it's also wise in that respect. Now the task falls on your shoulders, but that doesn't mean I'll abandon you. Cassandra and I are clearing out the escaped monsters from the maze while also searching for Knox's identity.
One strange thing is that there used to be a young man named Knox in Dragontooth Village, but he died twenty years ago. Although the villagers say that young Knox is the child of that Knox, there is no evidence that old Knox had any children, and he never even had a romantic relationship.
I believe Knox is actually someone else, and who that is requires further investigation. Cassandra said the key to breaking the deadlock might lie in the nature of magic; before the ban on magic was lifted, witch hunters used magic to find dark wizards.
Next, I require you to write to me at least every three days, using the raven's message. I need to ensure your safety.
Most importantly: Please don't die by accident, okay? Raising a younger brother again takes too much effort.
I love you.
Elaine
Lucas folded the letter, his mind becoming even more confused.
Fairy tales. The qualities of magic.
He stared at the letter and chuckled to himself.
He knew perfectly well what Elaine meant by the first word; she must have associated the curse with those mundane love stories.
A true love's kiss might break the curse, Lucas! Why not give it a try? Go back to Helian City and randomly ask a girl if she likes the prince; it might actually work.
What a joke. If a fairytale kiss could solve his problem, why bother embarking on a long journey to fight a dark wizard?
Lucas had read enough magical theories, enough myths and legends, and enough fairy tales to know which were false and which were true. The Yeti was false, and the idea that a kiss of true love could break a curse was also false.
However, this did give him a clue: a fairy tale... a divine offspring, magic.
He was sure he'd seen it somewhere before, but his mind was too jumbled to remember anything.
He crouched behind the statue, lost in thought, until he heard Ashlyn and Aidan's footsteps.
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