He picked up the note that had been passed to him from the desk.
[I have something to tell you about the prince. It is an important revelation about the future of the kingdom.]
“An important revelation about the prince and the future of the kingdom. I’m really curious.”
He was smiling, but Melmond, on the other hand, stood stiffly, unable to speak. He had written it a bit exaggeratedly, as he didn’t think he’d be able to meet him if he didn’t. For a moment, Melmond considered turning around and leaving, but soon gathered his strength.
No, what if Weidel’s dreams are true? Melmond began to explain what he had heard from the foresight, calming his pounding heart. He explained as much as he knew about the dream that had been recurring for a month. However, he deliberately left out the detail about the dragon’s eye color being gray. It wouldn't be helpful to mention that the prince’s eyes were yellow.
He also hesitated to mention the last part of the story Abel had told him. This story didn’t feel right. People in the palace had been drinking a black potion, laughing while burning in the fire. However, despite explaining sincerely and with effort, it was clear that Truyde wasn’t particularly impressed.
“I understand. It’s about taking good care of the prince before the kingdom burns in the future.”
“Yes, that’s true, but...”
“Thank you for telling me, but this place isn’t idle enough for someone you know to worry about their dreams.”
Truyde muttered as he pulled out the work he needed to do.
“I thought there would be something special about your Regas.”
Melmond finally understood why he had been called. Truyde knew that he was from a different Regas faction. But special? Melmond took a half step forward with courage.
“Of course, our faction hasn’t prospered like the King’s Heart, but we are a genuine Regas group that has been connected since the kingdom’s beginning. We can confidently say that we train harder than any other Regas group, sincerely worrying about the country and receiving the power of the dragon for the royal family.”
“How hard do you train?”
Melmond’s eyes shook. He swallowed his saliva and barely opened his mouth.
“Learning about nature, mental cultivation for smooth human relationships...”
“How many Regas are currently being trained?”
“Excuse me? Um, we are a very small faction, so there is only one Regas that has been raised.”
“I want to meet him.”
“Oh, really? If you meet the master of our faction now, Your Highness will definitely...”
“What I want to see is a disciple.”
Melmond blinked in surprise, and Truyde smiled.
“I want to meet the Regas who received training.”
****
It’s a good thing, Melmond continued to mutter as he left the Duke’s room. Anyway, it would be difficult for Wiedel to come here because his body was weak.
He’s worried that Abel is too naive and won’t be able to handle it, but if he prepares him well, he might be able to persuade the Duke a little.
At least, he might put a proper Regas next to him so that the prince doesn’t become anything like a devil. A real Regas, not just a Regas who can dance and sing.
But despite his positive thoughts, his expression was dark. He knew it in his head too. No matter how much the Duke helped them, the King’s Heart wouldn’t change.
Still, he has to try. He has to send a letter to Abel quickly. After deciding what to do, Melmond hurriedly left the Chamber of Ministers. The new attendant who had been hiding and watching him quickly moved his steps and followed him.
“Krk, Krk!”
Someone rushed out of the prince’s room with a terrible scream. The attendants waiting outside the room screamed together when they saw the man’s appearance.
“Ahh!”
“Oh! Ahhhh!”
Thud, thud!
The man could not take a few steps out of the room before he collapsed onto the floor. One of his legs was completely soaked in blood. He grabbed his bleeding leg and cried out.
“Help me... Please save me! Sob, that devil... my leg... ugh!”
As the man screamed, the pool of blood on the floor grew wider. The only maid who did not scream approached him to help. Despite being tall, she moved quietly, like a cat.
However, her face was filled with annoyance as she examined the man’s wounds. Meanwhile, the others grew busy calling for the guards. Though it wasn’t the first time for those who worked in the prince’s palace, most still couldn’t adapt to the sight of blood.
The guards who were frozen in place turned away, trying not to look at the half-opened door. They felt that if they saw the prince through the crack, blood would gush out of their own bodies too—just like the man whose thigh was torn apart, gasping for breath. The maid, examining the wounds, muttered in annoyance.
“Oh no, another footprint.”
In the maid’s vision, as she tore the man’s pants to stop the bleeding, she saw a small but clear footprint. Blood poured out from beneath the torn flesh. As if to confirm, the thirtieth Regas, the victim, opened his mouth, trembling with fear.
“The devil... that devil bit me...”
Was it a stroke of luck that things were going well?
****
When Melmond arrived home, an unexpected guest was waiting for him.
“No, how did you come here?”
In front of him, struggling to sit up, were Wiedel and Abel. Melmond had written a letter about meeting the Duke and sent it today, so how did they come so quickly? Unable to close his mouth in surprise, Abel briefly explained.
“The day after you left, Master suddenly said he wanted to go to the palace.”
He glanced at his master, who was breathing heavily, and then barely lifted his head to ask Melmond.
“That damn... cough, cough... will the King’s Heart meet me?”
“Ah, well...”
Melmond couldn’t shake the surprise of meeting them both and thought about another problem. He glanced at the two people in front of him and reluctantly nodded.
“Yes, he said he would meet. Only Abel.”
Due to the long journey and his weakened state, Wiedel spent his time lying unconscious at Melmond’s house. But a few days later, when Abel was about to enter the palace with Melmond, a miracle seemed to happen—his complexion returned, and he was able to get up.
Abel was delighted, but Melmond was worried. He was afraid Abel might insist on going to the palace with him. Given that Abel had come here without waiting for Melmond’s contact, it was natural to think that Abel would want to go. So, Melmond took the lead.
“I will never take you to the palace.”
“......”
“Even if you’re physically fine, only Abel, whom Duke Truyde has allowed, can go.”
Wiedel’s expression remained calm despite Melmond’s firm statement. It felt as if he had never intended to follow him in the first place. Melmond frowned and pressed on.
“Okay, I understand.”
Well, that’s right. It must have been a misunderstanding that Melmond felt something strange about Wiedel for a moment. Melmond frowned and pressed on again.
“Anyway, you can’t go. Even if you insist on going together, they won’t let you in.”
Wiedel looked up at the empty space for a moment, then asked hesitantly.
“You didn’t tell Duke Truyde about my dream, did you?”
“That... well.”
Melmond cleared his throat and hid his confusion.
“I didn’t tell him because it wouldn’t be helpful anyway. Besides, I already told Abel. I told him not to mention that the dragon’s eyes in the dream were gray. I heard that the prince’s eyes are yellow.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what?”
“The black potion. The potion that the people in the palace drank and laughed without knowing they were burning themselves.”
When Melmond couldn’t answer, Wiedel murmured with a disappointed smile.
“Okay, if Abel asks today, just tell him.”
“Is that important? How did you know? I wouldn’t have told him that.”
“If that were the case, he would have asked to see me, not Abel.”
Melmond looked down at Wiedel for a moment, who was speaking these incomprehensible words. There was nothing special about his expression, but Melmond felt a strange feeling again. Come to think of it, it was a little different from usual. He always wore a stern expression and chose only harsh words, but now his tone was gentler. Yes, it must have been because of this that he felt strange. Melmond concluded that Wiedel was simply lacking energy after being sick. He deliberately opened his mouth casually.
“After getting hurt, my dreams have increased. It’s surprising that the Duke asked to see Abel, but I don’t think it’s because I mentioned the dream. The Duke showed no interest in it, after all.”
“But he must have shown interest in the fact that you are different from the King’s Heart and the other Regas faction.”
“......”
“Why are you so surprised? It’s obvious, isn’t it? If you’ve damaged the prince to the point where he’s untouchable, the consequences must have been quite severe.”
Melmond looked at him with a frown again.
“Damaged the prince?”
However, Wiedel responded with a question, apparently not intending to answer.
“Do you remember what your master said when he sent you to the palace?”
It had been over ten years, but as soon as he heard the question, Melmond’s mind involuntarily recalled his master’s voice. It was also the time when he found out why his master willingly sent him to the palace.
‘There was someone who trained with me as a Regas. He went to the palace and became a librarian. You will also become like that in the future, just like many of your seniors. And when you go to the library, I want you to continue what they did.’
When asked what they did, the master answered.
‘Records. Records that gradually reveal how the King’s Heart damages and manipulates the king. Find it and complete it. The records are in the library.’
However, even after working at the library for over ten years and searching through all the books, there were no records. Wasn’t it because of the beautiful Regas that the king’s heart was captivated in the first place? In the end, he gave up on the nonexistent records. Surely the seniors who had come to the library before him had also given up on finding the records, just like him. Because there were originally no records. It seemed like they were just making excuses for those who hoped for something. If there’s a record, he should have seen it. But he himself had not found anything.
“I remember. Do you mean the records about the King’s Heart? I looked for them, but there were none. Even if there were, the contents would be obvious. There are no secrets about the King’s Heart. So...”
“In the end, you will find the secrets and complete all the missing parts.”
Wiedel’s voice was too soft, and Melmond became rather uncomfortable. His master and Wiedel—why were they all so closed-minded? In Melmond’s eyes, they seemed like beings who couldn’t accept reality and stubbornly clung to their old ways, eventually trapped in their delusions. If there is a secret to the King’s Heart, it is only one thing. It is simply that they have seized power.
“Just like my master. We can’t communicate.”
When Melmond shook his head, Wiedel smirked and slowly opened his mouth.
“Do you know why your master took you as his disciple?”
“Well... because I was suitable.”
It was his master who gave this answer. He always wondered why his master accepted him as his disciple, even though he didn’t follow the training properly and had many complaints. But every time he asked, the master would always say that. He just felt that he was suitable. It was a completely incomprehensible statement, but it didn’t matter. Even if the same answer came out of Wiedel’s mouth now.
“That’s right. You are suitable. When you are asked to do something, you will do it properly.”
“Well, I said it, but there is no record. I couldn’t find it.”
“But in the end, you will find it. Your master has seen it.”
“He found it?!” He asked, and Wiedel smiled.