Chapter 22
Haru sat in silence, his expression dark.
Another meeting had ended without a decision.
His coronation had been delayed once again.
At thirty-three, he was still waiting for the title he should have received years ago.
Every time the matter was brought before the council, the same argument arose.
His hair.
Black hair.
Something no member of the Solaris royal family had ever possessed.
For generations, silver hair had been a defining trait of the royal bloodline, making Haru the first exception in Solaris history.
But that wasn't the only reason they doubted him.
He hadn't inherited the divine power that had been passed down through the Solaris royal bloodline for generations either.
For the first time in Solaris history, the supposed heir had neither silver hair nor divine power.
Because of that, several powerful figures had begun questioning his legitimacy.
Some were from the late Queen Elvina's faction, while others belonged to the faction that supported the late Emperor.
Both sides had their own influence, and neither was willing to accept Haru as the future Crown Prince without certainty that he truly carried the royal bloodline.
Haru clenched his fists.
He had heard the same questions countless times.
Is he truly King Leon's son?
How could a child of the Solaris royal family be born with black hair?
And how could he have no divine power?
He hated those questions.
He had no doubt that King Leon was his father.
Yet no matter how many times he told himself that, the doubts of others continued to follow him.
"I need to get out," Haru said, standing abruptly.
His frustration was evident on his face.
A knight looked at him in surprise.
"Your Highness?"
"I'm going to Mirkwood," Haru said.
The knight's expression immediately changed.
He knew exactly what that meant.
This wasn't the first time Haru had gone to Mirkwood when he was frustrated.
Whenever the pressure became too much, he would head into the forest and slaughter monsters until he had calmed down.
"Prepare the horses," Haru ordered.
The knights exchanged glances.
"Yes, Your Highness," they said in unison.
The knights quickly prepared the horses and gathered their weapons.
Haru mounted his horse and glanced at them.
"Let's go!"
The knights mounted their horses as well and followed him out of the palace.
After some time, they arrived at the forest.
Haru and the knights entered Mirkwood and began hunting the monsters that lurked within.
"He's unusually relentless today," one of the knights whispered.
The others glanced at one another and quietly agreed.
Haru charged at the monsters without hesitation, cutting them down one after another.
The knights struggled to keep up with him.
"Your Highness, slow down!" one of them shouted.
Haru didn't answer.
He continued moving through the forest, his sword cutting through every monster that crossed his path.
After defeating another group of monsters, Haru finally stopped.
"Y-you've already hunted more monsters than you usually do, Your Highness," one of the knights said, catching his breath.
Haru looked at the corpses scattered around them.
Despite everything he had killed, the frustration inside him still hadn't disappeared.
He sighed and sheathed his sword.
"Let's rest for a while," Haru said.
The knights visibly relaxed.
They sat down beneath the trees while Haru remained standing nearby.
For a few moments, the forest was quiet.
Then, suddenly-
A powerful white light erupted from deeper within the forest, its edges shimmering with a strange golden glow.
Haru's eyes widened.
He stared at the light in shock.
That golden glow...
There was no mistaking it.
"What was-?"
Before the knight could finish speaking, Haru immediately ran toward the direction of the light.
"Your Highness!" the knights shouted as they hurried after him.
Haru didn't slow down.
The light had already disappeared, but he continued running toward where it had come from.
He pushed through the branches and finally stopped abruptly.
His eyes widened, completely shocked.
A young woman with silver hair stood before him, pointing her sword directly at him.
"Raya..."
The name escaped his lips before he could stop himself.
For a moment, Haru simply stared at the young woman before him.
That silver hair.
Those familiar features.
For a moment, he thought his sister had come back to life.
At first, he hadn't noticed the resemblance. But the longer he looked at her, the harder it became to ignore.
But Raya had been gone for years.
And the young woman standing before him was a complete stranger.
She had violet eyes, while Raya's had been blue.
The difference brought Haru back to reality.
This woman wasn't his sister.
Haru slowly walked toward her.
"Was it you?" he asked, staring at her.
The woman frowned.
"What do you mean?" she replied, lowering her sword slightly.
Haru glanced around the forest.
He wasn't certain the light had come from her.
But she was the only person he had found near the place where it had disappeared.
"Did that light just now come from you?" he asked again.
The young woman simply stared at him with a hesitant expression.
Before she could answer, the voice of his knights echoed through the forest.
"Your Highness! Where are you?"
Haru turned toward the sound.
The voices grew louder until several knights finally emerged from between the trees.
"There you are!" one of them exclaimed, his face filled with relief.
"We've been searching everywhere for you," another knight said.
Haru glanced at them before looking back at the young woman.
She was still standing there, watching them quietly.
As the knights approached, they noticed her as well.
Several of them exchanged confused glances.
One of the knights looked at Haru, then at the woman.
"Your Highness... who is she?" he asked.
The young woman seemed to realize she needed to explain herself.
She quickly reached into her pouch and pulled out a mercenary badge.
"I'm Luna," she said.
She then showed them the herbs she had gathered.
"I took a request to gather medicinal herbs in Mirkwood," she explained.
The knights looked at the herbs.
"Oh..." one of them said, seeming to understand.
Their expressions relaxed.
Haru, however, continued to study her.
There was nothing particularly suspicious about a mercenary gathering herbs in Mirkwood.
But it still didn't explain the light.
The woman looked at him.
"Are you His Highness Haru?" she asked politely.
Haru paused, his expression becoming serious.
"Yes," he answered.
The woman seemed to study his face for a moment.
Haru, however, found himself studying her in return.
His gaze settled on her silver hair.
On its own, her silver hair wouldn't have meant much.
But she had been in the area where the strange light had appeared, so he couldn't help but become suspicious.
Haru's eyes narrowed.
"You didn't answer my question," he said, observing her carefully.
The woman hesitated.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Your Highness," she said innocently. "I'm just here to gather some herbs."
Haru's expression changed.
He was certain she was hiding something.
Before he could say anything, the woman's gaze suddenly shifted toward the ground.
Several more of the same medicinal herbs she had been gathering were growing beneath the trees.
She quickly walked over and picked them.
"Looks like I've gathered enough," she said.
She turned back toward Haru and the knights.
"I should head back now. It's going to get dark soon."
She gave Haru a small curtsy.
"Excuse me, Your Highness."
Then she offered the knights a polite smile.
Before anyone could say anything, she quickly turned around and walked away.
That made him even more suspicious.
Haru watched her retreating figure.
He didn't stop her.
His gaze lingered on the path she had taken.
Luna.
"One of you, follow her. Do it discreetly," Haru ordered.
"Find out everything about her. Don't leave out any details."
The knight nodded and quietly followed Luna through the forest, careful not to let her notice him.
~~~
He looked at the herbs as if they were the most precious things in the world.
I couldn't help but stare at him.
He had been eyeing me cautiously a moment ago, but the moment he saw the herbs, his attention shifted completely.
I cleared my throat.
"Are they the ones you requested?" I asked.
He finally looked up at me.
"Yes! These are exactly what I needed!"
He carefully took the basket from me and began inspecting each herb one by one.
He then carried the basket over to his worktable and began sorting through the herbs. He picked up a few of the violets, examined them closely, then placed them into a small pot.
He added some water and placed the pot over a small flame.
I watched as he added the other herbs one by one, carefully measuring each ingredient before mixing them together.
He seemed completely absorbed in his work.
I'm still here, you know.
"Excuse me," I called.
He didn't respond.
I sighed.
I guess I'll just let him finish.
I quietly stood nearby and watched him work.
After mixing everything together, he poured the mixture into a small glass bottle.
Then he raised his hand.
A faint white light gathered around his fingers, surrounded by a subtle golden glow.
My eyes widened.
"Divine Power!" I exclaimed.
The old man blinked and finally turned toward me.
He stared at me for a moment.
"Oh, you're still here?"
I stared at him.
...I've been standing here this whole time.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
A strange smile appeared on his face.
"Perfect."
Before I could ask what he meant, he handed the bottle to me.
"Drink it!" he said excitedly.
I stared at the bottle suspiciously.
"Why? What's in it?" I asked hesitantly.
"It's my new healing potion! I want to test its effects," he replied.
"But I don't have any wounds. How will you know if it works?" I asked.
"I'll know after you drink it," he said, waiting expectantly.
I swallowed hard before lifting the bottle to my lips.
He looks suspicious...
But he wouldn't put something dangerous in it, right?
I slowly drank the potion.
I closed my eyes, waiting to feel something.
...
Nothing.
I opened my eyes.
I didn't feel any different.
Thank goodness.
Nothing weird happened.
I lowered the bottle and looked at the old man.
"What now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He stared at me for a moment.
Then he turned back toward his worktable.
He picked up something, but I couldn't see what it was because his body was blocking my view.
When he finally turned around, my eyes widened.
"Here comes the exciting part," he said.
He was holding a knife.
And he was wearing a wicked smile.
He started walking toward me.
Oh, fuck.
Is he going to stab me?
"Don't worry," he said cheerfully. "This won't hurt."
His wicked smile widened.
Then he laughed.
A low, unsettling laugh.
Oh, damn.
This old man must be a mad alchemist!