"..."

They stood there, their feet glued on the ground, staring at the boy in disbelief. Linda couldn't help but feel nausea climbing on her throat and her stomach twisting at the sight. She tugged Edwin's sleeve and pulled him towards the boy.

She held the seething pain in her neck as she tugged his jacket's sleeves even harder. She needed to wake her brother to check the situation himself. Thanks to her, it worked. He snapped out of his daze and stared at the boy worryingly.

"Hey, hey. What happened?"

He gently nudged the boy's cold body. Thinking about how a breathing person shouldn't have a cold body, he felt terrified and unintentionally looked toward Maverick.

He froze and noticed the same cold grey eyes he stared at their garden standing proudly behind him.

"Lukas."

Maverick called the young knight who was standing behind him silently.

"Yes, master."

The young knight, Lukas, bowed towards his master waiting for his next words. He turned and looked at him, hissing.

"What are you doing? Go drag a physician or a possible priest if you find one for the boy!"

Lukas flinched slightly but replied calmly.

"Of course, I shall do it immediately."

He swiftly disappeared from his spot, surprising his younger siblings, and explained to them.

"It's one of the knight's skills they must learn to abide by their master's command immediately. Shall we get the boy out of the alley and check out in one of the inns?"

Linda nodded her head and stared at an older knight who was now behind Maverick at the same spot Lukas stood.

Edwin held the pale young boy's hand gently, afraid he would hurt him with the slightest touch.

The boy's sweaty hair was spread on top of his eyes with slightly opened pale lips breathing heavily. If it weren't for his heavy inhales, you would have thought of him dead.

Not to mention, he had what looked like rich clothes on him and a smaller physique than Linda and himself. He wondered why a young one was out here alone with a cat no less.

The knight gently picked up the thin boy into his arms and followed Maverick's lead. Linda held the cat into her arms as it nuzzled in her warm embrace. She stroked its black fur that looked like the night sky and whispered to it gently.

"Shh— your owner is in safe hands..."

Edwin looked towards the cat and then looked at Linda. He gestured to her to follow them quickly. She nodded and they ran towards the inn the group was heading to.

———

"He just needs a few days rest and in a month or so he will be healthy again."

The physician whom Lukas luckily found was a healer. Healers are considered rare outside of the temple or the holy kingdom, Sainlam.

Healers and priests have different positions in this world. As you can guess from the word priest, they are people who live inside the temple and are mostly found within Sainlam.

Healers on the other hand are outsiders who don't have the same belief as in the holy kingdom and travel around freely without restraints. But their safety isn't guaranteed, unlike the protected priests.

There are also Alchemists but that will be explained later (most of you probably know?).

The healer's name is Noah. He was a citizen of Sainlam but didn't agree with their customs and traditions. He left his birthplace as he had nothing left there.

His looks are more charming that you won't believe he is a commoner but a noble's son. He even looks just around his twenties. Linda inwardly laughed at how drawn she is to his enchanting beauty though not the kind of feeling for a romantic partner. She stroked the cat's fur that was lying beside the boy.

Edwin looked at the boy pitifully. He doesn't even look older than him and considering they are nearly 4, a child that looks younger and was bleeding out shocked them.

Although in their previous lifetime, they were college students, they weren't exposed to people who are devastating like his.

They have seen their parents' distorted cold bodies after the accident but there aren't many clear memories of that time as they were only in grade school.

He exhaled and looked up at Maverick. It's great that he reacted to that situation better than them. Edwin couldn't help but frown at Lukas who didn't even move to check on the boy when they arrived.

Linda looked at her twin and patted his shoulder twice. She placed her hand back down, he stared at her in question. She shook her head and continued to look at the boy's weak state.

She brushed through his soft black locks with her fingers which have a similar trait to the cat beside him. She grumbled about who did this to such a weak-looking boy.

She ran towards the attendant to help take care of him. But she was immediately rejected. The attendant didn't want to let a young child do it herself.

"Brother? Where is his family?"

Edwin looks at Maverick who is slightly examining his clothes for a crest that might represent a house that he belongs to.

A metal pendant had fallen from the boy's previous clothing pocket on top of the desk. Maverick stared at it for a moment and picked it up as he examined the front carefully.

"A standing black panther with two long swords behind..."

He looked at the boy's face in shock and his attention drew to his black hair.

"An imperial?"

The older knight, Henry, who is next to Lukas looked at the young pale boy on the bed with wide eyes.

'Does that make him a prince?!'

Linda looked astonished at the twist behind it. She looked at the boy in question.

'If he was him. Then according to the novel, the male lead has to be of a similar age to Maverick, so why does he appear to be younger than them and look so fragile...'

She hesitated, turned her body, and went next to Edwin. She cautiously looked at the attendant who was wiping the boy's forehead. Even the simple clothing that he was dressed in made him look more fragile.

Edwin tugged the tip of his shirt and looked at him. Before he could speak, Noah explained to him softly.

"There are three royal children, two of them hidden away after the eldest one, Princess Elena, sudden disappearance. He seems to be the youngest who is older than the both of you."

Few in the room stared at him in shock.

'But he looks younger than us?'

He looked at him, confused. Noah nodded his head and thought for a moment.

"Three years ago before her disappearance, her royal highness was 9 and the first prince was around 5 if I'm correct. So this boy must be the second prince."

"Huh?"

The twins looked at him doubtfully.

Linda was even more confused, she was sure that there wasn't any mention of the male lead having any siblings. Though there was indeed a big villain who had black hair and crimson eyes...

She stared and noticed the boy's dark eyelashes fluttering open.

Everyone couldn't help but stiffen and looked at the boy who was slowly opening his eyes. As he opened them, he looked up at the ceilings blankly.

Edwin couldn't help but shiver at his unfocused eyes now turned to look at them with such empty ones. He looked at the group and slowly sat up.

The attendant went to offer her help, but the boy ignored her intention. He looked at them and spoke with a soft but raspy voice.

"Where am I?"

 

 

AKS