People noticed the prince’s change a few days later. At first, they simply thought the prince had stopped biting Abel. Instead of Abel, who they assud would be the first to leave, it was the prince who now seed exhausted. So found it odd, but most believed the prince was rely preparing to inflict even deeper wounds.
However, even after a day, then two, then three, the prince only hugged Abel quietly when he ca. It was only then that people realized the doll-like prince was starting to respond to Abel’s words.
“Oh, please put the lunchbox here. I really enjoy eating it every ti. Hehe, by the way, I have to take this! Today, I’m definitely going to catch a cockroach. Prince, I really think I can catch one today!”
When Abel appeared in the prince’s bedroom in the morning, the place ca alive.
The only person besides him allowed to enter the prince’s bedroom was a maid nad Serene. She had entered the palace when she was young but couldn’t leave the kitchen due to various external reasons.
After rumors spread that the prince had gone mad and no one dared approach him, Serene — larger than most won — stepped forward. But no matter how tall or strong she was, she felt the sa fear. Still, when others trembled before him, she grew angry instead.
What are you afraid of? Are you scared of soone who looks like you?
Like the others, she was attacked when she first approached, trembling as she t his yellow gaze. But she didn’t show it. She had learned that showing weakness only invited ridicule.
Thanks to that, she beca the prince’s designated maid, though she found the role suffocating. She thought she would spend her life buried in the stench of blood by his side. But after Abel appeared, her life in the prince’s room—once hellish—began to change.
“Could you also bring a basket like this?”
Abel treated Serene more politely and respectfully than anyone else. He looked her straight in the eye—soone she herself thought worthless—and never stopped smiling.
“That’s right, and please also bring one more cloth to sit on the floor. And also, umm—”
Abel looked around anxiously, tugging at his hair from early morning frustration. Serene glanced down at the prince, seated on the bed, while ntally noting Abel’s requests.
In the past few days, the prince would wake up quietly each morning, waiting for Abel without needing to be awakened.
Except for Abel, anyone who touched the prince would be attacked, so Serene had been unable to check his condition properly. But now that Abel was dressing and washing the prince every morning, Serene beca busy as well.
Abel, forgetful as ever, would always forget sothing before heading into the forest. And why was he always so loud? He talked endlessly to the silent prince without tiring. Thanks to that, both Serene and Ashler, helping nearby, were often distracted.
“But should I bring another set of clothes for the prince? The sky looks a bit cloudy. It hasn’t rained for a while, right? Oh no! What if it rains? What? We still haven’t found a good place to hide in the forest. Right, prince? Should we build a cabin near the hill we visited yesterday? Hahaha—That would be great too. Then I’ll bring an axe, so rope, and a tarp! Ashler, what else do we need?”
Ashler, as usual, stared at him with a bewildered expression.
“You’re going to build a cabin?”
“Yes! Why didn’t I think of that earlier? Prince, wouldn’t it be so comfortable if we built one? No more looking for a spot to eat every ti, and we could rest whenever we’re tired. And if it rains, we’d have shelter! Besides, building cabins is actually really fun—”
Abel’s voice kept rising, and it seed he was about to suggest building a palace instead of a cabin, so Ashler cut him off.
“I don’t mind the bug-catching, but building a cabin is out of the question.”
When he flatly rejected the idea, Abel imdiately looked dejected and muttered softly.
“Why... can’t we?”
“Have you forgotten your role is to stay by the prince’s side, Abel? But a cabin? The only one who can protect him in the already dangerous Dragon Forest is you. What happens if a threat cos while you’re off doing sothing else?”
“If I promise to take good care of the prince...”
“Just make sure you pack his lunch.”
“Um, if you ca with , Ashler, and helped—”
“I refuse.”
“Then maybe if I built it with the prince—”
“Insulting the royal family.”
Unable to withstand the cold retort, Abel finally gave up and turned away. But perhaps feeling guilty for shutting him down, Ashler offered an alternative.
“I’ll prepare a tent that’s easy to set up. It won’t be a cabin, but it should be enough to shelter you if it rains suddenly. If that satisfies you.”
“I’m satisfied! Hahaha, I like tents too!”
Abel’s ability to bounce back was so swift it made his earlier disappointnt seem like a lie. Ashler hesitated, unsure if he should just let it go, then glanced at Abel’s sparkling eyes and asked:
“But won’t it be inconvenient to carry everything? Are you okay with that?”
As he spoke, his eyes drifted to the prince sitting cross-legged on the bed. Since Abel always carried the prince, he could only bring things that fit in one hand. Even if they loaded gear onto a horse, it would still be difficult to manage with just one hand.
Abel understood what Ashler ant and quickly found a solution. Kneeling before the prince, he smiled and asked:
“Your Highness, will you walk with , holding my hand? If you want to keep exploring the forest together, you’ll need to build your stamina. But if it’s too hard, please let know. Then I’ll carry you back to the palace like the wind.”
And he held out his hand to the prince.
Serene, standing nearby with Ashler and the luggage, watched them blankly. She didn’t expect the prince to respond to such words. Of course not. The prince had never done anything voluntarily—except reading.
So she was stunned when the prince placed his hand in Abel’s large, sturdy one. Not only that—his small fingers even gripped Abel’s hand tightly.
Gasp.
Serene gasped in surprise. Ashler stared at Abel, eyes wide in disbelief, as he held the prince’s hand and stood up. Abel, holding the prince’s small hand as if it were the most natural thing, turned to Ashler with a request.
“Could you put the luggage on the donkey? Large horses can’t get through places where there’s no path in the forest.”
****
He always reacted with enthusiasm and never withheld praise, even for the smallest things.
‘Wow― Your Highness, you’re amazing! You really found a big one! Look at this beetle’s shell—doesn’t it shine like a knight’s armor? This one’s big too, hmm... should I make him the head of the knights?’
He rotated the three beetles he’d already caught in a jar, appointing them as knights 1, 2, and 3. His large hand, gently catching the bugs, moved through a beam of sunlight filtering through the leaves. It truly sparkled. The child looked up, captivated by the beetles wearing golden armor in the warm light.
“Now it’s ti for the prince to confer the title of knight. Since you found it, make it your subordinate yourself.”
A warm voice echoed in his ears. Abel encouraged the child to touch the beetle himself. But the child didn’t lift his hand. Anyone else might’ve thought he was scared of insects—but Abel was different. As if he could see into the child’s heart, he gently said exactly what was needed.
“It’s okay, Your Highness. Touching it won’t hurt it. This little guy is tougher than you think. Would you like to pet him?”
The child looked at the bug wriggling on his leg and, after a pause, slowly raised his finger. Every creature he’d ever held had ended up dead. It had beco second nature for him to grip too tightly, to crush them—to destroy without aning to. So now, he was afraid.
Because if he touched it, it might die.
Death had always been a way to get attention. But things changed after Abel ca. Even without bloodshed, Abel gave his full attention to ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ every small gesture and would laugh aloud with joy. When the prince saw his face light up in genuine happiness, his heart beat faster.
And he understood—if the bug died now, Abel wouldn’t be angry. But still, he was afraid of disappointing him. So even as his finger hovered in the air for a long ti, Abel waited patiently.
A large stag beetle, no longer than two finger joints, wriggled its six legs. The child gently brought his hand closer to its black-spotted back. He could feel the subtle movent of life under his palm.
“Well done, Your Highness. Shall we try catching more? Later, we’ll add it to the jar with the other knights and show it off to Sir Ashler. Hehe, everyone will be so surprised to hear that the prince caught it himself!”
He was overjoyed, as if the child had done sothing truly remarkable—though all he did was touch the beetle’s back. The child’s heart raced at the praise. Carefully, he moved the bug, just as Abel had shown him. Carefully.
And for the first ti, he began to think of living things in a new way.
They must not be killed.
The days in the palace were joyful—at least, that’s how Abel saw them. Though it was called a palace, it wasn’t so different from his past life: waking each morning to run into the forest with the prince. The forest, untouched by human steps, teed with more life than any place Abel had ever seen.
But what brought him the greatest joy was the prince. His small, gradually erging reactions. Catching beetles together, looking for rabbit holes on the hill, rummaging through the decaying reeds to find duck nests. Even when startled ducks quacked and resisted, running away with a stolen egg made it all feel like an adventure.
If Ashler ever found out, it would be declared an insult to the royal family.
Abel also taught the prince how to collect dry branches and start a fire. Everyone finds it fascinating the first ti they use flint. The prince too made several attempts—his tiny hands gripping the flint tightly, trying to spark a fla in the dry straw.
And then, with a crackle, sparks flew, and a red fla took hold of the grass. The prince didn’t know how to react. Though still silent and expressionless, just walking hand-in-hand or pointing at sothing brought Abel quiet happiness.
“You see, trees are like little kingdoms. Look—down near the roots, ants dig holes and live underground. Next to them are worms, and though they look creepy, they’re shy creatures. The moss on the trunk has mushrooms growing from it too. And if you peel the bark, you can see bugs like this. They don’t like light, so you have to close it again quickly. See those little holes above? Caterpillars made them. Because of them, birds that eat insects nest at the top of the tree. They hop down to feed, and in doing so, widen the holes. There—see that one? That’s where the bird pecked. Isn’t it amazing, Prince? So many lives exist on just one tree. That’s why we shouldn’t cut down trees so easily.”
Abel knelt in front of the prince and gently looked at the face hidden beneath his long hair.
“Prince, even silent trees are precious. And so are living, moving animals. Though they might kill and eat one another, they do it to survive. No matter how fierce a beast may seem, it doesn’t kill without reason. Even animals understand respect in their own way. So...”
He paused, then lowered his voice, as if whispering a secret.
“Prince, from now on, I’ll always be by your side. So when you et animals, please give them a chance to live. If they attack you, I’ll protect you. You don’t need to use your hands. I’ll handle it. Just... watch over them with . Will you do that?”
He asked the question, not to hear an answer, but simply smiled and looked at the prince as he cautiously lifted his hand to brush back his hair.
The prince flinched and shook his head.
Abel imdiately stopped. “It’s okay.”
Then, gently, he patted and smoothed the prince’s hair.
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