Regas Vol 1. Chapter 23

Ashler bowed his head politely and quietly asked Abel,

“Can you walk?”

Abel nodded with a faint smile, gripping Ashler’s hand.

“Hold on tight.”

The forest they entered was even quieter than before. The heavy air seed to mirror the prince’s mood. Ashler followed Abel, who was staggering, though he longed to stop him and ask many things:

Why had he suddenly fallen ill?

Is he truly fine now?

And what did he an by “Please stay by the prince’s side no matter what happens”?

But Abel moved with urgency, as if he had to find the prince right away, leaving Ashler unable to interrupt.

From his labored breathing and tense expression, anyone could tell his thoughts were consud with the prince. And he seed to know exactly where the prince was. From the mont they stepped into the woods, Abel walked in a clear direction. Though the forest had no paths—no one having entered in ages—Abel moved through the trees as if navigating his own ho.

Soon, familiar terrain ca into view. An open field. Abel halted at the forest’s edge and scanned the area. It did not take long for his gaze to lock onto a spot, and Ashler tugged on his hand.

“Please go.”

As if asking permission to let go, confusion flickered in Abel’s eyes.

“But if I let go, you’ll be trapped in the fog.”

“It’s fine.”

Ashler, who had replied softly, felt embarrassed and quickly added,

“I’d rather be lost in the fog than hold another man’s hand too tightly.”

Abel finally smiled and gave a slight bow.

“Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”

“You do not have to co right away.”

“......”

“There’s still ti. Stay a little longer. Use the ti you have.”

With those words, Ashler released Abel’s hand. He turned his gaze toward the mist, while Abel couldn’t take his eyes off him. But Ashler soon turned away, walking in the opposite direction of the prince.

The sumr ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) grass had grown quickly. Taller than before, it now brushed against Abel’s knees. In the thickets that tickled the legs of passersby, it felt as if fairies whispered and watched from their hiding places. This place was truly magical. Abel stopped walking, leaving so distance between himself and the heart of this enchanted space.

The prince sat at his usual dining spot, blankly staring at the table. Unlike the previous morning when Abel had arrived late and the prince had rushed to hug him, today there was no joy on the prince’s impassive face. Even though it had been four days since they last saw each other, the prince showed no excitent. Abel bent his knees and sat down, eting the prince’s eyes.

“Your Highness, I am sorry I was late. Did you wait long?”

“......”

Receiving no response, Abel smiled broadly, clasped his hands, and apologized again.

“I am really sorry, Your Highness. It was my fault. I slept while you were waiting... Haha, maybe I’ve been cursed by a frog or sothing. You know, frogs burrow into the ground and sleep for months when winter cos. I must’ve thought it was winter. Hehehe—”

He laughed and tried to lighten the mood, but the prince remained unmoved. Abel’s laughter turned awkward. Scratching his head, he slowly rose and pouted in mock protest.

“Then I shall co to you, Your Highness... Oh, I feel dizzy—”

He flailed his arms dramatically, pretending to rise but fell back down with a thud. The prince’s eyes widened in surprise, and he slowly stood from his seat. Seeing that, Abel resud his exaggerated act.

“Oops, I lack the strength to co to you, Your Highness. Euhuhu.”

Though it sounded like the words of a fool, his clumsy sobs had the intended effect.

Thud.

The child rushed over and placed his hand on Abel’s fallen body.

“Eppel.”

[T/N: Notice how the prince can pronounce “Abel” but still chooses to call him “Eppel” when they’re alone? So cute~]

Hearing his na so gently spoken, Abel’s eyes widened, and he smiled.

“Ta-da! Prince, were you surprised? Uh-hahaha, I’m fine. Really, I am!”

Rising, Abel scooped up the prince and hugged him tightly, arms wrapped around his small fra. The prince buried his face in Abel’s chest and rubbed against him. Abel patted his back and took sothing from his own chest.

“Prince, this is my apology gift. Will you accept it?”

The prince reluctantly loosened his grip, still clutching Abel’s clothes. Abel handed him a wooden badge. Though worn, with darkened handprints and a slight crack, the dragon carved into the wood was still distinct. A hole on one end held a thin leather strap.

“Prince, my master gave this to . It’s sothing passed down only through the masters of the Regas clan. It’s precious—like my life.”

The prince took the badge in his small hand, flipping it over and over. Abel pointed to the dragon carving and waited for the prince to finish examining it.

“Do not be surprised. The founder of this country carved it himself.”

Of course, Abel hadn’t believed that story. It was likely an old tale, passed down and embellished over generations. But what mattered was that it was the only thing his master had given him. Abel untied the strap and placed the pendant around the prince’s neck.

“From now on, think of this as . Do not lose it. Even if only for this, I will stay by the prince’s side. If you have this... I will find you, no matter what.”

The prince held the wooden pendant with both hands and asked,

“Eppel, where are you going?”

“...Nowhere.”

Abel shook his head and smiled. But his voice carried a faint apology.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

He whispered again and again, staring out across the field, holding the prince on his lap until the sun began to set.

I’m sorry.

****

lmond was always buried in the library, so there was no one else to deliver the news. With a sense of duty, the nanny went looking for him—he still had not left the palace. He was in the library, but sothing was off.

She found him in a corner near the bookshelves, sprawled on the floor with books scattered around him.

“Oh! M-lmond!”

Had the books fallen while he was organizing them? The nanny rushed to his side, face full of worry. lmond opened his eyes at the commotion.

“Hmm... Huh?”

“Are you okay? Do you know who I am? What’s my na?!”

“Ugh, you’re loud...”

“Ugh?! Your head is hurt!”

The nanny added pitifully,

“Oh no! If you hit your head, you might forget about the money we bet on our team!”

“Shut up. Headache or not, I rember where I placed my bet.”

“Tsk.”

Nanny looked around in a daze, glaring at lmond for betting on the rival team. Books were strewn across the floor, and beside lmond lay a crumpled sheet of paper and a pen, as if sothing had been hastily written.

“What is this?”

She reached out curiously, but lmond quickly snatched the paper.

“It’s nothing!”

Startled by his reaction, Nanny was about to question him further, but lmond abruptly coughed and changed the subject, asking why she had co.

Rembering her errand, Nanny’s eyes lit up as she replied excitedly,

“Abel has woken up! He went into the forest to see the prince. And the prince—he was amazing! He quoted Marquis Norhox, saying he would give him anything he wanted...”

“Abel woke up?”

lmond suddenly sprang to his feet, as though that sentence was all he had heard.

“He’s awake now?”

Before Nanny could explain further, he bolted from the room, paper in hand. She watched him vanish like the wind, stunned. The look on lmond’s face as he ran was as grave as if he were marching to war.

****

“The young lad is already making moves.”

A voice, clear as daylight, spoke with irritation.

“He hasn’t spent much ti speaking with others, and yet he looks at and speaks as if I’ve wronged him.”

Norhox turned to look at Truyde, grinding his teeth in true annoyance.

“He needs to be taught fear. Arrogance like that must be corrected early—or we’ll pay for it later. Before he returns to the forest, we must ta him.”

Truyde rely glanced sideways at the attendant, clearly weary of Norhox’s grumbling. He had already heard how Norhox had attempted to win over the prince and had been outwitted instead. Worse, Abel had reappeared with the prince just before sunset—further souring Norhox’s mood. Whether or not Norhox was sulking mattered little, but his warning held weight: if the prince wandered the forest without fear, that was dangerous.

“We do need to rekindle his sense of fear,” the attendant murmured, then brought up another issue.

“There’s also Abel. Just how arrogant is the prince, thinking Abel is the only one worth following? Even with Marquis Norhox waiting, he won’t leave the forest. If he keeps going back for Abel like this, we might have to give him the antidote and drag him back. Dealing with him might be the more urgent matter...”

“Hmph! That bear-like man can be killed at any ti. So what’s the problem?!”

Norhox snapped. The attendant bowed his head, but Truyde stood up, contradicting him.

“No. It is not ti yet. Abel’s death should serve as a greater blow—one we deliver when the prince is fully isolated. That will make him easier to control.”

His eyes glead, as though struck by inspiration.

“We only need to find a way to instill fear in the prince and cast Abel aside. Attendant, release him.”

****

It was late when Abel returned to his room after checking to see if the prince had gone to bed. But soone unexpected was waiting for him.

“Check if anyone is outside.”

lmond, pacing nervously, gave the instruction the mont Abel appeared. Surprised to see him there, Abel looked out into the corridor, then stepped inside. Almost imdiately, lmond seized his arm and pulled him to sit in a chair.

“lmond, are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Yes.”

“...Yes?”

Instead of answering directly, lmond pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. The writing covered the entire sheet, so hastily scrawled it was difficult to read. Abel squinted to make sense of the crooked lines.

“What is this?”

“It’s the record you asked for. But I haven’t finished copying it yet.”

Abel’s eyes widened, but lmond lowered his voice in warning.

“I did transcribe it... but I wish I hadn’t. It’s awful.”

“May I read it?”

Of course, Abel had every right to ask—but lmond hesitated. A sudden doubt crept in. Even if it were true, what could Abel possibly do? In his current fragile state, he would only suffer more if he knew.

As lmond wavered, Abel quietly reached for the paper and began to read the crooked handwriting. The contents described how a certain faction, referred to only as “them,” had retained power in the king’s inner circle across generations. It was compiled by lmond’s predecessor, based on observations gathered by librarians over several reigns.

[...] Therefore, they appear to follow thods refined through generations. Their ultimate goal is to manipulate the king.

The first step is to deal a severe psychological blow to the king in his youth—leaving him emotionally weak.

The queen, the prince’s mother, is the usual instrunt. They ensure she is isolated, ignored by her husband, and then they manipulate the king into abusing her. This hatred causes the queen to view the king as a monster.

Once the queen gives birth, they administer a black potion. The substance makes the victim unstable, violent, and dependent—obedient to the one supplying the drug. The queen’s only permitted outlet is the constant abuse of the young prince.

As a result, the prince grows up despising won, viewing them with fear and contempt. This likely explains his attachnt to Regas, who is male. They eliminate the queen because she—by giving birth to the prince—poses the greatest threat to their control.

For example, when King XX took the throne, his mother, the forr queen, tried to reclaim power and remove the King’s Heart...