CPG | Chapter 1

A boy followed c7166d9181 a man walking 68d9408dab briskly, like a 51fb469a73 shadow. His long black a23ff436b3 hair covered his de5039c399 eyes and neck, 7a4cbdaf6f making him seem 001d3447f9 even more like 281f712b70 a shadow, as 438f82bd35 if his face d97c4c2c53 was hidden.e3fb47529e9507ca

The chief attendant a585266b57 nodded in satisfaction 6fcdcd4c11 at the silent ab0baab4a3 presence following him.46f485af34888372

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“From today, you’ll be working at Sanges Castle.”9cf1c3299597d8c6

At the chief attendant’s words, the boy looked at the dense thicket ahead. The path they had taken was quite rough, and he forced his ragged breath to calm down.a18b23583384d9cf

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“What should I do there?”7f54633f042c49d2

The boy’s voice came out so calm it was almost suppressed. The chief attendant replied as if it were no big deal.0846e4cbdc0e0729

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“Just do what you’ve been doing.”3d0104473bc75986

The boy lowered his 95aae788de gaze from the chief 8895f3eafa attendant. It meant he 3e859ccbdd should act as 0d5e70ae4d if he saw e49566d313 nothing, heard nothing, f74d9239f7 and knew nothing, 98e48b38fc like a mute.101d9dc208bce014

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Rayyan remained still with his head bowed, and the chief attendant smiled faintly. From the start, he felt Rayyan met his standards and wasn’t disappointed. The chief attendant then shared what Rayyan needed to know.6adba6f2e553744c

“The 13th Prince, Prince Ternnis, is there.”026e3179a1b88196

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Even hearing the e1ad127b5b name, Rayyan asked ece9f8441c no questions. Instead, the chief attendant added 2cc400aa70 an explanation to inform Rayyan 5270e595e1 of what he would have 53233d91f9 to handle.34d2d23bdbc7e44c

“He’s so weak he could die any day. You just need to take care of him until he does.”d9d8e3c865b17f75

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“What happens to me after that?”d78ecd083a44f030

“I’ll give you the promised money. Of course, I’ll guarantee your life.”9bf489a5a455e31a

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A promise directly from the 15a88646a5 chief attendant was trustworthy. Rayyan nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly.308e33c9b1384c5d

“Every morning, ingredients will be left here. It’s your job to cook with them, and there’s a well nearby for water. Even if he’s close to death, you know you mustn’t touch a royal body carelessly, right? Especially since he is…”e94330d39f70d9b1

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For the first ff3c5568ee time, the chief 2ed1507a05 attendant paused. He seemed to reconsider f50ef7e019 continuing his explanation and 2f62692e2d fell silent.bb223a4bf2d00585

“When the prince’s breath stops, come to me to collect your money.”2ce3bb829e09d8fa

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“Understood.”d162379148e11e3f

The day Rayyan collects the money will be the prince’s death anniversary. As the explanation ended, Rayyan bowed deeply.cb337f76b3f5550e

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“Do you have any other questions?”544905edd27ac504

“If… what if His Highness the Prince doesn’t die and gets better?”7aad2b4f7c2c843c

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It was the first question Rayyan, who usually acted as if he didn’t exist, had asked, but the chief attendant’s response was negative.7ab1cd96ff33b98c

“That probably won’t happen. But if we were to imagine…”aa5d4e89559cc96f

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As the chief attendant’s words trailed off, Rayyan looked at him for the first time.63bac0cf06b25435

“He’d rise to a place you couldn’t even dream of reaching. After all, he’s the only legitimate child of the current Empress.”024fef9f36c1e7f1

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With those words, no further conversation flowed between the chief attendant and Rayyan. Since instructing him to witness the prince’s death, the chief attendant’s gaze had been quietly somber. He gave Rayyan a final look, patted his shoulder, and retraced his steps.95c64b88cc1cbe32

Left alone, Rayyan lifted his c6f7d4b4ca head to see the exposed 81d664b73a roof of the castle. His hair fell 0bfb0e32ba back, revealing a 76ac0d3ef5 round forehead. Sixteen? Seventeen? He looked younger than expected, 0a322682d1 but his deeply sunken eyes 994d187407 made it hard to guess 5526f542a4 his thoughts.0c0e5035ace3b78e

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“The abandoned prince…”4d972457db8413c4

A prince who might die any day due to an incurable illness. Should he be grateful that the prince wasn’t sent outside the castle, or pity him for having to live out his days in solitude?860e9b3667151da5

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It wasn’t something Rayyan needed to consider. After gazing at the castle for a moment, Rayyan walked straight into its depths.fddbc799f3dfbc1d

***acd7378c60bd97da

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Rayyan wasn’t originally of common status. However, due to certain circumstances, he had to live in hiding for life.7abe1f6b30e603f8

Rayyan lacked the strength to 7c915254bf face his family. So, avoiding their eyes, cbe71358b7 he eventually drifted into 689629834b the Imperial Palace. It had been 3174a8da6c years since he 1ff4deeafe fled from his 74a1c76355 family, but he 35a6531263 felt they were ceac212b1f persistently tracking his e775aca00d traces.ed6502834f82f18f

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For Rayyan, who didn’t want to be caught by them, the prince was a timely opportunity. If he could seize the chance to serve the prince, he could evade their eyes and buy time to escape anywhere. Though the prince might die soon, Rayyan considered it the perfect place to hide temporarily and deliberately lingered in front of the chief attendant.b6598d54547561d4

From the start, 83b8f31ad6 he knew the 5020de62c9 chief attendant was f441519cc7 looking for someone 07a33de019 to care for f2b3cf6444 the prince. Rayyan was aware 339a302592 of the subtle 3e5ae3d0ca rumors circulating within 76d111a1ae the palace. Naturally, no one c9c45efd69 wanted to serve ed4a9bab6b a prince who 30a09bf199 was soon to f52f2f9b0b die.e907949876e27077

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At that moment, Rayyan caught the chief attendant’s eye, and everything proceeded smoothly from there.17efbb41b9a43707

Rayyan picked up the 3361fe8b9e basket of ingredients he 32259a6685 saw on his way 5c5a726e60 in and circled around 7c40712470 the palace to see 3ad45330d5 what was there. Besides the path to the ed1097395f well, there was nothing but 39bd11a943 overgrown weeds.6123af91c0af2529

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Still, the ground was flat, and if he cleared the weeds, he thought he might be able to make a small field just in case. The path to the castle wasn’t easy, and if the basket got washed away on a rainy day, it would be a big problem.7d1a45afa63b969a

Having confirmed that the land wasn’t bad for farming, Rayyan finally turned his attention to the castle. Forcing open the rusty door that hadn’t been used in a long time, he stepped inside and looked around. The dim interior revealed only silhouettes in the sunlight streaming through the door.8850364057ce2f1d

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The few pieces f33e65120b of furniture in eceb224190 the vast, empty 4a258e8d03 interior were covered 12c6d78a64 with white cloth, e4db530243 creating a gloomy 3edbd24532 atmosphere. Rayyan took a step forward, 5b5ee77a44 looking at the chandelier covered deded265d2 in dust and cobwebs at e161679879 the high ceiling. His footsteps, which had been 4917b5b090 quiet until now, echoed for 28206a4dc8 the first time. The castle seemed to be 36ab49e94a warily acknowledging the intruder in 797f198884 the empty space.0bf79341d496f4c3

Rayyan’s footsteps, which echoed through the space, disappeared as if by magic when he reached the stairs. The carpeted stairs, though dusty, completely muffled his footsteps.73b181cf517e4c25

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As Rayyan climbed the stairs, he thought more about the prince who must be somewhere in the castle than the castle itself. There were no signs of anything being touched, so where was the prince? Even Rayyan left traces as he walked. The dust was so thick that wherever Rayyan’s feet or hands touched, it left a mark.693e6351ccf3f68a

His growing curiosity quickened Rayyan’s pace. Not running, but walking briskly, he climbed the stairs and turned towards a particularly dark and chilly area.cdc7b3977f198958

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Rayyan couldn’t explain why he chose that direction. He just felt he should go where his instincts led him.3573f60e8a61e326

Creak, the old 244029a7eb door opened with 0c3b5b0ca5 an unpleasant hinge b1ec7ace8d sound. Rayyan set the 0997b55d1c basket down beside d2fc84168b him and groped 9b3eb8cab4 along the wall aca323c289 with his hand. When he felt 02ffd39110 something beyond the 76071e1e47 fabric, he pulled 34d44bab43 it aside.b4627b29dd240a1e

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As the curtain bbc6054e7e Rayyan had grabbed 4f94011e52 was pulled, a 2d9d060ab7 window was revealed, 6956f3f9f7 and bright sunlight ab5a3cfa14 poured into the 5a1d36e1de dark room. Squinting his eyes, which 1c12a4c975 had adjusted to the 86bb7de6d6 darkness, Rayyan waited for 78b73cfb00 them to adapt to 0d25175dd6 the light and turned e2216c19b0 around.651fa91a843e0018

In a room he bbd377bbed thought was empty, he b71859c38d sensed a faint movement. Taking a step 9badc47c9c closer to examine 146a28089b it, Rayyan stopped.0214c3497849c63f

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The moment he spotted a small figure curled up on the bed, Rayyan felt he shouldn’t approach. At that moment, the other person seemed to notice Rayyan and pulled down the blanket that had been covering them.deca394c43ba249c

Twelve years old, maybe? The first thing Rayyan noticed was the pale face of a boy who looked younger than him. His lifeless lips and thin body screamed “patient.” His cracked lips opened, and a raspy voice came out.613e7cbedc2e7952

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“Who… are you?”3091a9c263fada78

Just as Rayyan was observing him, the boy seemed curious about Rayyan. Seeing his eyes moving busily, Rayyan noticed something else about the boy. Despite being a bit dry, his golden hair and jewel-like eyes revealed he wasn’t an ordinary child.3f3a217f38a20d7d

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Even covered by 5e1b35c7cd an old blanket, cf6e0bad4a the noble atmosphere 7e9992972c and brilliant eyes 42ef4e841c told Rayyan that ae0747e4a7 this boy was 4705ba7850 the 13th Prince, 95f2726c2b Ternnis.b10be92859e20875

That was their first meeting.b348399b6e0df7b8

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