CPG | Chapter 1

A boy followed 51e0ec3399 a man walking ee335bc1c1 briskly, like a 2e4d11f999 shadow. His long black hair covered fe2aa4ca6e his eyes and neck, making f9f3aa1c8c him seem even more like b06ffcf4bc a shadow, as if his bb452ebeb2 face was hidden.72465f79d2840e86

The chief attendant b867948ba5 nodded in satisfaction 0d89580bac at the silent c0b56ceadf presence following him.564b56c34129d09a

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“From today, you’ll be working at Sanges Castle.”aab601875003d9b9

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.1cb8aba91626fa8c

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“What should I do there?”98af6dc1a9010ebf

The boy’s voice came out so calm it was almost suppressed. The chief attendant replied as if it were no big deal.fc155b15704359fb

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“Just do what you’ve been doing.”3e49735b814a4d22

The boy lowered his gaze 7b0e8f80eb from the chief attendant. It meant he should c7253172a7 act as if he b8b0ad95ed saw nothing, heard nothing, 1506014a16 and knew nothing, like e5d10ddddc a mute.529d7a50ecfabd0f

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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.35233171be4091c4

“The 13th Prince, Prince Ternnis, is there.”db307402401c1413

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Even hearing the name, 3fd220a5bd Rayyan asked no questions. Instead, the chief attendant f79253bd44 added an explanation to 5aeb27dc00 inform Rayyan of what 3f4291aa93 he would have to cfe2c5c3f2 handle.ab4724163d685f91

“He’s so weak he could die any day. You just need to take care of him until he does.”1a8e5a2712651b68

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“What happens to me after that?”4f8c2ea36a71ab06

“I’ll give you the promised money. Of course, I’ll guarantee your life.”4ed24b55a24c8ddb

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A promise directly from the 72076b08c5 chief attendant was trustworthy. Rayyan nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly.82d5f42d2fa31118

“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…”6e4da6c1ef309323

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For the first time, 12110af64d the chief attendant paused. He seemed to reconsider cc18ab259e continuing his explanation and 98656f30f3 fell silent.4165d13844373ae5

“When the prince’s breath stops, come to me to collect your money.”0f3dcd6d84128169

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“Understood.”6500e8315a90f3fc

The day Rayyan collects the money will be the prince’s death anniversary. As the explanation ended, Rayyan bowed deeply.5bba7fc7ef9c8db5

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“Do you have any other questions?”14fdc6887a1c2941

“If… what if His Highness the Prince doesn’t die and gets better?”de54919b264d1443

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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.72bee723d1494d52

“That probably won’t happen. But if we were to imagine…”a837225816a04960

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As the chief attendant’s words trailed off, Rayyan looked at him for the first time.cea27b8b10486b4e

“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.”5d5ff9d911fcd3cb

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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.07c56725b122b97c

Left alone, Rayyan 8f6dc93e54 lifted his head 517df49278 to see the db25757cca exposed roof of 91b4f51410 the castle. His hair fell aede11c9ed back, revealing a 569de58517 round forehead. Sixteen? Seventeen? He looked younger than expected, 44c848228f but his deeply sunken eyes f05b0e9fed made it hard to guess 36460f8418 his thoughts.9aeb8ad93c4ed4e2

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“The abandoned prince…”33150f3fef883522

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?99367cbfa2e0e64f

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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.934f88d55db2ac19

***8c31c0e9867d92bd

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Rayyan wasn’t originally of common status. However, due to certain circumstances, he had to live in hiding for life.9c9aec6c7c762147

Rayyan lacked the strength c374c16523 to face his family. So, avoiding their eyes, he af23995e31 eventually drifted into the Imperial 2aa72400b6 Palace. It had been years 42ba776460 since he fled from 4b3e5f527e his family, but he ed4d2574aa felt they were persistently 05f7bdb79a tracking his traces.df177712313c44bf

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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.51a9798f27c62202

From the start, he knew df1273ed8c the chief attendant was looking 31f841ed76 for someone to care for 8066e7dd79 the prince. Rayyan was aware e29a565213 of the subtle df4c412778 rumors circulating within 4fa5556381 the palace. Naturally, no one wanted e134fc2247 to serve a prince 516dbcda5d who was soon to 269a736e96 die.2fd7990d2a06cea0

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At that moment, Rayyan caught the chief attendant’s eye, and everything proceeded smoothly from there.c07c609941765723

Rayyan picked up the basket 984a41c4ec of ingredients he saw on c1571f1284 his way in and circled 2ce377bdfa around the palace to see fc23ddb10f what was there. Besides the path to 897125ee63 the well, there was aeb48812d0 nothing but overgrown weeds.c6930c6f4662f2fb

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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.3c9efe969923a3b5

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.d53438fdd071b6a8

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The few pieces d8e89ffab9 of furniture in 12ccdf5587 the vast, empty 10174c9d22 interior were covered 7e316faa6b with white cloth, aeb29215e4 creating a gloomy 2ea773594e atmosphere. Rayyan took a 256abb2aa1 step forward, looking e962c286ac at the chandelier e74fcad61a covered in dust 581b714a6d and cobwebs at 520d4f9195 the high ceiling. His footsteps, which 6ba91c93e4 had been quiet a7a2854e73 until now, echoed 34421927a8 for the first df339b9e86 time. The castle seemed to a660d2fd0a be warily acknowledging the f951019466 intruder in the empty 2bbc5f9f32 space.26ffbf49348a09bc

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.93840eae80643a0c

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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.36523b415df48cda

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.d007991cf157954e

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Rayyan couldn’t explain why he chose that direction. He just felt he should go where his instincts led him.c17a3bc74f60c3dd

Creak, the old door opened f8e22fa87e with an unpleasant hinge sound. Rayyan set the basket down 9a27afc865 beside him and groped along b48dc0fbba the wall with his hand. When he felt 248a683176 something beyond the ebecab858c fabric, he pulled 12cfdde056 it aside.492a37b33c191a09

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As the curtain Rayyan had 51951cf12e grabbed was pulled, a window cbf9fd2587 was revealed, and bright sunlight 3d89b3191b poured into the dark room. Squinting his eyes, which had 985b6b6b50 adjusted to the darkness, Rayyan b86c9f9688 waited for them to adapt 82a90ba43f to the light and turned aacc6c0943 around.c0b322bfb00905ac

In a room 9f9908eee3 he thought was 2b87a71019 empty, he sensed db29144fd6 a faint movement. Taking a step 79c39842f7 closer to examine 1d1c8b8f6a it, Rayyan stopped.351edf937b254f0a

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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.e511a16fd84eb630

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.84197631d297eb01

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“Who… are you?”6fda3ea877726395

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.a11d64c4ba382d1b

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Even covered by an b22519a016 old blanket, the noble f7c4737258 atmosphere and brilliant eyes 81f53f33b8 told Rayyan that this 6cdbd683d2 boy was the 13th c37b3e4cc5 Prince, Ternnis.92bf807378937f86

That was their first meeting.1f56d67d42a97d6b

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