I thought both Loid and Julian had already left. But apparently, I was wrong.
I nearly tripped on the stairs when I saw them on the way down to the ground floor, completely not expecting their presence.
"I see you're alright. Thank God," Loid said, offering that gentle, warm smile of his, the one he gives to everyone, unlike our ever-stoic Adrien.
Julian stood beside him, eyes filled with doubt. He looked… kind of sad.
"Congratulations on your awakening, Young Master Kaiser," Loid added. "This is the first time I've ever heard of something like this."
So they knew?
Even though Dad is running around the estate trying to keep my awakening a secret, for now, at least, but most people inside the Baron's house already know.
I understand why he's worried. Awakening a mana core at the age of five? That kind of news spreads like wildfire.
"Thank you," I said, stepping down the last few stairs. I offered a soft smile to Julian. "I'm glad to see you two are alright, too."
"Thank you for your concern, Young Master Kaiser," Loid said, his tone unusually formal. Or maybe it's just me… is he being more respectful than usual?
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to see my young master again."
Well, I can't exactly deny that. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have found the hidden route in time. Even if they eventually did, it probably would've been too late.
So… yeah, I guess I'll take the credit.
Adrien had mentioned that Loid was badly injured. Granny Presela had a hard time healing him, apparently. But seeing him stand here like this, alive and whole, I am just glad.
So, I chose to ignore the fact that he caused a whole river to change its flow using that stigma of his.
"Why don't we head to the garden?" I suggested. The staircase really wasn't the best place for catching up, anyway.
The garden in front of the house was pretty large. It was filled with my mother's flowers, a few fruit trees, and a small, round wooden structure with no walls. Inside were a few chairs and a table, and just nearby stood a huge wooden sculpture of a bird.
Aellion, the Wind Crown Bird.
They say he's the god of wind and freedom, worshipped in the surrounding territories, including ours. In the capital, they mainly worship Elyndor, the god of light and bravery. There is a saying, that the Solar Lion is his messenger.
Personally, I don't worship any gods. I find it unnecessary.
But Julian seemed oddly fascinated by the sculpture.
We settled inside the wooden gazebo. Servants poured tea and laid out sweets on the table. And, thankfully, both Mikael and Adrien had been called away by Dad, so, I didn't have to worry about Adrien launching himself at Loid.
"It's not the best, but help yourselves," I said, settling into my chair. Ugh. My eyes barely reached the top of the table. Being short was suffering.
Still, it was peaceful. Birds chirped. Butterflies floated near my mom's precious flowers.
"So, are you fully healed?" I asked.
"Yes, we are. Thanks to Sir Ashford and everyone in this territory," Loid replied cheerfully, biting into a strawberry cookie like a child.
Well, he always loved sweets, especially strawberry-flavored ones. Same as me.
Julian, though, had been quiet this whole time. I honestly didn't know how to talk to him. He was my little brother in my past life. And now…? I don't know. It's complicated.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
I tilted my head.
"It's because you met me." His voice was low. "If you hadn't met me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt like that."
Well… that's not entirely wrong. Ahem.
But that wasn't his fault.
"Young Master," Loid said, voice laced with concern. "This situation has nothing to do with that."
With what?! Ahem, hello? Could someone please fill me in?
"No, it does, Mr. Loid," Julian insisted quietly. "It's because of me."
He hesitated.
"Can I… call you Kaiser?"
"Yeah, sure," I replied. (But seriously, you little punk, I'm your big brother. Call me that. I dare you.)
"Let me apologize, Kaiser," Julien said, lowering his head. "It's entirely my fault. I shouldn't have talked to you. Or smiled at you. I'm sorry."
Wait, aren't you a prince? What are you doing bowing your head to me like that?
"Even if we hadn't met," I said, "I still would've helped Loid if he came to Ashford asking for it. Meeting you at the cookie cart didn't change that."
That was half-truth, half lie. Yeah.
"It's not that," Julien said quietly. "No one is safe if they get tangled with me. I'm cursed, after all."
"Your- Young Master!" Loid stood up in protest. "Please don't say that. You're not cursed."
"It's okay." Julian's voice didn't waver. "Hiding it won't change anything. And I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me. Young Master Kaiser has every right to know."
As expected from a prince, his way of speaking doesn't match any five-year-old kid I know.
"What do you mean by cursed?" I asked, though I already had a pretty solid idea. It's because of me, isn't it? I died just after he was born. So, of course, the royal court twisted that into something cursed.
"When I was born, I killed my big brother," Julian said, not meeting my eyes. "Someone loved by everyone… even though I've never met him. So, yeah, anyone who gets near me just ends up hurt. Like you."
Aha. As I guessed. Those motherfucking bastards in the royal court. Seriously, telling a child something like that? Choking his mind with guilt before he even understands what life is?
"Hey." I hopped down from my chair and walked over to Julian. Standing in front of him, I placed both hands on the arms of his chair and leaned in close.
"W-What are you doing?" he asked, clearly panicking.
"I'm waiting for a mana bomb to fall on my head," I said with a smirk.
"What?"
"You said I'd get hurt if I got close to you, right? So I'm waiting."
He looked at me, eyes sad and slightly angry. "I'm not joking."
"I'm not joking either." I stepped back. "As you can see, I'm perfectly fine. No curse."
"It doesn't work like that! I'm not lying to you."
"I know," I said, brushing away his words with a flick of my hand. "People can say anything. What matters is whether you believe them or not."
Loid chuckled under his breath. "Someone I knew said the exact same thing once…"
Yeah. That was me. But this idiot won't figure out I'm his dead master just from that, so no worries.
"I believe them," Julian said, voice low. "Nothing good happens to people when they get near me."
That caught me off guard. Seriously, how difficult is this kid? Even Caius isn't this complicated.
I looked into his ocean-blue eyes, eyes just like Queen Isolde's. Ah, the queen… she probably hates me for leaving her child in this kind of mess.
"Hey, Julian," I sighed, ruffling my hair. "Even if I knew you were cursed the first time we met, I'd still talk to you. I'd still save you."
His eyes widened. "Why? It'll only hurt you. Even now, why won't you distance yourself? I said I'm cursed."
"Because I hate believing what others say unless I confirm it for myself."
"But it's already confirmed, isn't it?"
"Then tell me this, Julian, Loid is always with you. Why is he fine?"
Julian froze. Loid looked at him too, waiting for an answer.
"You're isolating yourself, Julian. And if you really believe my injury was caused by your curse, then it was also a blessing. Without it, maybe I wouldn't have awakened my mana core this early."
I paused, then smiled.
"So, I'll do what I want. And what I want right now is to be your friend."
Julian stared at me like I'd grown a second head. Tears welled in his eyes. Ah… did I go too far?
"You… don't hate me? For hurting you?" he asked, gripping the front of his shirt.
"No, I don't. If there's anything to hate, it's your curse. And I'll make sure to beat it." I raised my hand toward him, grinning. "So, be my friend, Julian."
Yeah. I'm trying to look proud. So I won't look like I'm pitying my little brother.
"I... I don't want that. If you get hurt… I won't be able to live with it." Julian's voice trembled, and I knew, half of those words were a lie. The opposite of what he truly wanted.
The truth is he just wanted someone, a friend, someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't treat him like a cursed object, someone his age.
That's why he asked if he could call me Kaiser. Dropping formalities. Like we were equals. Like friends.
Julian, you're so easy to read. I'm supposed to be your big brother, after all.
"You sure?" I asked, my hand still stretched out to him. "You scared? Or… do you think I'm not good enough?"
He shook his head quickly, waving his hand like he was trying to erase what I said. "No, no! It's not that," he said, voice tight as he clutched the front of his shirt.
"Then be my friend, Julian."
He looked down. "But-"
"I'll prove to you," I said, stepping closer, "that I'm stronger than your curse."