* * *
Conversely, the Fifth Prince received sympathy for being pitiful, was loved in the arms of his family, and grew up beautiful and delicate under love and protection.
The rumors grew even larger, and in just one year, Hayden became a villain who bullied the Fifth Prince out of envy and jealousy.
Hayden, who turned thirteen, became increasingly prickly and solitary. Still, Hayden never intentionally harmed anyone.
He was inherently a tender-hearted and affectionate child.
The turning point that made Hayden completely wayward was at age seventeen.
The day severe wounds were discovered on the Fifth Prince’s body.
The Fifth Prince, whose body was covered with all sorts of bruises and injuries, was discovered ‘accidentally’ by the Crown Prince and confessed the truth while crying in front of the assembled family.
That Hayden did it.
But at least in Hayden’s memory, there was no such thing.
Only the scornful eyes of his family looking down at him worse than a beast as he was dragged away and knelt before them, and the face of the Fifth Prince shedding tears with a pitiful expression, remained vividly in his memory.
In any case, thanks to the Fifth Prince crying and pleading to spare Hayden, saying it was his own fault, Hayden avoided a severe punishment.
In fact, he started his wayward behavior from that point on.
He used the money given to him for extravagance, and kept people away by acting wickedly.
He piled up mountains of unnecessary items in his room, sometimes drank heavily, and vented his anger on those around him.
It was a mercy that his ability to nullify magic at least protected him from a curse.
Despite all this, he still wanted to keep his pride and never showed his feelings in front of his family.
He cried very briefly, holding his breath, and endured the pain by gritting his teeth.
He forcefully attended family events to make his presence known, persistently appearing before his family while taking in all their scornful looks.
Because they were family.
Because he still wanted them to pay attention to him.
‘Tsk…’
That was all the important memory.
After that, only similar memories remained: drinking alcohol and causing a scene, locking himself in his room and crying, or feeling rage while watching the Fifth Prince from afar.
Hayden rolled his tongue inside his mouth, trying to conceal his displeasure.
While he learned about the existence of a useful ability, both the real Hayden’s wayward behavior and the process that led to it annoyed him.
Of course, since these were memories seen only from Hayden’s perspective, objective judgment was impossible.
Shin Jian, at twenty-nine, knew that it was not good to hastily judge things because memories were subjective.
In the novel, he was clearly just called wayward, but in the memories, Hayden was the victim, and the main submissive lead was the villain.
He couldn’t understand what was going on.
Could the novel and the untold story within it be this inconsistent?
He couldn’t be certain of anything.
Perhaps the Fifth Prince truly was lovable.
Perhaps these were just fragmented memories, what the wayward Fourth Prince wanted to see and hear.
‘I’ll have to find out more.’
Hayden, who had been looking down slightly, took in the large black castle beginning to appear before him with his pale violet eyes, his gaze composed.
But yes, if Hayden’s memories were all true and the Fifth Prince was a cunning little fox.
Squeak—.
“Welcome. We have been waiting.”
He would have a good time with the Seven Demon Lords and then serve that little fox a huge dish of comeuppance.
The large black castle.
The building felt both grand and bizarre, yet beautiful.
The castle, clearly where the Demon Lords lived, had several tall spires, and scattered here and there were stone statues and large and small windows.
The central entrance was the largest iron door, elegantly decorated with silver ornaments.
Squeak—.
“Welcome. We have been waiting.”
A man with gray hair and eyes appeared from beyond the door, which opened by itself before Hayden could knock.
The man was wearing a white shirt, a black jacket decorated with a silver chain across the chest and a fancy brooch, and neat black trousers, fastened with a crossover tie with a gold jewel in the center.
He was clearly a handsome man with a pleasant demeanor and a soft smile, but he was certainly not human.
Although he had a human form, his pointed ears and elongated pupils clearly indicated otherwise.
‘A demon?’
Are all the demons in this world handsome?
If the attendant was this attractive, the Demon Lords’ looks must be blinding even without seeing them.
His mouth watered before he even met the Demon Lords. Hayden secretly licked his lips.
The man looked Hayden up and down, smiling gently.
“I am Liefel, the attendant who serves the Demon Lords in this castle.”
Hayden, full of anticipation, first calmed his heart and began to consider how to reply.
This answer would determine the ‘Hayden’ of the future.
Wayward, wicked, extravagant. But a person who is also a bit pitiful and tender.
Having programmed that image, Hayden settled on the appropriate persona.
The ‘real Hayden’s’ memories felt somewhat detached rather than completely his own, which made it easier to maintain his composure.
If he got carried away by emotions, things might not work out.
First, a defiant and rebellious appearance would be suitable.
Although his personal preference was to be consumed in a tender and weak image, given the image Hayden had shown so far, he shouldn’t immediately present himself as delicate and timid.
While he didn’t know if the Demon Lords were aware of Hayden’s reputation as a wayward prince, the character shouldn’t change all at once.
Looking at Liefel, who was waiting for an answer, Hayden cleared his throat.
A clear voice emerged.
“I need to meet the Demon Lords.”
“The audience is scheduled for tomorrow. You will formally meet the Demon Lords as the sacrifice tomorrow, so let me guide you to your room first.”
Hayden, acting as if he was dumbfounded, clenched the fist of the hand not holding his shoulder and trembled with an indignant voice.
“Who said I would be the sacrifice?”
“Do you have another reason for seeking out this place if not to become the sacrifice?”
“That…”
Hayden pursed his lips bitterly, as if recalling the reason he had come.
His gaze, directed at the floor, wavered aimlessly.
His grip on his wounded shoulder tightened, and the blood that had stopped flowing down his arm started again.
Liefel looked down indifferently at the bright red blood dripping from Hayden’s fingertips onto the floor, then gently raised his eyes.
Hayden deliberately swallowed hard and muttered.
“Anyway, I am not a sacrifice for a demon or anyone like it…”
Liefel, who clearly heard the small whisper, tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.
The sacrifices’ reactions were generally similar, but this one showed a more intense resistance than the previous ones.
If they wasted more time like this, they might not make the scheduled time for the audience tomorrow.
And the blame would fall on him.
“I suppose there’s no choice.”
Clap.
Liefel sighed softly and snapped his fingers.
Gray smoke gradually spread around him.
Hayden noticed something was wrong, covering his mouth and nose and stepping back, but Liefel only offered a relaxed smile.
Hayden flinched, and his vision blurred.
“Damn it…”
“Don’t worry. I will carefully teach you how to live as a sacrifice.”
Slump.
Hayden’s body collapsed to the floor.
* * *
