* * *

It was a winter day, with thick snow falling.

A hero blessed by the divine was born.

It was just before the Schudelgarten family fell into ruin.

Everyone celebrated the hero’s birth.

The king bestowed gold and silver treasures, while nobles sent exotic riches hoarded in their family vaults.

Even delegations from distant lands came to catch a glimpse of the hero.

With the money flowing in because of the hero, the Duke and Duchess of Schudelgarten realized that the child wasn’t merely a savior for the kingdom.

“My child, you were born to save our family.”

That was the first form of love the child ever received.

＊ ＊＊＊＊

From a young age, Kaindel displayed remarkable talent.

When taught letters, he wrote sentences.

When taught numbers, he mastered calculations.

He excelled at every instrument and painted better than most artists.

But his greatest talent lay in swordsmanship—within a week of beginning lessons, he had mastered the basics perfectly.

Truly, Kaindel was a genius, worthy of the title “hero,” a prodigy seen once in a thousand years.

His golden hair, a mark of the divine’s favor, and his delicate, refined features only added to his aura.

Even at a young age, his beauty won over hearts.

Some admired him; others adored him.

Just like now.

“Is this child the hero?”

“Yes. Say hello, Kaindel.”

Kaindel gazed at the blushing girl in front of him.

She had been hiding behind the adults, only to timidly step forward when prompted.

Her behavior amused him, and he stifled a mocking laugh as he observed her.

Her slanted eyes and freckled nose were unremarkable.

Her neatly curled black hair reminded him of the hag in the play he’d seen days ago, and the string of pearls around her neck was gaudy.

In short, she looked like a child clumsily imitating an adult.

Ridiculous.

But openly expressing such thoughts would earn him punishment from his father.

If he was unlucky, he might be locked in the attic for three days without food.

So instead, Kaindel put on a bright smile.

He curved his lips and tilted his eyes just right—he knew exactly how to smile in a way that others found endearing.

He had learned this through years of painful discipline.

“Hello.”

Even such a brief greeting turned the girl’s cheeks red.

“U-um…” She stammered like a fool, unable to complete a sentence, before retreating with her parents.

For someone who had mustered the courage to approach him, it was an anticlimactic end.

Only after her figure disappeared from view did his mother’s feigned kind voice change.

“Well done.”

Keep it up.

She tapped his shoulder lightly, a gesture that, on the surface, seemed affectionate.

In reality, her sharp nails scratched his skin.

Kaindel glanced at his mother’s hand on his shoulder, then turned his gaze to the open balcony.

Three more hours.

The wretched garden party had only just begun.

How dull.

Pulling off his stiff leather gloves, he let out a long sigh.

The sight of the partygoers pretending to be cheerful as they exchanged empty pleasantries made his stomach churn.

Truly, how do ugly people have such strong stomachs?

How could they smile while looking at each other’s faces?

Before he was even ten, such arrogant thoughts already crossed his mind.

Kaindel massaged the back of his neck as the notion lingered.

His mother had already sidled up to the Duke Bussemug, completely ignoring him.

Her sole focus was ingratiating herself with the duke, a man of their same rank but clearly above her in standing.

Kaindel knew she wouldn’t return to his side until long after the duke left the banquet hall.

Grateful for the reprieve, he dismissed the attention directed his way and looked back toward the balcony.

The cool breeze from outside was tempting.

Trapped in the mingling scents of heavy perfumes, his head throbbed.

As he glanced toward the balcony again, he tilted his head slightly.

‘Should I escape?’

It wouldn’t matter if he left the hall now.

He could slip out unnoticed and return quickly.

His mother, preoccupied with the Duke Bussemug, wouldn’t even notice his absence.

And yet…

Kaindel scratched at his arm, pretending to adjust his sleeve.

With each deliberate motion, the unpleasant sensations weighing him down seemed to break away in pieces, including the stray, half-formed thoughts cluttering his mind.

For some reason, his body had felt restless all evening, as though invisible bugs crawled from his feet to his thighs, from his stomach to his collarbone.

The phantom sensation wrapped around his gut, tightening with nausea.

Though not new, today it was particularly vivid.

His fingers, restless with unease, left faint red marks wherever they pressed into his skin.

Instinctively withdrawing his hand, he furrowed his brow.

Was it the oppressive mingling of perfumes that the attendees had doused themselves in to mask their stench?

The overwhelming mix of scents battered his senses, leaving him with a pounding headache.

It’d be better if there was no scent at all.

“…”

“…”

His unintentional display of irritation attracted countless eyes.

If gazes could pierce, he’d already have been skewered hundreds of times over.

Their attention was relentless.

‘So now I’m just a sideshow.’

Kaindel swallowed his rising annoyance.

Forcing a calm demeanor, he turned his body casually, as if nothing had happened.

The cracks in his facade smoothed over, and with them, the onlookers’ interest faded.

Taking advantage of the lull, he made his way toward the balcony with an unhurried stride.

Inwardly, he was grateful that escorting a partner wasn’t required at this kind of garden party.

If he’d been burdened with a partner to chaperone, slipping away like this wouldn’t have been an option.

Once on the balcony, he didn’t forget to draw the curtain closed.

A drawn curtain signaled that someone was already occupying the space—a tacit rule of respect to allow others their privacy.

Though, the balcony’s primary purpose wasn’t really for rest.

“Mm.”

“Sigh…”

The soft glow of the banquet hall faded as the ivory curtain descended, severing the balcony entirely from the party.

Only once he was isolated did Kaindel let his practiced smile dissolve.

He cast a sidelong glance toward the adjacent balcony, from which muffled sounds continued to spill.

The low, coarse voices suggested the men on the other side were engaged in a private moment.

Considering the setting, it was likely no courtesans had accompanied them; it was more plausible that they were toying with a young servant.

The notion made Kaindel grimace as he approached the railing.

How shameless to indulge out here of all places.

Surely, the gossip-hungry vultures would see and hear everything.

He sneered at the thought, convinced that even the sound of a pig being slaughtered would be more pleasant than what he was hearing.

This was the sixth time he’d witnessed others’ affairs.

Lust and greed were so commonplace in aristocratic circles that infidelity was practically a rite of passage.

The dazzling veneer of nobility was nothing but a facade for a world that was truly filthy and obscene.

Still, the fact they were both men…

Kaindel suppressed the sneer threatening to escape.

Do men really do such things with each other?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand those who indulged in such liaisons.

Why bother doing what one could already do with a woman?

He didn’t hate the idea of it, but he viewed it as an eccentricity, a novelty at best.

He assumed he’d eventually settle down with a woman, naturally.

As a hero, it was his duty to ensure his lineage and secure his family’s legacy through a suitable marriage.

With that, Kaindel shook off his thoughts and ignored the intensifying sounds from the neighboring balcony.

He turned his attention to estimating the distance between the balcony and the ground.

Roughly two stories, maybe three times his height—it wasn’t enough to worry about a bad landing.

His calculations finished, he stepped onto the railing without hesitation.

Tilting his body forward, he let himself drop.

Landing softly on one foot, Kaindel straightened up and adjusted his disheveled attire.

A glance upward revealed the soft strains of music still flowing from the brightly lit banquet hall.

No one seemed to have noticed the hero’s absence.

“Fools.”

After fastening his cufflinks, Kaindel slipped silently into the cover of the trees.

* * *