Chapter 18: Chapter 10

Chapter 10

***

There has always been the scent of perfume around Aster. Only Aster, a descendant of the king, could see the invisible spirits.

“You are the most beautiful child in the world. You are more beautiful than any girl.”

This day was no different from usual, and the spirits whispered to Aster what was pleasant to hear. Since childhood, he has always had to wear a girlish smile.

Aster considered himself a real girl. He played with dolls and tea sets like girls. He really liked the story of the princess, which was read to him before bed every night. Among them, Aster’s favorite book was the story of a princess who was imprisoned in a tower.

“Someday will such a wonderful knight come to me and be with me?”

Aster thought that his cursed life was similar to the life of a princess who was imprisoned in a tower. And then one day Ritaus, his sixth cousin, would decide to become a knight in order to save him.

“I’m going to be the bride of Ritaus. I will wear a wedding dress the same color as my hair and carry a bouquet made of the same violet as my eye color.”

The adults watched seven-year-old Aster chatter sweetly, but now eleven-year-old Ritaus said in a cold voice.

“You can’t marry me.”

This was the first time the rude but caring Ritaus rejected him.

“But why? Why can’t you marry me?”

“Because you’re a man.”

There was silence for a moment. Aster never thought of ‘herself’ as a man.

“I am a woman!”

“Yes, you took a bath with me.”

“And so what?”

“Women don’t have pepper.”

Aster flopped into place. Count Ayjar and his wife began to severely reproach Ritaus.

“He doesn’t know anything yet. Don’t you think everything will change if you just agree for now?”

This made Aster even more confident. Even the spirit, that always whispered to him that he was not a woman, did not say these words were a lie.

‘I’m a man. I have always believed that I am not a woman, but a man, and I should marry Ritaus when I grow up. Even if I become an adult, I cannot marry Ritaus.’

‘Because I am a man …’

Maybe since then was where Aster’s endless obsession with Ritaus began.

At first, he hated all women in the world who could marry Ritaus. So if there was a girl among the relatives who wanted to get along with Ritaus, she would be very bad for him.

Aster began to mock the maids who served Ritaus. At first, the mockery was just harmless, as he used magic tricks that were limited to little things such as stumbling, broken dishes containing rice, or cutting the clothesline to dirty the laundry.

But the scope of it all began to worsen. Aster would make boiling water from the kettle gush out and scorch a poor maid’s face, causing severe burns. Then, another maid, who had climbed the high staircase to do some dusting, was made to poke herself in the eye and then thrown down the stairs. The maid had suffered a back injury and was unable to use her lower half of her body for the rest of her life.

Only after this did Count Ayjar and his wife realize the gravity of the situation. The child clearly understood what evil he was committing when his mind was distorted.

They needed to take quick action. Therefore, they decided to change all of Ritaus’s handmaidens to men. There were no more women around Ritaus.

Aster seemed to have stopped the evil acts as a result, so Count Ayjar and his wife finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But this was a big mistake.

Count Ayjar and his wife could not have imagined that the next targets would be people from Ritaus’s entourage.

The Duke of Lythi, Aster’s maternal grandfather, was often too busy managing the territory to care for Aster. Therefore, he usually left Aster to Ritaus, the eldest son of his relative, Count Ayjar.

Ritaus conscientiously carried out the orders from the Duke of Lythi and Count Ayjar. He did what Aster wanted, because he knew what he would do if he didn’t get what he wanted.

He read books, played hide and seek, and played the role Aster wanted. If he wanted to dance together, he would dance. He would hug him when asked, and if asked to kiss him, he would happily kiss Aster’s lips.

Over time, Aster gradually began to rely on Ritaus in his mind. Ritaus was the only one for him who had no parents, no brothers, and no friends. But even that time ended when Ritaus turned 14 and entered Kratie Boarding Academy.

“Why don’t you come to my house anymore?”

“It’s because I’m attending the Boarding Academy. I won’t be able to come as often as before.”

Ritaus, dressed in Kratie’s uniform, looked depressed. Aster’s mood was quickly spoiled. He was still here alone, while Ritaus was out exploring the world. He was leaving Aster.

“Then I’ll go too.”

“Astel, Astel, you cannot officially appear in society!”

“My name is Aster. Not Astel!”

“Yes, you can call yourself Aster when we are alone. But it shouldn’t be known to the outside world that you are Aster.”

“But why?”

“It is impossible to say it yet. This is dangerous.”