Yuan stared out the window from his room.

Two knights stood by the palace gate, while another patrolled through the garden.

The day after the prophecy was announced, he learned that the palace had been placed under guard by the king's orders.

Exactly as Yuan remembered from his first life, he was now trapped within the palace, forbidden from leaving.

‘If only I was sent back to an earlier time… even just a few days.’

Yuan let out a quiet sigh.

The memories that had returned to him explained a few things.

He was currently in a kingdom called Eryndor, a place he knew very little about.

He vaguely remembered reading about it in one of the history books he had delivered.

Eryndor. The Kingdom of Steel. A land of soldiers and knights where people believed one should stand firm even when standing alone.

And he was a prince of such a kingdom.

That wasn’t the problem.

The real problem was—

The kingdom of Eryndor had fallen to the Southern Invasion roughly twenty years before Mud was born.

‘If I remember correctly, the kingdom fell because of an invasion from the south… which was the start of the calamity.’

He tilted his head.

Then what is the prophecy about?

He remembered the look of fear in the grand seer’s eyes. It was the look of a man who had seen something terrible.

Yuan didn’t think he was lying.

But he couldn’t completely believe the prophecy was wrong either.

If the reason he had suffered and died over and over again was because of his life as Yuan, then there was a good chance he had done something terrible.

Something unforgivable.

He shook his head. 

The boy in his memories felt like a stranger.

He had been quiet as Mud too, but not empty.

Not emotionless.

If that was also him, why did they feel like two different people?

There were too many questions and not enough answers.

Stressing about it wouldn’t do much for him right now.

Grumble 

Only then did Yuan realize he hadn’t eaten since waking up.

The woman had left to bring him food…

but she had been gone for a while.

Did something happen?

He left his room and walked down the hall, where a few maids and servants were cleaning.

They were cleaning and moving things around the palace.

The moment they noticed him, they hurried away.

He only caught flashes of fear in their eyes.

Even after they disappeared, he could still hear them whispering.

‘Monster child.’

‘He really was cursed.’

In Yuan’s memories, the palace was always a quiet but safe place. The servants were never particularly close to Elara or the prince, but they always treated them with respect.

However, after the prophecy, even that changed.

The whispering started.

The cold stares.

The avoidance.

Yuan continued to walk. To him, this sort of treatment wasn’t anything new. If anything, it was worse when he lived as Mud. No one treated a dirty orphan well. 

Yuan followed the smell of food until he reached the kitchen.

Inside, he found the woman wearing an apron, her sleeves rolled up as she cooked.

Why was she cooking herself?

Yuan remembered the answer. The palace cook had quit this morning.

He would not be the last.

He found it strange.

Why was the king’s concubine smiling while standing over a stove?

Just to feed him.

He couldn’t understand it.

He was always busy finding food for himself. Feeding someone else was a luxury he had never been able to afford.

“Oh, Yuan! Why have you come all the way here? You should be resting more.”

The woman noticed her child by the door and wiped her hands on her apron before coming closer.

Grumble

“I’m sorry, I was taking too long wasn’t I? Come sit here, I’m almost done.”

She led him to a small table next to the kitchen counter. It looked like a table the kitchen staff used to eat during their breaks.

Not long after, one by one, the table filled up with plates until there was no space left. Every dish carried its own colors and aroma.

Unable to resist, Yuan grabbed the nearest plate.

He shoved a piece of chicken covered in thick sauce into his mouth.

The savory flavor was nothing like he had ever tasted before.

The meat almost melted in his mouth.

In all of his lives as Mud, he had never tasted anything like it.

“Y-Yuan!”

She stared at him in surprise as he ate with his fingers.

Her son always ate with the most proper etiquette, never touching food directly.

Yuan heard the woman calling his name, but he continued to eat. One of the first things he had learned as an orphan was to eat whenever there was food in front of him.

The lesson had settled into his bones. No matter how suspiciously she looked at him, he couldn’t stop.

“…”

Though surprised, she remained quiet, not wanting to disturb him while he ate.

Part of her felt relieved.

It was the first time she had seen her son eat so well.

“Chew slowly… you’re going to get a stomach ache. I don’t want you getting sick again.”

She reached over to wipe his mouth, but he leaned away.

“I can do it by myself…”

“…”

This woman unsettled him.

Even after recovering some of Yuan’s memories, it didn’t make it any easier for him.

Yuan had never known what it meant to be loved without wanting something in return.

So when this woman looked at him with nothing but warmth in her eyes…

…he found himself wanting to run away.

Once he finished eating, leaving almost every plate empty, the woman spoke.

“Yuan, my baby…”

She was unable to find the next words.

“What happened yesterday must have been very frightening for you. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I want you to know that no matter what anyone says, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

She softly ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I’m sure… the grand seer must be mistaken.”

Yuan looked up at her eyes.

Her voice was soft and gentle, but her eyes had hardened with resolve.