“For all my life, I always lived in absolute caution. My parents were once loyal servants of the duchess when she was only a teenager. My mother was chosen as one of her ladies-in-waiting. My father was chosen as her page. For the longest time, the duchess never treated her household with hostility. Most especially, her favorites. And when time came for my parents to ask for her blessing, the duchess happily allowed their marriage.
“But that harmonious relationship with the duchess was destroyed because of a false allegation. One of the guards accused my parents of stealing the duchess’ crown, which was a family heirloom. Because of that, they ran away from the castle and lived in the mountains in secret.
“Day after day, they lived in fear for their lives. It only worsened when Mother became pregnant. Although they did everything to give me a proper, normal childhood, I was never allowed to visit the nearby city. They would make one excuse after another, just to prevent me from leaving our humble hut.
“However, on my seven hundredth birthday, everything changed.
“‘Marcus, it’s time to go home.’
“I was picking blueberries on the east side of the mountain with Granny Helga. She was the only person my parents trusted after they left the duchess’ household. And she was the only one who knew of our whereabouts.
“‘Are you looking forward to celebrating your birthday, little one?’
“‘Yes, Granny.’
“‘Do you have a wish?’
“‘Yes, I do. I already thought of my wish last year. I waited for this day to come to finally be able to pray for it.’
“‘Such a smart child. You’re such a blessing to your parents.’
“The whole day was spent preparing for the special occasion. Before evening came upon us, we visited the nearby altar that they built. We gave our thanks to the gods and prayed for our wishes.
“But when we arrived back home, that was where everything exploded.
“‘My little one,’ Mother called for my attention as we shared a meal, ‘Did you make a wish on the altar?’
“‘Yes, Mother.’
“‘What did you wish for?’
“‘I wish that tomorrow, I will be able to go to the nearest town.’
“The whole room went silent. Mother, Father and Granny shared worried glances with one another.
“I was filled with hope as I thought that they would agree because it was my birthday. But to my shock, my response was met with silence. And I grew frustrated with them because of that.
“‘Does that mean you don’t agree with my wish?’ I asked.
“Mother cleared her throat and replied, ‘Little one, we understand that you want to see what’s beyond the mountains. However–’
“‘We just can’t, son,’ Father interrupted. ‘Not for now, at least.’
“Slowly, my frustration turned to anger. I kept my lips sealed as I returned to my food. I didn’t want to disrespect them because of how I felt.
“So, to avoid any sort of misunderstanding with them, I avoided them at all costs. I rarely talked to them. And if I did, it was only to answer their questions. And I always kept my answers brief. At that time, I never truly understood the reason why they were against the idea of bringing me somewhere else. If only I knew everything at that time, I would have accepted the truth. I would’ve been the good and obedient child of my parents.
“Three days passed after my birthday when my parents decided to bring me to the nearby town. But they gave me one rule: to keep my head low especially in the presence of royal guards. They didn’t explain why and I didn’t bother to ask. I was too ecstatic for an explanation. I just wanted to go.
“Little did I know that going to the town was the biggest mistake I ever wished for.
“Whilst we walked around the town, I was amazed with my surroundings. From everything that I saw to everything that I smelled, I was overwhelmed with excitement. There were royal guards that patrolled the area. So, we never took off our hoods. My parents then brought me to a nearby food stall. Father went inside the store to buy something.
“Out of nowhere, Mother decided to bring me to a wine store nearby. But she left me at the front because children aren't allowed inside. And as I waited for her, I played with a group of children who were playing. We remained at the front of the store so I didn’t think that it would be a bad thing.
“However, I kicked the ball too hard and it rolled far. I volunteered to get it since it was my doing. Because my head was covered with a hood, I didn’t see the approaching carriage. The carriage nearly tumbled over and the chauffeur was furious. He then whipped me without mercy. Mother heard it immediately and quickly came to my rescue. With her hood still on, she grabbed me and begged for forgiveness.
“The chauffeur said he would forgive me in exchange for a disgusting condition. Thankfully, Father intervened. He openly offered money to the man. But he swatted the money and was angry that Father came into the picture.
“The man continued to make disgusting remarks towards my mother. And that ultimately triggered Father. They got into a brawl, which caused my father’s hood to be removed. The townspeople recognized Father from the ‘Wanted’ signages of him and Mother. Father told us to run for our lives as he was seized by the guards.
“Mother and I hid in an alleyway with a dead end.
“‘Stay here. Don’t come out no matter what,’ she instructed as she attempted to leave me at such a dark place.
“‘Don’t leave me, Mother! I’m scared!’ I cried.
“‘I promise I’ll return for you. I just need to trick the guards of where we might be,’ she continued as she tried to remove herself from my grip.
“‘No, you won’t! You won’t return for me! You’ll be captured like what happened to Father! Then, I will be without parents!’ I cried my heart out as I shook her arms. ‘Don’t leave me, Mother! Please, don’t leave me! I can’t lose you, too!’
“‘Hush, hush, little one,’ she quickly knelt down and engulfed me in her arms. She rubbed my back as she comforted me.
“If only I knew that it was the last time I felt her warm embrace, I wouldn’t have let her go.
“Slowly, she pulled away from me and left her necklace. She placed a gentle peck on my forehead. As soon as she heard the guards approaching, she ran back to the streets and immediately caught their attention.
“And I waited for her. I also waited for Father. I didn’t move from my spot for three days. Yes, I was dying of hunger and was in need of water. But all of that didn’t matter. All I wanted to do was to wait for the return of my parents. Mother promised she would return so I waited.
“But one day, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I left the dark alleyways and searched for my parents. I wandered around the town, dizzy and dehydrated. Thankfully, Granny found me and immediately brought me back home.
“For the rest of my childhood, she was the one who cared for me. She filled the void that my parents left behind since their disappearance. But even Granny was taken away from me. She died because of fatigue as she exerted all her efforts to raise me well. And that was something I failed to notice.
“When she died, I became a street sweeper in town. I still kept my head down in fear of being recognized. However, a part of me wanted to be seen. So, I could finally join my parents, whether in jail or in the after-life. But, the only thing that kept me from making such a reckless decision was my promise to Granny. That I would make the most out of my life, even if I only lived a simple life.
“I crossed paths with the duchess when she visited the duchess. At that time, I didn’t know her true identity. She wore what normal folks would wear. But her beauty stood out amongst the crowd. It stood out too much, a man approached her and tried to seduce her. And it was none other than the chauffeur. The same disgusting charms that he used on my mother, he tried it on the duchess. But she openly rebuked him and that caused an argument between them.
“At first, I didn’t want to meddle because it wasn’t my concern. I didn’t know who she was. But when she was being disrespected the same way my mother was, I couldn’t help but be bothered. And even if the duchess was rejecting his advances, not one passerby had the courage to step forward and stop him.
“I approached them and tried to talk some sense into the man. Oh, how I wanted to slander him for what he did to my parents. How I wanted to curse him as the bastard that he was. I chose not to, though. I didn’t want to be captured or turned over to the royal guards. But the more he was being ignored, he was getting more aggressive. And that was something I couldn’t just watch. I brawled with the man. With all my might, with all the anger I kept throughout the years, I punched him without mercy. I only stopped when his head was almost crushed.
“I went to check on the duchess. But I was thrown into darkness when something suddenly hit me on the back of my head.
“Upon opening my eyes, I was in a different place. I was in a humongous bedroom. And I was in a comfortable bed. My clothes were changed. And a bandage was wrapped around my head and knuckles.
“The duchess explained everything. Right then and there, she welcomed me into her household. But unlike her other servants, I never asked for more than what I had. My head remained low as I went through my daily tasks. I kept my silence throughout my years of service, which gave me some sort of an invisible veil all over me. Then, I slowly faded into the background.
“Then, one night, I was on my way to the kitchen to fetch something. But before I could even reach the kitchen, I overheard a faint conversation from the inside. I stopped by the doorway and eavesdropped. There, I heard the duchess in conversation with someone.
“‘Why must we keep the girl here? You’re putting me in such a complicated situation,’ the duchess complained.
“A man replied to my mistress’ complaint, ‘My lady, it will be temporary. I just need to keep her here to buy more time. Bringing her directly to my kingdom will make everything worse. Robert already suspects me. I have no doubt that Uncle James will hold an investigation on my kingdom.’
“‘I just don’t understand why you have to stoop so low,’ the duchess snarked. ‘You’re the Prince Benjamin of Eastern Sun. And you’re being desperate over some lowly mortal.’
“‘Just follow the plan, duchess. Remember, in the end, all of us will benefit from this.’”