Chapter 02

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[To my beloved father, mother, and big brothers.

In order to begin living independently and to learn the true meaning of life, your most precious youngest son will set out on a journey of growth, using my own two feet. I hope father, mother, and my dear brothers stay healthy and miss me from time to time.

I pray for the wellbeing of my family.

Kael Everheart ♡

P.S. Please don’t scold Mr. Belus for the missing horse. I’ll return together with Porshe once my journey has come to an end!]

“KAEL! JUST YOU WAIT, YOU SCOUNDREL! DON’T EXPECT MERCY, EVEN IF YOU FALL TO YOUR KNEES BEGGING BEFORE YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER!”

Meanwhile, the source of endless headaches and the cause of Marquess Everheart’s soaring blood pressure in the early morning was now urging his steed, Porshe, into full gallop.

“Yeah, freedom! My dear Porshe, I’m counting on you.”

Racing faster and faster, the pair of horse and rider, looking as if they shared a special bond, made their way toward the borders of Everheart territory.

They paused now and then to rest, letting Porshe graze while Kael munched on some supplies he had snatched before leaving.

He wasn’t afraid of pursuers coming after him; he knew that would never happen. Though his father was affectionate and unwilling to be apart from his children, deep down, he would actually be pleased to see them all learning to live on their own.

At most, the Marquess’s blood pressure was probably rising now because his most prized horse, worth a fortune, bred from champion racehorses, had been taken away by Kael. Not to mention Kael had also… just a little… taken some extra money from his father’s treasury.

Don’t ask how he managed to find it and sneak it out without being caught. Well, “borrow” it, technically. 

That’s his secret.

By noon, after finishing his simple meal, Kael brushed the dust off his wrinkled shirt and pants as he leaned against a shady tree.

“Too bad I only managed to take a little.”

He patted his backpack affectionately, as if it were a treasure chest.

Inside were valuable things that would help him survive independently.

Calling it “a little” was shameless, since he had taken no less than 150,000,000 Pero. In the Asterion Empire, that was enough to buy a house with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a modest living space, plus some extra land in the front and back that could be turned into rooms or even a separate kitchen.

Perhaps because he was used to getting whatever he wanted so easily, Kael had no real sense of just how much that amount was worth to countless families, especially among commoners.

His actual destination for this so-called independent life, though it couldn’t really be called independent, was the city of Greathollow, under the domain of Duke Oxenford. There, a small cottage awaited him, a birthday gift from his father last year, when he turned twenty.

“Father won’t suddenly pop out of the cottage when I get there, right?”

Kael’s father had a sharp instinct when it came to catching his mischievous youngest son.

When Kael was five, he had once broken an antique vase the Marquess had won at auction, worth a great deal, of course.

Fearing his father’s anger, little Kael hid in the stables, covering himself with hay, thinking his hiding place was flawless.

Such a naive thought for young Kael.

‘Hehe, I’ll come out once Father isn’t mad anymore.’

Just as he sighed in relief…

‘You little rascal!’

His body was suddenly lifted, his face coming eye to eye with the Marquess, whose expression was twisted in both irritation and amusement at his son’s antics.

‘F-Father…’

Out came Kael’s ultimate move: the pitiful puppy-dog face of the youngest son, begging for mercy.

Now, as he thought about his destination, Kael tugged gently on Porshe’s reins. He couldn’t bring himself to ride her again after burdening the loyal horse all morning.

Instead, he walked alongside her.

Step by step, the two made their way toward the nearest inn Kael knew was in the area.

“Let’s continue our journey after resting for the night.”

He stroked Porshe’s neck, making the horse neigh happily.

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Night fell. The clear sky revealed a blanket of stars, glittering beautifully above.

The air was cool. Kael gazed upward.

He had just cleaned himself and changed out of his dusty clothes into a comfortable shirt and cotton trousers.

Thankfully, the inn provided a laundry service, so he didn’t have to worry about running out of clean clothes.

To save space in his pack, after all, he had only brought a few changes of clothing and basic supplies.

Meanwhile, Porshe was safely stabled in the inn’s barn as soon as they arrived.

Resting his chin in his hands, Kael leaned by the window, his soft features framed by damp strands of brown hair, darker now after washing.

Even after sweating from the long journey, his good looks, with those gentle features, were impossible to hide.

His gray eyes sparkled, unwilling to lose to the twinkling stars he admired.

From the first-floor window, he inhaled the night’s fresh air deeply.

“Ah, there!”

A shooting star! He couldn’t let this rare chance slip away.

‘I hope my journey reaches a happy ending.’

With heartfelt sincerity, Kael made his wish.

He had no idea whether today’s reckless act would truly lead him to the result he desired.

Truthfully, he was simply bored, longing to know what it felt like to live far from the parents who had spoiled him all his life.

When he opened his eyes after making the wish, his gaze locked with someone standing frozen across the way.

Judging by her uniform, she seemed to be a female knight.

Startled when their eyes met, the woman clearly hadn’t expected him to open his eyes; she must have thought the young man at the window was asleep.

Kael dipped his head slightly in greeting, his ears turning red for reasons he couldn’t explain.

The knight quickly led her horse into the stable a few meters away from the inn.

That night, Porshe slept side by side with the knight’s horse, the two of them alone in the quiet barn.

In the stillness of the night, interrupted only by the songs of crickets and other nocturnal creatures, Kael turned back from the open window and dove under the blanket.

Red spread from the tips of his ears, flooding his cheeks and neck.

Beneath the covers, a boiled crab was hiding…

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