kscans

Chapter 1 - Prologue

The girl dreamed of the day she would be freed from her cage. And so, she waited, ever waited, for the "someone" who would make it so. That was why, when the boy appeared before her, she had to fight to hold back tears of joy.

"Please, take what you desire."

An unusual painting hangs in His Majesty the King’s study. It is a portrait of a pale, gaunt girl dressed in black mourning clothes. The town of Regis, depicted in the background, is bathed in brilliant light, but this only serves to emphasize the girl’s gloominess. It is not a pleasant picture to look at.

Leon, the king’s grandson, had always been terrified of it. From the moment he first saw it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the girl in the painting was glaring at him. Leon was particularly frightened of ghosts and the like.

Today, too, he had started off quietly reading a picture book, but he grew more and more unnerved by the girl’s gaze until he couldn't stand it any longer and leaped into his grandfather’s lap.

"Grandfather, I’m scared of that painting. Please, can you take it down?"

The king, having already ceded more than half of his authority to Leon’s father and begun considering retirement, was spending more and more of his time peacefully with his visiting grandson. Still, with a mountain of work to do, he could only entertain the boy in between his duties in the study. Renowned as the Wise King, his very presence was so significant that a complete retirement remained out of reach.

"Oh, my," the king said, pausing his writing as his grandson jumped onto him. He lifted the small boy onto his lap.

"Leon, is it the woman in the painting that frightens you?"

"Because she’s glaring at me…"

"Hm… She is not glaring at you, Leon. She is watching over you. Though," he added, "she may well be glaring at me."

"At you, Grandfather?"

"That’s right, Leon. This woman was a very admirable person. Your grandfather made an important promise to her. She is watching over me to make sure I keep that promise."

"…She isn’t a bad person? Not a witch or a ghost?"

"Haha, I suppose she might look a bit like a witch," the king chuckled.

Whether due to being spoiled or simply by his own nature, Leon, who had just turned six, was a timid child. His education as the next crown prince had already begun, but he was often so frightened of his strict tutors that he would flee to this study. Leon adored his grandfather, who was called the Wise King and held the immense trust of his people. Two out of three times, his grandfather would gently persuade him to return to his tutors, but that third time, he would give him sanctuary. The stories his grandfather told were far more interesting and full of wisdom than any of his lessons.

"Listen closely, Leon. This woman wears black not because she is a witch. These are mourning clothes."

"Mourning clothes?"

"Indeed. Today, I shall tell you about this woman. It was a long, long time ago, long before your father was even born."

And so, the old king began his tale. A story of a girl he met when he himself was just a hot-blooded young boy…