Moving On

Kenneth and Brox returned to the Matias family residence as the sun had set. After they returned, Kenneth immediately told Matias and Amy that he would be leaving the next day. At first, Matias and Amy also complained because Kenneth left too suddenly. But in the end, both knew they couldn't stop the prince from his mission.

After dinner, Kenneth returned to his room to start packing his things. Among all things, Kenneth's movements stopped when he saw a pile of letters from Uri. The prince unconsciously smiled when he remembered the contents of the letters. At least because of Uri, Kenneth wasn't too worried when he lived so far away from his mother.

Uri explained that there had been no movement that threatened Emma's safety in the Ruby Palace. Uri also said his mother had gotten better since Kenneth left. Every day, Emma would pray for Kenneth's safety. Kenneth knew that his mother had other intentions, hoping he would succeed in the mission. But every time Kenneth received a report from Uri that Emma wanted Kenneth to know that she missed him, the prince couldn't help but feel a warm feeling flowing through his body.

However, in one of the letters, Uri also discussed Princess Abigail, who is still under house arrest. People in the palace began to speculate that Princess Abigail had lost the affection of King Ducan. But Kenneth didn't think so. After Kenneth heard his father's answer about his decision about Princess Abigail, Kenneth was sure that King Ducan did it because he had other plans for his older sister.

"Your Majesty, may I come in?"

Kenneth was lost in his thoughts when Amy knocked on his door. "Of course, you may come in, Amy," Kenneth replied. Amy walked over to him with a bag in one hand. The woman hesitated for a moment before she finally handed the bag to Kenneth, who looked confused.

"Your Highness, we know it's presumptuous of us to think that you lack something when you're a prince. But as someone you saved, and... as someone who once had evil thoughts towards you, we agree that giving you these medicines is the only atonement we can do. Inside, we've packed some medicines and food that might be useful on your journey. Your Highness, we feel really lucky to have met a prince as good as you."

Kenneth accepted the bag that Amy handed over, then was surprised when he saw that Amy even included expensive medicines in the bag. "This..." Kenneth wanted to refuse because the Matias family had given him something more than what he had done for them. But when Kenneth saw that Amy seemed sad if he refused the gift, the prince still accepted the bag and smiled sincerely.

"Thank you very much. I will never forget your kindness," Kenneth told him.

Sure enough. Only when Kenneth had accepted their gift without trying to refuse did Amy finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled widely. "To be remembered by you is a great honor for us, Your Highness!" she said happily. Amy truly regretted the time when they had almost left Kenneth in a dying state while on the journey. To her, a prince as good as Kenneth should have lived a long life and become king someday.

If it was Kenneth, they believed that the Lucano Kingdom would achieve prosperity that no other king could achieve. Kenneth might be a prince born with commoner blood. But thanks to his birth, Amy felt that Kenneth understood the suffering of the commoner better than other princes.

"Ah, could you allow me to help you prepare your things, Your Highness? You just recovered a few days ago. Since you will be going on a long journey tomorrow, I think you need as much rest as you can."

Kenneth smiled unconsciously because Amy's words reminded him of Uri. Remembering that made Kenneth not have the heart to refuse Amy's request. "Then, I will trouble you to help me," he said informingly.

Amy smiled and answered Kenneth's words. "It's nothing, Your Highness," he said as he stepped forward and reached out to help Kenneth pack his things.

***

Kenneth's time in Celeste Village felt so fast. In an instant, Kenneth, who was originally unable to get out of bed, was ready to continue his journey. The prince carried all his belongings after he finished saying goodbye to everyone. Unfortunately, Brox was still unwilling to part with Kenneth. So, even though Kenneth had tried to remind him that Neil might scold Brox for coming to his house again, the little boy was still stubborn and followed Kenneth to Neil's house.

Unexpectedly, Matias and Amy also chose to accompany Kenneth to Neil's house. The two helped Kenneth carry his things, then reasoned that they had business at Neil's house. Kenneth knew their real purpose but did not say anything about it. For Kenneth, the concern they showed was something he should always appreciate.

When Kenneth arrived at Neil's house with the others, the Celeste Village Chief was already waiting for them in front of his house. As soon as Neil saw Matias' family accompanying Kenneth, Neil looked like he wanted to say something. But in the end, he held himself back and nodded as Kenneth and the others began to greet him.

"Are you ready, Your Highness?"

Kenneth took a deep breath, then nodded confidently. As soon as Kenneth entered the secret passage, he knew that he would not be able to turn back and regret everything. Kenneth left to protect what he loved and to protect himself. Kenneth knew that he could not hesitate any longer, especially since he had come this far.

"I am ready. Please show me the secret passage, Chief."

Neil nodded and asked everyone to move away from his house. After that, the man announced a foreign language that Kenneth had never heard before. Kenneth saw that Neil's house started to light up when the man started speaking a foreign language. Then, the house shifted and revealed an underground entrance that was not visible before.

"You just need to follow this tunnel to arrive at the Audoran Forest. You might encounter strange things when you arrive there. But remember what your goal is, and just focus on that."

Matias frowned when he heard Neil's advice. That was the first time Matias heard Neil give advice that was different from the usual. However, because the advice was not bad, Matias finally remained silent and returned to his calm expression again.

"I understand. Once again, thank you very much for your help."

On the other hand, Kenneth did not notice the slight change in Matias' face and focused on expressing his gratitude to Neil. Kenneth could only see Neil pause for a moment while staring at his face then suddenly let out a long sigh.

"I didn't help you much in this matter, Your Highness. I was just following my destiny, while you were just following yours."

Neil's words were always confusing, but Kenneth tried not to think too much about it. Kenneth said goodbye to Matias, Amy, and Brox before he finally entered the tunnel alone.

After Kenneth's figure was no longer visible, the house that had previously opened the way moved again to close the secret passage. Neil stared at Kenneth's departure with a sad expression. The man never expected that this cruel fate would happen during his tenure as a village chief.

"I have done what you wanted, Lady Lelitia. Even if fate is cruel, I have still succeeded in carrying out the task you have entrusted to our village for hundreds of years," Neil whispered only in his heart as he finally took his eyes off the place where Kenneth had left earlier.