Ch. 15: A Naive Boy [1]

I stepped forward to see what was down below but it was way too dark and I couldn't see anything. Also, going there right away was foolish. At the very least, I should be prepared just in case something unexpected comes up.

Twirling myself, I made a thinking pose whilst scanning my chamber. Since I had no money–wait, I thought I had valuable things for me to sell.

'That's right. Those gemstones on my accessories.'

I strode towards the closet and put many accessories into the magical sphere. With these, I could solve my financial problem, and next–

'I need food.'

What if Alexander deceived me? What if the truth was, it was not a secret passage, but a prison, which would lock me inside it forever? Well, this was merely my speculation.

'I can't survive by eating accessories, so I need food.'

I drew the curtain to hide the passage entrance and walked to the door. When I poked my head out of my chamber, the maids and butlers were seen comically turning their heads toward me. I got out and hurriedly closed the door behind me. 

'They don't see the secret passage's entrance, do they?'

"Your Highness, if you don't feel well, you should not leave your bed."

I turned to the voice and found the one I had been looking for.

"Fedel, can you put many light snacks or refreshments into my magical sphere?"

I handed my Telesphere and he received it.

"Your Highness, where did you get this?"

"It's Her Majesty's gift."

"I see. Then, how many do you need?"

"Snacks for a whole day?"

However, he stared at me for a few seconds.

"Why do you need that many snacks?"

"So when I want to eat a snack, I don't have to call the maids."

I had sprouted a lot of nonsense and now it just came out naturally. I should stop doing that bad habit. But, Fedel didn't seem convinced enough by my lie. He kept eyeing me which made me uncomfortable for some reason.

"I understand."

Fedel gave my Telesphere to the maid beside him. The maid bowed and excused herself.

"I will inform you when it's ready. For now, please go back to your chamber and rest."

"Okay."

With that, I went back to my room with a light heart and all I had to do was wait. I marched to the couch and laid myself there. I gazed at the ceiling above.

Fedel, the head butler. Even though he had served me for 5 years, I couldn't really get used to him. It was not like I didn't trust him, it was because he always gave me an I-am-a-dangerous-man vibe.

Also, he didn't appear in the novel, so I knew nothing about him. Tired of waiting, I decided to take a nap. Also, searching for the key to open the secret passage entrance really exhausted me. 

'Let's replenish some energy.'

.

.

.

Knocks on the door woke me up.

"Your Highness?"

"Coming!"

I massaged my temples and sat to gather my soul. After my dizziness faded, I got up and opened the door. Fedel stood not too far away from me.

"I have completed your order. However..."

I waited for him to resume his words, yet, he just stood there and blatantly stared at me. And to my surprise, he didn't say anything for 15 seconds straight which made me anxious for some reason. As I couldn't take it anymore, I encourage myself to open my mouth.

"What is it?"

"Your Highness, you're not planning on doing something dangerous, right?"

I blinked a few times. 

'Don't panic and let's act naturally.'

"What do you mean? How can I do something dangerous when I'm all alone and staying inside?"

"The last time Your Highness 'all alone and staying inside' was, you blew up the whole library."

"..."

I shut my mouth because I couldn't refute it. But, it made me wonder, though. Was he really worried or he just mocked me? Honestly speaking, I had no idea about the Mana Blast's part, which was, yeah, it admitted it was my fault. I should have finished the book before starting to meditate. My bad.

"I won't do something dangerous. I promise."

'I only want to visit the city and then go back. Nothing sounds so dangerous about it, right?'

Of course, I spat the rest inwardly. Although I made a vow, Fedel didn't seem to trust me. 

'Just what the hell must I do to convince him?'

Sighed. With this, I realized that I shouldn't stop and must pursue perfecting my bluffing skill.

"Alright."

Jeez. Finally, He held out my Telesphere but the moment I was about to grab it, Fedel took his hand out. I glared at him with a displeased expression.

"You must keep your promise, Your Highness."

I sighed in annoyance.

"Fine."

Fedel finally gave my Telesphere back. I channeled my Mana and checked the content inside. After making sure I got the food, I whirled my back and opened the door.

"Also, I'll skip my lunch. Thank you, Fedel."

"You're welcome."

I went inside and closed the door. Now, I had things to sell and food to eat. What about water? Nah, I could extract water from the earth.

'The last is... I need a weapon.'

What if after being locked inside the passage

Alexander popped out and tried to kill me there? With that in mind, I needed a weapon to defend myself. Of course, this was just a continuation of my speculation but it never hurt to be extra vigilant, right?

'When you're gonna explore an unknown place, it's better to be prepared rather than sorry. It's not funny if you died because of your stupidity. But, there was a problem.'

I didn't have a real sword because my mother wouldn't allow me. I sighed. Even when practicing, up until now I only used wooden swords. I narrowed my eyes and inspected my room thoroughly to search for something useful and--oh!

I walked toward the hanging sword and took it. I unsheathed it and just like I expected, the edges were dull. Sheathed it back, and I put it in my magical sphere. It was better to have one rather than nothing. With that, all of my preparation was completed. 

I rolled my feet towards the secret passage and drew the curtain. I gazed at my room for the last time.

'Mom, I promise, I'll come back before sunset.'

Not to forget to take the dagger (key) that was lying on the ground and I stepped my feet down the stairs.

–Thump!

I turned my back and saw the entrance door unexpectedly closed. Upon seeing it, I had mixed feelings. My speculation wouldn't veer into reality, right?