chapter 5 :punishment

"BOW BEFORE ME!!!"

he said with anger and a stern gaze directed at Richard Karl, though there were hints of sadness in his eyes.

"You are a complete disappointment," Richard muttered, seating himself back on his throne, the tension in the room easing as he spoke indifferently. "I, Richard Asina Lenistark, the 5th king of the Asina Kingdom, hereby decree judgment." He continued speaking with a slight tinge of disappointment in his voice.

"Karl Asina Lenistark, you are henceforth forbidden from bearing the 'Asina' name, and I am confiscating your royal ring. From now on, you have no right to the throne until further notice, and I am also stripping you of the territory you are responsible for. The judgment is final." With these words, he exited through the side door of the hall, leaving Richard, Karl completely deflated, his face as if he had witnessed his worst nightmare. Honestly, I didn't feel much sympathy for him. As a prince, you have certain responsibilities, but I hadn't anticipated Karl receiving such a severe punishment, especially the confiscation of the royal ring.

Confiscating the royal ring meant that all privileges reserved for the royal family would be taken away. Of course, Karl still had some special privileges as a noble, but possessing a royal ring made you nearly untouchable within the kingdom. Additionally, he no longer had a claim to the throne. Right now, there are four other heirs beside me, and one more on the way in my mother's womb. After all the commotion, I left the room, and Karl's advisor and a few guards lifted him up and escorted him out. I went to my chamber and made a mental note of this day to avoid encountering such a problem in the future.

I spent a few more months with training and lessons, and finally, I turned seven. As far as I knew, birthdays weren't celebrated in this world. If they were, mine would probably have been celebrated. In my previous life, I had celebrated a few times as a child, but as I grew older, it seemed pointless to me, so I didn't feel bad about it.

During one of the days when I was training with Mary, a servant hurried towards me with a worried expression on his face. "Young master, your mother... your mother is giving birth," he said, looking at Mary with concern. Mary immediately nodded. Over the time I spent with her, we had reached a point where we could understand each other without speaking.

There were many servants near my mother's chamber, all wearing anxious expressions. This made me realize how much they cared about my mother. Since technology hadn't advanced much in this world, childbirth mortality rates were high. Thanks to the healers in the palace, this rate was significantly lower, but it was still not zero. Soon, a servant emerged from inside with a smile on her face and announced, "Young master, you now have a sister." Upon hearing this news, I felt a wave of joy. I immediately went inside to see my newborn sister.

My mother had been anxiously awaiting the birth for a long time. When the servant and I entered, I saw a sweet baby peacefully sleeping in Luciana's arms, but my mother looked quite exhausted. As I approached her and asked if she was okay, she replied with a smile, "I'm fine, my son, better than ever." She pulled me close, and Richard was right beside her.

I approached my mother and asked if she was okay. Luciana replied with a smile, "I'm fine, my son, better than ever," she said and pulled me close. Richard kissed both of us on the cheeks and said, "I have to leave now, Lucy, I'm sorry..." Luciana quickly replied, "It's okay, don't worry about me, I'm fine, focus on your work," she said. After Richard left the room, Luciana sang a comforting lullaby to both of us, and I fell asleep with a smile on my face, something I hadn't done in a long time.

A few weeks passed, and the baby was healthy. I returned to my training, feeling quite accomplished in magic lately, but I hadn't made much progress in swordsmanship due to my small stature. Mary assured me that it was normal, so I didn't dwell on it.

I realized in the past few days that I had never left the palace. The palace was quite vast, and I had been focused on my studies, so I hadn't felt the need to. But I wanted to see the city of 'Kipca,' the largest city and capital of the kingdom where the palace was located. So, I went to ask my father for permission. He gave me a guard and instructed me to be careful. Mary also wanted to accompany me.

Leaving the palace dressed in civilian clothes, I realized how well-designed the city was. It was filled with grand and aesthetic buildings, small water channels, and a vibrant atmosphere. I guess my father had done a good job. As we walked through the city, I spotted a quaint little shop that caught my attention.

The interior was well-designed, with interesting gadgets on the right and shelves filled with books on the left. Behind the door on the left was a small counter with an attractive woman with pink hair and blue eyes. She greeted us with a smile, "Welcome to Aphrodite's shop. We sell all sorts of knick-knacks and books here. If you have any special requests, we can also take orders at reasonable prices," she said with a sweet smile. Mary stepped forward and muttered something to the shopkeeper, who nodded. Then she looked at me and said, "If you want, you can go to the back and play with Aphrodite. I'll talk to your parents." Mary said, "No need, she's a very well-behaved child," but I shook my head and said, "No need, I'll go to the back." Mary didn't want to leave me alone, but eventually, I couldn't pass up the chance to meet someone my own age. The woman at the counter reassured Mary, saying, "Don't worry, Aphrodite is very friendly. She's my sister, just be nice to her, she's a bit sensitive." Mary nodded.

As I walked to the back, I saw rows of bookshelves. Behind the shelves were pink and white chairs. As I approached the chairs, I saw a little girl with pink, wavy hair buried in a book. I called out to her, "Excuse me, are you Aphrodite?" But she didn't lift her head from the book. This time, I spoke louder, "Are you Aphrodite?" The girl seemed to have heard me this time, as she lifted her head from the book and looked at me. I was shocked. I saw a girl with pink, wavy hair, ice-blue eyes, and a delicately designed face. Her nose, cheeks, and pink lips made her look so adorable that I had to restrain myself from biting her cheeks to resist her cuteness. Finally, she opened her lips and shyly said, "Yes, I'm Aphrodite... Who are you?"