[Volume 1: Ru Hasselt] The Clueless Prince

Chapter 6: A World of Red

A/N: THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN FULLY RE-WRITTEN! Please re-read it for a better enjoyment of future chapters (for those who read the old version).

Enjoy!

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[Content warning - Mentions/descriptions of violence and/or gore.]

[NOTE- THIS CHAPTER FOLLOWS RU'S FIRST PERSPECTIVE]

My morning routine was simple. I got up from bed, made the bed, and washed up. After dressing myself, I headed to the dining hall. I'd get breakfast, eat it, and then receive tutoring from an esteemed scholar or sword training by one of the veteran knights.

But today...

I went the opposite direction and opened a large wooden double door. Inside, rows and rows of books greeted me—tucked neatly in tens of bookshelves. The library in the castle was better than most, and I enjoyed reading as much as training. The smell of books and ink brought a spring to my steps and I grabbed several—mainly from the history section.

My goal was to find a way to help Rael. I couldn't let him help me without returning the favor.

I was aware that he had mein too. I also knew that the supposed cure was only available in Urel for citizens of Urel. Even if Rael's position in the royal family was a bit shaky... they surely wouldn't let him die, right?

I hesitated, before grabbing three more books.

Just in case.

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For the next four days, I read almost every book in the library, trying to find anything on mein. But there wasn't even a mention of it—except for one book.

I held one of the oldest books, which looked like it'd disintegrate if I sneezed. I carefully opened the book, slowly reading each word, hoping to find a clue. This was my only hope to be of help to Rael. I couldn't just accept someone's help without giving anything back. It was... selfish.

After nearly an hour, I finally found it. My eyes widened as I leaned closer. I traced the fading letters with my finger.

'—said, quoting the Lightning Archmage, Gabriel H. Based on his research, he'd concluded that typically, the percentage of illegitimate children to contract mein was 100%. But what about the few nobles who contracted it too? He traveled all over the continent, calculating the percentage, and the chances of a noble contracting mein. There was exactly 0.00001% chance for a noble to contract it. That's a 1 in 10 million chance.

On his journey, he only met four nobles with mein—two who had already passed away. He summarized that perhaps the reason 'pureblood' nobles got it was because of a mixed lineage. That's why it was better to breed within the family tree. The closer, the better. A second cousin, a first, or even one's—' I slammed the book shut. And slowly exhaled.

This book was too outdated. I pushed it to the side and leaned against the chair. It'd been my only hope but the only thing I'd learned was how impossibly unlucky I was, and that 'inbreeding is the only way to alleviate all nobles from contracting mein in the future'. I scowled and decided to hide the book away. It won't be missed.

But now what? Should I try to read every book? Or should I just... give up? I stared blankly at the ceiling, unsure. Mein seemed like such a forbidden topic to discuss... It's as if no one wanted to research anything about it. It was a bit weird considering how high the mortality rates were. There was a cure but it had been impossible for my father—the King of Tenn to acquire. Even with Tenn's close bond with Urel—his request had been refused.