Red, of the Ruby Kingdom

Chapter 1

Red marched briskly through the halls of the castle, his face contorted in a grimace of barely suppressed rage. His footsteps echoed in the silence. Now, that was hardly the proper behavior for the "princess" of the kingdom, but he couldn't bring himself to care. None of the maids and guards dared give him more than a glance as he passed, too frightened by his fury and appearance. It had happened before, that one of the staff found himself impaled on a wall by a bone. No wounds, other than a hole in theirs shirt, but still. The unfortunate could not have left the castle any faster. Red clenched his fists, his left eye flashed briefly. If he didn't reach his chambers soon, he would explode where everyone could see. That was the last thing he wanted. He took a right turn and growled in growing irritation. Those corridors were far too long! The whole castle was too big for his taste! If he hadn't lived there all his life, he could get lost and wander for days without going through the same room twice. Not to mention the vastness of the gardens. Those were insane. Fortunately, the sky had granted him a very useful magic: teleportation or, as he called it, his shortcuts. They allowed him to 'port himself to wherever he had already been. So why wasn't he using them now? The answer was simple: he was furious. It was never a good idea to use any kind of magic with an unclear mind. There was the risk that it would spiral out of control and cause disasters. So Red had been forced to take the long way and walk. At least the physical activity was helping him release some of his tension. But not remotely enough. After a dozen of turns he finally, finally reached his destination. He ignored the guards on either side of the door and quickly entered his rooms. He breathed a sigh of relief and slid to sit on the ground. His mind was a jumble of thoughts screaming at him. They were driving him crazy. He throws a punch to the floor while clenching his teeth. The images of that morning repeated themselves in his skull, in a mocking way. Slowly he got to his feet and wobbed to his bed. He dropped face down on the mattress and that was it. He started sobbing. He desperately pressed his face into the pillows to silence his wails. He screamed and kicked in anger and sadness for hours. His bright red tears never stopped falling and staining the white sheets. But he didn't care. All that mattered was that his life, as he knew it, would soon be over. That morning, in the council room, his fate had been decided: he would get married. It wasn't a surprise, really. He had been trying to put it off for three years now. He knew it would happen sooner or later, but he had hoped for a miracle of some sort that would have changed his situation. He wasn't sure what he expected either, but he hoped anyway ... Well, it was over now. He was going to marry a self-centered cocky prince or noble who was only interested in the power he would gain. It wasn't that his spouse had already been decided, oh no. Red was the one who had to choose among all his suitors during the ball scheduled for the following week. It was a small mercy, but not much. In fact, during the years, Red had practically already met all the nobles of the invited countries, be it during parties or in more formal meetings. And he understood one thing: they were all idiots with delusions of grandeur. He couldn't stand them. And to currently marry one ... eugh. His stomach turned with disgust. Heck, he preferred a thousand times to talk to middle-class people or the castle staff. They were much more interesting than conversations about how many hunting trophies one had, who had the finest dress or worse who extorted the most money from their population. Greedy bastards. He hoped they would suffocate in one of their expensive embroidered collars. But no such luck. Red standards weren't that high. He was hoping for someone who could, if not love, call a friend. Or at the very least, with whom he could have a conversation for more than ten minutes without wanting to punch him in the face. Red sighed in resignation. His sobs had stopped, but not his tears. Now he was lying there looking at the ceiling, expression lifeless. With a tremendous effort he roused himself from his trace. This was no time for self-pity. He had to think straight and make decisions that would benefit his kingdom. His people depended on him and he would be damned if he let all his and his father's hard work get wiped away by an incompetent. The only thing he could do now was choose the least violent one and least likely to start a war. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and forced himself to get out of bed. He went to one of the nearest large windows and looked out of it. Arms resting on the windowsill and head on them. Red let his gaze wander over the city in the distance. It was late afternoon and the sun was setting. Torches and lanterns were lit in houses and in the streets. People finished their last chores and hurried to their homes for dinner. Everything was peaceful and serene. Red's room was located on the third floor of the castle, so he had a great view over the rooftops and trees. He watched and no one knew he was there. It was thrilling and depressing at the same time. On one hand the excitement of being like a spy, on the other the loneliness that consumed him inside. And at the moment that loneliness was more overwhelming than usual. He buried his face in his arms to suppress a groan. In such a situation he would normally have turned to his father for comfort, but that was three years ago. When his father, the king and his only relative left, was still alive. He was a good ruler, kind and just, but who did not fear the difficulties and risks he ran with that position. Unfortunately, he had died of illness three years ago, leaving Red to rule the kingdom alone. That wasn't a problem. Red had always been smart and capable. He easily managed finance and internal and external politics. Red had used this fact and his father's death to put off all betrothal proposals and the council pressures. But now it had come to the point where the problem could no longer be ignored. As the council members had explained, the lack of a king and a stable central power agitated the masses and the risk of an invasion by a neighboring kingdom increased. Despite everything, Red had to agree with them. But that didn't mean he had to like it. And he most certainly didn't. He briefly thought about the fact that it was much easier to make unpleasant decisions when you weren't personally involved. As a "princess" and Judge he had had to take harsh measures for those who did not respect the law. And now it was his turn to face his future. It was karma. He simply had to accept it. And he accepted it, but not without a fight. If the new king proved to be an incompetent he would do everything he could to keep his kingdom safe, should it cost him his life. For the umpteenth time in the last three years Red found himself mulling over how much easier it would be if he had the title of "prince". When his father died, he would have immediately become king and would have more freedom of choice. Instead he was a "princess". And he had to depend on another monster to rule. The title was not for disparaging purposes. Skeleton monsters didn't have a predefined gender. They could be both male and female. It was a personal choice. Red preferred to be addressed as a male, but he had no problem with the title itself or wearing dresses with full skirts, bows and lace. It was his father who had decided to give him that title, in the hope that one day he would find someone who would treat him with care and protect him. Heck, he appreciated his old man's good intentions and couldn't even be mad at him. He had done it out of love and concern for his future. The one he was angry with was himself and his terrible health. He was probably the only monster in history with only 1 HP. It was unheard of. He should have been dead, but he was perfectly alive and moving. And making his father worry. Because it didn't matter if he was perfect at governing, if he knew how to fight and had an immense magical reserve, if he knew how to command an army and his knowledge in the cultural and scientific field exceeded those of his teachers, he was still too fragile and physically weak. One hit and he would be dust. One hit when he least expects it and the kingdom would have found itself without a ruler. Without a successor. It would be chaos. Red couldn't die in peace with himself if that was the case. So, he had accepted the title with no regrets. Well, until now. He was so frustrated and angry with himself for being weak, for needing the protection and safety of another. For not being able to change and overcome the barrier that was that single number on his stats. Rationally he knew it wasn't his fault and that he couldn't do anything about it, but it ate him anyway. The umpteenth sigh of the day left his teeth. He had complained enough. He was tired of crying. She felt drained and just wanted to sink into his mattress and sleep for all the next month. Long enough to skip the dance, while he was at it. But the sun was almost completely set and soon a waitress would arrive to announce that dinner was ready. He had to prepare and try to look at least presentable before going out in public. He had appearances to keep. And he had already given enough material to the staff with his escape to his rooms. Everyone in the palace and town will already have heard the gossip and there was too much on his plate as it was. So, he headed for the bathroom. A bath to erase all traces of his weaknesses was a must. He sank into the hot water and for a moment it was as if all his troubles were washed away. He was already starting to feel better. He stayed there, playing with soap bubbles, until he heard the voice of a maid announcing that dinner was served. He got out of the tub and dried himself with a fluffy towel. He chose comfortable and warm clothes and walked over to the door. But he didn't open it. He didn't want to go out. He would hear the staf gossiping behind his back when they thought he couldn't hear them. It made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. And it was rude. Then again, he couldn't stay closed there all the time. Sooner or later he would have to go out. And then he would feel even more ashamed for acting like a sulky child. He shook his head. It was decided. Finally he left his rooms and faced the evening. A little longer and he would be able to go to sleep. Just a little longer and darkness would envelop him for a night and he could pretend the world didn't exist.