Ever since then, Aster had grown up posing as a girl, to the extent of even assuming the fake identity of Astel Ayjar. Aster was prepared for any sudden accident that could befall him at any moment.
But …
A needle was embedded in his necklace, soaked with poison, which would serve as a future regret.
Aster suffered from many attempted assassinations, of which were ordered by the Empress. Having almost died several times, Aster eventually went into hiding at the Lithi Duchy.
The Empress did not believe it when Duke Lithi tried to spread a rumour of Aster’s death. As for the Emperor, regardless of the curse, he was not going to save Aster. It didn’t matter whether he was born a son or a daughter.
Aster lived a silent life, where he could not move freely or make any friends due to his confinement. Ritaus, Aster’s sixth cousin, was the only one with whom he was able to befriend.
The fact that Ritaus could go out freely in public, unaccompanied, wounded and shocked Aster to the core. The world to which Ritaus belonged was constantly expanding, while the world around Aster constantly shrank.
Aster felt nervous because of what he learned after picking up on some rumors originating from Count Ayjar’s new servants. According to them, Ritaus had long been engaged to the eldest daughter of the West family. After finding out about this, Aster no longer had the desire to marry Ritaus.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me about it?” Aster wondered out loud. “What should I do?”
Aster was unhappy with the Ayjar family, which until now had hidden Ritaus’s engagement. He hated Ritaus for leaving him in the dark like this.
Every couple in the world would grow old together, and this was something Aster couldn’t hope for with Ritaus. Ritaus was the only person in Aster’s small world, but unlike Aster, Ritaus was out living a life of his own.
Aster begged for a savior, a knight in shining armor, to help him escape from this detrimental reality. Aster even implored the knight and prayed to God, who he did not believe in. Like a princess trapped in a fairytale tower, he wanted to be saved.