Chapter 22

Where could he be? As Arkin also looked around in tandem, a delicate, soft voice flowed from right behind his back.

“…Ah, yes, I’m here.”

It was a plaintive and beautiful voice, yet lacking in confidence. It didn’t quite feel like that of a prince from a sovereign nation. Just as Arkin was about to glance backward, he changed his mind thinking it might make the other person uncomfortable and kept his gaze fixed solely on Titus before him.

“Yes, Prince Elio of the Fog Kingdom of Veilon. Verified. Then the remaining person is…”

Twisting his expression and checking off names one by one, the priest chewed his lip and raised his head.

“Has anyone perchance seen the prince of Iivika?”

The moment Titus furrowed his brow, Arkin recalled that uniquely shaped palanquin wrapped in vines—the windows tightly veiled with lowered blinds, and the guards standing guard before it with exceptionally sensitive, guarded expressions.

“You mean that fellow who rode in on some bizarre grass palanquin?”

When Draconis crossed his arms and asked bluntly, Titus responded immediately.

“I will go verify it, so please tour your rooms first, change your clothes, and come back out. I am heading straight to the main building, so once you have changed, you may gather at the dining hall.”

Folding the parchment away inside his sleeve, Titus walked away at a brisk pace. Because they had not yet formally greeted one another, the remaining trainees felt slightly awkward and conscious of each other’s presence. Paying them no mind, Arkin opened the heavy wooden door of the room assigned to him.

The twin building located directly opposite the women’s quarters. The women were also gathered in the front yard of their quarters, receiving guidance from a priest.

“You can check the time right here, so please be careful not to be late.”

Priest Tilly pointed to the sundial situated in the front yard of the quarters. A straight wooden stick planted in the middle of an extended spread of marble paving stones cast a long shadow. Numbers and symbols indicating time were intricately engraved around the sundial.

“As you can see, the shadow is currently reaching close to the fourth notch, which means dinner time is approaching. First, we will tour the quarters, quickly change our clothes, and then gather at the dining hall.”

With a gentle smile, Tilly turned their steps toward the entrance.

Even as she followed behind Tilly, Nephitia kept stealing glances at the sea visible below the cliffside. The deep blue sea sparkled like a gemstone under the sunlight, crashing against the cliff with white foam before receding with a soft, rushing sound.

Lost in deep thought while gazing at the breathtaking view, Nephitia failed to notice someone squatting right in front of her and ended up tripping.

“Ah…”

She almost fell, but managed to steady herself just in time by grabbing the other person’s back. The purple robe hem draped over her shoulder also fluttered and brushed against the floor.

“Say, um…”

Just as Nephitia tried to inspect the person she had collided with, the other person stood up without showing any particular surprise, dusted themselves off casually, turned around, and smiled brightly at Nephitia.

“It was you! The person who was going to bump into me right here.”

“The person who was going to bump into you?”

Nephitia carefully scrutinized the eccentric-sounding princess. Purple eyes and black hair. It seemed similar to Nephitia’s own hair, but blacker and with a hue reminiscent of the night sky.

“You knew we were going to bump into each other?”

In her hand, she held a smooth, polished land turtle shell. Complex symbols and lines were intertwined like a net, with large, difficult symbols engraved right in the center. Was she an astrologer?

“Yeah, I knew. A designated spot, a point of destiny. Isn’t that how it always is?”

The strange princess pointed to the sky with her finger, pointed to the ground again, and then picked up the turtle shell to brush off the dirt. As she thrust it out proudly toward Nephitia, the princess’s purple eyes flashed brightly.

“I didn’t know it would be you I bumped into, but I was expecting to bump bodies with someone. I ‘read’ it beforehand, you see.”

“I don’t really know what you mean.”

When Nephitia tilted her head, the turtle princess smiled softly.

“You’ll find out in time. I’m Stella. I’m from Astralia. We’re very interested in predicting fate and the future.”

“Predicting fate and the future?”

“I can see the movements of the stars and planets. Of course, I’m still at the apprentice level, but I’m actually pretty good at it.”

Holding the turtle shell close to her chest with care, Stella patted it gently.

“This is my exclusive tool used for astrology.”

So she read fate and the future with that turtle? Nephitia’s eyes narrowed.

“Can you use that to read other people’s destinies too?”

“Of course. I already read your destiny last night while observing the stars! I knew that when I picked up the turtle I accidentally dropped today, I’d bump into someone, and that you’d be so distracted by other thoughts that you wouldn’t see me and trip right over my bottom.”

Wow…!

Nephitia’s eyes rounded in surprise.

“Can you even figure out what I’m thinking right now? I was just looking at the sea.”

“But you weren’t thinking about the sea, were you? You were right about…!”

“About?”

“You were thinking about your soulmate.”

Startled, Nephitia’s cheeks flushed red. She had met a friend with incredible abilities!

“Just how do you manage to guess things so well?”

“It’s a tradition in our kingdom, so I’ve received special training since I was little. Any of the royal family members in Astralia know how to predict the future.”

She had heard that Kepet once had court astrologers as well. However, because they predicted the future all too well and publicly blabbed about secrets, one of the previous monarchs had completely abolished the astrologers and the department they oversaw, or so the story went.

“And you’re Nephitia, right? Queen Mahati’s sole successor. The heir-apparent to the great monarch born under an immense prophecy.”

“Did your turtle tell you that as well?”

“No, Nephitia. I just heard it a moment ago.”

Stella burst into a giggle. Life and laughter spread across her pale, freckled cheeks, bringing them to life.

While the two of them were chatting, the group ahead had already begun filing inside the building. In the distance, Tilly the priest beckoned them over with hand gestures.

“You must hurry inside!”

Nephitia and Stella hurried to close the widening gap and fell in behind the rest of the group. As they headed toward the building, a sudden thought struck Nephitia, prompting her to reach out and lightly catch Stella by the arm.

“Say, Stella, what kind of feeling do you get when I grab you like this?”

“…It’s probably because of your ‘soulmate,’ isn’t it?”

Not expecting an answer that skipped several steps ahead, Nephitia’s eyes widened once more.

“Your turtle really seems amazing. Or is your skill just that good?”

“I’d say it’s a bit of both. And I can even give you some advice regarding what you’re troubled by.”

“Really? Tell me. What is it?”

Stella smiled gently. Her plump cheeks bulged out as she grinned happily.

“Don’t be impatient; just leave it to the flow. He’ll be in your hands before long anyway.”

The moment he stepped into his assigned bedroom, Arkin let out a hollow laugh. There wasn’t really anything to look around at anyway. A small, high window attached to a square white room, a single hard wooden bed, a crude desk and chair, and a small rectangular wardrobe were all it contained.

Throwing the sack he had brought onto the bed, Arkin decided to change clothes first. He stripped off the woolen shirt and trousers that were ill-suited for the climate here, meticulously scrubbed his body with the basin of water prepared in the room, and then unfolded the new garments….

Flutter. To think that this lonely little scrap of cloth unfolded right before him was supposed to be clothing! It was truly so absurd he couldn’t believe his eyes. No matter how generously he looked at it, it looked just like underwear.

After pondering for a moment, Arkin decided to put on the sandals given to him by the priest first. It was agonizingly awkward having his bare feet fully exposed, but after crossing and tying the long straps a few times, they turned out to look quite neat. So now… shall he muster the courage to put on the tunic?

Looking at it again, it was still just as awkwardly revealing. Troubled, Arkin turned the tunic this time and that, before finally pulling it straight over his head. It didn’t feel like putting on clothes at all; ‘just instantly tossing a sack over your head’ was a much more fitting description.

Though he couldn’t properly see what he looked like right now, Arkin sat down uncomfortably, tugging downward on the bare arms and the hem of the garment that rode high above his knees. Stepping outside felt a bit daunting. Especially… what if someone saw him and burst into laughter… what would he do then….