Past Part 1/2
Long ago, in the mansion of the Duke of Rotsilt on the outskirts of Frogen.
A woman and a young boy were strolling through a garden embroidered with camellias in late winter. The only blooming flower in the garden, a red camellia, bowed its head humbly, unable to bear the weight of the thick snow.
The boy, befitting a high-ranking nobleman, wore well-tailored, luxurious clothing and a thick, fox-fur coat. A beautiful woman, with silver hair and silver-gray eyes reminiscent of a winter queen, held the young boy's hand with fondness.
While the woman rejoiced as she stomped on the crunching snow, the boy's face was dry enough to seem cynical. The precocious, aloof boy and the innocent, childlike woman both possessed the same frost-colored hair, making them undeniably siblings.
Silver-white hair was a unique characteristic of the Esatians.
“Noah. Isn’t it amazing that the world turned white in one day?”
“It’s snowing, so isn’t that natural?”
Young Noah answered nonchalantly. His pronunciation was uncharacteristically mature, and his tone was uncharacteristically mature. His chubby cheeks were flushed, but his eyes seemed impassive for a child.
“Hey, but it’s still pretty.”
“I don’t understand what it means.”
Elisa Rotsilt, Duchess of Rotsilt and Noah's mother, stopped walking, pretending to be upset by the curt words.
"Noah. In that case, if you say, 'Yeah, you're pretty,' I'll be happy. It's the other person's feeling."
“I love seeing snow piled up, Mom.”
“That’s nice too. Did you learn that from your dad?”
The Duchess smiled and kissed Noah on the cheek. Passing beneath the winter trees, she saw a white squawk chirping on a branch and burst out laughing. It was a bird with pure white, round feathers and a rather cute appearance.
“Isn’t that bird cute? It’s so round.”
“Yeah. It’s cute.”
Noah simply answered as his mother asked.
He didn't understand why they could give meaning to the same natural phenomena, such as the sun setting and rising, snow falling, and stars rising, by calling them beautiful.
He didn't understand the higher-level meaning of the phrase "be a good child." In Noah's judgment, the line between good and evil was always vague.
When asked, "Why shouldn't we kill it?", the words "It's pitiful" and "It's pitiful" could not make the child, who had different thoughts from others and was stuck in high-level thinking, understand.
His father is a good man, but he sits high up in the hierarchy and devises efficient ways to kill people. His mother is also a good person, but she cooks pheasants and deer brought in by hunters and gives them to others with a nonchalant smile.
So, he simply observed those around him, followed their example, and set his own standards for what was acceptable and what wasn't. Because he was smart, he was quick to learn the responses and answers that would please others.
Duchess Rotsilt had been teaching him realistic lessons like, "Your loved one will hate or dislike you," and "If you do, you'll end up in prison."
Fortunately, Noah was born into a noble family, received a thorough education, and pursued a gentlemanly image, so he was able to blend into society without difficulty later on.
If not for that, he likely would have become an irredeemable madman, seeking murder and genocide, finding death and fear beautiful. The Duchess stroked Noah's hand and spoke in a gentle voice.
“A pretty Princess will come to our house tomorrow.”
"Princess?"
"Yes. She's the Princess of Medea. She'll be staying at our house for a while. You must behave and treat her like a gentleman."
Noah nodded. The Duchess lifted Noah into her arms and let out a labored cry.
“Did you grow again? You’re heavy.”
“If I'm heavy, put me down.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to do it next year, so I’ll give you lots of hugs now. What do you think?”
“Then I will listen to you, Mom.”
The Duchess, covering her mouth, smiled like a girl, perhaps finding Noah's words endearing. Her silver-gray eyes, tinted with the color of winter, were beautifully curved.
“When you grow up, will you carry your mom on your back?”
"Yes."
After finishing their walk, the two came inside the mansion and shook off their shoes that were covered in snow.
“Would you like some cocoa? With whipped cream on it too.”
"Yes."
Noah didn't like sweets, but his mother loved them, so he never showed any particular dislike for them. The Duchess, having called her maid to bring her some hot cocoa, sat down in an armchair by the fireplace and gestured toward her son, holding a children's storybook in her hand.
“I’ll even read you the fairy tale I was reading yesterday.”
"Yes, it's obvious. I don't even know why the Prince would go rescue the Princess. I've never even seen him."
"Maybe that's the beginning of love. They fall in love and get married. Then, should I read you something else? The story of the fox and the Prince."
Noah was smarter than his peers and read mainly books on math and physics, so children's fairy tales were not suitable for his level.
"Yeah. Mom likes storybooks. I can do what you like with you."
He nodded, as if helpless. She opened her storybook and smiled bitterly. Noah observed her expression closely, mulling it over.
He knew that his mother had been imprisoned in a concentration camp at a young age and had been separated from his parents. He also knew that she was an Esatian from the Frogen Territory, and that she had survived the past Esatian genocide, having been saved by her father, Duke Rotsilt.
Sometimes she would stare blankly out the window, looking as if she were crying without sobbing.
A maid approached Duchess Rotsilt, who was reading a fairy tale, and told her that the Duke had returned.
“Noah, your dad is here.”
She took Noah down to the front door and smiled brightly at her husband.
“Are you here?”
Noah's dark blue eyes, holding her hand, were fixed on his mother's face, who was looking at his father.
“I’m back. Noah hasn’t said hello to me again.”
Duke Noel Rotsilt, Noah's father, gave him a stern look, but it didn't last long. He lifted his son into his arms and began caressing his cheek.
"Why don't you do it? Why don't you say hello? Are you upset with your Dad?"
“Welcome back.”
“If you don’t do it again tomorrow, you know I’ll kiss you.”
Noah averted his gaze from his father's face, who was rubbing his cheek with embarrassment. The three of them were a harmonious family.
Noah read contentment, joy, and happiness in his parents' faces. Especially when his mother and father were together, these emotions were evident in their expressions.
However, love was an emotion he hadn't yet understood, so he couldn't read it. The Duke, who was having dinner in the dining room, spoke as he sliced the lamb on his plate.
"Honey, the Princess will arrive in the Frogen capital around noon tomorrow. I'll bring her over myself."
“She’ll stay until giving birth. I feel sorry for her.”
Noah, who was eating while listening to their conversation, tilted his head and asked a question.
“A Princess giving birth? She’s not even a Queen or a consort.”
“How on earth do you know the word ‘giving birth’?”
The Duchess glanced at her husband with an embarrassed expression. He brushed back his golden hair and smiled kindly.
“My son is smart. I guess he takes after you.”
“I didn’t study well.”
“It’s okay. You’re smart in my eyes.”
The Duchess smiled shyly and wiped her lips with a napkin.
After dinner, the Duke always took Noah to the study and answered his questions about the books he had read during the day.
Knowing that the Duchess, who had been confined in a pigsty-like concentration camp since childhood and had not received an education, would not be able to answer, he would take the time to explain it to Noah.
In particular, since he was particularly talented in physics, which explores the essence of nature, he thought he might become a physicist in the future, so his father arranged for him to meet a retired scholar who had worked as a senior researcher in the Technology Development Department.
The Duke playfully tousled Noah's round silver-white hair as he sat on his lap, giving him gentle advice.
“I think it would be best not to ask the Princess questions about the child’s father or anything like that, right?”
"Why?"
“Because the Princess will be sad. If the Princess cries, Mom will be sad too.”
“Why is she sad?”
"She was betrayed. They broke up. So you need to be kind and treat hee like a gentleman."
Noah was unfamiliar with the emotion of sadness. Betrayal, separation. He'd never experienced it before, but he knew it was negative.
The young boy nodded as if he understood something.
Princess Grace, who came to the mansion, was still a young girl with a young face.
At the tender age of seventeen, she had conceived a child and was driven out of the country before she could even reach full term. Despite her pregnancy, she was slender and thin, and her pale skin beneath her jet-black hair made her look even more pitiful.
She wore a cape over a tubular dress without a corset or petticoat, and low-heeled shoes—a modest outfit for royalty.
Noah stared up at her, who was trying to smile, and read a series of negative emotions.
“Princess, I hope you are at ease.”
The Duchess carefully guided her to her room, wrapping a warm blanket around her shoulders. The Princess hadn't left her room in days since arriving at the mansion, and they only spoke briefly when the Duchess personally brought her meals.
Occasionally, sobs would leak out of the room. Noah assumed they were related to betrayal and separation.
Before going to bed, the Duke and Duchess lay in bed, Noah between them, chatting idly. The Duke patted Noah's back and sighed as he spoke.
"It seems like she hasn't told anyone who the child's father is. So she must have come here secretly."
“He really is a bad person. She’s still young... How pitiful.”
“Yeah. Are you worried?”
"Of course. I have a child myself. I can't even imagine how upset that little Princess must be."
The kind-hearted Duchess was genuinely concerned for the Princess. Noah, lying between them, listened to their conversation and, like a child, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
If you are pitiful, why should you protect them?
The next afternoon, just after lunch.
The weather was mild, with the sun shining brightly and the sky clear. Princess Grace, who had been confined to her room, went out for a walk alone, wrapped in a thick muffler.
Noah, who was playing in the attic, his secret hideaway, spotted her walking slowly through the garden outside the window. He hurried down to the first floor and followed her.
A young boy called out to the Princess, who had long, braided hair as black as ebony.
“Medea’s Star, Princess Grace.”
“Hello, Noah. I like your Medea pronunciation.”
The Princess turned around and smiled beautifully. Her jade eyes, bathed in sunlight, seemed warm. Noah, after smoothly pronouncing her name a few times with his tongue, answered absentmindedly.
“That’s a pretty name.”
“You can call me Gracie. It’s a nickname.”
“Can I call you sister?”
Princess Grace covered her mouth and laughed at the child's impertinent remark. For a woman of high status, she was unusually informal and gentle.
“I see. You’re an only child, right?”
"Yes."
“Want to come here?”
Princess Grace, who was trying to lift Noah, groaned and quickly gave up.
“Why are you so tall? You don’t look like you’re seven years old.”
“They say I look like my dad.”
"I see. Duke Rotsilt is indeed tall. How can you look so much like the Duke?"
She giggled cutely at Noah.
“I need a knight while I’m here. How about Noah being my knight?”
“If that’s the order, I’ll do it.”
“It’s not an order. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
“Um... Then later, please give me the honorary title of Medea. Then I can become a knight.”
“You’re a solid kid. I get it.”
The Princess thought that Noah had a mature and strange air for a seven-year-old.
From that day on, Noah became Princess Grace's knight and followed her around. He followed her around, even when she was eating or out for a walk, keeping an eye on her surroundings.
He even laid out a handkerchief before sitting down on the garden bench, acting as a gentlemanly gesture, and even gave them a convincing escort. The Duke and Duchess were both surprised and delighted, having never seen Noah so considerate toward others.
On the one hand, they felt sorry for the Princess who had been banished here without even a single maid or guard to keep it a secret.
Because the poor Princess might never be able to return to Medea again.
Long ago, in the mansion of the Duke of Rotsilt on the outskirts of Frogen.
A woman and a young boy were strolling through a garden embroidered with camellias in late winter. The only blooming flower in the garden, a red camellia, bowed its head humbly, unable to bear the weight of the thick snow.
The boy, befitting a high-ranking nobleman, wore well-tailored, luxurious clothing and a thick, fox-fur coat. A beautiful woman, with silver hair and silver-gray eyes reminiscent of a winter queen, held the young boy's hand with fondness.
While the woman rejoiced as she stomped on the crunching snow, the boy's face was dry enough to seem cynical. The precocious, aloof boy and the innocent, childlike woman both possessed the same frost-colored hair, making them undeniably siblings.
Silver-white hair was a unique characteristic of the Esatians.
“Noah. Isn’t it amazing that the world turned white in one day?”
“It’s snowing, so isn’t that natural?”
Young Noah answered nonchalantly. His pronunciation was uncharacteristically mature, and his tone was uncharacteristically mature. His chubby cheeks were flushed, but his eyes seemed impassive for a child.
“Hey, but it’s still pretty.”
“I don’t understand what it means.”
Elisa Rotsilt, Duchess of Rotsilt and Noah's mother, stopped walking, pretending to be upset by the curt words.
"Noah. In that case, if you say, 'Yeah, you're pretty,' I'll be happy. It's the other person's feeling."
“I love seeing snow piled up, Mom.”
“That’s nice too. Did you learn that from your dad?”
The Duchess smiled and kissed Noah on the cheek. Passing beneath the winter trees, she saw a white squawk chirping on a branch and burst out laughing. It was a bird with pure white, round feathers and a rather cute appearance.
“Isn’t that bird cute? It’s so round.”
“Yeah. It’s cute.”
Noah simply answered as his mother asked.
He didn't understand why they could give meaning to the same natural phenomena, such as the sun setting and rising, snow falling, and stars rising, by calling them beautiful.
He didn't understand the higher-level meaning of the phrase "be a good child." In Noah's judgment, the line between good and evil was always vague.
When asked, "Why shouldn't we kill it?", the words "It's pitiful" and "It's pitiful" could not make the child, who had different thoughts from others and was stuck in high-level thinking, understand.
His father is a good man, but he sits high up in the hierarchy and devises efficient ways to kill people. His mother is also a good person, but she cooks pheasants and deer brought in by hunters and gives them to others with a nonchalant smile.
So, he simply observed those around him, followed their example, and set his own standards for what was acceptable and what wasn't. Because he was smart, he was quick to learn the responses and answers that would please others.
Duchess Rotsilt had been teaching him realistic lessons like, "Your loved one will hate or dislike you," and "If you do, you'll end up in prison."
Fortunately, Noah was born into a noble family, received a thorough education, and pursued a gentlemanly image, so he was able to blend into society without difficulty later on.
If not for that, he likely would have become an irredeemable madman, seeking murder and genocide, finding death and fear beautiful. The Duchess stroked Noah's hand and spoke in a gentle voice.
“A pretty Princess will come to our house tomorrow.”
"Princess?"
"Yes. She's the Princess of Medea. She'll be staying at our house for a while. You must behave and treat her like a gentleman."
Noah nodded. The Duchess lifted Noah into her arms and let out a labored cry.
“Did you grow again? You’re heavy.”
“If I'm heavy, put me down.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to do it next year, so I’ll give you lots of hugs now. What do you think?”
“Then I will listen to you, Mom.”
The Duchess, covering her mouth, smiled like a girl, perhaps finding Noah's words endearing. Her silver-gray eyes, tinted with the color of winter, were beautifully curved.
“When you grow up, will you carry your mom on your back?”
"Yes."
After finishing their walk, the two came inside the mansion and shook off their shoes that were covered in snow.
“Would you like some cocoa? With whipped cream on it too.”
"Yes."
Noah didn't like sweets, but his mother loved them, so he never showed any particular dislike for them. The Duchess, having called her maid to bring her some hot cocoa, sat down in an armchair by the fireplace and gestured toward her son, holding a children's storybook in her hand.
“I’ll even read you the fairy tale I was reading yesterday.”
"Yes, it's obvious. I don't even know why the Prince would go rescue the Princess. I've never even seen him."
"Maybe that's the beginning of love. They fall in love and get married. Then, should I read you something else? The story of the fox and the Prince."
Noah was smarter than his peers and read mainly books on math and physics, so children's fairy tales were not suitable for his level.
"Yeah. Mom likes storybooks. I can do what you like with you."
He nodded, as if helpless. She opened her storybook and smiled bitterly. Noah observed her expression closely, mulling it over.
He knew that his mother had been imprisoned in a concentration camp at a young age and had been separated from his parents. He also knew that she was an Esatian from the Frogen Territory, and that she had survived the past Esatian genocide, having been saved by her father, Duke Rotsilt.
Sometimes she would stare blankly out the window, looking as if she were crying without sobbing.
A maid approached Duchess Rotsilt, who was reading a fairy tale, and told her that the Duke had returned.
“Noah, your dad is here.”
She took Noah down to the front door and smiled brightly at her husband.
“Are you here?”
Noah's dark blue eyes, holding her hand, were fixed on his mother's face, who was looking at his father.
“I’m back. Noah hasn’t said hello to me again.”
Duke Noel Rotsilt, Noah's father, gave him a stern look, but it didn't last long. He lifted his son into his arms and began caressing his cheek.
"Why don't you do it? Why don't you say hello? Are you upset with your Dad?"
“Welcome back.”
“If you don’t do it again tomorrow, you know I’ll kiss you.”
Noah averted his gaze from his father's face, who was rubbing his cheek with embarrassment. The three of them were a harmonious family.
Noah read contentment, joy, and happiness in his parents' faces. Especially when his mother and father were together, these emotions were evident in their expressions.
However, love was an emotion he hadn't yet understood, so he couldn't read it. The Duke, who was having dinner in the dining room, spoke as he sliced the lamb on his plate.
"Honey, the Princess will arrive in the Frogen capital around noon tomorrow. I'll bring her over myself."
“She’ll stay until giving birth. I feel sorry for her.”
Noah, who was eating while listening to their conversation, tilted his head and asked a question.
“A Princess giving birth? She’s not even a Queen or a consort.”
“How on earth do you know the word ‘giving birth’?”
The Duchess glanced at her husband with an embarrassed expression. He brushed back his golden hair and smiled kindly.
“My son is smart. I guess he takes after you.”
“I didn’t study well.”
“It’s okay. You’re smart in my eyes.”
The Duchess smiled shyly and wiped her lips with a napkin.
After dinner, the Duke always took Noah to the study and answered his questions about the books he had read during the day.
Knowing that the Duchess, who had been confined in a pigsty-like concentration camp since childhood and had not received an education, would not be able to answer, he would take the time to explain it to Noah.
In particular, since he was particularly talented in physics, which explores the essence of nature, he thought he might become a physicist in the future, so his father arranged for him to meet a retired scholar who had worked as a senior researcher in the Technology Development Department.
The Duke playfully tousled Noah's round silver-white hair as he sat on his lap, giving him gentle advice.
“I think it would be best not to ask the Princess questions about the child’s father or anything like that, right?”
"Why?"
“Because the Princess will be sad. If the Princess cries, Mom will be sad too.”
“Why is she sad?”
"She was betrayed. They broke up. So you need to be kind and treat hee like a gentleman."
Noah was unfamiliar with the emotion of sadness. Betrayal, separation. He'd never experienced it before, but he knew it was negative.
The young boy nodded as if he understood something.
***
Princess Grace, who came to the mansion, was still a young girl with a young face.
At the tender age of seventeen, she had conceived a child and was driven out of the country before she could even reach full term. Despite her pregnancy, she was slender and thin, and her pale skin beneath her jet-black hair made her look even more pitiful.
She wore a cape over a tubular dress without a corset or petticoat, and low-heeled shoes—a modest outfit for royalty.
Noah stared up at her, who was trying to smile, and read a series of negative emotions.
“Princess, I hope you are at ease.”
The Duchess carefully guided her to her room, wrapping a warm blanket around her shoulders. The Princess hadn't left her room in days since arriving at the mansion, and they only spoke briefly when the Duchess personally brought her meals.
Occasionally, sobs would leak out of the room. Noah assumed they were related to betrayal and separation.
Before going to bed, the Duke and Duchess lay in bed, Noah between them, chatting idly. The Duke patted Noah's back and sighed as he spoke.
"It seems like she hasn't told anyone who the child's father is. So she must have come here secretly."
“He really is a bad person. She’s still young... How pitiful.”
“Yeah. Are you worried?”
"Of course. I have a child myself. I can't even imagine how upset that little Princess must be."
The kind-hearted Duchess was genuinely concerned for the Princess. Noah, lying between them, listened to their conversation and, like a child, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
If you are pitiful, why should you protect them?
The next afternoon, just after lunch.
The weather was mild, with the sun shining brightly and the sky clear. Princess Grace, who had been confined to her room, went out for a walk alone, wrapped in a thick muffler.
Noah, who was playing in the attic, his secret hideaway, spotted her walking slowly through the garden outside the window. He hurried down to the first floor and followed her.
A young boy called out to the Princess, who had long, braided hair as black as ebony.
“Medea’s Star, Princess Grace.”
“Hello, Noah. I like your Medea pronunciation.”
The Princess turned around and smiled beautifully. Her jade eyes, bathed in sunlight, seemed warm. Noah, after smoothly pronouncing her name a few times with his tongue, answered absentmindedly.
“That’s a pretty name.”
“You can call me Gracie. It’s a nickname.”
“Can I call you sister?”
Princess Grace covered her mouth and laughed at the child's impertinent remark. For a woman of high status, she was unusually informal and gentle.
“I see. You’re an only child, right?”
"Yes."
“Want to come here?”
Princess Grace, who was trying to lift Noah, groaned and quickly gave up.
“Why are you so tall? You don’t look like you’re seven years old.”
“They say I look like my dad.”
"I see. Duke Rotsilt is indeed tall. How can you look so much like the Duke?"
She giggled cutely at Noah.
“I need a knight while I’m here. How about Noah being my knight?”
“If that’s the order, I’ll do it.”
“It’s not an order. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
“Um... Then later, please give me the honorary title of Medea. Then I can become a knight.”
“You’re a solid kid. I get it.”
The Princess thought that Noah had a mature and strange air for a seven-year-old.
From that day on, Noah became Princess Grace's knight and followed her around. He followed her around, even when she was eating or out for a walk, keeping an eye on her surroundings.
He even laid out a handkerchief before sitting down on the garden bench, acting as a gentlemanly gesture, and even gave them a convincing escort. The Duke and Duchess were both surprised and delighted, having never seen Noah so considerate toward others.
On the one hand, they felt sorry for the Princess who had been banished here without even a single maid or guard to keep it a secret.
Because the poor Princess might never be able to return to Medea again.
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