Since the past year, Quentin Sigmarino has imposed restrictions on access to his castle. Quentin got a beautiful and spacious mansion on the outskirts of Lapella. It was located in a strategic position and close to the center of the high society life that became the prince's passion. Quentin also owns some land in other areas but he was reluctant to build another castle.
Quentin felt that the castle was well lit. Not too bright nor too dim. The position was next to a low hill overgrown with shady trees. Quentin grows hundreds of thorny rose bushes which he sometimes harvests to dry and brew as Rosehip tea.
In the past, the happy bachelor who was reluctant to be in a relationship, often held parties there and invited fellow nobles who liked to spend money and waste time gossiping, or showing off each other's wealth. Now he doesn't do it anymore.
Quentin still exists in high society, but he shuts down access to his castle altogether. At first he reasoned that there was a renovation going on, then he confessed that he was bored with the color of the walls—renovating again. Another day he said he wanted to add a stargazing tower to the left wing of his castle—even though he knew nothing of astronomy.
More than a year had passed, and his colleagues had probably imagined that Prince Quentin's castle was now painted a bright green, with high domed towers and a Thylum-inspired interior. He also said that he felt bored with the plain curtains and wanted to change them all with a mosaic motif as was common in the land of Thylum. In reality the castle had not changed at all.
Well, there's been a slight change. Not very significant actually. As at this time, there was a horse with brownish black hair wearing a straw hat as a shield against the scorching sun. It was biting the shears and was shaping a large shrub in Prince Quentin's garden into an oval shape.
There was also a pig pacing the castle grounds with a damp cloth on its snout and mopping the marble floors of the magnificent castle. Not just one pig, but three. And they all dressed. The pigs were well-trained and they didn't look like farm hogs who liked to wallow in the mud. Because even their fingernails didn't have any dirt on them at all.
In the kitchen, there were more than two long-tailed monkeys who were also wearing clothes. They worked in silence to wash piles of dirty dishes under the running tap. Some of the others seemed busy stirring something on the stove with the smoke rising. The monkey was cooking. And they were not as noisy as monkeys in the wild. Their faces were gloomy and tired—like husbands when they came home from twelve hours' work in the mines; but only served watery pumpkin porridge and hard bread as dinner.
"Mr Grumpy! I told you when it's light, don't work in the garden! What if someone peeked? Go to your room!" Quentin barked at the horse as he finally stepped into the castle fence.
The horse neighed in discontent, but he complied. The young prince was his master, no matter how annoying he was. The horse did not turn toward the stable, but into the special building containing the servants' rooms.
Shirayuki, the beautiful princess from the east country, followed behind him with hesitant steps. They travel mysteriously. The eastern country should be very far from Arbavia. But Shirayuki didn't notice. She had a short nap while she was riding with Quentin on his horse. When she woke up, she had already arrived.
Shirayuki knew that in this world there were mages. Like her evil stepmother, Quentin, probably used his magic power to speed up his journey.
"She's my guest, she'll stay here..I saved her from the evil wizard in the east," Quentin explained to an elegant and polite looking sheep who was also wearing glasses.
Shirayuki furrowed her brow in confusion. Ever since she arrived, Quentin had been talking to the animals. And they all looked orderly and did not like to litter. However, Shirayuki was too afraid to ask. Save her from the evil wizard he said? Well, maybe that's not entirely wrong. But Shirayuki was used to being bullied, she sensed that Quentin's aura might resemble that of her stepmother.
The sheep bit a piece of paper in his mouth with writing on it. The letters were a little difficult to read because the sheep had to bite his pen to write. Quentin took the letter and put it in his pocket.
"Follow me Shirayuki, Penny! Come here!"
"Welcome back your highness, do you need my help?" A cute girl with red hair and a petite body greeted him. She was wearing a maid outfit, her hair was in a neat bun and she was also wearing light makeup. She was the only human in the castle apart from Quentin.
"Give room for Shirayuki, I'm going to mine to work," said Quentin half nonchalantly carrying a large mirror draped over his back. Then Freyja the parrot followed behind him.
***
"Now, what are you going to do with the mirror?" Freyja asked, perched on top of Quentin's wardrobe. She carried a saltine cracker in her beak and ate it little by little.
Quentin had mounted the mirror on one of his walls and was pleased with it. He had been trying to track down the magic mirror for weeks. The evil sorceress of the east had kept it a secret. Only his stepdaughter, Shirayuki knows about the mirror, and even takes care of it.
"Speak, O mirror!" Quentin said.
"Do you need me?" The mirror said.
"Not really, I'm just making sure you're working," the prince shrugged his shoulders.
"What did Theo give you?" Freyja asked. Theo was the name of the bespectacled sheep they had met earlier when they arrived.
Quentin reached into his pocket and began to read. Slowly his expression turned annoyed, lazy and disgusted.
"Prince Leonard said I had to go to the border for a state assignment. I hate Winteria. As the name implies, it's a cold place and inhabited by country people. Damn, why didn't they just ignore me anyway?" The prince complained.
"Quentin, you are still a prince, of course you have to obey the royal family if you still wanted their money,"
"I just want to have fun and collect magic artifacts. Going to the border means I'll have to abandon my other plans," he lamented.
"You can't keep dodging royal work, what else do you want to do now?" Freyja had a bad feeling.
"Are you trying to criticize me, Freyja?"
"A little bit, all your actions, after a long time will attract attention,"
"Freyja, didn't you say from the start that you just wanted to make me the greatest mage?"
"That's right,"
"Then, no matter what mischief I do, it shouldn't be a problem as long as I get stronger right?"
"It should be, but—"
"My mother has been a good mage for decades, but She was bullied and neglected until she died. I don't want them to do the same to me. Unlike mom, I will do whatever I want," Quentin felt. furious.
He turned back to his magic mirror. Quentin touched it, as if sharing energy with it. Then the mirror glowed purple.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most handsome man in the world?" asked Quentin.
Freyja spit out her biscuit.
"What kind of stupid question is that?" The bird criticized with a slight choke.
"Of course it's you, Quentin Sigmarino," said the mirror.
"As expected, that's not too surprising," Quentin smiled smugly.