All the princes and their wives were invited to have breakfast with the emperor to discuss the upcoming moon rituals. When we arrived at the emperor's quarters, the princes and their wives were already seated, but the emperor hadn't arrived yet. I noticed that the princes were happily chatting and laughing, while the princesses remained silent, exchanging glances filled with competition and tension.
Regan didn't join his brothers or engage in conversation with them, and they seemed uninterested in him as well. He stood by my side as we patiently waited for the emperor.
Soon, a guard came in to announce the emperor's arrival, and we took our seats. As soon as we sat down, Regan's brothers abruptly stopped talking and looked at us with strange expressions before bursting into laughter. Their laughter sounded cruel, as if they were mocking someone.
I glanced at Regan, who appeared uncomfortable and fidgety in his seat beside me. I wondered what was happening. Were they laughing at him? If so, why?
The third prince stood up, capturing everyone's attention. "Have you all noticed how beautiful our fourth brother's bride is?" he asked, his tone laced with cruel amusement, which made the other princes laugh even more.
"It's quite a twist of fate that such a beauty is married to our fourth brother," added another prince.
I could sense Regan clenching his jaw and fist under the table. His body tensed, and it was clear he was restraining himself from reacting violently. He remained silent while his brothers continued taunting him with their cruel remarks.
After a while, the emperor arrived, and we all stood up to greet him. The food was served, and we began to eat. I looked around the room, observing that each prince sat beside his wife, while the first prince sat next to the emperor.
Soon, the emperor cleared his throat and addressed the princes, excluding Regan. "Today, your training for the rituals will commence. Everything you need is already prepared," he said, looking at them.
"Yes, Your majesty..." they all replied in unison. The emperor then excused himself, mentioning another matter that required his attention.
After the emperor left, Regan took hold of my hand and pulled me up from my seat. Confused, I looked at him, wondering why he was behaving this way when we hadn't finished eating.
"We need to leave," he said calmly, his usual composure replaced by a solemn expression. He was genuinely angry.
"Brother," the third prince called from behind. Regan paid no attention to him and continued walking, which clearly annoyed the prince. He quickened his pace and stood in front of us, blocking our path. "You can't just walk away when I want to talk to you," he spatted, his eyes burning with anger and embarrassment.
Was this how they always treated him? He never spoke to them, and yet their insults persisted. They seemed to want a fight with him, hoping he would be punished for fighting with his brothers. It was cruel.
"I'm warning you, move out of my way!" Regan warned, his voice filled with a growl, as if he would truly harm him if the prince didn't step aside.
"Listen to me, I'm warning you," the prince retorted in the same aggressive manner. And then, it happened in an instant—Regan grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall. I could have sworn I heard a bone crack.
Regan's eyes narrowed, shining with anger and rage. He was no longer himself; his brothers had pushed him beyond his limits, and there was no turning back. The prince struggled to breathe, fighting against the tight grip on his neck, but Regan refused to let go. It seemed he would kill him if no one intervened. The other princes rushed towards us, but they were paralyzed with fear. They couldn't fight Regan or loosen his grip. All they knew how to do was hurl cruel words and laugh.
The prince's face turned pale, and it seemed he was on the verge of death. Panic filled the room as everyone scrambled to figure out how to stop Regan from squeezing the life out of him.
"Regan..." I managed to utter, my voice trembling with fear, finally breaking free from my shock.
Something seemed to click inside Regan's mind when he heard his name. He slowly released his brother's neck, and the prince slumped to the ground as if lifeless. The rest of the brothers rushed to his side.
Regan looked at me, regret lining his expression, causing my heart skipped a beat. He shook his head and walked away with me.
****
Everyone gathered behind the big fountain in the middle of the castle. They were going to watch the princes practice for the upcoming Moon ritual.
The princes came. They all had on armor. They picked up their swords and got ready, facing each other. It would be prince against prince. Regan was going to fight the first prince. It was supposed to be Ivan, the third prince, but he couldn't fight because of what happened earlier. He just watched from the crowd, staring angrily at Regan from far away.
I sighed as Lisa stood next to me. I had a bad feeling something would go wrong.
Then they started fighting, swinging their swords at each other. Everyone was amazed by how Regan was really good at fighting. He was very fast and smooth, yet he was taking it easy on the first prince, who looked angry because he was losing. They swung their swords back and forth until the first prince fell on the ground, breathing roughly. The other princes stopped and looked at Regan, then at each other. I knew they said something without talking because all five of them suddenly surrounded Regan, ready to fight him too. Regan's face didn't change, like he expected this would happen. They disliked him and would use any chance to intimidate him.
I looked for Ivan in the crowd and saw a smile on his lips. That was enough for me to know the whole thing was planned to humiliate Regan.