SPLASH!

"Ahahaha! Good job, Eddy! I've been looking forward to dousing that stinky kid."

"Brother, did we manage to remove a servant's scent from that guy?"

Kenneth let out a long sigh as his body drenched from his brothers' pranks. He had just come out of the study. But just as Kenneth took a few steps from that place, he became the target of the jokes of the other princes again.

Fortunately, Kenneth did not bring his textbook this time. Or he might have to recopy everything again.

When Kenneth looked up to search for his brothers, he managed to find them on the second-floor balcony directly above his head. Jarvis and Ervin, his step-brother, were laughing contentedly at his pathetic state. Meanwhile, their two personal servants were still holding the bucket that previously used to pour Kenneth's body with dirty water.

"Ah, how can the scent disappear because we splashed him once, Ervin? He needs many more so that his foul scent will no longer disturb this place."

Jarvis said those words while staring at the drenched Kenneth down there. The second prince dared to act presumptuously on the palace grounds because he knew no one would care for poor Kenneth. 

"See you later, Loser! Enjoy your rest in that cold palace!"

Kenneth tried to turn deaf as Jarvis mocked him as usual. The prince was silent because he knew fighting back would only get him into more trouble. Although they were brothers, Jarvis and Ervin were the sons of the current queen consort. Meanwhile, Kenneth was just the son of a servant who was no longer favored by the king.

It was still fresh in Kenneth's memory how he and his mother were moved to the farthest palace after he tried to fight his brothers. Queen Consort Helena, the mother of his brothers, was not one to let someone off easily after offending her. Coupled with his hatred for commoners, Kenneth could have received a much harsher punishment if he had tried to defend himself.

At that time, Kenneth was lucky that he managed to retain permission to study in the royal study room because their teacher liked him so much. In such a large royal palace, fighting to prove himself was the only way Kenneth and his mother could survive. The king was still willing to give him the title of the third prince because he was outstanding to his brothers. Kenneth knew he could not afford to lose that title, or their lives might end forever.

Although it was difficult at times, ignoring his brothers' pranks and malicious actions was the fastest way to avoid new problems in a palace filled with people who hated his existence.

"Kenneth!"

Kenneth stopped walking as he heard a familiar voice. In the royal palace, only one person still gently called his name. Kenneth tried to erase his gloomy expression. He did not want to appear so pathetic in front of his eldest sister.

"Why did you get soaked like this? Did the other prince play a prank on you again, Kenneth?"

In the distance, Princess Abigail ran over to him while ignoring the palace guards who were worried about her. Unlike Kenneth's clothes, which had worn out, Princess Abigail looked so beautiful in her new dress. Everyone could already tell the difference in their status. Kenneth was the most disliked prince in the royal palace. Meanwhile, Princess Abigail was the most favored princess by King Ducan, the father of all the current princesses and princes.

"How could the others tease me, Sis? Just now, I felt that this was a good time to go swimming in the palace lake. But since I didn't bring a change of clothes, I had to return to my palace in these wet clothes."

"We have just entered spring. How can you possibly want to swim in a lake that has just melted?"

While scolding Kenneth, Princess Abigail took off her outer coat to put it on Kenneth, who could not hide the trembling in his body. The beginning of spring in their kingdom was almost no different from winter. The temperature in that place was still cold to the point that fog would form if one tried to talk outdoors.

"I don't know. Maybe I am different?" replied Kenneth with a small smile. From Princess Abigail's low gaze alone, Kenneth already realizes that his sister does not fully believe his lie. But after Princess Abigail witnessed how stubborn Kenneth was when he lied, the princess finally stopped pushing and pretended not to realize the truth.

"I hope you don't catch a cold, Kenneth. Just in case, let me ask a healer to pay a visit to your palace. I will also ask someone to bring you some warm food. Make sure you eat it so that you don't get sick."

"I understand. Thank you very much, Sis."

Princess Abigail only smiled when Kenneth answered her words obediently. The woman was just about to tell Kenneth to hurry back when Kenneth's attention was suddenly drawn to another direction.

From the direction of the palace gate, a horse-drawn carriage commonly used to transport special forces drove quickly before stopping in front of the main palace. From inside the carriage, a person of the highest rank got off and ordered the palace guards to help him summon the healers. From a distance, Kenneth could see that apart from the person who was the leader of the group, everyone on the carriage had wounds on their bodies. Just from their condition alone, Kenneth could tell they had failed again.

"Did His Majesty order the army to explore the Audoran Forest again?" Kenneth asked his sister. This time, Princess Abigail did not immediately answer Kenneth's question. Princess Abigail looked sad, especially as she watched those who had suffered heavy injuries.

The Audoran Forest was a mysterious region that suddenly appeared on their continent thousands of years ago. It was filled with magical creatures and priceless treasures. For a long time, humans from all over the world have been trying to conquer that magical place. But, no one has been able to safely enter that place.

It's no secret that the magical place is protected by a powerful monster. But every year, there were still people who risked their lives to enter the forest and search for whatever treasures they could find.

"Lately, Father keeps acting strange and sending people to conquer the Audoran Forest. He won't even listen to my words anymore and only allows the people of the Mage Association to be by his side."

Their kingdom had never been interested in the Audoran Forest. But for some reason, lately, King Ducan kept sending troops to explore that place. Even if the casualties are already high, the king still doesn't seem to be stopping his invasion anytime soon.

Not to mention, it seemed strange that King Ducan, who was known to be so fond of Princess Abigail, no longer wanted to hear what his daughter had to say. Kenneth's brows unconsciously began to furrow. For some reason, he never felt good whenever he heard about the Mage Association that Princess Abigail was talking about.

"Well, but I won't give up so easily! I want Father to realize that sending people to explore the Audoran Forest is a waste. I also don't want him to continue sacrificing innocent people to fulfill his wishes."

Kenneth smiled slightly as Princess Abigail continued her words excitedly. Among them, perhaps Princess Abigail had the highest sense of justice. The 20-year-old princess had never known the harshness of life outside of her father's protection. She could still say whatever she wanted and do whatever she liked without fear of the consequences that would follow her actions.

"Ah, yes. You should go back now! We can talk again after you change, Kenneth."

Kenneth nodded in reply to Princess Abigail's words. "Alright. Please don't force yourself to talk to Father, Sis," Kenneth cautioned.

"Don't worry. If it's Father, he will never be angry with me, no matter what."

Princess Abigail replied to Kenneth's words while smiling widely. Kenneth finally resumed his journey to return to his palace. Along the way, Kenneth's eyebrows continued to furrow. After listening to what his sister said, Kenneth could not stop worrying about what his father was planning.