Isaac was clutching the drawstring pouch containing the potion he had bought from Raphael when he visited the man’s house two days ago, staring at the bag in silence.

All this time, he had always taken the time to visit Raphael’s house by using the classic excuse—buying potions or whatever trivial excuses. So that he could have a reason to see Raphael without raising his suspicions.

Since becoming king, his busier schedule has made it harder to see Raphael compared to when he was a prince. His space for the movement was limited, so he had to think of various ways to spare his time just to meet Raphael.

Four days ago, he was desperate to visit Raphael’s house in the middle of his busy schedule, carrying some of his unfinished work files. As he always did in previous years, because he heard the news that Ursula, Raphael’s younger sister, was coming home from the magic academy to spend her semester break.

Normally, he would ask the royal advisor to spare his time so that he could stay at the Lockwood family home for a week.

But since this month coincided with the planned war with the Northern Kingdom, it made his schedule even more hectic.

Of course, he would not allow his busy schedule to leave the routine that he had been doing since Ursula entered the academy.

Every time he paid a visit to the Lockwood residence, Patricia Lockwood, Raphael’s mother, would usually greet him in a welcoming manner.

Patricia Lockwood herself is a human who was granted immortality by the Celtic goddess, Dana. The woman looked young and beautiful, even at the age of fifty.

Lockwood's family was aware of his love for Raphael, so they didn't object to his presence. In fact, Raphael’s parents and younger sister already considered him as their own family member.

Except for the man himself, of course. When it came to relationships or interactions with others, Raphael was notoriously slow. Even at the magic academy, Raphael was considered a talented wizard by the teachers because of his ability to learn fast.

As he tried to calm his mind, he walked towards the potion room, where that man usually spent his day. He had thought of many topics so that he could talk longer with Raphael.

Unfortunately, he came at the wrong time. As soon as he opened the door to the room, he found Raphael collapsed after drinking the energy balancing potion. The potion Raphael had to take every month in order to survive.

He threw away his bag, ran over to Raphael, and carried him to his room. For two consecutive days, he waited for the man while doing his job. He couldn't sleep, as he worried about Raphael’s condition.

"And about your statement earlier, I’ll pretend not to hear anything."

His grip on the drawstring bag tightened, reminding him of what Raphael had said to him.

How could Raphael so quickly dismiss something that had taken him so long to find the confidence to voice the thoughts he had harbored for fifteen years?

It irritated him. He felt annoyed at Raphael’s answer, which seemed to take his feelings lightly, even though he knew the reason behind Raphael’s refusal.

Raphael’s fate was cruel, and it made him upset. It dismayed him to not be able to find a cure for Raphael’s condition. Without even being told, he already knew that Raphael’s condition was getting worse and worse.

Everything led him to the conclusion that the potion Raphael used to drink had lost its effectiveness. Raphael’s body temperature as he touched the back of the man’s neck alone was more than enough to tell him everything.

Again, he cursed his clumsiness. 

All the folktales he had read when he was a child said that all the princes always found a way to cast away the curse of the death of their loved ones, save their loved ones from their deaths, and then they married.

They always ended with them living happily ever after. All the princes in the fairy tales he had ever read had passed all kinds of obstacles.

But, in reality, it was not that easy. No matter how many sacrifices he made, it was not enough to save Raphael from his cruel fate.

Since his first meeting with Raphael Lockwood in the palace, when Hugo Lockwood—Raphael’s father—took Raphael to the palace, he fell in love with him. His black hair and blue eyes resembled the ocean. His pale skin. Raphael’s gaze was sad when they met.

The first time he shook Raphael’s hand, he almost jumped in surprise because Raphael’s cold body temperature made him unlike humans and wizards, things he had never known before.

Raphael immediately withdrew his hand, frowning in annoyance. An expression that actually made him look cute in his eyes. Since the first time they met, he has been determined to become a prince for Raphael.

He made a pact with himself: he would protect Raphael from anything that wanted to harm him. He would take care of him like a prince in folktales that he often read with his mother when she was alive.

When Uncle Hugo mentioned Raphael’s special condition, he learned to understand Raphael’s condition. He learned to get himself used to the cold temperature of Raphael’s body until he could handle it.

He even pushed back all the people who teased and tried to bully Raphael. He forced himself to play with Ursula Lockwood—Raphael’s younger sister, who had the opposite nature of the man when he invited Ursula to play with them.

At first, he objected because he wanted to spend time alone with Raphael. And it ended up with him also pampering Ursula like his own little sister, just like the way Raphael spoiled Ursula.

For this reason, he has been aggressively planning to control the northern region since the parliament appointed him as a king five years after the death of his father. Using the excuse of expanding the kingdom, he succeeded in getting government officials to agree to his proposal.

Indeed, when his father was still in charge of the kingdom, several officials had suggested expanding the territory to the north, but his father disagreed with the plan, as his father still wanted to maintain peace with both sides.

Now that he had succeeded his father, he brought the proposal back to a government meeting, which was immediately welcomed with an open hand by all government officials. Although there was only one real reason: to find an antidote or a way to balance the energies in Raphael’s body.

His selfish excuses he kept to himself. Over the years of his research, he discovered that the witches in the Northern Kingdom area were possessed knowledge far more rapidly than his kingdom.

Added to the fact that half-blood witches in the Northern Kingdom had a brighter future, as the average of them can survive the same as pure-blood witches, in contrast to the region where he ruled. He wanted to give the Northern kingdom to Raphael as a gift once he had succeeded.

A dream that seemed difficult to achieve, considering that it pushed several times the troops he led back because of their different technology and magic. As for the result, it forced him to devise a new strategy.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty."

An old man, one of the royal advisers who had served his father—Ethan Weissmann—walked in after twice knocking on his door. Quickly, he hid the bag in his desk drawer.

"What is it?"

"The preparations for tomorrow’s war are complete."

"Very nice. I received the report. You can go now."

The old man remained standing where he was, not moving an inch. There was a streak of anxiety on his face.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"That…," Ethan’s eyes avoided his. "Your Majesty may not like the news that I will say ..."

"Just say it if it’s important. I’m busy. I can’t wait too long."

"I… have just received news regarding the departure of Mr. Raphael Lockwood and Miss Ursula Lockwood into the forest today."

"What?!" He jumped from his chair, ran over to the terrified Ethan, and grabbed the collar of the old man, shivering in fear. "Why didn’t you tell me right away?!"

"Forgive my indiscretion, Your Majesty! I am really sorry! I was afraid that His Majesty would cancel your invasion plans, so I didn’t—"

"Who do you think you are, Ethan!?" Isaac let go of his hand from the collar of Ethan’s neck, pushed roughly against the old man’s body. Until it made Ethan cough while touching his neck.

Isaac then threw a sharp and piercing gaze at the old man. "I’m not asking your opinion! When did they leave?"

"Just now, Your Majesty ..."

"I will follow them. If I don't come back, cancel our attack plans. If you dare to disobey my orders, I’ll cut off your head and make an ornament on the palace gate. Do you understand?!"

"A-All right, Your Majesty!"

Isaac growled in annoyance, walked over to his desk and took the drawstring bag containing the potion he had bought from Raphael, then took out his sword and thick coat, dashing out of the room.

This must be Ursula’s doing. Isaac was certain, given that the Raphael he knew so far was not the type of person who would make such a reckless and rash decision to enter the forest.

Raphael, as far as he knew, was the type of person who was very cautious and did not like risks. Unless it was related to potions and healing magic.

The last time they went to the forest was when Ursula was nine years old. His feelings were starting to feel bad. He knew that Ursula’s goal was the same as his: to find a way to balance the energy in Raphael’s body. So that Raphael could have a chance to live a normal life without worrying about the death curse.

He knew it exactly since all this time, without Raphael's knowledge, he and Ursula had exchanged letters, sending reports regarding the investigations of each party. His research focus was on the northern region, while Ursula's was on ancient legends and tales. Ursula mentioned the dragon fairy tale a few days ago in her letter.

Coupled with the information he just got, he was pretty sure that the two of them were planning to enter the deepest area of the forest, looking for the existence of a dragon that existed in ancient legends.

Shit! He should not have returned to the kingdom yesterday, not following Raphael’s request. He should have stayed there.

He growled in annoyance, cursing himself as he pushed the several soldiers walking around the palace hallway, ignoring their terrified faces. He accelerated his pace even more and took one of the strongest horses that had just finished being bathed by the palace horse guard. Then he cast a glare at the horse guards, who were about to protest, as his way of silencing them.

He put down the saddle, and jumped up onto the horse. As if they understood his worry, the horse he was riding immediately ran at full speed, leaving the palace.

He wished he still had time to catch them. He hoped Raphael and Ursula did not meet that man.

***

The chariot driver they hired only dared to take them to the middle of the forest, leaving the two of them, who now took shelter in one of the large trees from the sun. He could not blame the chariot driver’s fear. After all, the journey they were on was too risky, and there was no way for the chariot driver to sacrifice his source of income just to take them to a forbidden place.

There has been a lot of news reporting about the deaths of humans and witches who were desperate to enter the deepest part of the forest, but they never returned. That said, their actions to hunt this dragon were very reckless. There was no turning back. 

He seemed to be the only one who was concerned. In contrast to his anxiety, his younger sister was now doing a stretching enthusiastically. As if his sister thought of it was not a trip risking their lives, but just a magic academy study tour to a neighboring country.

To make things even worse, he was carrying nothing but a small bag of potions that would help ease some of his unbalanced energy symptoms—his father’s new potion that his father made for him yesterday, along with three bottles of energy balancing potion in case the new potions his father made could not reduce the effect of his unbalanced energy.

He sat under a tree, enjoying the fresh air he had not breathed in a long time because he was too busy with his work. The last time he went to the forest was when his younger sister was nine years old, ending up with his sister getting lost deep in the forest until the night, leaving him and Isaac in panic.

His mother was angry when they came home with their bodies shabby and full of wounds all over them from being scratched by some vines and falling several times. He did not really remember exactly how they found Ursula since he had a fever back then.

All he remembered was that he was on Isaac’s back, vaguely hearing his mother’s persistent scolding.

When he was a child, they often played together, all three of them. Isaac was still not as busy as he was now because of position as a prince.

He had just started his first year of apprenticeship as a wizard in the royal court. He finished the curriculum at the magic academy in four years, instead of the usual seven, with his father.

Recalling those memories made him think of Isaac. Guilt enveloped him.

“Your body temperature is much colder than usual. Are you all right? You didn’t miss the schedule to drink the potion, did you?”

Isaac’s words struck him, waking him up to the fact that he was a half-blood witch who would soon die. He raised both hands up, staring at the skin on his hands that were losing their original color. His hands were pale, as if there was no blood flowing in his veins, so his veins were clearly visible on his skin.

“Brother?”

He woke up from his reverie when he saw his younger sister’s face, which prevented him from looking at the leaves on the tree where he took shelter.

“What?”

“Are you okay?”

He nodded. Ursula did not ask any further, moving away from him as she picked up his backpack.

“We’re leaving now. Tell me if you feel tired, so we can rest.”

“Yes, yes. You are so noisy, Ursula,” said Raphael, a little annoyed that his younger sister treated him like an old man.

Not that he did not understand the reason his younger sister was so worried about him. He got up from where he was sitting earlier, patted the remaining grass stuck to his clothes, then followed Ursula, who had walked before him with slow steps as she read the paper containing the forest plan.

He saw Ursula shaking her head sometimes, nodding occasionally with satisfaction when she found something that matched what was in her forest plan (he did not really understand how his younger sister read the plans and diagrams that looked like mathematical formulas in his eyes) while eating their supplies.

Ursula had offered to join him to eat, but he refused. The feeling of tension mixed with anxiety that he was feeling now had lost his appetite.

It took four hours on foot through the path in the forest, which was difficult to pass. The wet ground around them forced them to walk cautiously if they did not want to slip. Every half hour, Ursula would turn to face him, who was walking behind his younger sister, repeatedly offering to find a shady tree so he could rest if he was tired, which he immediately refused. Not because he forced himself, but because he did not feel tired.

Like now. Again, Ursula turned to face him. This time with her hands on her hips after tying her hair into a ponytail.

“What?” he asked, confused.

His sister’s red eyes narrowed. “What did I say earlier? Do not push yourself.”

“I’m not. I really mean it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. I know the limits of my body very well,” Raphael looked around, realizing that they had actually entered the deepest part of the forest. The atmosphere had become much gloomier than when they were still in the middle of the forest. “Is this the place?”

Ursula looked around at their surroundings, tried to match them up with the map she was carrying. After waiting for a moment, his sister nodded in satisfaction. “Yes. It should be here. We are in front of the gate.”

“Gate?”

Ursula folded the paper she was carrying and put it in the small pocket next to her backpack. His little sister’s hand let out a magic arrow in an instant, tightly gripping the arrow while looking around once again with a wary gaze. “Stay behind me, Brother. We’ll guard from two sides. According to my research, the most dangerous time is fifteen minutes before sunset.”

He also took out the same magic arrow as his sister and nodded in understanding. Walking backwards, following Ursula’s steps, surveying their surroundings. Only now did he feel goosebumps. Vaguely, he saw a thick black fog that enveloped this forest, followed by a very beautiful singing voice, arousing his curiosity.

“Did you hear that voice?”

“Yes. Is that part of the trap? “

“I have no idea about that melodious singing. Should we go there? Maybe it’s someone who got lost in the forest.”

“And singing to lure us closer to them? I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure about this one.”

“Shall we just ignore it?”

He shrugged his shoulders. The feeling started to fray, and they got goosebumps as their feet stepped into the forest. There was a sound of flapping bird wings flying away from the area. A strange hissing sound, as well as the howling wolf, echoed around the forest.

The hand that was holding his bow was trembling, but he did not pay attention. It would be too late if he felt scared and left this place. Moreover, Ursula was not the type to do things halfway.

The singing voice became clearer in their ears, making him even more terrified.

“Ursula?”

“Hm?”

“Is it just my feeling, or does this forest look even scarier than before?”

“I thought so too. But it becomes more exciting, doesn’t it? It will stimulate our adrenaline!” Ursula was even more thrilled, in contrast to him, who was now scared. Many times he caught his breath became unstable, releasing cold steam from his mouth.

He swallowed hard several times to calm himself. There was Ursula behind him, so he should be fine.

“You two ... can hear ... my singing voice earlier?”

He jumped in surprise to see the figure of a woman with an elongated face approaching them. His hands trembled, and he aimed his bow quickly at the woman.

But Ursula restrained her movements while shaking her head slowly. His sister was unconcerned about her looks, as he saw Ursula retracted her magical bow.

“Good evening,” Ursula said, moving forward towards the woman, who was surprised by his sister’s polite attitude. “Hello. Can I ask something, err ... Miss ...”

“Beat ... ri ... ce ...” the figure of the woman tilted her head after changing the length of her neck back to normal and it made the woman look like an ordinary human. He did not know how his younger sister seemed calm in the face of such a suspicious woman. The woman’s eyes moved irregularly, but her head was still pointing towards Ursula, smiling at what this figure might think was a friendly smile, but not for him.

Her black-sharp teeth adorn the smile of a light blue-skinned woman. The woman’s black hair hung irregularly, covering a little of her face. He was unfamiliar with the dress that the figure wore, which looked so simple. If the woman was a human turned into a ghost, maybe she was not from their town.

“Miss Beatrice. It’s nice to meet you,” Ursula stretched out her hand, inviting the figure of a woman, who was increasingly amazed at Ursula’s attitude. She hesitated to return Ursula’s hand.

“You two ... aren’t afraid of me?” The woman looked at him, who was hiding behind Ursula. He forced himself to smile as the woman looked closely at his face, not daring to show how afraid he was to face her.

With ease, Ursula shook Beatrice’s hand, then pushed him, who was still standing behind her, to her side. “I’m Ursula Lockwood, and this is my brother, Raphael. Of course not. Why are we afraid of creatures as beautiful as Miss Beatrice?”

***

There was a blush on the face of the woman who introduced herself as Beatrice, while he glared at Ursula, who did not notice his gaze. How could his sister flirt with a stranger? Besides, it was not a human being affected by her seduction but another creature that was difficult to describe, whether a figure was a ghost or a demon.

“So, what do you want to ask?”

“We’re looking for a dragon.”

The woman’s face suddenly turned pale, and she stared alternately in horror at him and Ursula. Her expression was not like before. The woman growled, showing her sharp teeth, preparing to attack them.

“Why are you looking for His Majesty!?”

Ursula turned towards him, not looking panicked at the woman’s reaction. In fact, his younger sister smiled broadly, looking so proud.

“See, Brother. What did I say? There is an actual dragon here!”

“Ursula, we better get out of here. Let’s just say that our plan to find and kill the dragon doesn’t exist.”

“How can we do that, Brother? This is a golden opportunity for both of us! Do you want to give up, depend on your destiny forever?”

“It’s not like that, Ursula. But ...”

“You want to kill His Majesty?!”

The woman ran towards Ursula and threw her fist at Ursula. To his surprise, he found out that his younger sister dodged her attack easily.

“No need to worry. I’ve faced something scarier than this at the academy.”

Ursula gripped Beatrice’s wrist, locking the figure’s movements in an instant. It made Raphael question the curriculum taught at the academy where his younger sister was currently studying.

“Well, I said that we were going to kill a dragon. But I think there are other ways we can use it besides following the legends. We don’t need to kill the dragon.”

“Why didn’t you talk from the start, you idiot?!” Raphael took advantage of the situation by flicking Ursula’s forehead. “Don’t make me misunderstand! I thought I had to get my hands dirty to slay the dragon. “

“Yes, that’s if the dragon attacked us. Didn’t I tell you while we were in the chariot?”

Ursula tried to remember their conversation while releasing her grip on the woman’s wrist. Ursula’s handprint was apparent there, as was some black blood seeping out of the woman’s wrist, who was now screaming in anguish.

“Absolutely not,” said Raphael. “You only said to find the dragon and then kill them.”

Ursula laughed, looked guilty. “Oops, my bad.”

“What’s going on?”

That woman’s movements stopped, terrified, when she heard the source of the voice behind Raphael. He spontaneously turned around to find a cold-faced man figure who was staring back at the two of them in astonishment.

“Who are you?”

“Your Majesty! They intend to kill you—”

“I didn’t ask you, Beatrice!” The mysterious man yelled. His long blonde hair fell down, moving toward the wind that was blowing hard around him.

The mysterious man’s eyebrows furrowed, staring at him in astonishment with his green eyes.

The way he looked at him seemed somehow familiar to him. His figure reminded Raphael of the way Isaac had looked at him the other day.

Strange.

Why did he feel familiar with the mysterious man’s figure he just met today?

“You two! Follow me. Right now,” the man said in a stern tone, walking ahead of them. The man’s hand touched something in front of him that looked like a water bubble, waving his hand in a graceful motion, causing the water bubble to open completely, revealing a completely different scene from the forest they were in now.

Behind the water bubble, they could see a town that was like where they live. A little farther from there, he saw a red-dominated castle on a hill near the city. The man turned around, facing the three of them, especially Beatrice, who tried to protest.

“I’m not asking your opinion, Beatrice. Go back to your post. Now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The woman did not dare respond to the man’s words, quickly disappearing from their sights. The man motioned for the two of them to go inside first. Ursula shouted happily, about to run towards the place, when he held his sister’s hand, shaking his head quickly.

“What’s the matter, Brother?”

He pulled Ursula away from the man and took him behind him while he faced the cold-faced man, who did not seem bothered by his gaze.

“Why do we have to come with you?”

“I’ll explain to you later.”

“Just explain it now. Why should we need to wait later?”

“Should I tell you now?”

In fact, the way the man asked was exactly like Isaac always did. The familiar feeling came back to him. How could he be familiar with the figure he met for the first time? There must be something wrong with him.

“Of course. What kind of stupid question is that!?” he answered curtly.

He felt Ursula’s hand pulling on his arm collar.

“Brother? Why are you so irritated when we met the legend we were looking for?” whispered Ursula.

“The legend? You mean the man standing in front of us is a dragon?”

“You heard it yourself earlier, didn’t you? The way Miss Beatrice addresses that person?”

“But it doesn’t mean he’s a dragon, right? It could be another demon.”

“Not. I’m pretty sure he’s a dragon. You know, according to legend, only dragons can be addressed in that way since their status is higher among all supernatural beings in folktales and legends, as well as because of their wisdom. Maybe we can say their position is like that of a king in the human world.”

“Have you finished discussing?” The man looked annoyed to see them keep whispering at each other. “I don’t have time to explain everything to you. Especially you. Come along with me, or not?”

The man’s sharp gaze managed to make him shudder in horror.

“Just follow him, Brother. It’s fine.”

“But what if he killed us after that? Think in that way!”

“That won’t be happening, Brother. Even if he did, I would definitely attack him. Don’t worry about it.”

“Your words aren’t comforting me at all,” he snorted in annoyance, disliking the fact that his younger sister was trying to calm him down so he would not be afraid.

Ursula clicked her tongue, frustrated, removing her hand from him. “You’re really hopeless. Hmph! I better go in first.” 

“Raphael! Ursula! Wait!”

He turned to find Isaac, who jumped off his horse, looking relieved to see the two of them. Isaac’s scream managed to stop Ursula, who was about to enter the gate. His eyes blinked when he saw the man running over to him.

“Finally! Thank goodness I made it in time!” Isaac immediately hugged him so tightly that he could barely breathe. Then Isaac let go of his hug and grabbed Raphael’s hand, glowering at the cold-faced figure.

“You don’t mind if I come along with them too, right?”

“Suit yourself,” the man turned his back on them, said nothing, and walked into the gate.

“I’ll go in first, Brother. Don’t make me wait too long,” Ursula said, pointing her thumb at Isaac, who replied with a wink.

He looked alternately at the two people before Ursula’s figure disappeared because he had entered the gate.

“You knew the man earlier?”

“I’ll explain to you later.” Isaac took off the coat he was wearing and put it on him.

Then Isaac lifted him up before he could protest, running through the closing gates.

***