“You noticed, right? That the twin princes of our kingdom look awfully similar to the vampire boy we let Lily played with at that time. Although I only caught a glimpse of the boy from afar before Lily went off to play with him, I still feel that the similarity is there. Although I know the boy had let Lilica escaped, if… just what if, the boy was really one of the two princes and was the kidnapper’s target since the start, doesn’t that mean that Lily was dragged into the mess for nothing? The poor girl was so traumatized that she couldn’t remember about the kidnapping incident. She only remembered playing with the boy.” Mr. Stell paused, “Just thinking that there’s a possibility that the boy back then may be the second prince, I just can’t accept the fact that Lilica may have been dragged into such a traumatizing experience because of him.”

Mr. Stell’s face was filled with sadness and regret. Regret that he couldn’t protect his daughter back then. After the incident, he had sworn to himself that he would protect her even more from then onwards.

“I also think that he’s very similar to the princes, although I’m not sure which one. However, if that boy was really the second prince, then that would mean that the second prince is also a kind person at heart, right? I understand that your heart may ache for Lily, you should still give the prince a chance, since Lilica looks dead set on marrying him. You know she’s stubborn too, right? She won’t give up easily.” Mrs. Stell said as she also felt regretful that she hadn’t looked after her daughter properly back then. The demon world was usually peaceful and there were almost no criminals, so she became too reliant on that fact.

Oblivious to the two people that were filled with regret, Kazuya, who was standing by the door listening, felt like the story was similar. He felt that something like that had actually happened to him before, but he couldn’t recall it no matter what. There was a possibility that it had happened to Kazuki instead of him. He may have heard about the incident from others. If the young boy back then was really Kazuki, then that would mean that Kazuki was actually Lilica’s first love. Kazuki being the young boy back then was more probable since Lilica had mentioned that the boy’s smile was dazzling. Meaning, the boy was bright and cheerful, unlike him. Thinking of that possibility, he felt jealous and envious of his older brother. Why was it always him who got everything? His first love, Lilienne and the woman he wants to marry now, Lilica’s, first love.

Although his parents had taught him not to be envious of others, he couldn’t help it. Although he loved his brother dearly, he was also envious at the same time.

Kazuya tried to collect his emotions as he knocked on the dining room’s door.

Knock. Knock.

“Mr. Stell, Mrs. Stell. I will be going back home now. Thank you for your hospitality.” Kazuya said as he entered the room, greeted them and turned back to exit their house.

“Where’s Lily? Mrs. Stell said as she followed Kazuya out to see him off, trying to hide her emotions.

“Lilica’s sleeping from the accumulated fatigue right now. Please don’t disturb her.” Kazuya said as he opened the front door to go out.

“Okay. Please be careful on the road.” Mrs. Stell said. She waited until Kazuya boarded the car and went off. She then closed the door and returned to discuss what Mr. Stell would demand from Kazuya tomorrow.

At the palace

Kazuya was quite tired, so he went off to sleep as soon as he returned home. That night, he dreamed of the incident that Mr. Stell was talking about. In his dream, he was around 5 years old. He saw a cute and beautiful girl, so he approached her. She was carrying a cute doll, an exact replica of her. The girl told him that her mother had made it for her and that it was her favorite. She handed the doll to him when she saw how much he was staring at it. The two of them went off to play in the forest. However, just as they were having fun, a man walked towards them, covering his face with a mask and sunglasses. The man walked towards the girl and asked for directions, suggesting that she guide him herself too. The boy tried to stop the girl, since the man seemed suspicious, but the girl was sure he wasn’t bad. As a result, the two of them went along with the man. However, the man would interrupt the girl every time the girl pointed in the correct direction. Soon, the three of them ended up in an abandoned building. The man took hold of the girl and picked out a knife from his pocket. The man threatened the boy to stay still and don’t make any suspicious movements if he wanted the girl to live. The man had noticed that the boy had been suspicious of him since the start.

The man’s target from the start seemed to be the boy, who was a prince. The knew the man’s motive as soon as they entered the building and tried to run away with the girl, but the man was faster at grabbing the girl. The girl was so scared she was speechless. The boy didn’t hesitate to help the girl. He kicked the man’s leg as hard as he could and used basic magic to make him trip. At this moment, the girl was released, and the boy shouted for the girl to escape. He knew that he had to stay behind if he wanted the girl to live.

The girl didn’t want to escape by herself, but the boy told her to go call for help so she obediently escaped to call for help. The boy tried to use magic but since he was still small, his magic power was weak and didn’t know many spells. The man was enraged and decided to kill the hostage instead of keeping him alive, as requested by his client. The man used his knife and stabbed the young boy near his heart. The boy was badly injured as his consciousness faded.