Chapter 07 - Aah~ My Prince

Morning arrived.

In one of the castle’s chambers, Renya gently pushed open the door, ready to begin her daily routine of cleaning the young prince’s room. But the moment she stepped inside, a long sigh escaped her lips.

Prince Paul was sprawled across the floor, surrounded by a chaotic mess of scattered belongings—notes, tools, scraps of parchment, and half-finished sketches.

Shaking her head, Renya closed the door behind her with a soft click and muttered under her breath, “Again… he’s like this every time…” while rubbing her temples with a tired hand.

She walked over and crouched in front of him, nudging his shoulder gently.
“Prince, don’t sleep on the floor. Get up and move to the bed.”

Paul stirred at the sound of her voice, his eyes fluttering open. The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, making him squint.
“Good morning… haaa…” he yawned, stretching slightly.

But the moment he turned his head and caught sight of his unfinished project, his sleepiness vanished in an instant.

“Damn, I forgot to finish it!” he blurted out, scrambling upright and immediately reaching for his tools, his fingers already moving with urgency.

Before he could get far, Ranya swiftly grabbed his hand.
“Prince, at least change your clothes first.”

Paul glanced down at himself, mumbling, “Not too dirty… just need a shower…” in a half-hearted voice.

Hearing his lazy excuse, Ranya’s expression shifted. She stood up slowly, her smile sweet—yet unmistakably menacing.
“Oh? So the prince wants to take a bath?”

Paul froze in place, eyes widening.

Before he could say anything, Ranya was already walking toward the door.

“Wait—”

Click.

She was gone.

Two hours later, after wiping down and changing into fresh clothes, Paul finally returned to his work.

Meanwhile, Ranya moved about the room, tidying things up and sorting through the scattered mess he’d left behind. As she shifted a few boxes, her eyes landed on the white apple resting silently on the table.

She paused, her brow furrowing.

“...Forbidden fruit, huh?” she muttered. “Prince, where did you get this? And there’s even a spatial bag…”

Paul froze mid-scribble. His head snapped toward her. “You don’t know?”

Ranya shook her head slowly. “No… There was no order from His Majesty.”

She then narrowed her eyes at him. “So, Prince… who was she? A woman, right? I can still smell her perfume.”

At her question, Paul felt a chill down his spine. He quickly averted his gaze and answered in an awkward tone, “I… don’t… know. She just said the fruit was the answer. you know, my wish right? “

Ranya crossed her arms, drumming her fingers lightly. “ She even knew about the forbidden fruit… Hardly sounds like an assassin to me.”

Paul scoffed. “Please. If she were an assassin, I wouldn’t be standing here.”

Ranya narrowed her eyes. “You’re right… but then, who was she, really?”

Paul shifted uncomfortably. “She said… she was a witch.”

Ranya’s brows furrowed. “A witch? And you just believed that?”

Paul nodded slowly. “She said she had a task—to bring me something I needed.”

“So, she just walked into your room, handed you an apple and a spatial bag, then left?” Ranya asked, her voice laced with skepticism.

Paul hesitated. “…Actually, just the apple.” He rubbed his cheek, avoiding her gaze.
Ranya’s expression remained unchanged. “And?”

Paul sighed. “The spatial bag and everything inside... she called them an investment.”

Ranya didn’t press further and instead asked, “What else did she say?”

“She told me to cut the apple into 24 pieces and eat one piece every week. Apparently, that’s what her friend told her…” Paul muttered, sounding resigned as he gazed out the window.
“I see…” Ranya murmured. Without saying another word, she picked up the apple and placed it gently on a plate.
Then—
Slice. Slice. Slice.
In the blink of an eye, the apple was cut into 24 perfectly even slices, arranged neatly and elegantly on the plate.

Paul turned his head just in time to see the result.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He swallowed.
“Fast… and smooth…”

Ranya, holding a slice between her fingers, smiled playfully.
“So, my prince… aahhh~” she teased, holding the piece up to his mouth.

Still in shock from her sudden precision and speed, Paul absentmindedly opened his mouth and ate it.
As he chewed, the sweet and slightly tangy taste settled on his tongue, and he finally asked,
“So… what about the other 23 pieces?”

“Just store them in the spatial bag,” Ranya replied casually, already turning back to her cleaning.
“If I’m not mistaken, it has a time-stop function.”

“…Oh.”

And with that, Paul quietly gathered the neatly sliced pieces of the apple and stored them in a pouch—his mind still struggling to process everything that had just happened.

He glanced briefly at Renya, who had returned to cleaning the room like usual. With a soft sigh, Paul turned back to his project, refocusing on the unfinished exo-armor. His hands moved with practiced precision, attaching the last components and carefully drawing magic runes across its surface.

Two hours passed.

Once he felt everything was properly installed and the runes were inscribed to perfection, Paul rose from his seat. Without saying much, he stepped out of the room with steady steps.

Renya noticed and called out, “Where are you going, Prince?” she asked, puzzled, still holding a cloth in one hand.

Paul didn’t look back. “Training,” he replied simply as he continued walking toward the knights’ training grounds.

Renya just shook her head lightly, set aside what she was doing, and silently followed him at a respectful distance.

At the Knight Training Grounds:

Paul stood at the edge of the training arena, eyes gleaming with excitement. He nodded to himself, clearly satisfied with what he saw.

The training he desired was nothing like the standard knight drills. So, he had taken it upon himself to custom order some rather unusual equipment.

“This is it… modern military-style training,” he muttered with a proud grin, then jumped straight into his regimen with unwavering focus.

Nearby, several knights observed him from afar, murmuring among themselves.

“Look at that… the Prince is playing around again,” one said mockingly.

“Is that so? I think his ‘game’ looks harder than our drills,” another commented, squinting at the odd devices.

“Still, he’s… surprisingly diligent,” someone else admitted, watching Paul move with intense determination.

Renya, standing to the side, simply sighed and shook her head, quietly listening to their chatter with a faint smile.

Just then, Kruger—the Head of the Royal Guard—arrived. He halted in his tracks as his eyes scanned the strange contraptions spread across the training field.

A moment passed before he walked up to Renya, still watching Paul.

“Did the Prince really order all of this?” he asked, slightly incredulous.

Renya nodded, eyes still on Paul. “Yes… he said it’s the kind of training he wanted. I wasn’t sure at first, but now…”

Kruger nodded slowly, visibly impressed. “Yeah… it’s incredibly effective. Hard to believe the Prince came up with this,” he said with quiet admiration, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched Paul’s precise, determined movements.

“Do you think we could order one for adult knights as well…?” Kruger asked, his gaze shifting toward the knights who had started watching Paul’s training with piqued curiosity. “Some of them seem to be realizing how effective it is,” he added confidently.

Renya turned his gaze, carefully scanning the entire training ground before answering in a serious tone,
“Impossible.”

Kruger raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Why not?”

With a sigh, Renya explained, “The field isn’t big enough. If you want to replicate Paul’s setup for the knights, you’ll need a different location—somewhere spacious, maybe even build a new training ground.”

She looked toward the knights, who continued their repetitive sword drills.

Kruger followed her gaze, his eyes lingering on Paul’s training course. “You’re right…” he admitted quietly.

“In that case, I suppose I’ll need the king or queen’s approval before doing anything further,” he said with resignation, exhaling deeply.

Renya simply nodded in agreement, her eyes still fixed on Paul—who remained absorbed in his training, unwavering and determined.