An Apology

I felt a light trying to pierce through my eyelids, as if calling me back to consciousness. Yet, for some reason, I was reluctant to open them.

My body lay limply on the bed, but strangely, it didn’t carry a negative connotation. Instead, it reminded me of that classic moment when Sunday quietly turns into Monday, and laziness gnaws away at the will to go to work.

But my drifting thoughts were suddenly disrupted by the shadow of a recent event. The memory flashed—me plummeting from the highest floor of the palace, thrown out through the window. The image instantly made every muscle in my body tense, forcing my spine upright and my eyes to snap wide open before I even realized it.

“I came back from the dead!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the room.

At the side of the bed, two maids who had been busy with their tasks immediately turned toward me. They looked startled by my sudden outburst, then clung to each other, their faces painted with fear.

“Why are you so scared?” I asked, glancing back and forth between them.

“M-My apologies… W-We were just startled because young master suddenly woke up with such wide eyes,” one of them replied, their voice trembling.

Rather than feeling offended, their startled expressions made me take a longer look at them. Strangely enough, I realized they looked almost identical—from their hairstyles, to the shape of their faces, to the curves of their bodies. The only obvious difference lay in… well, the size of their chests.

“Are you two twins?”

“Y-Yes… we’re twin sisters,” one of them replied, her voice still trembling with lingering fear.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, fixing them both with a gaze that carried a hint of intimidation. “You two… you’re not from the demon race, are you?”

“N-No—no… we’re both human, not demons,” they answered hastily, clutching each other even tighter.

“That’s a relief…”

One of them seemed hesitant, but eventually mustered the courage to move her lips. “W-Why… what if we were from the demon race?” she asked in a faint voice.

“I’d only be worried if the next one to show up was a silver-haired half-elf.”

The room fell silent…

The fear that had been so clear in their eyes slowly faded, replaced by puzzled looks they exchanged with one another. Their tight embrace loosened, and both let out long breaths, as though trying to make sense of what I had just said. Until, at last, one of them broke the silence.

“Quickly, inform the Queen that the Young Master has regained consciousness.”

The other maid immediately nodded and hurried out of the room, leaving me alone with the one who… well, had the larger chest. The air between us instantly turned awkward, neither of us daring to speak, our eyes locked in mutual silence.

...

Before long, hurried footsteps approached. The maid who had left earlier returned, followed by my father, my mother, and Galliant, who looked as though he had half-run the whole way.

“Lucian, are you alright?” my mother cried, and without hesitation, she threw her arms around me in a tight embrace atop the bed.

“I’m fine, I’m alright.”

My father then stepped closer, standing tall at the side of the bed. His posture was firm, his expression stern—yet it was clear he was holding back a flicker of anger.

“What exactly were you doing to end up being thrown out of the window like that? Even your entire room is now in complete disarray.”

“Dear, don’t speak to Lucian like that, he—” My mother tried to defend me, but her words were cut short by my father’s sharper, faster voice.

“I’m not forbidding you from learning magic,” he continued, his tone now slightly louder, “but you need to pay attention to the place and the circumstances. What if no one had been there to save you? Or worse—what if you had hurt someone nearby?”

“I’m sorry…” I murmured, lowering my head, unable to meet his gaze.

My father let out a long sigh before slowly sitting down on the edge of the bed. His hand reached out, gently ruffling my hair in a gesture that sharply contrasted with the sternness of his voice moments earlier.

“Forgive us as well… for not always being by your side. It’s not because we’ve neglected you, but because we bear a far greater duty—one that we cannot entrust to anyone else, not even for the simple act of watching over you at play.”

“W-We’re sorry, Your Majesty…” both maids said almost in unison, their voices thick with regret, as if desperate to erase a fault that might not even have been theirs to begin with.

But my father did not respond to their apology. Instead, he slowly raised his palm toward them—a subtle gesture that meant enough.

“I’m not here to place blame on anyone. And if there must be someone at fault, then I would say everyone in this room shares it equally. Or perhaps… it’s more accurate to say that we are all simply victims of circumstance,” Father said, his voice calm yet laced with a weariness he tried to conceal. His gaze shifted to me. “One day, when you’re grown, Lucian, you’ll understand what I mean.”

I remained silent. Not a single word left my lips. My head stayed bowed, as though the blanket before me was far safer to look at than any of their faces.

“I believe that, at your age, you already know who you are and what your role is in this Kingdom. I have no intention of controlling your every step or forbidding you from doing this or that. You’re free to choose your own path, so long as it leads to something good. But remember this one thing—never let your actions endanger others, nor make others feel guilty because of what you’ve done. Do you understand?”

“Yes… I understand. I’m sorry,” I replied softly. Even so, I still couldn’t bring myself to meet Father’s eyes. There was a sting in my chest that made my tears threaten to fall.

Father shook his head slowly. “Don’t apologize. Say thank you.”

“T-Thank you…” I stammered, trying to follow his instruction, though my voice trembled.

“Don’t say it to me—say it to the person who saved you,” my father replied.

“Saved me? Who?”

“For that, I’ll let Galliant explain it to you… I still have other matters to attend to,” he said. Slowly, he withdrew his hand from my head and rose from the bedside.

“Lucian, remember your father’s words well, alright? Be a good child, and never trouble others,” my mother said, leaning down slightly to gently caress my cheek. Then she too rose from the bed.

“I’ll leave Lucian in your care,” my father said as he made his way toward the door.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the two maids answered in unison, joined by Galliant, who had been in the room the whole time.

Once my father and mother left the room, Galliant slowly stepped closer to me. He sat down on the edge of the bed, exactly in the spot where my father had been sitting earlier.

“Young Master, are you truly alright?” he asked, his tone laced with worry.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Forgive me for asking, Young Master… but what kind of magic did you use earlier to leave your entire room in such shambles?”

“W-Wind magic… but I poured in too much energy,” I answered hesitantly, lowering my head slightly in an attempt to avoid his gaze.

Galliant let out a long sigh and shook his head slowly. “I’m just glad you weren’t hurt… but please, never recklessly use that much magical energy again. I’m truly begging you,” he said, this time putting greater emphasis in his voice.

“Why?” I asked, puzzled.

“Because… it could be fatal—potentially even deadly,” Galliant replied, his tone turning serious as his eyes locked onto mine.

Gulp.

“Listen, Young Master,” he continued, “learning magic must be done step by step. Start with the smallest amount of energy, then gradually increase its capacity. That way, you’ll learn to control it faster—and far more safely.”

“Why does it have to be like that?” I asked again.

Galliant leaned forward slightly. “Think of it this way… imagine a water pipe. If the flow is gentle, you can hold it back, can’t you? But what if, all of a sudden, the current becomes violently strong… could you still hold it?”

I fell silent, trying to picture his analogy. From the way Galliant’s lips moved, it was clear he wasn’t done explaining.

“The most fundamental aspect of magic—which, ironically, is also the one most often overlooked—is control,” Galliant said, his tone firm with emphasis. “The palace lamps, the waterwheels, and various other devices that require magical manifestation to function… all of them, before being infused with magic, first require control. Without it, magical energy will never be stable and will never work at its best.”

Ah, I understand now.

“If you think that a large amount of magical energy will automatically produce great power, you’d be mistaken,” he continued. “In fact, a small amount of magical energy, if controlled properly, can achieve far more than a massive amount released without restraint.”

“Thank you, Galliant. I understand now. And… I’m sorry for making you worry.”

We both fell silent for a moment. The stillness was broken only by the faint whisper of wind creeping in through the window. That was when I remembered Father’s words—to thank the person who had saved me.

“Oh, right, Galliant… about the person who saved me—do you know who it was?” I asked, looking straight at him.

“Does the Young Master not remember anything before losing consciousness?”

“I-I only caught a glimpse… a maids wearing a grayish-brown outfit. Her skin was brown, and her hair was long and black.”

“That one, huh…” Galliant slowly stroked his chin.

“You know her, Galliant?”

“Yes, I know her.”

“Who is she? What’s her name?” I asked, now with a more curious tone.

Galliant smiled faintly. “It might be better if the Young Master meets her in person… and gets to know her.”

“Why is that? If you already know her name, wouldn’t it be easier to just tell me directly?”

“Indeed… taking the easy way out wouldn’t be wrong,” he replied softly. “But I have a feeling that the Young Master’s wise soul might be able to change something within her—something she has kept hidden all this time.”

Huh? What does he mean by that?

“Here’s what you should do,” Galliant continued as he stood up, “for now, focus on resting. Tomorrow, once you’re well, go to the palace’s backyard—the place where the maids usually hang the laundry. That’s where you’ll meet her.”

Who… exactly is she?

In all my life in this world, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her. Even though all this time, we’ve been living under the same roof.