27 Grand Revelation

Using the dim light provided by the wax candle stuck on the table of the ship, Howard dried himself off using the towel the crew had provided him. He had just taken a short bath using cold water and a bar of unscented soap to cleanse himself from the sweat accumulated over his journey through the night.

Once Howard finished drying off, he put on the brown tunic and blue breeches the crew had provided him. These were meant to be temporary clothes, something for Howard to wear instead of the dirty, tight clothes he used to traverse in the night.

There was no point in putting on any formal clothes he would use for the ceremony. Knight Adam stated that Kant would visit a public bath just before heading to the palace to conduct the ceremony. He will put on the formal attire he himself chose over there. 

After putting on his clothes, he carefully breaks the candle and uses it as a flashlight to guide him through the dark corridors of the ship. They had not bothered putting up potential fire hazards everywhere just to light up the interiors. If anyone wanted to go anywhere on the ship, they would need to carry a lit lantern or a candle beforehand.

He eventually makes it back to his room, a small cabin with a mattress stuffed with hay straw on a wooden frame, alongside a small desk to put the wax candle on. Howard blows out the candle, places it on the desk, and gets on the bed.

"Alright, Howard. You have a big day tomorrow. You got this…" he told himself.

He closes his eyes and relaxes all his muscles. He imagines his eyeballs sinking into his eye sockets, and his body sinking into the mattress. Just before he cleared his mind of any thoughts, he constantly reminded himself to wake up at 6:30, to tell his biological clock when to get up. In just a matter of minutes, Howard fell into a deep slumber.

…

Howard woke up to find himself lying down on a hard wooden floor, looking into a clear blue with gigantic clouds taking the shape of objects or animals. His body could feel the floor constantly tilting from left to right, while his ears picked up sounds of the calm sea waves constantly crashing into the wooden hull of a ship.

As he got up from the floor to look around, his nose picked up a strong scent of alcohol, mixed with the salty air and that strange sweet fruit. Upon looking at the ship itself, he found it possessing 3 tall masts holding on giant white sails. 

To his left was a vast expanse of ocean stretching out into the horizon, only separated by extravagant wooden railings handcrafted by highly skilled woodworkers. To his right, he saw some land in the distance, being gazed at by a particular silver-haired man dripped in royal attire, all alone.

"Is this another memory sequence?" Howard asks himself. He has had flashbacks detailing Kant's past before, but none of them sprang up when he was asleep. It always happened suddenly, when something he interacted with triggered a flood of memories to overwhelm his mind. 

Kant was soon joined by a man clad in silk and gold, with a face and a voice Howard could vaguely remember. Knight Commander Herrold Wingman approaches the prince wearing his formal attire, to check on him and see if he is doing well.

"What are you up to, your highness?" he questions the prince.

"I am simply admiring this view. Nothing more," Kant replied, still keeping his head to gaze at the beauty of nature.

"Admiring the view, eh?" Herrold takes a closer look at Kant's face.

"Well, for someone who has been presented with nature's beauty, you don't seem like you are enjoying it that much," he comments. Kant remains silent for a little bit, unsure how to respond. Howard, who had started to get a little bored of this little conversation, tried exploring the other parts of the memory.

Their conversation doesn't seem to have any valuable information for him, and his curiosity to know whether Kant's brain had the entire ship mapped out or not led him to walk to a large door that presumably led him inside the ship.

As Howard grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open, he was faced with a dark void with a squishy texture, preventing him from venturing inside. No matter how much he forced himself to explore the interior of the ship, the void did not budge.

It appears the prince's brain didn't bother mapping out the interior of this ship, as it wasn't important to this memory. Howard was forced to stay on top of the deck for now, till this sequence is over.

Having nothing better to do, he decides to eavesdrop in on Kant's and Herrold's conversation, to see if anything had changed. From the way the conversation was going, he expected the two to talk about the weather, or the beautiful scenery. Instead, it was something much more personal.

"Sometimes I wonder whether my family would be better off without me…" Kant mutters. Looks like Howard walked in on the worst possible time.

"Where did you get that idea, your highness?" Herrold replied with his own question, keeping calm.

"With everything that has gone on, I keep on hearing that… there might be a sort of… alliance forming against us. Apparently, part of that has to do with… me," he confesses.

"Most Knights don't see me worthy of my title as prince, while most nobles think I am some kind of sign my family is cursed. Well, except you and a few others. It is all so tiresome." Kant turns his head to face Herrold.

"I am only going to Alderney because my only friend is there. Do you want to know how we met?" Kant asked the commander.

"I am good, your highness."

"Very well." Herrold leans in on the fence, looking onto the land in the distance.

"I can see why your highness is very eh… conscious about it. Who did you hear this from?"

"I hear it from a lot of people. Ordinary maids. Servants. Knights. Even from my sister. Though it all might be rumors, I just can't seem to… let it go. Like… I feel like they are right," Kant is struggling to find the words to express himself.

"Do you wish it would change, your highness?" Herrold asks him.

"Hmm?"

"Do you wish that people, knights, nobles and whatnot, started respecting you and… seeing you as a valuable member of the royal family?" Herrold elaborated on his question.

"I would have love too but eh… I don't think there is anything I can do to change their minds, is there?" Kant inquiries from Herrold.

"Fortunately for you, your highness, there is!" he claims. Howard could see Kant's curiosity sparkle in his jet-black eyes. He stands up straight and looks at Herrold directly in the eyes.

"Would you mind telling me how?" Kant spoke. Herrold makes a smile, and starts filling Kant in.

"Well, your highness, have you ever heard that most noble families today originate from the legion of knights?" he starts off with his own question.

"Yes. I do know. If I am not mistaken, they replaced all the previous noble families that died out during the calamity."

"Exactly. Now consider this. If these ex-knights happen to hear about you risking your life to protect something valuable to you, or to your family or friends, then they might start seeing you in a different light," Herrold explains.

"It will build a foundation of trust and respect you can use to build up. Eventually, once you have built a good reputation as someone who is honorable, and willing to sacrifice himself to defend what your heart treasures, they will start to accept you," he adds.

"Take it from me, your highness. As a part of the Wingman family, I had the pleasure of working with a lot of nobles throughout the kingdom. I have access to both of these social circles; of knights and nobles," he claims.

"In fact, I am willing to help you gain the favor of these nobles."

"Oh? You are?"

"Of course, your highness! You are part of the Maybale family! We have been allies since our very inception! If you ever want my help, all you have to do is to just ask," he claims.

…

Howard suddenly woke back up in the middle of the night. He had returned to his cozy wooden cabin he was given by the crew to sleep in. He had no idea of what time it was, or how long he had been asleep for. The only clue that a few hours had passed, is his body's unusually low energy he gets when he first wakes up.

As he lied down on his bed, Howard wondered what that memory was about. He thought about what Herrold said, how he would help the prince gain recognition and acceptance from the other families for no reason. Sure, he was a prince, but a 'cursed' prince that everyone despises.

Wanting to know more when it took place, Howard searched Kant's brain to find out and arrange it in a proper timeline. Apparently, this event happened a few days before he arrived to the town of Alderney, to celebrate his 20th birthday alongside his friend.

Howard found it quite funny. What were the chances that Herrold told Kant to 'risk his life' just a few days before he faced with a powerful demon? Unless…

"Wait… what if it was a setup? What if they lured the creature there? What if he told him that so he would risk his own life, and end up killing himself?" he asks himself.