The wooden stairs were covered with a grey carpet. She stepped slowly and walked upward; her eyes landed on the painting while she was turning around to her left.
It was a normal painting of natural scenery, so she didn't pay much attention to it and moved to the side to reach Henry's room. She was acting as if she had never lived in this house.
This boy sure loves painting…
At the turn of the stairs, a gas lamp was fitted on the wall to light up the path. She smells the air and feels insecure about it. She stepped back from the stairs and got near the gas lamp.
She peeked inside the gas lamp but didn't find anything unusual, so she smelled again, and this time she found out that the smell was coming from upstairs.
What the hell is he doing?
She rushed toward Henry's room upstairs, and the moment she opened the wooden door of Henry's room, she was completely clueless about seeing what he was doing.
Henry sat calmly on the chair; he didn't notice Hyacinth at all and seemed completely invested in the book he was reading. The book was covered in leather; there was not a single word written on its cover.
"What are you reading, Henry? And where's this burning smell coming from?"
Henry turned around and looked at Hyacinth, his deep blue eyes lit up with excitement as he saw her. He stood up from his chair and walked toward her while she stood motionless near the door.
"Mom, are you a god?"
Hyacinth's hand was shocked as if something had hit it; her eyes widened a little in shock, but then she sighed and leaned close to Henry. She patted her hand on his head and looked toward the book.
"So, you actually read Anastasia's book. I'm not actually a god. I'm just a guardian of the universe like the other 4. But we are the highest authority in the universe's reality."
Henry smiled as he turned back to the table and grabbed the book. He held it in both hands and turned the written side toward Hyacinth.
"Wow, I thought this was just a fairy tale he made up to sell his book. But it turned out he was right all along."
She takes two steps forward and reaches near the bed. After sitting comfortably, she taps her right hand on her side twice while staring at Henry.
"Come here, boy. Tell me about him who gave you this book. And first of all, tell me where this burning smell is coming from."
Henry walked toward the window and pointed outside it; his reaction was pretty normal, as if he knew about it.
"Those guys were burning some wooden planks. It's there, smells pretty much."
And afterward, he returned to his bed and sat beside Hyacinth. She takes him in her right arm and puts his head near her neck and kisses his head.
"Now, darling, tell me, the one who gave you this book, does he wear a black mask? And does he have bandages bound on his whole left arm? But all of his other body parts were hidden in a black cloak, right?"
Henry looked up in her eyes, and with a happy and smiling face, he nodded but didn't speak a word. Hyacinth leaned her arm around Henry and put her chin on his head.
"Hey Mom, why did you accept so quickly that you are a god? You could have just—"
She smiled as she looked down toward his face; her smile felt gentle. Her eyes blinked as she put her finger on his face.
"Shhh! Sooner or later, you would have known, so I thought, why not now? And most importantly, you are my son, so you should know what my origin is."
They both kept talking to each other for, like, an hour; she didn't let go of him, even for a second, from her arm and kept him close to herself.
Soon, the light got dimmer in the room because the sun had already set, and night was starting to fall. Hyacinth was shocked a little bit by what Henry said while she was about to stand up.
"What did you just say? A king? Of this nation? Hahaha…"
She couldn't control herself and burst into laughter. Henry sighed and held Hyacinth's hand. He pulls her arm toward himself and succeeds in stopping her from laughing.
"I knew you'd laugh, Mom. But still I know you believe in me, don't you?"
She stretched her hand and touched his cheek as she rubbed it gently; she lifted up his chin and looked straight into his deep blue eyes.
"Then who will be the queen?"
Hyacinth said this, thinking she was mocking Henry, but her eyes opened as she heard his reply.
"You… You'll be the queen; no mere woman can take this title from you."
Her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat, her right eye filled with tears, but before they could fall off, they vanished, and she smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry to hurt your ego, little one, but I'll let you live on your own after you turn 17. This isn't Planet Earth, nor am I a human who will stay with you till you succeed.
"We may be in touch, but not like the rest of the old days. I'll look over you as fulfilling my mother's role but will not interfere in your personal matters. And don't start crying over it."
Henry smiled as he moved toward the door to leave the room. He side-eyed her, and his smile faded from his face.
"I may not have a soul, but I have a human body and emotions; I'll be emotionless toward even you if I have to achieve my goal. No matter who you are—human, god, primordial, sinner, or whatever—you are just pieces of chess on my board."
She made an awkward face and kept staring at him without any reaction or speaking a single word.
And you have to! If not, then you will be eaten alive by these royals and nobles. If you can't survive this fire, then the universe is hell compared to this fire.
Henry smiled back and ran down the stairs while speaking aloud.
"Anyway, I'm hungry; let's eat."
Hyacinth's seriousness never drops that fast as it drops after seeing the change of emotion in Henry in just seconds. She sighed and moved to go downstairs.
Seriously? He changes emotion faster than someone's heartbeat. And he is 12 right now.
…
17th year after Henry's birth…
The snow covered the high cobblestone walls, while the ground seemed clean, but the grass was wet. A group of young, newly joined royal guards stands in lines, while in front of them a general stands.
In the last line, Henry stands calmly while his focus completely shifts to the general's words.
"You all know the reason why you joined the royal guards. Face your fate, which comes upward, work under his majesty's command, and become a wall to protect the royals.
"This is the only rule you have to learn to face the harshness of being a royal guard. Pray to your believed god that you may be considered as part of the royal guards by the king or royals."
"Yes, General."
All the young, newly joined young guards shout out loudly. But Henry remained silent. He understood what the general had to say but still seemed to be planning something else in his mind.
Henry smiled after a long thought; he twisted his arm a little bit and tightened his grip. He may be planning something unusual that has some chance of being completed.
But whatever his plan is, he is now in the hellish area of royals and nobles; further life may not be easy for him. His only possible option to survive is to protect himself even if it costs others' lives.