Chapter 4 : Encounter

Eight-year-old Edward saw a small figure sneaking a peek into the banquet. Dressed in proper court attire, he looked like a little thief.

Leonard noticed someone watching him, but he was too dizzy and weak from hunger to run. He had circled the kitchen, but there were guards at the door, and he couldn''t get in.

Now that he was discovered, Leonard wanted to beg him not to tell his father.

"Please..."

Halfway through his plea, he realized it wasn''t a servant or guard, but a child about his age. Not a child of the royal family. Maybe a guest''s child from today''s banquet. Leonard, on a whim, had an idea.

"Could you get me something to eat?"

"..."

Edward couldn''t believe there was someone in the palace with an empty stomach. Leonard was so thin he could barely support the elaborate clothes he wore.

Maybe it was because he was punished and confined for making a mistake, Edward also hated the numerous rules at home, and at this moment, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of resonance.

　　"Wait here."

　　Leonard had never been so expectant before. When he saw Edward reappear, holding a bunch of snacks, it was also the first time he felt so strongly that someone had met his expectations.

　　"Eat slowly."

　　He was gobbling down the food, almost choking, and Edward regretted not bringing some water. He took out a handkerchief and wiped Leonard''s mouth, feeling a sense of treating a stray kitten. But there was a slight difference, a little pain in his chest.

　　Leonard stuffed the last piece into his mouth just as someone came over, calling out a strange name.

　　"I have to go back."

　　Edward hurriedly stood up. He had also sneaked out, and the snacks were stolen from a corner when no one was looking. He stuffed the handkerchief into Leonard''s hand and turned to leave.

　　Leonard clutched the handkerchief in his hand and swallowed the snack in his mouth. It was the best thing he had ever eaten. But he didn''t have time to say thank you.

　　Master Edward—

　　That''s what the person called him. From that day on, that name was etched in Leonard''s heart.

　　……

　　Two days passed after that day, and it wasn''t until the servants finished the banquet that they remembered the little prince''s existence. Without those foods, Leonard might have died long ago.

　　His life was given by Master Edward.

　　Leonard opened his eyes in the dark, too hungry to sleep peacefully. He never thought that the person who saved him would make him experience hunger again.

　　But now it was different from being in the palace. He put down the handkerchief he had been holding, which was his treasure. Since that day, he had kept it by his side, like a protective talisman.

　　Leonard bit his lip and went downstairs. The dining room was already empty. He groped his way to the kitchen. Although The Harkness Family was not like ordinary families, it was just a suburban villa and not as strictly managed as the royal family.

　　The kitchen door was indeed unlocked. Leonard rummaged through the cabinets and found a pack of noodles to cook. He was clumsy; no one in the palace had taught him how to cook, and he had learned this skill in cooking class at school.

　　As he ate the noodles he cooked, his nose suddenly tingled, and the tears he hadn''t shed during the day fell into the bowl.

　　He reached out to wipe them, but more tears flowed out, stinging his swollen cheeks.

　　Leonard didn''t understand why the gentle Master Edward in his memory had turned into this. Even in the magazines lent by his classmates and the interview videos on his phone, that handsome man was always bright and cheerful, like a beacon lighting his lonely path.

　　Why had he turned into what he saw today?