Maxi closed his book, setting it down on the nearby table. The cover displayed a world map of Pelody, the three great continents separated by vast oceans. His fingers traced the edges of the illustration absentmindedly before he finally turned to Angelina.
"Hey, let's go outside. I want to explore a little," he said, adjusting his glasses.
Angelina hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay, but we can't leave the castle walls."
Maxi accepted that condition without complaint. He followed her as she opened the heavy wooden doors, stepping into the open courtyard. His small castle, a separate estate designated for him alone, felt more like a gilded cage than a home. He tilted his head back, staring up at the towering silhouette of the main castle sitting atop the hill.
It loomed above him, grand and imposing, home to his father, his many siblings, and stepmothers. A place he had never stepped foot in. He exhaled sharply, recalling a memory that had long since settled into the pit of his stomach like a weight.
He had been younger—four years old, perhaps—sitting in the training grounds with a book on dragons in his hands. A man had walked past him, draped in a white and dark blue blazer that hung from his shoulders like a cape with a matching dark blue suit, black pants, and a crisp white shirt beneath, Colen carried himself with the elegance of a noble. A dark blue jabot adorned his neck, and polished shoes completed his perfect image. His dark blue eyes, bordering on deep red, had glanced at Maxi with cold amusement. In his own hands, he held a tome on the history of giants.
The man had chuckled, his voice both emotionally and physically chilling. "Sad how a connoisseur like me can only read trash like that. How pitiful."
A shiver ran down Maxi's spine at the memory. His siblings were terrifying in their own way. That was why, despite his curiosity, he was glad to be separate from them.
Sighing, Maxi let himself collapse onto the soft grass. The sky stretched wide above him, endless and open. Angelina stood nearby, watching him for a moment before sitting cross-legged beside him.
"Have you ever wondered what's beyond these walls?" Maxi asked, gazing up at the drifting clouds. "Sometimes I hear the bustling of townspeople, their voices carried by the wind. It makes me wonder what life is like outside this… royal cage."
Angelina gave a small sigh. "I don't know what you're talking about. You have a loving mother, yet you wish to be free from her?" She glanced at him. "Sometimes, being restricted by the people who care about you is better than any freedom you could ever have out there."
"Maybe," Maxi murmured. "But I'd like a little bit of freedom—just enough to be content with this cage. After all, it's a lot kinder than the rest of the world."
Angelina chuckled. "How do you even know what the world is like? What's with all this philosophical talk?"
Maxi smirked, raising his glasses slightly. "I have one word for you, Angelina—books. Lots of them." He patted the grass beside him. "You don't have to stand, you know. Sit."
She rolled her eyes but did as he said, settling into the grass beside him.
"How long do you plan on staying out here?" she asked.
"Until I see all four moons," Maxi said, his voice filled with quiet longing. "The last time I saw them was when I was two. Then I got my first book, and I never looked up again."
A thought struck him—something small yet significant. He liked reading. He hadn't cared much for books in his past life, yet now, he was drawn to them like a moth to flame. Perhaps it was an escape, or maybe his body or mind was more drawn to books then he was in his past life. Perhaps it was something even more completely.
Maybe, one day, he would write a book of his own or even just short stories.
The hours passed, and night fell. The sky darkened, revealing the celestial wonders above. One by one, the four moons appeared. The first, a pale light blue; the second, a deep navy; the third, the largest and brightest, glowing pure white; and the last, the smallest, shrouded in deep black.
Maxi watched them in silence, a rare moment of peace washing over him. The wind blew gently, ruffling his hair, but he didn't mind. For once, he wasn't thinking about gods, demons, or destiny.
For once, he simply existed beneath the four moons.