Chapter 22 - Prince Red Riding Hood

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Chapter 22

 

 

Just as Klaus had said, the next full moon was to be a blood moon. The royal scholars confirmed its appearance, and the halls of the palace echoed with whispers of worry:

 

"To think such an ominous moon would rise in the very month His Highness turned sixteen…"

 

In the Kingdom of Vallcent, members of royalty and nobility were permitted to marry at twelve—but such unions were called "white marriages," and tradition decreed that the wedding night must wait until both bride and groom turned sixteen. Commoners, by law, could not marry at all until they reached that age. In short, sixteen was the recognized threshold of adulthood, and so Lil's recent birthday had been a truly auspicious event.

 

Precisely for that reason, many saw the blood moon's sudden arrival as a grim omen. They feared what it might mean for the newly come-of-age prince.

 

For Lil, of course, the blood moon was something else entirely. It marked the night he might finally be united with Klaus. But the older adults around him were far more superstitious, and from morning onward, they chorused the same warning:

 

"Tonight will be a full moon—and what's more, a true blood moon. You mustn't go outside, Your Highness!"

 

Ah… what should I do? Today is supposed to be my free day, with no studies or lessons, and yet I've been confined to my room like a prisoner since morning. The sun is already setting. The full moon is visible. I have to find a way to slip out—before the moon turns red. I have to get to him…

 

Staring up at the deepening dusk, Lil watched the pale moon as it began to rise, round and white against the wine-colored sky.

 

If he could reach Klaus before the moon turned red—if Klaus, overcome with desire, lost his reason and claimed Lil's purity as his own—then that moment would become their eternal bond. Proof of a love that defied heaven.

 

Even if it meant sinning against God, they would live on, loving each other still.

 

It was custom in Vallcent to stay indoors on nights of the full moon, long before sunset. Except for the guards who patrolled the palace walls, most citizens remained safely inside their homes. For Lil to reach Klaus, he would have to evade the watchful eyes of his ladies-in-waiting, sneak out unnoticed, and somehow persuade the gatekeepers to let him pass.

 

But with a blood moon overhead, the challenge became exponentially harder.

 

The Queen had issued her decree, as she did every time the cursed moon appeared: no one was to go outside. No one was to risk being tainted by the influence of a demonic sky.

 

Even if Lil somehow escaped his chambers, the palace gates would not open to him tonight.

 

No soldier would dare defy the Queen's orders—not even for the crown prince himself.

 

Of all nights, why did I promise to meet him on the most impossible one? How foolish I was…

 

Perhaps Klaus, being a foreigner, didn't understand the significance of the blood moon. He hadn't seemed particularly concerned. But now Lil wondered if the weight of this night had simply slipped past him.

 

From his window, he could see the stone walls of the castle glowing faintly in the twilight. Since his birthday, he had met Klaus in secret every single day. And now, more than ever, he knew: he had to find a way to reach him before the moon turned red. He had to be certain of his feelings.

 

This was no time for hesitation.

 

According to the scholars, there were only four hours left until the blood moon fully rose.

 

If I can just see him tonight… then I know he'll love me.

 

Each time they met, their kisses had grown deeper. Just last night, when they parted, Klaus had held him tightly in his arms. Even without the sweetness of butter, he had kissed and tasted Lil's skin—and even smiled, just a little.

 

Their feelings might not be equal, but Lil wanted to believe Klaus had fallen too.

 

He wanted to believe that if they met tonight—if they kept their promise—Klaus would prove his love.

 

But deep down, fear gnawed at his heart. Last night, when Klaus had embraced him and whispered, "Tomorrow night, here," he had looked… heartbroken.

 

Even if Klaus had already resolved to betray his god, if Lil failed to keep the promise, that fragile resolve might shatter.

 

I won't wear the red cloak tonight. I'll dress in plain browns or black, something quiet. I'll tie together tassels and robe cords to make a rope, and climb down from the window. If I wedge my boots between the stones in the castle wall, I should manage… and even if I slip, as long as I hold tight, I won't fall too far. I'll take it slow and steady. But—what do I say to the gatekeepers? That's the hardest part… Still, I can't give up. I have to think of a way out of the palace, or I'll never make it in time…

 

The fading glow of sunset only heightened his desperation.

 

Consumed by urgency, Lil could no longer recognize the limits of his own frail body. He was past the point of reasoning whether such a reckless plan was even possible.

 

He moved to his wardrobe, flinging it open to prepare his change of clothes.

 

Inside, the white-gilded doors revealed rows upon rows of scarlet cloaks.

 

Of course, he owned countless garments in other colors as well—but it was the red that dominated. There was no mistaking whose wardrobe this was. Royalty was written in every thread.

 

Reaching for his change of clothes, Lil found his vision overwhelmed by red. And in that instant, his mind returned to the day he had been kidnapped by the three woodcutter brothers…

 

It was because he was royalty that he had been resented, targeted, and treated so cruelly. Their suffering stemmed from the flawed system of sacrificial lotteries that had plagued the nation.

 

Come to think of it… what happened with the lottery? It was supposed to become voluntary starting from the next full moon at the earliest. That means tonight is… the final drawing under the old system.

 

According to what he'd been told, any strong young man—regardless of rank—might have had his name placed in the box to be chosen as a sacrifice. Only those resilient enough to possibly survive the brutal bloodletting of the Wolf King could even be considered.

 

Anyone who didn't want to become a sacrifice must be trembling with fear by now.

 

They might be watching the road from their home, dreading the moment a royal messenger on a fast steed stops before their door. Praying, desperately, that the knock will never come.

 

All I did was make a suggestion. Nothing has changed yet… At this very moment, someone is being chosen by the lottery—someone who will be offered as a sacrifice for the good of the kingdom. Even if they survive, they'll return barely clinging to life, their body broken. To be chosen on the night of a blood moon, of all nights… it must be terrifying. Unbearably so. And yet here I am, a prince, selfishly consumed by thoughts of love while someone else risks everything to protect our peace.

 

Lil found himself unable to choose a single garment to flee the castle in. He quietly closed the wardrobe doors.

 

And yet—his longing to see Klaus surged from deep within, something no lid could ever contain.

 

If he didn't go tonight… if Klaus left and they never met again… he would regret it for the rest of his life. As a prince, he knew he should remain here, praying for the safety of the man who had been chosen in his place, giving thanks for his sacrifice.

 

But love didn't care about what was right. It wasn't a matter of correctness or duty. If he lost Klaus, if he let this night slip away, he would regret everything.

 

What should I do? I want to see him… but if I go, I'll be failing—not just as a prince, but as a person. And still… would Klaus want me to make such a mistake? Am I being tested?

 

Klaus Grant was, most likely, not truly a hunter. He was a man of secrets and half-truths.

 

He contradicted himself often—teaching Lil about pleasure, tempting him into being "a bad boy," and then, in the next breath, encouraging him to think of his people.

 

He would press Lil down onto the bed, kiss him deeply, touch him with a tenderness that would melt his reason… yet still, he made sure Lil left the watchtower early enough each day to return to the palace before dark. Even when Lil went to the former head chef's home to learn how to bake, Klaus made sure he returned while the sun was still high.

 

And now that same Klaus wants to meet at night? On the very night of the sacrifice? That doesn't feel like him. If I go to him so carelessly, he might be disappointed in me. Even if it means suppressing my feelings, I should act as a true prince would. I should wait until morning to see him. If I show him that I've grown, he'll see it. I know he will. He won't disappear on me. He's not the kind of person to abandon me knowing I chose the right path. If he did… I'd regret choosing it. But no—he's not that cruel. Klaus is the kind of man who praises me when I do what's right.

 

I'll believe in Klaus… in the honesty of his heart.

 

As a prince, I want to restrain my own desires—to make the right choice, and be recognized for it.

 

Not going to him tonight will be proof of my growth. That's what he wants.

 

If I can hold on to my reason for love's sake, and still make him lose his—then I'll endure this.

 

Even if it's sinful, love that isn't tainted should still follow the righteous path.

 

Klaus won't become a wolf tonight. We'll become one… tomorrow morning.

 

Clinging to that belief, Lil changed the course of his night—not toward the northern woods, nor beyond the barrier, but toward the castle's chapel.

 

There, he would pray with the bishops. He would pray with all his heart that the one chosen tonight might survive the blood moon's curse. Believing in Klaus gave him the strength to cast off doubt and fear, and to focus all his heart on the safety of another. There could be no greater gift than that.

 

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