“Rayoha! Are you ready?”
“Ugh,” I stood up off my bed as the knocking persisted. It was time for me to head out for the Royal Gifting.
I’d always hated having to face or interact with the public. Father always explained to me why it was necessary, but I couldn’t help it. Every time I went out there, I felt vulnerable.
What did they think of me? Did they look down on my because of my health? Did they think perhaps that I was incapable of ruling if something happened? Would they even be wrong to think so?
So many thoughts of that nature swirled around in my head.
But there was no use. It was ultimately best to get it over with.
I headed out, adjusting my royal cape and crown.
Nyera walked just behind me. As I approached the palace hall, I could already hear the bustling crowds gathered in there.
The line’s going to be so long. Even though we started early in the morning every time, it always took the whole day to get through. I was given breaks as and when I needed them, but regardless, it was tiring.
What did people hope to accomplish by doing this? Surely, they didn’t think that a brief gift exchange and a bow would make their memory stick in my mind? I knew they were just desperate people hoping to be remembered by me when they needed help. But even so, it seemed ridiculous to do it this way.
I entered the hall and the crowds quieted down. Father stood near me as I took my place at the throne. For today and today only, for as long as my father was alive, this throne was mine.
I dreaded the day I would sit here every day, more than anything else in this world. Death was less frightening than losing my father and having to take his place as king. Seeing the crowd from this view every year only cemented that fear in place.
“Rayoha, please accept this humble gift…”
And so the proceedings began – accepting the gift, acknowledging their bows, and handing the gift to someone to place in a large collection at one side.
As the gifts piled up, I hoped there were useful things in there. After all, those gifts were not given to me, but given back to the public to those most in need, starting from the soldiers and their families. This was common knowledge, so people often gave gifts with that in mind. This also meant that it wasn’t the gift itself that mattered when grabbing my attention. Every single person there attempted to stand out in some way – dressing differently, wrapping their gift in an unusual way – and many people bringing their children to earn sympathy points with me.
The entire time, I tried my hardest to maintain the same somewhat interested but somewhat aloof persona. Everyone had to be treated the same, because if every single person was hoping to latch onto any slight difference in my reaction.
I was used to this routine every year, so I had gotten quite used to it.
Just staying in my semi-zoned out state is easy enough, luckily. All I have to do is-
“Good morning, Rayoha. Please accept this humble offering as a gift.”
“H-huh?!”
The man in front of me – his long white hair is tied up in a long, neat, flowing ponytail. His clothes are refined and he looks like an affluent merchant or private school teacher.
But this…it’s definitely Kano! Why- what is he doing here?! He could’ve just given me a gift when we met that day…maybe he wishes to donate? But even that he could’ve clearly said that day…did he just want to see me again?
His appearance was quite distinct. I could tell even Father had taken notice of him. However, as expected, he didn’t show much visible reaction.
“Rayoha…please hurry up,” Nyera whispered, concerned that people might perceive my reaction as unusual.
Unwillingly, I handed over my gift to be put in the pile.
I…want that one.
My curiosity was definitely piqued. I wanted to know what he got me. Somehow, with the way he looked at me, even as he walked away, it felt as if he was really giving the gift to me and not for donation.
Perhaps it was my imagination, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Forcing myself back into a zoned out state, I watched Kano from the corner of my eye. He left the room without even turning back.
I don’t understand that man at all…
As the ceremony went on, I could feel my patience running low. It was taking everything in me to not rush through the rest of them.
Nyera spent my breaks with me, keeping me guarded while I took naps or ate.
“How are you feeling, Rayoha?”
“Mmm…” I slumped back in my chair, gulping down falaho juice. How much longer? “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You seem…restless.”
“Oh, I’m just…tired, I suppose,” I yawned exaggeratedly. It always felt as though Nyera’s eyes were always watching me.
Like right now, as she narrowed her eyes at me ever-so-slightly. “If that’s the case… I will see if I can speak to Rayaha to shorten the ceremony. The doors have been closed already, so no one else should add on to the line. In addition, I will attempt to hurry along the actual proceedings.”
I sighed. “No…no, it’s okay, Nyera.” As impatient as I was feeling, I knew I had to be responsible. Everyone always attempted to make things easier or smoother for me, but I was a ruler and had to prove myself capable of handling even a bit of the responsibility.
“As you wish, Rayoha.”
And so I kept going, gift after gift. The crowd of spectators watched on silently. As I searched the crowd idly, I spotted Kano. He was standing there after all, apparently having returned after leaving the room. His face was unusually blank as he stared ahead.
Is he okay? I’ve never seen him look this lifeless…
After the ceremony finally ended, he turned to leave, but unexpectedly glanced at me. My heart jumped as we made eye contact. I didn’t react, but held his gaze for a few seconds. Then just like that, he walked away, just as Nyera escorted me back as well.
Once I was left alone in my room, I simply stood there. Tired out of my mind, my body just wanted to crash into bed and stay there for a whole day. But instead, I slumped onto the floor and leaned on the foot of my bed. Closing my eyes, I dozed off right there.
Bam- “Ow!” I rubbed my head. “Ah- it worked.”
As I’d predicted would happen if I slept on the floor, I eventually slipped and fell over. Checking the clock, it had been a couple of hours.
Perfect. No one should notice me in the middle of the night. It hadn’t been the first time I had walked around in the middle of the night. In my own wing of the castle, no guards could question me either.
The only reason I had to be covert, was because I was going to take a gift out of the donation pile, and as a matter of trust, I could not be seen entering it. It was as good as stealing from the people.
But, I really must see if Kano meant that gift for me. If he didn’t, I can easily go return it. Adding to the collection was usually quite welcomed, after all.
Wearing my father’s old robes, I walked out toward the gift room. The robes made me nostalgic. Back when I was a child, I used to put these on and pretend to be king. My stuffed toys used to be my subjects.
How naïve I was back then, wasn’t I? Being a child sure is easy.
Entering the room, I froze. A giant mountain of unorganized, wrapped gifts lay in front of me. My head throbbed. But I was determined.
Moving through them, I knew exactly what I was looking for. Most of the gifts had fancy gift-wrapping. Even the people who couldn’t afford it had wrapped it in what they thought was the fanciest they could afford.
Dizziness was beginning to take over, but then I saw it. It was the plainest, dirtiest looking gift there. Wrapped simply in cloth, the cloth itself was a handmade one that had probably never been washed.
Oh this cloth stinks too…is it growing fungus?! Yes, this one had to be Kano’s gift. As much as I hated to admit, he never smelled that great either. Sure he didn’t grow fungus, but his clothes were just as dirty as this rag.
Hiding the gift in my robes, I stumbled out and walked back to my room. Once there, I quickly sat down on the floor and unwrapped it. The sheer anticipation was enough to keep me going at this point.
“It’s…a book?”
Looking at the cover, I couldn’t understand what was written. I could read it, but it didn’t quite make sense to me. It was also a book I’d never seen before.
It looks like very, very old Humro. From the picture on the cover, it seemed like a children’s book. Flipping through it, the colors were minimal, but the illustrations were very expressive.
Maybe I’m mistaken though…surely, a children’s book meant this isn’t a gift for me? It wouldn’t do to be disappointed, yet I did feel a little annoyed. I had really thought this gift was meant for me. I’ll go put it back when the gifts are opened and organized.
Placing it carefully on my side table, I lay down on my bed to go to sleep. But I couldn’t sleep. I kept feeling curious about the book. Picking it up again, I gently touched the pages. “Wow…this book is in such pristine condition.”
It couldn’t have been new. I had all the books, children’s or otherwise, available in the past hundred years. If it was available in the stores, I would’ve seen it.
Then…if my suspicion is correct… I lightly tossed it onto my side table. It landed with a light clack, just as I’d predicted.
Whoa, whoa…this thing is encased?! Picking it up with new interest, I flipped through it. Encasing was an extremely tedious and time-consuming process. Clearly, this was no ordinary book. Just to be extra sure, I tried to tear a page, and it wouldn’t budge.
There was no doubt about it. For some reason, Kano had decided to give me this book. It was not meant for the donation – perhaps, Kano was not even aware what we did with gifts I received. He lived in an abandoned patch of land devoid of any contact with anyone else.
I will try my best to find resources to translate this book. Then I will translate every word of it.
Satisfied with my new treasure, I lay down to sleep, clutching the book in my arms.