The Cursed Prince

Gewen did as Edgar advised and landed on the top of one of the mountains near Castilse. He patted Sand lovingly and said goodbye to the dragon before he continued his journey on foot.

He was feeling very cold and hungry and was dying to find warm shelter and food.  His two coats were barely enough to protect him from the snow and cold wind.

After walking for an hour, they became so damp and heavy. So, Gewen decided to find a cave so he could protect himself from the falling snow and also dry his clothes.

After looking very hard for almost two hours, Gewen finally found a cave that was big enough for him to take shelter in. He felt lucky when he saw firewood stacked inside the cave, possibly by some hunters who frequented the place to hunt for game.

With the flint he brought and the firewood, Gewen quickly made fire. Once the fire was ready, he stripped so he could warm up his body and dry all his clothes.

He tied a rope between the cave walls and hung his clothes and coats to dry. Then, he spread a damp scarf on the cave floor and used it for him to lie down. It was better than the dirty ground, he thought.

Soon, he started to feel warmer and his mind became light. The man took out some beef jerky his mom gave to him as emergency food and started munching. After four weeks, it still tasted good.

Gewen usually hunted for his food, together with Sand, and grilled them, only eating the jerky when absolutely necessary. This way, he could keep his food supply longer.

Ahh... he immediately missed home when he chewed on his mother's homemade jerky. Lady Rose Athibaud was not only beautiful, but she was also a great cook who always prepared special meals for her family.

Yes, she got servants to help her prepare the food, but it's her food and recipe and she was involved in making them. Gewen always felt loved from the food his mother gave him.

It sucked that this jerky was probably the last food he would ever eat from his mother.

Ahh... thinking about his mother while chewing the jerky made Gewen couldn't help but shed some tears.

Gosh... he still couldn't forget his mother's tearful eyes when she let him go to the royal palace and started his journey to Summeria. How long ago was it? He already lost track of time.

Gewen melted some snow from outside the cave and used it to drink and wash up. Soon, he started feeling drowsy. It was almost dark outside and the warmth from the fire lulled him to sleep.

Gewen rested on his thin scarf and closed his eyes. He hoped by the time he woke up tomorrow, the snow had stopped.

***

The man was indeed lucky because when he opened his eyes, the sun was up and the snow had stopped falling. Gewen quickly checked his clothes and was relieved to find most of them were almost dry. The fire was long gone and his body was trembling in cold.

He wore his clothes in layers and packed the rest in his bag. Now, he was ready to go to the city. Gewen cleaned up his mess and left the cave in a good mood.

Once he was outside the cave, he tried to remember the aerial view of this region when he was riding Sand. So, he could determine the direction he had to take.

"Ah... I have to travel North," he muttered. Gewen walked briskly in the direction of Castilse and after walking for over eight hours, he finally arrived at the city gate.

The man felt so relieved when he entered Castilse. Finally, a civilization, he thought.

Gewen immediately looked for a small inn called Moon Lover. That's where he was supposed to go and meet Edgar's men.

He asked around to find the inn. Initially, he would stop girls to ask for direction but they all looked at him in disgust when he spoke.

When he looked down at himself, he realized he must look really haggard and his beard was covering his handsome face, that those girls didn't want to talk to him.

This made Gewen feel upset. He was disappointed when he realized women were so vain and only valued men based on their looks.

He remembered how they all threw themselves at him when he looked like his usual handsome self.

Ugh...! He wish he could shave and wore his expensive outfit and meet those girls again only to reject them. It would feel so satisfying!

Since he couldn't get an answer from all the women he asked, finally, Gewen stopped a young man and asked him where Moon Lover was.

The young man looked at his appearance (Gewen intentionally wore shabby clothes so as not to attract people's attention) and sized him up. This made Gewen feel uncomfortable. Were all men in Summeria also shallow like the women?

Hmm.... maybe it's not the fact that Gewen was haggard. Maybe it was his clothes.

Was he too shabby that people thought he wanted to rob them? Sheeeeet.

Gewen couldn't blame the man though. He, too, would think he was desperate for money and wanted to rob their money if he was the other person.

"Is anything the matter?" Gewen asked the young man in an annoyed tone. "Do you know Moon Lover Inn, or not? Please just let me know."

The young man finally nodded. "Uhm... I know where Moon Lover is, but are you sure you want to go there? They are quite expensive."

He looked at Gewen's shabby clothes and tried to politely make his point, without saying the words. Gewen realized the young man really thought he didn't have money.

So, he smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. Just show me the direction. I will find the place. I  have friends waiting for me there."

Finally, the young man sighed and he gave Gewen the direction. After he said thank you, Gewen strode toward the Moon Lover Inn. He couldn't wait to get a nice room to rest and a warm meal.

First things first. 

He would try to establish contact with Edgar's men later, after he got decent rest and food.

"What is this?" Gewen's smile faded as soon as he reached Moon Lover Inn and realized the so-called inn was actually a posh brothel.  "Jeez...."

He massaged his temple. Now Gewen understood why those girls looked at him in disgust when he asked them how to get to Moon Lover. They must have thought he was looking for a hooker.

"Edgar, you...! Ugh...!" Gewen could only grumble to himself.

After he contracted the venereal disease, he was being extra careful with his lifestyle. He had not fucked anyone for weeks. Maybe even... almost two months?

He had vowed to keep himself clean from women, especially the slutty ones. But now Edgar led him to a brothel? Did his friend want him dead?

After he thought about it, Gewen realized that it was actually a good idea to hide in a brothel. Many people came and went to the brothel and Edgar's men could collect a lot of information about what happened in the capital.

Edgar also might have thought it was a good idea on his part to arrange Moon Lover as their contact point because Gewen loved playing with women and fucking. 

"No... I cannot stay here." Gewen let out a long sigh.

As a former womanizer or former sex addict, he knew better than to give in to temptation. Being in Moon Lover was not good for his recovery.

He had to find another place to stay.