Christmas was near and the weather was getting colder and colder every day. This year was one of the hardest winters for people. In the attic, Yuma and Yui were reading a scary book about vampires while they had turned on a small lantern light and were on a straw bed under a blanket to warm themselves.
Yui: Yuma, look at here. Vampires are so powerful that they can crush a human's bones with just one hand.
Yui was staring at the pictures in the book with great astonishment, but her face showed that she was a little scared.
Yuma: Vampires are very scary and powerful.
Yuma never thought he would be so afraid of anything. He always considered himself a brave person who will take care of his friends and family at any cost. But after seeing the photos written by the unknown author in this book, he realized that he is very timid.
Yui: I never thought there was anyone more powerful than you, Yuma.
Yuma: Hehe... It doesn't matter how strong those bloodthirsty fools are. I am always stronger than them.
Yui: But Yuma, it wrote here that they can suck a person so much blood that the person dies.
Yuma: It doesn't matter what that ridiculous book says, Yui. I will never let anyone hurt me and my family or you.
Yui smiled sweetly at Yuma and took his hand and they continued reading together until Yuma got tired and turned to his back staring at the ceiling of the bedroom. The air outside was very cold and the sound of the howling wind could be heard from the seams of the room. That night there was a big blizzard that made it colder than usual.
Yui closed the book and hid it under her straw bed and got on the bed and laid down next to Yuma and joined him.
Yui: Yuma, who do you think was the ghost that called me and took me to the old castle?
Yuma was stunned by Yui's words. He clearly remembers that Yui said she saw a ghost in the old abandoned castle, but he didn't know who that ghost could be.
Yuma: I don't know Yui. Can you tell me what that ghost looked like?
Yui: She was the ghost of a lady. She had long and light hair. Her hair was golden like light of the sun and it seems that she was very soft. She was wearing a long red skirt. But her skirt was full of blood stains and her skirt was also torn. The eyes of that ghost were very beautiful and it kept calling me.
She stretched her hand towards me and took me with her to that castle. I remember that she told me that I belong to that castle. She gave me this book and I slowly fell asleep there.
When I fell asleep, I had a strange dream. A dream where a queen and a king were holding a beautiful baby together and smiling at each other. As if that castle used to belong to that king and queen and that baby was their child.
When I woke up, it was dark. I was so scared that's why I took the book and ran away because a voice kept shouting my name. But it was as if that voice was crying and sad.
Yuma listened carefully to all of Yui's sentences. Yui's words surprised Yuma a little. Yui was clearly seeing the story of the previous king and queen in her dream, but no one knew that the king and queen had a child. As far as the people knew, the king had no children, and after Karlheinz killed them, their throne was left without an heir, and the great Karlheinz became the king of this realm.
Yuma, who was staring at Yui with wide eyes, scratched his head and thought a little. He had no answers to Yui's questions.
Yuma: Well... this is strange.
Yui: Yuma, why do you think that woman keeps calling my name?
Yuma: I really don't know.
Yuma looked at Yui with an embarrassed face. He really didn't want to disappoint Yui, but he really didn't have any answers to Yui's questions. The existence of the ghost in the old castle surprised Yuma even more.
Yuma: I feel that the woman is the former queen and she wants to tell you something.
Yui: But the former queen is dead.
Yuma: Maybe her ghost came back to this world to tell you something?
Yui: Do you mean she wants my help to find her child?
Yuma: I'm not even sure the previous queen and king had children. Well, in fact, they did not have any children that Karlheinz could make the throne his own, otherwise their child should have been the heir to the throne.
The more they thought about it, the more confused the two children became. Maybe it was a little difficult for children of their age to think about this.
Yui: Yuma, let's go to that castle together.
Yuma: WHAT?
Hearing Yui's words, Yuma jumped up and fell off the bed so that his back hurt and his head was dizzy.
*Thud*
Yui: Oh... are you ok, Yuma?
Yuma: Yui, are you crazy? Do you want us to be punished with a whip?
Yuma always knew how painful it was for Yui to hear that word. Yui was always afraid of the whip. When she was younger, her father was greeted very harshly by the king's soldiers. Her father did not have a lot of crops and money to give as taxes to the king, so he was flogged as a punishment.
Old man Tenjin was too old and weak to endure that severe torture and it was Yuma's father who cared for him every day until he recovered. That's why the whip has always been scary for Yui.
Yui: No... No... I don't want them to punish me with a whip... *Sob*...
Tears fell from Yui's eyes. Yuma scared her so much that he felt remorse. He went back on the bed and hugged Yui and stroked her head to calm her down.
Yuma: Don't worry Yui. As long as we obey the king's orders, we will never be punished. Don't worry.
Yui rested in Yuma's arms, wondering how she could find out the truth about the queen and king's lost child. One day she will understand.
*TIMESKIP*
Beatrix: It was wrong. Again.
Shu: I'm sorry, mother.
The young prince is studying Spanish in his room. Although the prince is an extremely intelligent boy, he has no interest in learning Spanish and cannot pronounce words correctly.
The queen has put too much pressure on the young prince. She wants her child to be perfect because one day he is going to be the king of this realm. For this reason, she is very strict in her training. But as it is known, Prince Shu does not enjoy these moments at all.
Shu: Gobi... Gobi... Gobier...
Beatrix: Wrong. Try again.
Shu: Gobi...
Beatrix: SHU!
The young prince was trying hard to pronounce the words correctly, but his mother's strictness and the serious looks of his younger brother, who was attending the Spanish language lesson, tormented him more and more.
Reiji: Mother, let me tell. Gobierno.
Shu held the book in front of his face so that his younger brother and mother would not see. Shu was very embarrassed. It didn't matter how hard he tried. He had no interest in learning such a lesson. These hard and difficult words only tormented him.
Shu closed his eyes tightly so as not to cry. He couldn't stand it. As he was holding the book in front of his face, he got up from his chair and quickly left the room and ran towards his room.
Beatrix: Shu come back. The lesson is not over yet.
Reiji: Mother, let me go after him.
Reiji got up from his chair and went to Shu's room. He ran towards the room, but before he opened the door, he could hear his crying from behind the door. It was strange for him to see Shu crying. Because he had never cried before. Maybe because Shu always hid his sadness from others.
Shu: That's enough. Enough. *Sob* ... I can't stand it... *Sob*...
Shu's childish wails and cries could be heard from behind the door, and Reiji quickly entered the room without a moment's pause.
Shu, noticing the presence of his younger brother, quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve and turned his face away so that Reiji wouldn't see his tears. Reiji knew all his weaknesses, that's why he didn't want his brother to see him weak.
Reiji: Go back to the classroom now. Mother is waiting for you.
Hearing this, Shu clenched his teeth and looked angrily at his younger brother.
Shu: I'm never coming back.
Reiji: It's pathetic. The future king is sitting in his room crying like a child.
Shu: Get out of my room.
Reiji: I can't believe that you are going to be king one day.
Reiji turned to the door and looked at Shu again before leaving the room.
Reiji: Come back now. Mother is waiting for you.
Reiji said his last sentence and left the room. Like an innocent child, Shu covered his face with his hands to muffle his cries.
Suddenly, a blizzard caused the window of his room to open and wind and snow came into his room. At that moment, Shu hurried to the window and closed it with great effort until he looked out. The blizzard was very intense and nothing could be seen.
Shu remembered the boy he had seen that day in the apple farm. That big farm looked like it was so much fun to play and run around there. Remembering those memories, Shu looked down at his coat and wished he had the courage to do that. Maybe he really had the courage to do so.
Shu took his woolen coat and put it on and took a hat and scarf and covered his face with them and went to the door of the castle and opened it and looked outside. Blizzard was too intense and it was too dangerous to go outside, but the reminder of the boring classrooms and his annoying brothers made him leave the castle without any hesitation.
Shu took one last look at the castle and remembered what Reiji said to go back to the classroom because his mother was waiting for him.
Shu: I will never return. I will never come back.
Shu boldly left the castle and tried to get away from the castle in heavy snow and blizzard. The blizzard was very strong and nothing could be seen, but Shu boldly moved forward and slowly left the castle without looking back.
*TIMESKIP*
The blizzard was getting stronger and stronger every moment. The old man Tenjin's hut was still warm and the two children were hugging each other on the straw bed. Yuma was fast asleep and still holding Yui's hands in his sleep.
But Yui was still awake. She was staring at the attic ceiling, deep in thought. Yui couldn't help but think about that ghost. She was sure that that ghost called her because of her name and gave her this book.
Every moment Yui tried to close her eyes, she thought of that woman as if she was a queen. It means that the previous queen of this land was so beautiful and kind. What happened to their child? If they had a child, then where is that child now?
She was drowning in disturbing thoughts when she decided to go to her father. Talking to her father always calmed her down. Yui slowly got up from the straw bed so as not to wake up Yuma. She went down the stairs to join her father.
When she reached the bottom floor, she noticed that her father was sleeping on the chair by the fireplace. He smiled softly in his sleep, which showed that he was dreaming a beautiful dream.
Yui went near her father and sat next to him on the fireplace, staring at the fire that turned the wood into ashes.
Yui: Papa... I love you so much.
Yui took her father's hand and stroked it. Yui's gentle caress made old man's smile brighter. His warm smile showed that he was really happy and Yui kissed her old father's hands.
As Yui caressed her old father's hands, the fire in the fireplace became less and less. Yui's attention was drawn to the fireplace, which light was getting less and less every moment, and Yui realized that the firewood was all burnt and she had to put new firewood in the fireplace.
Yui hurried out of the hut and went to the barn behind the hut where the old man always keeps his firewood. When Yui arrived at the warehouse, she was faced with a terrible scene. Blizzard destroyed the barn door and snow had found its way into the barn and soaked all the firewood.
Yui hurriedly returned to the hut and tried to wake up her father to find a solution as soon as possible, otherwise he would freeze from the cold. Yui was shaking Tenjin's old body with her small hands and trying to wake him up.
Yui: Papa, please wake up. Papa, please... If you don't wake up, you will freeze.
Yui's efforts were futile. The old man was very tired and could not wake up from deep sleep. Yui quickly went upstairs to the attic and this time tried to wake up Yuma.
Yui: Yuma, wake up. Please wake up. The fire in the fireplace is going out.
It didn't matter how many times she called his name or shook him. Yuma didn't wake up either. He also seemed very tired.
Yui was confused and didn't know what to do. But she couldn't let her father and her best friend freeze to death. So, without any hesitation, she put on her warm clothes and went out of the hut to find firewood.
Despite the blizzard, it was very, very difficult to find firewood, but Yui couldn't just sit there waiting for the fire in the fireplace to go out, and without any fear, she continued on her way to find firewood.
The weather was terrible. It was dark everywhere and nothing could be seen. The wind hit the little girl's body from everywhere and threw her over and over on the snow. Yui's small body was barely moving and she was trying to continue her path while holding a small lantern in her hand.
The blizzard continued, and the little girl bravely continued on her way, until the wind struck her again, and the lamp fell from her hand onto the snow.
Yui: Oh no.
The snowflakes extinguished Yui's lantern, and Yui is now lost in the darkness and unable to see anything.
The weather was getting colder and colder and Yui was scared and didn't know what to do. She wrapped her small hands around herself and tried to warm herself a little, but it was useless.
Yui got up and tried to find a shelter for herself until she saw a small cave made with rocks, she quickly went towards it and took shelter there. It was cold inside the cave, but Yui started searching inside the cave to find some dry firewood. Also, while searching, a voice caught Yui's attention.
???: Help ... Help... Please someone help me.
Hearing a faint voice asking for help, Yui thought it was a fantasy, so she continued searching, but she heard the voice again, and this time it was louder than before.
???: Someone please help me.
When Yui realized that the voice was real, she quickly left the cave and followed the voice to see who was asking for help. The blizzard was decreasing moment by moment and Yui was able to continue on the path more easily.
After a few minutes, the blizzard stopped and Yui reached the frozen lake and saw a little boy sitting in the middle of the lake and crying. It was dark and he didn't notice Yui's presence at first, but when Yui went near the Lake, the little boy finally saw her. The boy looked at Yui with pleading eyes.
Shu: Please help me.
