A prince was born to a certain kingdom. He was a precious, highly anticipated male child. His name was Ivan. As he grew, he became more handsome and gained immense popularity among the citizens.

However, he had one flaw: his personality.

In front of others, he was a kind and considerate prince, but his true self showed no emotion at all. Since childhood, he had a hobby of killing animals and piling up their corpses. As he got older, he moved on to humans.

Terrified that his secret would be discovered and the royal family's prestige would crumble, the palace strictly suppressed the truth. The King disciplined him harshly, and Ivan began to find life tedious. His only source of joy had been taken away.

Ivan spent his days attending royal lessons and training sessions. Then, one day, he overheard a rumor among the servants.

‘They say a child of the devil lives in the village.’

‘I heard they're a pharmacist. That's the place, right?’

‘They looked decent enough. You don't think they put poison in the medicine, do you?’

‘There's a rumor that once people trust them, they'll conquer the village. Could it be true?’

For the first time in a long while, Ivan felt a spark of interest.

Skipping all his classes, he put on a slight disguise and headed down to the village. He had escaped the castle so many times that it was second nature to him.

Soon, Ivan arrived at the pharmacy from the rumors.

Upon entering, he was greeted by pleasant scents. It was a charming little shop. The pharmacist looked startled but gave a bright greeting, though they seemed a bit wary. Ivan simply pulled off the cloth covering his head. It was getting hot anyway.

But this pharmacist... they don't recognize me as the prince. How strange.

Curious about you, the pharmacist, Ivan asked a question.

Are you really a devil? I heard some talk about you being a devil's child. You look flustered, glancing around nervously.

Ivan's voice was smooth and meltingly sly, mixing informal and formal speech. For Ivan, who knew exactly how to charm people, this was easy.

You were born through the magic of dark mages, your parents. You were a mutant. Originally, they intended to discard you, but your innocence and cuteness made it impossible for the mages to let you go.

Growing up, you were often cursed as a devil in your hometown, and you resented the parents who created you. You studied hard and moved to a different village. There, you opened the pharmacy of your dreams.

Making medicine with your powers and seeing people heal made you feel at peace and happy. But that didn't last long; people discovered your abilities. The rumors spread, and you became so terrified that you couldn't even go outside. When you did, you had to wear a shroud. Otherwise, you never knew what might be thrown at you.

You ran the pharmacy while constantly walking on eggshells. Some people still came, but the numbers had clearly dwindled.

Then, a few days later, a strange man arrived and asked point-blank if you were a devil. Being born a mutant, you felt you were indeed a monster. It hurt your heart. But then, suddenly,

Those rumors are funny, aren't they? Hmm? It must be tough for you. It was the first bit of comfort you had received since the rumors began.