The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

The jester’s shrill voice drew everyone’s attention to the dolls standing atop the high platform.

Lifting a black-haired male doll wearing a crown and a cape, the jester spoke.

“The king never actually wanted to be king. He was neither wise nor brave, and no one understood that better than he did. But life doesn’t always go the way we wish, and in the end, he was forced to rule the kingdom.”

Children whispered among themselves, wondering why he would dislike becoming the most powerful and wealthy man in the nation. Even if it was just a toy, the sparkling crown and luxurious-looking fur cape seemed impressive to them.

‘Everyone likes power.’

Watching them, I sighed bitterly. Far fewer people understood that power always came with responsibilities.

The jester continued his tale.

“The king loved a woman. He believed that she alone could give him the ‘ordinariness’ that he could never have, no matter how hard he tried. But because she was a commoner, he couldn’t bring her to the palace as she was. So, he disguised her as a maid and smuggled her into the castle.”

A chill crept up my spine, and I rubbed my arms.

Hadn’t they said spring came early in Meinhardt? Even though we were up north, the wind felt oddly cold.

“But the king was already engaged to be married.”

The jester lifted another doll with extravagant ribbons and layers of lace.

“The queen had no intention of giving up her place to a mere maid. So, she schemed tirelessly to get rid of the girl. But even as queen, how could she openly drive away the woman the king loved? All she could do was torment the maid in secret, away from the king’s eyes.”

How pathetic. It wasn’t like she had married him out of love, so why go so far as to be jealous?

Wait… Did this novel have official mistresses? Lately, a lot of romance fantasy stories included them. If she had just been made a royal mistress or a concubine, the queen wouldn’t have lost her title.

Maybe the jester’s performance was too immersive. Something about this story felt unnervingly real.

As I watched, I absently rubbed my arm again to chase away the goosebumps. It was remarkable how the jester, despite his small frame, could mimic so many different voices.

“Is this just some kind of soap opera?”

Murmuring to myself, I kept watching the puppet show.

The plot itself wasn’t anything special—if anything, it felt oddly familiar.

Later, the queen’s harassment escalated. She went so far as to deceive the king, creating a misunderstanding between him and the maid. The maid, humiliated and accused of carrying another man’s child, was cast out in disgrace and died alongside her baby.

But the infant, nearly freezing to death in a cold alley with his dead mother, was discovered by a passing commoner and eventually taken to the royal palace. The child’s face bore an uncanny resemblance to the king.

“Only then did the king realize he had been deceived by the queen. To rid himself of his wicked wife, he took another woman—this time, a noble. But just like the commoner before her, that noblewoman also met a miserable end.”

I wasn’t even a fan of drama, but for some reason, this felt eerily familiar.

Was it just a common trope? No, it was too extreme for that.

It felt… as if someone had deliberately crafted this story.

…Wait.

Deliberately crafted?

“The noblewoman gave birth to a daughter but hid her away. She had seen how the first woman’s son suffered after being cast out, and she wanted to at least grant her own child freedom, since she would never be able to win against the queen anyway…”

Ah.

That was when I finally realized what this story truly meant—and why I had been feeling so unsettled all along.

This wasn’t just some made-up tale. I had heard it before.

And for someone else, it wasn’t just a story.

How had I not realized it sooner?

It was about the very person standing right beside me.

“…Your Highness.”

Kyle stood frozen, watching the puppet show. His face was utterly devoid of emotion, his cold, unyielding expression completely still.

This was Kyle Jane Meinhardt’s life.

Born to a powerless mother who had been loved, then discarded due to a cruel misunderstanding, Kyle had grown up in misery and disgrace. As he aged, his resemblance to the king became undeniable, but that alone was never enough to save him.

This was the story of how Kyle had been driven from everything and forced to flee to the icy north.

For some, it was an entertaining tale. But for him, it was a lifelong, inescapable wound.

“…Your Highness.”

He didn’t seem to hear me.

I lowered my gaze to his hand. He had clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand trembled faintly.

He must have felt disgusted and humiliated.

To have his painful past, all those desperate struggles, reduced to nothing more than a story—something to amuse the masses.

Instead of calling his name again, I reached out and gently wrapped my fingers around his trembling fist. His hand was ice-cold from lack of circulation.

“…Shu.”

After a moment, he finally became aware of my presence. He exhaled slowly and looked down at me, his voice escaping through gritted teeth.

“You don’t have to tell me you’re okay.”

I cut him off before he could say anything and smiled.

“Shall we go do something fun?”

“…….”

“Instead of eating what I like, let’s get something you enjoy this time. There are plenty of food stalls here, so we should be able to find something. Or should we go shopping instead?”

I tugged on his arm playfully.

After everything I had received from him, it felt wrong to just let it slide. And he looked upset—it was the least I could do.

“If there’s anything you want, just say the word. I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

My confident tone softened Kyle’s expression just slightly.

“And where exactly do you plan on getting the money for that?”

With a smug grin, I pulled out my heavy coin pouch.

“What do you mean? I’m loaded! Thanks to a certain Grand Duke who generously handed out a very hefty allowance.”

Kyle frowned as he studied the pouch I held up.

“You’ve barely spent anything.”

Damn, his observation skills were sharp. How could he tell how much I had spent just by looking at me holding it?

“You didn’t come by carriage, and even if you borrowed a horse, you should have needed a fair amount of money.”

“I hitched a ride!”

I quickly defended myself.

“I met some kind people along the way, so I saved money and even had some nice conversations to keep me from getting lonely. It was precious money, after all, so I had to be careful with it.”

No need to dig any deeper. It’s totally normal for someone to travel several days’ distance in just one day without spending a single coin, right?

“And yet, you’re willing to spend that precious money on me?”

I replied without hesitation.

“Why would I need to be stingy when it comes to you?”

I wasn’t heartless enough to be cheap with the very person who had given me the money in the first place. Before he could pry further, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bustling marketplace.

“We don’t have much time, so let’s talk while we browse! Look over there! Are those hair accessories? They’re so flashy. And that’s a fabric stall, and over there’s a blacksmith’s shop… That street looks kind of like the ones in the north. I guess places where people live all end up looking the same, huh?”

I suppose to a foreigner, places like Hongdae, Itaewon, and Apgujeong would all seem similar.

Before I knew it, Kyle had adjusted his pace to match mine, walking right beside me. Whenever I pointed at something or picked up an item, he would either shake his head or make a brief comment.

Then, while he was insisting he didn’t need anything, I slipped a small hamster plush into his hand.

“You like hamsters, don’t you? Here, keep it by your bedside and give it a pat when you’re feeling down.”

“I don’t like hamsters. I like Cashew Nut.”

“Cashew Nut is a hamster.”

“No, he’s not. Cashew Nut is a magic beast.”

He insisted stubbornly, but still tucked the tiny hamster plush into his pocket. His words and actions weren’t exactly lining up.

“Cashew Nut is special.”

His voice suddenly took on a serious tone. I stopped in my tracks and looked up at him.

He truly believed that. To him, Cashew Nut wasn’t just any magic beast—he was different. That was why he liked him.

‘…Oh. He smiled.’

Kyle’s expression had softened, his features bathed in a warmth reminiscent of spring.

I stared at him, momentarily dazed. That kind of smile should be illegal.

“Sometimes, it almost feels like he’s—”

“L-Let’s go! We don’t have much time!”

I grabbed his hand again, cutting him off before he could say something weird.

“Is there anything else? I can’t just get you one souvenir—that would be embarrassing for me. Aren’t there any accessories or trinkets? Something like… oh! Like that lucky magic bracelet you gave me! Do they sell those here?”

Kyle pointed into the distance.

“If you’re looking for that, it’s right over there.”

“Huh?”

Wait, what?

I turned my head sharply.

And sure enough, there it was—a bracelet. A simple design with a blue gemstone fastened onto a leather cord. It looked eerily similar to the one Kyle had given me.

Are they mass-producing magic bracelets now?

Even the advertisement was exactly the same.

“…Should I buy this for you?”

I lifted the bracelet slightly as I spoke, but Kyle frowned.

“Why would you buy something completely useless?”

“You never know. Maybe it really does emit beneficial magical energy.”

Just then, the white-haired man beside us, who had been examining a gem, spoke in an amused yet chilling voice.

“It actually does contain magic.”

His voice was smooth, yet strangely cold. A mage, maybe? He must have been able to sense it if he was saying so.

‘Not my problem, though.’

I casually fastened the bracelet around Kyle’s wrist.

“Even if it doesn’t have much, it can’t hurt to keep it as a charm. And it matches mine, see?”

“The only thing similar is the gemstone.”

Well, yeah, my bracelet did look fancier overall. But still! I couldn’t just get him a custom one right this second.

“As long as the gemstone matches, that’s good enough. Now it looks like a set. What do you think?”

Would he find it too ridiculous and make me put it away? I honestly had no idea what else to buy him.

“So even you fall for cheap marketing tricks.”

“Just for today. On a whim.”

“Fine.”

A faint smile played on Kyle’s lips.

“I’ll take it.”

He gazed at the bracelet for a long moment, as if he truly liked it.