金碧輝煌的兩扇巨門大大敞開,二王子寢宮的前院站滿了人,靠近宮門的最後排是演奏著往生曲的樂儀隊,他們前方則是依照地位排列的奴僕、官員、貴族,越靠近主建築的人地位越高,在場所有人都恭敬地低著頭。從敞開的寢宮大門可以看見,室內正中央擺著一具棺木,國王與王后就站在棺材後方,神色悲傷。398Please respect copyright.PENANATrSS47zHBa
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這裡是屬於二王子的金獅宮,今日過後,這座宮殿就再也沒有主人了。398Please respect copyright.PENANAOdu7X37Iqa
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汗水不停自亨利的額際滑下,但他卻沒膽擦拭,今天是狩獵祭結束後的第二天,二王子在清晨宣告不治,大公主至今仍重傷昏迷,於是站在手足位置的,僅剩亨利一人。398Please respect copyright.PENANAi66JVbe1mI
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艷陽照得亨利頭暈目眩,王兄真的死了嗎?398Please respect copyright.PENANA8DZUEmAmNp
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亨利回想起兩天前的情景,他與兄長、涅澤爾一同陷入不知幾尺深的地底,遇見一頭怪物,等他們從土裡爬出來,王兄就……不對,是在他們掉進地底的時候,王兄就受傷了。398Please respect copyright.PENANARvP5ryPFHP
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為什麼他沒有出事?這個父王逼問過好幾次的問題,就算他不大聰明,他也明白父王的本意是:「為什麼出事的是沃雷特不是你?」「為什麼沃雷特瀕死,你卻可以安然無恙?」「為什麼不是沃雷特活著?」398Please respect copyright.PENANAg3neNPJrSt
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為什麼,因為他被涅澤爾保護了啊。398Please respect copyright.PENANARUdrhoSQVk
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──王兄不是被巫師弄傷的……398Please respect copyright.PENANATyFDcrJuei
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──胡說八道!你曉不曉得那頭龍還打傷了你姊姊!那不是巫師的龍,那是哪來的龍?398Please respect copyright.PENANAtcp4K6pXnU
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──牠說不定不是故意的……398Please respect copyright.PENANAubzLjPGTF5
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──就你在這邊鬼話連篇!而且你說那名巫師保護了你,所以不是壞人,那他為什麼不救你哥哥?為什麼不救沃雷特?398Please respect copyright.PENANAbYUTwt0ME8
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──因為……王兄那時候離我們有點距離……398Please respect copyright.PENANACDhTyWJDqZ
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──距離?多遠?五公里還是十公里?巫師不是神通廣大嗎,不是會魔法嗎,不是什麼都辦得到嗎!一點距離算什麼東西?藉口!他分明是不想救!你是不是跟巫師勾結?陷害你哥哥又陷害你姊姊,想把他們都殺了取得王位啊?!398Please respect copyright.PENANA3yGPtA2ByP
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──沒有!而且涅、他才不會殺人!398Please respect copyright.PENANAIz6g8HFWaz
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──你跟他很熟嘛?還敢說你們沒有勾結?不會殺人,那你哥哥是被誰害成這樣的!我兒子是被誰傷的!398Please respect copyright.PENANAbSNRYNBjLT
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──那、那時候有一頭牛……398Please respect copyright.PENANAU3M57On61a
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──牛?好啊,跑了一條龍,現在又來頭牛,牛捅死人傷口也不是這樣!我怎麼會有你這麼蠢笨的孽子,連謊都不會撒。398Please respect copyright.PENANAgCBHftoCX7
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──那不是普通的牛,牠看起來──398Please respect copyright.PENANA8aFbluofMD
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──管牠是什麼!你給我閉嘴,不要再瞎編些騙小孩的藉口幫那個巫師說話,要是沃雷特有什麼三長兩短──不,就算他沒事,我也要那個巫師付出代價!398Please respect copyright.PENANA8hmjgYIwuF
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──父王!398Please respect copyright.PENANAVV8DxEytBg
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──你就給我到白鹿別宮禁閉思過,沒有本王的諭令,不得擅出!398Please respect copyright.PENANAYK5Uc2B6j8
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無論亨利怎麼說,國王都不相信他的話,亨利責怪自己沒有像兄長那樣的口才、也怪自己生來就不受父王喜愛,他不曉得父王想做些什麼,原本他今天就要被送到白鹿宮去的,但二哥突然過世,他也只得留下參加喪禮。398Please respect copyright.PENANAA1EQeBoS4y
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人們在金獅宮站了一整天,入夜後,有血緣關係的親戚與二王子的妃子男妃們還要繼續跪到次晨日出為止。398Please respect copyright.PENANAT9F2RBg51r
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從睡醒後就沒吃東西,亨利昏昏沉沉的腦袋不知第幾次憶起當天的情境,涅澤爾真的像父王說的、是故意不救王兄的嗎?不,不可能,他不相信涅澤爾會那樣。398Please respect copyright.PENANAPWVnMoCW5d
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亨利心底閃過巫師渾身鱗片的模樣,當時他本能地害怕,但這些天他想了很久,或許涅澤爾只是在施什麼他不懂的魔法救他們出來呀,而且就算涅澤爾的外表變得像個怪物,不也沒有傷害他嗎。398Please respect copyright.PENANAAbJUFQm1Xz
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明明做了這樣的心理建設,但亨利心底又有個聲音在說,若是再見到那副模樣的涅澤爾,他不曉得會不會又嚇到說不出話。398Please respect copyright.PENANAO7Bl3Wdj7B
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自己真是沒用。398Please respect copyright.PENANAu5uWX1zKyF
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喪禮結束後,國王似乎沒有要把亨利送往別宮的意思,但依舊禁止他外出,就這麼平安無事地過了三天。398Please respect copyright.PENANAljNNhIIy3R
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從前亨利是與母親一同住在白鹿別宮的,直到二哥開始透過他與涅澤爾套關係,才在二哥的介入下搬到王宮來。說好聽是改善了他的處境,但對亨利而言,住在別宮也沒什麼不好,在別宮的時候,他與其他家人鮮少見面,雖然也不是說在首都王宮就會天天遇見其他人,但碰頭的次數總是多得多了,亨利一向不擅長與手足相處。398Please respect copyright.PENANAde6UxeQcSq
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國王的三位子女都有屬於自己的寢宮,亨利的白蘿宮採光極好,客廳的左側牆面是大片玻璃牆,從外往內望僅能看到一片白、但由內往外看卻能將外頭的景象都納入眼簾。亨利一向都在這片窗牆邊用膳,早飯時間剛過,僕人將餐具收走後,宮裡又只剩下他一人。398Please respect copyright.PENANAydueEh4V7v
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黑髮少年坐在窗邊抬頭仰望,白雲的倒影在藍眸中流動,緩慢地畫出浪濤似的形狀。398Please respect copyright.PENANAIQvFR2csOd
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不曉得涅澤爾現在怎麼了。這些天來,亨利總是不斷回憶起狩獵祭發生的事、也想起他們初次見面的情形、想起他們之前相處的每一天,對亨利來說,涅澤爾絕對不是會傷害人類的邪惡巫師,可是對那些被龍嚇壞了的人們而言,他們眼中的涅澤爾、想必與他眼中的有極大出入。398Please respect copyright.PENANA9hgX1SJhSU
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他跟父王不熟,可是誰都知道國王陛下最寵愛二王子,現在王兄死了,不曉得父王會不會對涅澤爾做什麼──不,不是會不會、是一定會吧,只是,父王想做什麼呢?398Please respect copyright.PENANAPj9CJ1SqWv
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倘若他要涅澤爾來跟父王解釋清楚,父王是不是就會知道不是涅澤爾的錯了……亨利揪緊衣服下襬,可是,他要怎麼出去找涅澤爾?398Please respect copyright.PENANAZvKy5DeNcT
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亨利垂首,望向通往臥室的入口,從前涅澤爾就給過他能呼喚巫師的魔法道具,可是那只能讓涅澤爾知道自己要找他而已,沒有辦法傳遞訊息,假如涅澤爾在毫不知情的狀況下跑到首都附近,說不定會被國王抓住,到時候情況就更糟糕了。398Please respect copyright.PENANAO942TCeVwx
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要是姊姊醒來的話,有沒有辦法幫忙澄清呢?398Please respect copyright.PENANAQG7ZEigQLy
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想到大公主奧維菈,亨利又想起小白,還有被龍所傷的人們。龍在綠鷹森林打傷不少士兵是事實,亨利不曉得事發時的詳情,可若是白龍主動攻擊人類,不管理由為何,巫師的罪名無論如何都洗不清了。398Please respect copyright.PENANATi6I6YkbUi
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如果是涅澤爾的話,一定可以想出解決的辦法。398Please respect copyright.PENANAFvQfTKJiis
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就在亨利苦惱的當下,侍衛的喊聲突地響起:398Please respect copyright.PENANAaSQZTOnJ8O
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「啟稟三王子殿下,愛地爾小姐求見。」398Please respect copyright.PENANAgWpoOCuZxI
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亨利呆了會兒才看向緊閉的大門,國王將他禁足於寢宮,照理說也禁止訪客會面……少年思忖的當下,大門便往兩側敞開,僕從替橙髮少女拉開門扉,少女頷首示意後,門板便再次關閉。398Please respect copyright.PENANAV2dzby6KlC
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蜜拉泰然自若地坐到亨利對面,「聽說你被國王禁足了。」398Please respect copyright.PENANAGARABarjKw