The old king summoned me to his receiving room,
It was flooded with sunlight, and dust danced in the morning light like golden powder.
Someone once told me that my greatest misfortune was my inability to believe in friendship, or in humanity's most delightful emotion—love.
I thought I was no different from most people in that regard.
When they had no need for something, they discarded whatever was of no use to them.
Friendship was nothing but an empty name, and there was even less need to surrender one's feelings to women.
A man's heart and purpose had to be resolute, or else he had no place in politics or war.
It had been a long time since I had sat in a guest's seat, and it made me feel inferior.
But that was what I had been like in my youth,
Often sitting in a chair, waiting to be chosen.
I ran my fingers over the gilded ram's head on the armrest, savoring the familiar yet alien feeling.
The subjects of the Sheep Kingdom were all quite prosperous. Perhaps it was because the king did not take the initiative to wage wars abroad, and had no need to burden his people further.
The Hare Kingdom, neighboring the Sheep Kingdom, had many craftsmen skilled at making crossbows, but it was surrounded by the other great kingdoms.
The moment they showed any intention of expansion, they would be annihilated by the surrounding nations. Thus, they could only sell the crossbows they made to those kingdoms.
The Eagle and Rooster Kingdoms had once possessed the most warriors, but their constant conflict had reduced their populations until they ultimately had to maintain peace through marriage alliances.
The Partridge Kingdom was the strongest, but it lay on the plains, while the Sheep Kingdom stood