The five-year-old little prince gripped his wooden top tightly, because it was his most precious possession. No one was allowed to snatch it away!
As he crossed a bridge, a fierce wind suddenly blew from nowhere despite the clear daylight. It knocked the little prince sideways, and before he knew it, he had fallen to the ground.
His knees and palms hurt badly. Pain showed on his face, but then he was startled, because the wooden top in his hand had flown away.
He hurriedly looked up and saw the wooden top rolling toward a gap in the railing.
Realizing something was wrong, he scrambled after it, but he was still a step too late. He could only watch helplessly as the top fell into the water.
Ignoring the pain in his body, he stood on tiptoe and peered below, yet he could not see any sign of the top.
That should not have happened. The top was made of wood; it should have floated once it fell into the water.
How could a five-year-old child think of much else? His first thought was to jump down and retrieve his treasure, but after climbing onto the railing, he suddenly remembered that he could not swim!
And though the river below was not deep, it was more than enough to drown a child.
Panicking, he turned and looked in every direction, but there was not a living soul in sight.
Such desolate places were rare in the imperial palace, but this area was an exception. Several unpleasant incidents had happened here before, so even in broad daylight, palace servants would not come this way—let alone now, when dusk was approaching.
That was precisely why the little prince had hidden here after getting into a fight.
Just as he was at a