Chapter 16
III.
It had been three months since Kashmir started practicing walking.
Finally, he could walk on his own!
Or so they wished, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Kashmir had only just managed to stand by himself without needing to hold on to Iko.
Despite the slow progress, which fell far short of expectations, Kashmir remained unbothered.
“You’re just naturally carefree and lazy,” Iko remarked.
However, in truth, Kashmir was anything but carefree. If anything, he was a highly sensitive and sharp-edged individual.
What made him this way was his nemesis, an emotion called boredom, which plagued him at every opportunity. Succumbing to boredom felt like defeat to him.
It would make him feel miserable and angry. Often, Kashmir would vent these feelings by destroying his surroundings or fighting with his siblings.
Each time this happened, it left the ones around him fearful or viewing him as a brute. Those who suffered because of him certainly couldn’t see him in a positive light.
The mer-king, wanting to prevent his son from feeling bored, gave him anything he desired. But Kashmir would quickly grow tired of things within days. He constantly needed to find something new and exciting to keep his boredom at bay—otherwise, he would become furious.
The king tried scolding him.
“With great power comes great responsibility. You must not wield your power recklessly.”
Kashmir would nod as if he understood, but soon enough, he’d feel bored again and start breaking things or tormenting the servants.
Then, one day, Kashmir caused a major disturbance in the palace. The king, trying to stop him, accidentally injured his son. Feeling guilty, the king never laid a hand on him again.
With no one left to restrain him, Kashmir’s rampages grew worse.
The king felt deeply saddened by this. He believed that his son was truly a good person at heart. The fact that Kashmir could no longer bear to stay in the palace, burdened by his father’s sorrowful eyes, was proof of that.
The king hoped that one day his son would find the peace that he couldn’t provide. Surprisingly, this wish was being fulfilled in an unexpected way.
“I’m bored.”
Kashmir lay on the beach with his tail half-submerged in the water, frowning.
He still got bored easily. However, he no longer resorted to destructive behavior when he was bored.
“Iko!”
He now had a witch friend who would play with him whenever he felt bored. When Kashmir called out, a small shadow appeared in the tiny window of the even smaller house, only to disappear again.
Kashmir lay on his belly on the sand, waiting for her to come out. But no matter how long he waited, Iko didn’t open the door.
He had a friend, yes, but that friend wasn’t always willing to play with him. Sometimes, even when he called out to her, Iko would pretend not to hear. She was busy, she said, with the daily tasks she had to complete.
A dull and monotonous life.
That’s what Kashmir had initially thought about Iko. But before he knew it, he had adopted some of her habits, like waking up and going to bed at consistent times.
To his surprise, it wasn’t so bad. It meant he had more time to play with Iko—assuming she responded to his calls, that is.
Kashmir used his tail to splash water toward the witch’s house. Moments later, a woman’s scream was heard, followed by the door slamming open as the witch stormed out.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Seeing the furious witch only made Kashmir laugh harder, clutching his stomach. Even though he pulled the same stunt every time, it never got old, and he thoroughly enjoyed teasing Iko.
“You ignored me when I called, so I had to get your attention somehow.”
“If I ignored you, you should have taken the hint and left instead of shooting water at my door! The wood’s going to rot, you fool of a prince!”
Unlike others who would slowly back away at the sight of his tail, Iko would scold him without hesitation, treating him with disdain. Maybe that’s why he found her so entertaining.
“If you’re bored, stop tormenting this poor witch and go somewhere else.”
And never come back!
Kashmir felt as though he could hear the words she left unsaid. He found the witch amusing, but it seemed like she was desperate to get rid of him.
As if he would leave just because she wanted him to. Kashmir had no intention of leaving the witch’s house. Playing with Iko was far too fun—why would he go back to the endless boredom he had always known?
“Anyway…”
“Tea, right? It’s your tea time, isn’t it?”
Kashmir asked, cutting her off before she could finish. His knowing attitude left Iko flabbergasted.
“No, it’s not three o’clock yet,” she replied, checking her pocket watch.
Kashmir approached the beach and sat down on the sand.
“Then what were you so busy with that you didn’t come out when I called?”
“I was making a crutch for you.”
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