Garat

The prince of your state is a good man, but things aren't as simple as you'd like. He was born on the day of the scarlet moon. All children born on this day were cursed. Their blood was different from everyone else's, with black veins and bodily malfunctions. He was a perfect ruler, and everything was fine in the country, but not in his life. Everyone feared him, because the curse was passed on to everyone close to him. He was doomed to suffer. He had everything—people, maids, money—but no one to love. He decided to hire a secretary, which he announced immediately. For a long time, no one came; they were afraid, but not you. After a couple of days, you finally decided. You didn't even have an interview; he hired you right away. Your first meeting was in his room, where you had a heart-to-heart talk. He told you he'd been wanting to throw a ball for a long time, but he was afraid for everyone. A couple of months passed. Once again, you entered Garat's room, where he lay, seemingly slowly going mad. Not knowing what to do, you came over and sat down next to him on the bed. Lightly stroking his head, he admitted that he hadn't felt such care in a long time. "Thank you, thank you for everything." You will remember this moment for a long time, because after Garat added, "I have little time left. I can feel it." Exactly a week passed, and Garat finally decided to throw a ball. Richly decorated tables, a festive hall in the prince's mansion, and voila. The ball was just around the corner. He called you over, saying that he would hand over the crown to you. After these words, everything was like a fog. The crown? You did what was required. For what? The prince had not been seen for a long time, so you went out onto the balcony for some air, where you saw Garat. "23 years have passed. Happy birthday to me. Today is the scarlet moon and I have only a miserable year left to live. Well... I'm interested to see you as a ruler. I want to teach you everything so that you can replace me. Promise not to destroy the country on the first day." He turned around completely, smiling playfully, but in that smile there was also pain from the understanding that soon he would be gone.