I, Duke Odin, tried to restrain myself, but joy welled up inside of me. It was exactly as I thought. I had kept an eye on the prince’s movements and gotten my hands on the target I was aiming for.
When I thought about him growing up to be the king, I had no idea it would be like this. I always looked at the big picture, walking on the right path and sometimes making a move that strayed from it—even having to deceive my relatives if necessary. That was what I’d been taught, and the advice had hit me like a bucket of cold water. That was when I realized my mistake.
The prince was reading my hand. I had just learned his actions were only a pretense to make it look like he was cornered. If so, where was the prince’s weakness now?
When I thought about it, I realized what the basis of this battle was. It would take three days for a courier to reach the royal capital from the Ralshen Region. The return journey by horse-drawn carriage would take about ten days, or even more if it was a snowier year than usual. I’d thought time was the key to this fight, until a courier had come to the royal palace and I’d learned that she had returned. Up until then, I’d thought all I had to do was to get rid of her by that time.
But that wasn’t the case. The prince already knew who he was dealing with. Since the Autumn Hunting Festival, he had been keeping a watchful eye on me when I hadn’t made an appearance there.
“I see...”
I felt like all the signs matched, because now the courier had come to the royal palace. I had lost contact with the person in charge. I see. My voice was ringing in the back of my throat. The prince was manipulating information, even what was brought to me!
“Ha ha!” Amused laughter filled my bedroom. That was why I had pegged him as the next king. He was the ruler I had dreamed of for Sauslind—no, he would become the ruler of this entire continent!
I could not suppress my elation at this moment. The factions were in a hurry to protect themselves. The implosion had already begun, but those who wanted to leave should leave. We could sort out those who truly remained.
That courier was part of the prince’s strategy—a courier that took three days to travel from Ralshen to the capital. But what if his arrival had been misrepresented? The courier had probably arrived long ago, yet the prince had held off until she had returned to the royal capital!
The timing was so sophisticated. I see, I thought again. He wanted to frustrate me so I would act foolishly. A voice seeped out even if I tried to suppress it. It said I had underestimated him, but that made me happy.
“All right, Prince. I accept.”
Those I’d sent to Ralshen had probably been captured. The prince might finally feel like he’d caught our tail, but that was fine. This time, I pretended I was in a panic to test him. Then I would capture his weakness. I would be the one who was one step ahead of the prince.
And now I’d found it. I’d sent one of my men after him when he hid himself and slipped out of the palace. And I found it! The prince’s weakness!
Satisfaction overcame me as I thought back on his expression when I’d told him that. The prince’s weakness had held him back until the end. Or should I say, the prince’s sweetness.
“Let’s make a deal, Your Highness.”
I’d watched his cheek twitch as he stared at me, pale in the face, as if to ask, “What kind of deal?” So I’d decided to also make a concession, to soothe myself since I was in such a rush.
“We will tell the public that the young lady has passed away. In exchange, I will return her to you unharmed. Then you two will go somewhere, far away from the capital, and make your own little dreamworld, however you see fit. But...”
I had stifled my laughter and made sure my voice showed no vulnerabilities. This was my chance.
“Your wife will be Pharmia, and only Pharmia. She will be the mother to your heir. And if you don’t agree to that, then I can’t guarantee her safety.”
I inwardly chuckled. Or, if you don’t mind her being hurt, I won’t guarantee her safety, but I will guarantee her life.
The prince had risen from his chair with a clatter, and I’d responded with a cultivated smile, because I was proud to be an aristocrat of Sauslind, and I had been taught to be arrogant and to be one step ahead of others at any time.
“Your Highness, two paths lay in front of you. Either live a modest life with that lady or give up everything.”
As I pressed him to make a choice, I’d seen anger and conflict on his face, and—what I’d wanted to see more than anything—the frustration of enduring defeat.
He’d choked out, “Don’t lay a finger on Eli.”
I stifled the joy that welled up inside of me once again as I thought about our conversation.
“Very well,” I had replied.
I had forced the prince to submit another of his weapons. I would force him to establish Pharmia’s position and future existence.
The prince’s face had been filled with intense indignation that seemed to ask, “How far would you go to steal Elianna’s efforts and achievements?” But the prince had already chosen for her to be unharmed.
I’d told the prince, whose face had been contorted with emotion as he handed something to me to come to the temple the next day so we could pull the curtain on everything in front of the people.
For the first time, I felt affection toward the prince whose face had been dyed with humiliation and frustration, probably because it was his first defeat. Until now, I thought it was abhorrent, but somehow I accepted it, an existence who had the same blood as me. It was the moment when I finally felt my nephew was dear to me.
It was the day of the reveal. The weather was sunny, befitting a day of victory.
When I stepped out of the carriage at the temple, the unpleasant sight before me made me grimace. In front of the temple were people sleeping on the ground, and I had to walk around them!
After glaring at each and every one of the filthy beggars, I followed Pharmia, who was dressed like a saint, and made her clear the way. They must have understood that I was noble from my appearance, presence, and demeanor—from the way I followed Pharmia. The road cleared like a receding tide, and the guards rushed over from near the temple.
“Your Excellency, Duke Odin! What brings you here today?” Their confusion and desire to hold back a senior aristocrat such as myself made me even more uncomfortable. Soldiers would not be enough to stop me.
I glanced at Pharmia and proceeded to the temple. When I stepped inside, I met with an even more unpleasant—no, incomprehensible—sight.
“Are you ready? It’s from the wing holding the mildly ill,” said a man standing nearby.
“Steam disinfection equipment is ready. Patients and attendants will be temporarily moved to this hall,” replied another.
“Okay. Let’s go first in order. Don’t forget to make the patients sterilize themselves with Kenneth’s Herb. Stop the decoction for now.”
“All right!” came an enthusiastic reply as people bustled about.
What is this? I thought, an unpleasant feeling running through me. Wasn’t the inside of the temple a place of death occupied by infected patients? I had been counting on that to help solidify Pharmia’s position as a saint.
“Silence!”
The central room inside the temple was lined with a number of pillars, and my shout came from an area so high above that the depth could not be measured. Those who were hurrying about and the sick who were lying in the corners all looked up.
I changed my tone to bring even more attention to myself.
“What the hell is going on? Who gave permission to reform the inside of this sacred temple?” I asked, demanding an answer. “Is this what happens when Saint Pharmia is gone for even one day?!”
Yesterday, I hadn’t let Pharmia step outside the mansion—not until the deal with the prince was over. I’d done this in fear that someone from the prince’s side might kidnap her and ruin my deal.
“Whoever is responsible for this, step forward, now!”
As if surprised, Pharmia shouted from behind me, “Father!”
I had elevated her position and made her known as the Lady Saint, so why didn’t even the people inside the temple follow her? I let out a disappointed sigh, a shadow now cast over my mood.
Just then, a man who appeared to be a doctor tried to step forward, but the boy who was with him stopped him. He was a small boy with a cloth on his head, and he held a large book, like some kind of log book, close to his chest. For some reason, Pharmia held her breath. I wondered why, but I couldn’t bother with that now.
“Him? Seize him! All those in the Temple of the Hero King are under the protection of the Saint. Anyone who defies her is committing treason!”
The surrounding escorts obeyed me when I told them to kick him out. It was then that the doctors who were with the boy tried to fight back.
Suddenly I heard a metallic sound—an ephemeral, beautiful, pure sound that purified the place and penetrated the human heart. It reverberated through the space. The sound made everyone stop and look to a spot toward the back of the room. A group of people appeared from the side where the Hero King was interred. They were the priests who served the temple.
When I saw them, a feeling of exhilaration came over me. With them was the head priestess of the temple, who never appeared except during the country’s most important festival and other events. Her authority in Sauslind, a country divided by politics, was absolute. She was almost like another king.
The head priestess oversaw the temples of each region. Knowing she had come made me feel even more exhilarated when I saw the person walking beside her. His golden hair and blue eyes shone with authority; his unparalleled presence commanded everyone’s attention. Even with the powerful head priestess beside him, he did not shrink back and showed no hesitation. No one was as unshakable as the crown prince.