Astonishment and anger welled up in Liedis. He desperately kept it inside, however, as it would’ve been annoying to deal with a sulking Mircea.
Carelessly upsetting his grandfather would make him go on and on about how much he struggled to make Liedis king, as well as his own fixation on the throne.
After Prince Gilfis had cast away his position as crown prince and left for the New World—the famous love with the crown at stake—the position had been taken over by Liedis’s other grandfather: Ethelbert, the previous king.
Ethelbert and Mircea had been twins. It wasn’t known to the public, but they’d been born in exchange for their mother’s life, who’d needed to have a C-section. The fact they’d been born this way was kept secret because, in Rosalia, such children were shunned and called “disembowelers.”
The secret of his birth, however, had been the very thing that had warped Mircea. He believed he’d missed his chance to become king because the doctor had delivered his twin brother before him. Mircea still held a grudge about it.
Ethelbert and Mircea were both Awoken, and being twins, they had equal amounts of mana too. That must’ve made it even harder for Mircea to give up his attachment to the throne.
Sachis, Ethelbert’s son, had Awoken to a power, but Truteliese and Silvio, Mircea’s children, had not. Even though they had both been born with high amounts of mana.
The difference in his and his twin brother’s children had worsened Mircea’s inferiority complex. “Compared to my older twin who inherited the throne, I had to marry a woman of much lesser birth, and that is why my children are inferior to his”—this was something Mircea said often.
Liedis wondered if his grandmother had died prematurely because Mircea had oppressed her. He was sure everyone with a connection to House Marwick suspected as much, even if they never said it out loud.
Mircea insisted he didn’t want his grandchild Liedis to suffer the same fate as him, which was why he was so obsessed with defeating Arcrayne.
Rosalian kings had high authority. Officially, they respected the parliament’s decisions, but ultimately it was up to the king to approve them or not.
Mircea insisted that the greatest man should inherit the throne. He’d been saying this to Liedis all along, wanting him to outshine Arcrayne. Now, however, Liedis’s trust in his grandfather wavered.
What was it that made a man great in the eyes of the public? A special power, a high amount of mana, and his performance at College. Liedis had surpassed Arcrayne in everything.
It was one thing to study and another to put your knowledge into practice, however. Liedis didn’t know if, when he grew up, he could do as well as his brother who had already shown good results in his public duties.
And that wasn’t all. Liedis wasn’t as good at dealing with people as his half brother.
Arcrayne was a cheat. He was skilled in the art of conversation, weaponizing his quick wit and his gentle smile to get you caught up in his personality.
In the first place, he didn’t have any bothersome maternal relatives. Marquess Rogell wasn’t pushy like Mircea and humbly supported Arcrayne.
Considering how calm Liedis’s grandfather looked after putting his dangerous plan into action and getting innocent bystanders involved, could one not call him a pest to this country?
At this point, Liedis couldn’t give an immediate answer on who was more fit to be king.
“Grandfather, please do not resort to such measures anymore,” said the prince.
“I suppose you are correct, Your Highness. Even I was terrified of the consequences this time. I shall try to come up with more certain methods from now on.”
With a calm smile on his face, Mircea looked like a hideous monster in Liedis’s eyes.
There were always dark rumors surrounding his grandfather. People talked in hushed voices about the possibility that Arcrayne’s birth mother, the late Queen Miriallia, as well as her brother, the previous Marquess Rogell, had died young due to Mircea’s schemes.
Until now, Liedis had laughed it all off as mere rumors.
But what if not only were they true, but he’d done things to his half brother that went beyond trying to make him lose his political standing? Such a suspicion crept into the prince.
“More importantly, Your Highness, make sure you do not say anything unnecessary about the dragon incident to anyone.”
“I will not,” replied Liedis after a pause. “How could I?”
He really has come to hush me up, noted the prince, clicking his tongue inwardly.
It was said that the incident was being investigated not only by Albion Police, but also the royal secret service—Shadow of the Rose. They seemed to be looking into the wrong kind of suspects, however.
Mircea didn’t need to tell the prince to keep the truth to himself—he’d never intended to reveal it to anyone. If he leaked this secret, it would put not only him and his grandfather, but also many other people in danger, including the employees of the Aquarius Palace.
Liedis felt like he’d become awfully base for having to hide the truth to protect himself.
“Is mother aware?” he asked.
“She is not. My sister loathes conflict—I am certain she would faint if she learned we made you fight a dragon,” replied Silvio.
Clicking his tongue, Mircea struck his cane against the floor as if to vent his anger.
“But how vexing it is that the fiancée of the first prince would steal the merit of slaying a dragon from you!” he exclaimed.
“Had it not been for Lady Estelle, I am certain the dragon would have done more damage. At the very least, I would have no longer been of this world,” retorted Liedis, hiding the storm raging inside him.
“I am grateful for that, but make no mistake—she has become a nuisance to us.”
Seeing the loathing on Mircea’s face, Liedis realized he was going to try to get rid of his half brother’s fiancée.
He wondered what he should do. The prince thought he had to stop his grandfather, but he didn’t know how. It made him realize he was still a child, which frustrated him to no end.
Liedis wondered if Arcrayne could think of a good way.
The prince’s powerlessness irritated him. Unable to look at his grandfather directly, he averted his eyes.