Sachis returned the Key to his pocket, signaled with his eyes for Estelle to follow, and started walking down the hidden passage. Estelle chased after his back.
As they descended a narrow stairway with Sachis taking the lead, something started to bother Estelle.
There’s much less of his mana than there used to be... I wonder why, she thought to herself.
The last time she’d seen Sachis had been roughly a month ago, at the award ceremony.
Generally, the amount of mana in humans increased as they grew up, and after peaking in their twenties or thirties, it would start slowly decreasing in volume. Also, your mana greatly decreased when you were seriously ill or badly injured, since it was used for your recovery. This was also true for when an Awoken used their powers too much at a time.
Sachis had possessed almost the same amount of mana as Arcrayne and Liedis a month ago, but now, Estelle could see with her eyes that he only had about as much as a regular noble.
Did he use a lot of it to escape...? No, I can’t imagine that’s the only reason, she thought.
Something about him looked different from before. Estelle closely observed him as they walked.
And then she noticed it. The king’s skin—where she could see it, such as the neck and the hands—was too pale. His hands bothered her in particular. Not only were they pale, but they also looked swollen, and his rings dug into his fingers.
His face wasn’t pale, but that could be hidden with makeup.
The queen had suddenly stepped up her game and tried to poison Sachis. The king had collapsed a year and a half ago, and there’d been constant rumors about his health ever since. Also, when he’d used his power at the hunting contest, he’d coughed up blood.
If he were to come down with an illness now, the kingship would fall into Arcrayne’s hands regardless of whether he’d been invested as crown prince or not.
Arcrayne was the prince first in line for the throne and was of age. He was the first in line for regency too. Which meant that no matter what kind of political influence Duke Marwick exerted, it would be difficult for him to do anything.
Estelle felt like all the pieces had fallen into place.
“Your Majesty, you are unwell, are you not?” asked Estelle.
“I’m as healthy as can be.”
“That is a lie. Did Her Majesty not resort to such drastic measures because of your condition?”
“What makes you think I’m lying?”
The king’s displeased voice and darkening mana were intimidating, but Estelle decided she couldn’t back down.
“The skin on your hands and neck is too pale compared to your face. And your hands are terribly swollen. Might you be masking your complexion with powder and rouge...?”
Sachis stopped and didn’t say anything for a moment.
“Is that the sharpshooter in you talking? Looks like I wasn’t thorough enough.” The king turned around with a sigh.
He’d admitted it—he really wasn’t in good condition.
“I pushed myself to use my power too much during the dragon attack. And while there’s no imminent danger, I can’t use large amounts of mana now. My current condition will hinder any rituals that need to be held, so I want to pass on the crown as soon as possible.”
“Will you be passing it to His Highness Prince Arcrayne...?”
“Liedis is still too young. There have been precedents in wartime when the throne was succeeded by the heir with stronger powers, but we live in a time of peace, and there’s no reason to make such an exception.” Sachis had a bitter look on his face. “I’m truly sorry for making this burden fall on you and Arc. This is all my fault. When Miriallia passed away, I couldn’t refuse Truteliese or ignore Duke Marwick... It was also difficult to fully rid the palace of assassins. Arc must’ve only survived to this day thanks to his quick wits and luck.”
Direct descendants of royalty were separated from their parents at the age of seven and given a palace, where they lived surrounded by their close aides. That coupled with the fact that Queen Truteliese had come to the Palace of Albion soon after the death of the previous queen, Miriallia, meant the relationship between Arcrayne and Sachis was rather distant, from what Estelle had heard.
So he tried to protect Lord Arc... she thought to herself. She looked at the king with surprise as the latter made the face of a father.
“I kept telling the duke that I didn’t want to bend the law, but he just wouldn’t listen. Maybe that’s because he believes the throne was taken from him...” said Sachis, drooping his shoulders.
Estelle cocked her head in confusion.
“Is that because the previous king and Duke Marwick are twins? But even then, the one who left his mother’s womb first would be the oldest son.”
“She had a C-section.”
Estelle was astonished by the king’s words.
“It’s not made public, as they would be called disembowelers if the people knew, but my father and uncle weren’t born naturally.”
C-sections were a last-resort measure for when the mother was in danger. It was a taboo in this country, as there was a rather high risk of her dying in the process. It was believed the children would bear the sin of matricide from birth.
“Royals don’t have many children of their own. From what I’ve been told, it was decided to save the newborns even at the expense of the mother, hence the C-section.” Sachis spoke in a grave tone.
When she’d given birth to Ethelbert and Mircea Marwick, their mother had perished.
Giving birth to twins is dangerous enough, so it must’ve been reported as a normal postpartum death, thought Estelle, holding her breath.
“My uncle’s anger comes from the fact that he only became the younger twin because of someone’s interference,” continued Sachis. “Though I think he would’ve given up if the firstborn prince, Gilfis, had taken the throne...”
The king of two generations prior had had three sons. Ethelbert and Mircea had an older brother by the name of Gilfis. However, he’d fallen in love with a divorcée from the lesser nobility and abandoned the crown, fleeing to the New World with his beloved.
“I was told the fury of my uncle knew no bounds when my father became crown prince. His obsession with the throne has already entered the realm of illness.”
“That is yet another royal family secret I have learned today,” said Estelle, making a pitiful look.
Sachis gave her a small smile.