“That little rock was a gift from His Majesty?” Gilles blurted out before realizing what he said, then he froze. It was too late to backpedal now.
“It seems we’re at an impasse. I shall resolve this myself,” Siegfried said.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
I was pondering how I could further corner Gilles when Siegfried held out his hand. “Let me see the stone.”
I handed over the shard, not understanding what he was going to do. Siegfried held it in his palm, and the sorcerer’s stone began to float gently in the air.
“That’s no ordinary rock! It’s a sorcerer’s stone!” Claude exclaimed, looking shocked.
He hadn’t been there when Siegfried had given it to me, so he’d believed Gilles when he said it was just some rock.
“Now do you understand why I would never destroy it myself?” I asked pointedly.
Anyone who knew the value of such a stone would never destroy it. Claude fell silent and grimaced, like someone was choking him.
“I made this stone, so repairing it is simple. But in order to do that, I must know where the other half is.”
The shard glowed, pulsing with light, then drifted through the air only to stop in front of Gilles.
“So he does have it after all. Search him,” Siegfried commanded, and his attendants moved in.
Arthur’s eyes went wide. “Wait, Your Majesty! This must be some kind of mistake! Gilles would never—”
“I’ve found it!” One of the attendants pulled the shard from Gilles’s pocket and immediately handed it over to Siegfried, who joined the two halves together and infused them with mana.
Light spilled out between his fingertips as the shards fused and became whole again, as if they’d never been split in the first place.
“I can always restore it, or even make another if you wish. But don’t ever risk your life over it again,” he said.
“Thank you, Your Majesty...” Happiness welled up inside of me at the sight of the restored stone.
“And one more thing... Let’s do this to make sure it never happens again.”
“Hmm?”
He removed the ring from his finger, held it over the stone in my hand, and cast a spell. In a flash, the sorcerer’s stone shrunk and fused itself with the ring.
“There, now you can wear it as a ring and it will be safe,” he said, looking pleased.
“Thank you so much.”
Siegfried slipped the ring onto my finger, and it fit so perfectly it was as if it had been made just for me.
I stared down at it for a moment, then turned to face Albert.
“Father, I have a request.”
“Wh-What?”
“Please allow me to leave this estate.”
“What?! Are you saying you’re going to abandon your duty as heir?!”
Had he already forgotten how he’d treated this “heir” he was raving about? The nobles around us began to murmur among themselves.
“It’s only natural his son wouldn’t want to keep living in a place like this.”
“Shouldn’t he be reflecting on his own actions?”
Albert definitely heard the nobles whispering about him.
“Things like this will only keep happening if I remain here. It’s no wonder Gilles envies me, but to treat a gift from His Majesty so carelessly cannot be overlooked. We can never allow such a thing to happen again.”
I made sure to stress how Gilles had disrespected a royal gift, therefore making it impossible for House Louboutin to sweep the matter under the rug. If Albert didn’t punish him properly, trust in him would crumble.
“It all happened because I stayed here. Honestly, I’m tired of it. You’ll agree to let me leave the estate, won’t you, father?” The sad expression I wore had come naturally. Perhaps those words had been residing somewhere deep in the memories buried inside me.
“Very well...”
“Thank you. It’s for Gilles’s sake, after all. He can’t help but envy me as long as I’m here. And it would be cruel to force him to live in such a way.”
I turned to Gilles with as much sympathy as I could muster, and he blushed deeply. He loved to play the victim, but apparently receiving my pity struck a nerve.
“I-I don’t envy you at all!”
“It’s all right, Gilles. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize sooner how much pain I caused you. You threw a tantrum about wanting my room for yourself, you were rude to His Majesty, and you even broke my birthday gift from him due to your jealousy, and I couldn’t even understand that. I’m a failure of a brother.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd of nobles. I’d revealed everything under the guise of concern for my brother.
How does it feel to have the same tricks you always use turned around on you, Gilles?
He hadn’t just broken my gift. He was responsible for making me live in this dark, miserable room. I wasn’t going to let him just erase my pain and loneliness like they didn’t matter.
“K-Kreis, I just...”
“It’s all right, Gilles. Father has always loved only you, and that’s why he’s always put you first. You didn’t want me to have birthday parties, so we haven’t had one since you arrived. No one has even wished me a happy birthday since then. It’s all because father loved you. The only reason he held a party for me this year was to save face. He’s never once ignored your wishes. He’s only ever loved you.”
I pretended I was only speaking to Gilles, but really I was putting Albert’s behavior on full display for the entire room. Kreis had endured so much because of him, and in the end it even led to his death, without anyone ever knowing the truth.
But this time I refused to suffer in silence. I wouldn’t be their punching bag anymore. I would avenge Kreis, who had been wronged.
“Calm down, Kreis. I’ve always treated you both equally and—”
“No, father, you haven’t. And it’s only natural, given how frail Gilles is. I’m the one at fault for not being able to control my loneliness.” My eyes welled up with tears as I gave him a soft, sorrowful smile, just like Gilles always did. I’d seen it so many times I could replicate it perfectly.
“I heard Lord Albert say Lord Kreis was the one with the attitude, but it sounds like Lord Gilles is the selfish one.”
“To think the heir was living in a room like that. Just what is going on with House Louboutin?”
“Well, Albert isn’t even from the Louboutin line. He probably just doesn’t want Lord Kreis to take his place. I feel very sorry for Lord Kreis.”
That’s right, everyone. Kreis is the real victim. I didn’t show it on my face, but internally I was practically celebrating my victory.
But of course there was one man who was too dense to read the room, and naturally it was Claude.
“You’ve all lost your minds! There’s no way someone as delicate as Gilles could do such a thing! This is all a trap! You! How dare you try to insult such a kindhearted soul!” He grabbed me by the collar and glared down at me spitefully.
I braced myself for impact as I watched him clench his fist. Rumors about the prince’s violent outburst would spread in no time with this many witnesses, and I didn’t mind bearing the pain to that end. After everything Albert and the servants had done to me, what was one little punch?
I tipped my chin and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the blow...but it never came.
“Stop.” Siegfried caught his brother’s fist mid-swing with his large hand. “You’re a member of the royal family, and I won’t have you lashing out in anger like this! It’s the height of foolishness. Calm yourself, immediately.”
“But Your Majesty!” Claude protested, but Siegfried tightened his grip, making his brother wince in pain. Siegfried looked startled by this reaction and quickly released him.
“Regardless of whether what he says is true, the state of this room speaks for itself. It wasn’t just set up like this yesterday. And I recognize items in here as gifts I’ve given to Kreis.”
Claude looked furious, but he couldn’t seem to come up with anything to say in return. His face flushed red as he silently glared at me.