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“RIGHT then.”
I watched Miss Monica leave then turned to look down at the former crown prince. A single glance was enough to tell me fear stiffened his shoulders as he sat on the ground like a miserable wretch. He prattled on through trembling lips.
“Don’t think you have license to treat me like this just because you’re the emperor’s brother, you bastard.”
“You still haven’t realized, eh, Medaikonar?”
He scowled, his expression filled with loathing. “What nonsense are you on about…?”
“Tell me. Why do you think you were able to defy the king not once but twice in raising an army against me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Because there are plenty of powers within Kophe desiring to expel you.”
“Part of the Church,” I stated the words coldly. “The Medaikonar faction and the high priest faction. If the pus in this country were to join hands and scheme to raise an army, the king would be satisfied if both were eliminated at once.”
“What…what are you saying?”
“Do you truly think the king wouldn’t realize the mess his imbecile son perpetrated twice?”
“That…impossible… I… But I’m the crown prince…?!”
His voice shook with fear, as did the rest of him. He finally seemed to grasp the situation. But not an iota of sympathy welled up in me. If he hadn’t let his conceit blind him, he should have been able to see the truth right away from the start just by looking at the facts and using his head.
The king had looked down on Medaikonar since his engagement with Miss Monica. Despite his and the Church’s hatred for saints in general, why would the crown prince be affianced to one? A curious conundrum. In a sense, the royal family should have hidden the sudden breaking of the betrothal and the aspersions cast on her as a lewd saint to spare themselves the humiliation. So why was the news instead spread all across the country? Even more curious.
Answer? Because Medaikonar was nothing but a puppet to the king. Right from the very beginning.
Although I was certain the country’s downfall after her loss and the Church’s follies were things the old man hadn’t accounted for. Regardless, the king never thought of Medaikonar as one fit to rule. Even if peace had remained, he would have used his idiot son as a puppet to warm the throne while the real power still rested within his grasp. He also created the concubine system set to begin with Medaikonar’s rule to make sure as many children as possible were born so that he could select a grandchild worthy of the throne.
The proof was clear in the king’s conduct after the luncheon meeting. He pinned all of the blame for putting the Kingdom of Kophe into danger solely on his puppet son, the crown prince, and High Priest Pisciozze, who’d gained too much power. He had them struck down without ever lifting a finger by deliberately overlooking the two men joining forces to raise an army and allowing us to defeat them.
The king was the sort to discard anything that needed to be discarded for the continued survival of the Kingdom of Kophe. That was the reality.
“Father… No, His Royal Majesty would never allow me to be humiliated like this!”
“You really don’t understand, do you? Most likely because you were raised as a dimwitted crown prince.”
“Dimwitted?! Me?! Keep mocking me and I’ll see that you pay dearly for it!” Red in the face, the former crown prince shouted furiously.
I thought about what purpose his life could serve while staring down at him. It would be a waste to feed him to the dogs, since he was a former crown prince unfortunately. But I also knew it wouldn’t be smart to let him live for too long.
Medaikonar overdid it with his tantrum and pitched himself forward, landing on the lawn. He couldn’t protect his face because he was bound, so an ugly scream ripped out of him on impact.
“Medaikonar… Remember this. Blue blood is inherited at birth, but it never promises peace.”
I instructed Darius and my other subordinates on how to deal with him then walked away. I still had much to do. Even if the king made his move, I needed to maintain the advantage.
On my return to the castle, I met with the members of the merchant caravan and the knights in the resupply unit in the plaza. While talking to them, I spotted Xenu. When he noticed me too, he narrowed his eyes and bowed dramatically to me.
“Well, well, if it isn’t His Highness himself.”
“……”
Last night, this man’s Priestess Teardrop Stones were responsible for destroying the magical lure light. The only way a man with such a small amount of magic could pull off a feat like that was with Miss Monica’s assistance.
“Ohhh, I’m scared. Please don’t glare at me like that. Did I do something to offend you?” Utterly shameless, the man shrugged and asked me that question.
The binding spell wasn’t cast on him. Instead, our mutual interests were the basis for our relationship. The merchant’s power and information network had been vital for our strategies on this expedition in Kophe. If I executed the crown prince right now, I wouldn’t have any problems on my hands. I couldn’t do that with this man though.
If only I could cut every man who approached her into pieces without consequence.
“Ah, right, Your Highness.” Xenu deliberately widened his eyes in an exaggerated motion and spoke. “I asked Madam Monica to marry me.”
“What…did you say?”
My voice came out unexpectedly low. In Xenu’s eyes, I saw my own deadly serious expression reflected. He maintained eye contact, clearly declaring his intent not to escape or hide. He kept talking.
“She and I are both commoners and our backgrounds are a good fit too. If a merchant like me and a saint bonded, that would make things a lot easier for you as an imperial prince, right? Oh, but she hasn’t given me her answer yet. I proposed in haste, you see.”
At that moment, other knights drew near. I couldn’t continue the conversation, so I ended up walking away without hearing all the details from Xenu.
A marriage proposal.
The image of her energetic face laughing from within the frame of her wimple clung to my mind. It squeezed my heart the entire time I conducted official business.