Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 308

“N-No, it’s not like that. Sir Razen’s way of expressing himself is a bit rough, so he often causes misunderstandings. It’s true that as a member of the Imperial Family, he has some authoritarian tendencies. But in many ways, he is a fair person. He doesn’t force people to submit with his power, nor does he discriminate based on their innate status. He was the only one who reached out to me when I was treated as a heretic everywhere.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes, even if I seem naive, I don’t blindly defend people. To be honest, Sir Razen is unpredictable, so I can’t say he’s an easy superior to serve. But as a person, I think he has more good qualities.”

“But he still cut off Asel.”

“Actually, there’s a reason for that too. If I may offer an excuse on his behalf, it’s something Sir Razen can’t help. It’s like an old, bad habit.”

“A habit of cutting people off when he has to apologize?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that… How should I put it? To be precise, it’s more like he can’t keep someone by his side who he can’t fully rely on.”

“……?”

I frowned, wondering what this meant. Asel, thinking it was a sign of displeasure, hurried to explain.

“Originally, Sir Razen only keeps those who have sworn loyalty to him by his side. But that wasn’t the case with me. I got involved with him by chance at the Academy, and before I knew it, I was helping him with his work. Until now, it wasn’t a problem because I didn’t have any intention of serving anyone else, but the situation changed yesterday. He realized that I could leave him and go to someone else at any time.”

“Even though I haven’t completely made up my mind….”

“It doesn’t make a big difference to him. The fact that I am someone who could serve another master besides himself—he can’t stand that in itself.”

“Hmm, that’s a bit strange. Is it like a twisted possessiveness?”

It’s true that there must be trust between a lord and his vassal, but this attitude of wanting someone to only look at him is unusual. I felt like a strange quirk was being added to the already unfavorable impression of the Crown Prince. Asel quickly responded, noticing the expression on my face.

“It’s less about possessiveness and more about being overly cautious. This is a delicate thing to say, but I think his upbringing made him that way.”

“What about his upbringing? He’s a Crown Prince, and he bloomed early with his magical talent, so he was praised as a genius. Doesn’t that mean he’s had a smooth path since childhood?”

“That’s partly true. He has many supporting nobles, he’s the First Prince of the Empress, and he even inherited the Imperial Family’s unique hair color, so his traditional legitimacy is solid. Moreover, he was born under the star of a monarch. It was as good as guaranteed that he would be the next emperor from the moment he was born.”

“And?”

Asel continued his explanation calmly. The whole story was so absurd that I was taken aback. Prince Razen Huizen’s father, Emperor Narzen, the current emperor of the Carters Empire, was a man who pursued peace. He believed that he had to strengthen ties with the great nobles for the stability of the empire, and he chose marriage as a way to do that. In other words, he had many consorts besides the Empress. As a result, he naturally had many children, but the Carters Imperial Family had few daughters. Most of them only had sons. I was a little embarrassed to hear that there were two princes of the same womb as the Crown Prince, and several other princes of the same age.

Empresses with powerful families backing them. Their sons, who were of similar age. Contrary to the Emperor’s intention to promote peace, the structure foreshadowed a huge upheaval from the beginning.

“To them, Sir Razen’s existence is just a thorn in their side. They have to grab him and scratch him somehow, dragging him down to the bottom. As a result, he experienced many things from a young age.”

“Many things, like….”

“It’s probably not much different from what you’re thinking. It was common for poison to be in his food, and he was often ambushed. Unexpected accidents happened in unexpected places. He went to the Academy to study in order to avoid such power struggles as much as possible. Of course, it can’t be said that he was very safe there either. I’ve seen quite a few cases from the sidelines.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The most malicious case was when they would win over people around him and make them betray him. It seems that someone he trusted suddenly changed his attitude and insulted him in front of people, or even tried to assassinate him.”

Ah, so that’s why he said he was cautious.

I think I finally understood what Asel meant. After being repeatedly tormented by adverse conditions, he became afraid and avoided similar situations even if they seemed likely to happen. Is it a kind of traumatic neurosis [a mental disorder resulting from psychological trauma] ?

“He must have suffered a lot.”

I muttered without realizing it, and Asel quickly nodded. He looked pleased to have gained my sympathy.

“While we’re on the subject, the reason why Sir Razen is so obsessed with finding his destined partner is also because of that. It would be a problem if his enemies found her first and used her. I think he thought he had to find her and protect her before that happened.”

Somehow, it seemed like a reckless schedule for a Crown Prince to run away from home. I thought he had grown up being pampered and had a reckless personality, but it was actually a very desperate reason. I remembered the Crown Prince’s proud and upright appearance. His face, full of confidence, was always dignified, as if he had never bowed down. I thought he was a typical member of the ruling class, used to ordering people around since birth. He didn’t seem like he had lived through rough times, but I guess you can’t know everything about a person just by looking at their appearance.

“The situation in Isana is like that now, and the struggle for the throne is really scary.”

“It’s the pinnacle of all power. It’s where all kinds of ugly greed and dirty obsession are directed. That’s why I envy nobles, but I don’t envy royalty very much. What good is it if the power given is so great? The obligations and responsibilities that weigh on them are even greater. I think people should live like people.”

I quietly agreed with Asel’s pointed words. To be constantly threatened with death, to always watch your surroundings and suspect those close to you. I can’t arbitrarily judge or evaluate someone else’s life, but I thought it must be a very difficult and painful life.

“It might be a good thing that Isana doesn’t have any other siblings….”

In his case, the previous emperor had deliberately left only one successor in order to prevent such a situation in the first place. If there had been more princes in the current situation, the war would have gone very differently. I don’t know what the relationship between the brothers would have been like, but it would certainly have been much more complicated than it is now. Perhaps the empire would have been divided and left as a page in the past. In that sense, it could be said that the previous emperor had foresight. I was muttering to myself when Asel immediately agreed.

“It was the will of Emperor Kyle, Isana’s predecessor. To leave only one son as his successor and not have any more children. I think it was a very unconventional decision that has never happened before in the history of the continent. It’s not easy to do even if you make up your mind, but the fact that he actually did it makes him even more amazing.”

“That’s right. I really think so.”

“Emperor Kyle was said to have been upright since he was a crown prince. He was good at making bold decisions, and he had good decisiveness and execution. I heard that he often went on secret missions to remote areas. He seems to have been a very open and free person.”

“You seem to know him quite well? It would have been another empire’s affairs to Asel.”

I was more puzzled than impressed by the information that flowed out without hesitation. It’s not that there aren’t communication devices, but Arkadon doesn’t have as much information as modern Earth, and sharing isn’t as free. For him to know this much, living in a distant empire that would take months to reach from here, meant that he had deliberately investigated it. Asel smiled awkwardly at my gaze.

“I’ve been interested in it. The ‘Festival of Blood’ that took place in the Swartz Imperial Family was quite famous.”

“Festival of Blood?”

“Don’t you know about it? It was a war between the princes that took place before the Crown Prince was appointed. At the time, Emperor Kyle, who was the First Prince, killed all of his half-brothers and became the Crown Prince by stepping on their blood.”

“……Ah.”

“I heard that there was already a great deal of infighting between the princes before that. It exploded just before the Crown Prince was appointed. Emperor Kyle’s situation at the time was quite similar to Sir Razen’s now, so I looked into it carefully. I think the fact that Emperor Kyle later left only one successor was also greatly influenced by that incident.”

“Hmm.”

Come to think of it, I heard that there was such a thing. I just heard it in passing and didn’t pay much attention to it, but it felt very strange to think that it was a reality for someone. Asel, who was explaining, also looked a little sad.

“Asel, are you worried that Prince Razen will follow the same path?”

“……I can’t say no. Sir Razen can be extreme at times. Moreover, Emperor Kyle was a wise ruler. If even he chose blood, there’s no guarantee that Sir Razen won’t do the same.”

“Does the Crown Prince know about the incident?”

“The Festival of Blood? Of course, he knows about it. As I said, it was a very famous story. Because it was an incident that didn’t fit with Emperor Kyle’s usual personality, it was discussed over and over again at every gathering. Especially the part about killing the youngest prince, who was the 4th or 5th prince. It was often a topic of conversation.”

“The youngest prince?”

“Yes, his name was probably Prince Seolize. He was young and far removed from power. He was sent to the temple when he was very young and grew up there. He was also the only brother that Emperor Kyle treated kindly. Because he even killed such a prince mercilessly, many people discussed Emperor Kyle’s character. I also think that was something that wasn’t like him.”

Wait a minute. Wasn’t the youngest prince, who was a priest, killed in a riding accident? I definitely heard that. Moreover, Kaitel, who told me about it, suspected that the Grand Duke was behind the incident. There was no reason for him, who was a priest and knew my identity, to give me false information on purpose, so that meant that it was known that way to the outside world.

“……You’re saying that Emperor Kyle killed that prince?”

“That’s what I know. I don’t know if he killed him directly, but it’s true that he was involved in his death. Prince Yucarte, the current Grand Duke, must have been very heartbroken by that. I heard that he was his most beloved brother.”

“……!”

“So when the Grand Duke started acting as regent, everyone predicted that there would be a civil war in the Swartz Empire. They thought he would soon reveal his hidden claws.”

“And that’s what happened.”

“Yes, I was surprised that it was sooner than I expected.”

It’s said that it’s dark under the lamp [the truth is often overlooked by those closest to it]. In many cases, the person closest to the truth is actually the furthest away from it. I had a feeling that this was one of those cases.

Isana probably didn’t know anything about this. He was a father who loved Isana so much that he was willing to give up his other children in order to solidify his position as heir. I didn’t think he would have honestly told his son about an incident that he considered a disgrace. The fact that he was so shocked when he found out that his mother had helped the Grand Duke was proof of that. That meant that Isana’s impression of the Grand Duke was only that of a villain.

‘Hmm, it’s better not to tell Isana about this.’

What you don’t know won’t hurt you, and there’s no point in hearing a story that won’t do you any good. I heard that he had lost his appetite because he was so depressed before. I didn’t want to make him suffer again when he had barely regained his composure. I was thinking that I should warn the other members of the group who had heard the story together (although I don’t know if they heard it properly because they weren’t interested in this conversation).

“Hey, El. Sorry to interrupt your serious conversation, but I think you should look over there for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Sybellius spoke to me at that moment. He had a troubled look on his face. As soon as I turned my head in the direction he was pointing, I gasped. Isana was standing there; I don’t know when he came.

“Y-Your Majesty.”

Asel, who was also flustered, hurriedly got up. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we didn’t even know he had come in. I was overwhelmed with a sense of despair that I had been caught by the person I shouldn’t have been caught by. As if that wasn’t an unnecessary worry, Isana’s face had turned pale. He stared at Asel with trembling eyes.

“Can I hear more about that story?”

* * *

Thud.

A cold sensation fell on both cheeks. I raised my hand and wiped it away, and a wet sensation remained. I was hit by a drop of water falling down as soon as I raised my head. The boy had to think for a moment about what that drop of water was.

―Master. Are you crying?

Yes. It was tears. The man who was holding him in his arms flinched at the boy’s question. After a slight pause, an answer that sounded like a sigh was given.

―Yeah, I’m crying.

―Why are you crying?

―Because the angel died.

―An angel, dies?

―Yeah. He died.

The hand holding him tightly grew stronger. The boy frowned slightly because he felt a little suffocated.

―He left in vain. He was an angel who shouldn’t have left like that. Because of me. I couldn’t protect him.

The reason why he couldn’t complain about being tired was because of the voice that felt somewhat empty. A completely different face from usual, a face that was so pathetic and desperate that it seemed like it would collapse at any moment. It looked so sad.