Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 123

123―――――

Come back stronger…

“Then, understanding that it’s settled, I’ll take my leave.

Ah, Zion Claussen.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“It’s not exactly a top-secret matter, but I would appreciate it if it could be handled discreetly.

Too much attention might embolden those northern barbarians to do something rash.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“All the personnel who will accompany you will head to your villa by dawn tomorrow, so please take good care of them.

Well then…”

Edgar IV left the conference room as if he wouldn’t argue any further about the decided matter.

He left word that the knights and soldiers he brought from his territory would either return home, considering the long journey, or stay at the villa, and that the royal family would take charge of escorting the journey north.

“···.”

Originally, Vanessa should have followed Edgar IV, but instead, she remained seated, staring silently at Zion.

Zion looked at her as if asking if she had something to say, but Vanessa kept her lips sealed, only gazing at the man sitting before her.

She had a look that said she had much to say but didn’t know how to start.

Feeling that they might sit there for an hour or two if things continued this way, Zion decided to take the initiative.

“If you have nothing further to say, I’ll be on my way.”

Zion said, making a motion to rise from his seat.

Vanessa, startled, reflexively blurted out, “Wait!”

As a result, Zion stopped in his tracks and looked at her, and after hesitating for a moment, she slowly opened her mouth.

“···I, I···.”

“···.”

Was she perhaps going to say something strange again instead of what she really wanted to say?

It was a moment when such a valid concern arose.

“I, I’m sorry.”

“···.”

“It would be a lie to say that I didn’t call you here with this in mind.

But I certainly didn’t want this outcome when I called you.

At the very least, I wished you would have refused…”

“Your Highness,

I think you should take back that apology.”

“Huh?”

Vanessa looked at him, bewildered by Zion’s slightly sharp tone.

“Surely, Your Highness made it clear that you would like to try for the throne, even though it might be a difficult battle.

Isn’t that right?”

“I did say that.”

“Then don’t apologize.

Someone who aspires to be king does not apologize to those beneath them.

If you do, they are likely to look down on you and make light of you.”

“But, still, I think it’s right to apologize for what I’ve done wrong…”

“If you have committed a sin, you atone for it with actions and contributions to the country.

That is the burden of being a king.”

In a democracy or republic, an apology is not such a heavy thing.

But in a monarchy, an ‘apology’ from someone in the royal family is a very important matter.

It’s not something to use to beg for forgiveness, but a weapon to be used at crucial moments.

“Furthermore, it is natural for a subject to obey their lord’s command.

Moreover, I volunteered for this task.

Even if Your Highness had stopped me, I would have gone north.”

“It’s a dangerous path.”

“The war with Nudia was also dangerous.”

“···.”

“I can confidently say that I know better than anyone how dangerous war is.

That’s why I volunteered to prevent such a dangerous thing from happening again.”

Vanessa let out a small sigh at Zion’s nonchalant reaction.

She had vaguely sensed that he would react and answer in this way.

If he were just another nobleman, she wouldn’t have placed so much expectation on him in the first place, and more than anything, she wouldn’t have tried to become the leader he wanted to see.

‘I always thought I was a pretty decent person, but I feel smaller whenever I stand next to you,’ Vanessa thought, tapping the conference room table, and then opened her mouth.

“I wished you had refused this mission because of matters related to your territory.”

“So that’s why you seemed somewhat passive when you called me.”

“You know how ferocious the northern barbarians are.”

To be honest, they weren’t that ferocious.

Their slightly excessive ferocity, which they chose as a way to survive due to their various shortcomings compared to the kingdom, and the resulting deterrent to war.

As time passed, it became ingrained in them like a habit, solidified, and then exaggerated and inflated before spreading to the kingdom.

“Frankly, Your Highness, you also admitted to some extent that I am the most suitable person, didn’t you?”

“···It would be a lie to say otherwise.”

Vanessa made a mistake at the last moment, but that was because Kim Yu-hyun was being too difficult.

Originally, she was a woman who could separate personal feelings from state affairs.

Although she treated Zion with considerable favor, she was by no means someone who would allow such a thing to disrupt the important affairs of the country.

If she were such a soft woman, Zion wouldn’t have even considered picking her up [for a political alliance].

“More than that, it seems you have examined the north very closely, as I mentioned.”

“I put in quite a bit of effort.

In addition, my brother went south to inspect the stability of the people’s livelihood, so I was able to move more freely.”

“The south.

The place where the kingdom’s maritime trade routes are located, and currently the wealthiest and most livable place in the kingdom.”

“Yes.

Ensuring stability there is the most important thing.

So, while my brother and his forces were focused on that, I focused on the north instead.

And I was able to obtain information without being too late.”

It wasn’t too early, but it was just the right time.

Zion smiled and applauded Vanessa, indicating that he would now really leave.

Vanessa also gave a gentle smile, as if she couldn’t hold him back any longer.

“Then, when are you planning to depart?”

“Probably by dawn tomorrow.”

“So you’re saying you’ll leave as soon as you confirm the people sent by His Majesty the King.”

“It’s not good to delay things.”

“Another forced march as soon as you come to the capital.

I feel like I’m just adding to the things I need to apologize for.”

“Either way, His Majesty the King and Your Highness were planning to send me by tomorrow, weren’t you?”

At Zion’s playful response, Vanessa chuckled briefly and lightly rang the bell.

Then, the royal knight and Rishicata, who had been waiting outside, entered.

Vanessa looked at the royal knight among them and opened her mouth.

“Escort Duke Zion Claussen.

Ensure that he leaves the palace without the slightest inconvenience.”

With a bit of exaggeration, it was treatment almost on par with a veteran meritorious subject.

At Vanessa’s words, the royal knight bowed his head and stepped aside slightly, as if to guide him.

Zion bowed to Vanessa and was about to move when…

“···Do it.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Vanessa waved her hand.

Zion looked at her for a moment before leaving the conference room with Lucia.

The door closed, and Vanessa, left alone in the conference room, tapped the table.

Hoping that Zion hadn’t properly heard her say, ‘Let’s see each other tomorrow.’

―

‘Ugh, shit.’

Zion cursed inwardly as he got into the carriage.

If he had taken up any more time, he would have definitely created another strange atmosphere with Vanessa.

Vanessa is undoubtedly a reliable political partner.

But joining hands with her and forming a relationship are completely separate matters.

He could end up as a mere figurehead, good in appearance but empty inside.

‘Vanessa is one of the cards I must hold onto.

This is unwavering.’

She must become queen.

She must become queen and establish herself as a reliable backer who pushes him forward.

Only then can Zion push the situation forward as he desires in the future.

If someone like Prince Erader, whose level is just mediocre but whose greed and suspicion are excessive, takes the throne, then the chapter of happiness ends and unhappiness begins.

‘But the problem is, unlike other women, I might waver if I get too close.’

If being the king’s spouse was an easy task, even dogs and cows would rush to it.

You hold power that is worse than that of a rural nobleman, to the point of being insignificant, but the obligations increase, and you have nothing but things to give up.

It was Hispania’s characteristic to be extremely wary of the king’s spouse getting close to power.

Whether male or female, once they marry the current king or the next king, they immediately abandon all the privileges of their family and completely belong to the royal family.

They abandon their original family name and use the royal family’s name, and are only allowed to live within the royal castle.

‘The moment I connect with Vanessa, my hands and feet are cut off from all the strings of power.

It’s literally like lying on a surgical table and having your arms and legs forcibly cut off.’

That won’t do.

He’s not thinking of climbing to the highest place, breathing the high air of the Himalayas, and catching Frieza [a reference to the Dragon Ball Z anime, implying an impossible task], but he needs at least a position where he can leisurely live in a moderately high place where the sunlight warmly enters.

And what makes that possible is, of course, power.

Not some social position, but true power.

The kind of power that allows you to ruin someone’s life if they piss you off.

‘Thinking about it that way, I can understand why Kim Yu-hyun tried not to connect with Vanessa.’

The king’s spouse is not someone anyone can become.

He wouldn’t want to place someone next to the queen who came from nowhere, whose origins are unclear, who is not a nobleman, and who is more accustomed to wielding a sword on the battlefield than to etiquette.

Kim Yu-hyun also knew that his existence was not viewed favorably by other nobles.

So, he may have hoped that Vanessa, who was a trustworthy colleague and someone he could rely on, would not waver.

‘The ending was Vanessa’s carelessness, who loved Kim Yu-hyun a little more, and her ruin.

···Wait a minute.

Thinking about it that way, Vanessa is as dangerous as Trisha?

What the hell!’

Zion’s head was throbbing.

Fortunately, Vanessa’s fuse hasn’t been lit yet like the firecracker bomb Trisha.

There is still a possibility that they can remain good friends.

“Zion.”

Turning his head at the voice calling him, Zion saw Lucia staring at him with a sharp look he had never seen before.

He realized he hadn’t explained the reason yet, and just as Zion was about to open his mouth,

“Is it perhaps because of my father?”

At Lucia’s completely unexpected answer, Zion stared at her blankly, wondering what she meant.

Of course, Raido is a formidable man, but if he was going to exclude Lucia from the group because of that, he wouldn’t have brought her along in the first place.

“What are you talking about, Lucia?”

“Are you taking me off the team because my father might say something about taking me to a dangerous place?”

“That’s not it.

If it was because of Raido-nim [formal title], I wouldn’t have taken Lucia here and there in the first place, right?

There’s a good reason for everything.”

“Then explain it to me.”

It was unusual to see a woman who was always serious about everything looking so anxious.

Zion didn’t want to stall unnecessarily, but since it wasn’t something that could be explained here, he soothed Lucia, saying that he would return to the villa first, and if possible, tell her after dinner.

But Lucia, unlike her usual self, kept clinging to Zion and asking for the reason.

Zion was thinking, ‘Why is this woman suddenly like this?’

In fact, Lucia’s concerns were somewhat valid.

‘Ria also suddenly disappeared somewhere after that father came!’

The cat, who always stuck by Zion’s side wherever he went, disappeared overnight.

Of course, Ria went because she wanted to, and she even declared to Zion that she would definitely return within a month at the longest, but the most important thing is that Lucia doesn’t know that fact.

The formula was established that a father came.

They talk.

She is dragged out.

Moreover, Raido, Lucia’s own father, is one of the most notorious people in the kingdom.

If Zion met such a man and immediately afterwards said, ‘Unfortunately, Ms. Lucia cannot join us,’ along with the acceptance necklace, it wouldn’t be difficult to turn the prediction into a certainty.

“Lucia.

Let me tell you first, Ria wasn’t dragged away, but left on her own accord.”

“Why?”

“I think she felt something after the battle with Trisha.

The desire to become stronger, so she doesn’t want to fall behind the other women.”

Of course, it’s a complete lie.

Ria was just a poor cat who fell for Zion’s seduction.

She never had such wonderful thoughts as wanting to become stronger or wanting to be helpful!

“Re, really?

Ria did?”

But Lucia, who still has innocent parts, seemed to believe it.

I’m sorry in my heart!

Tteokkolruk! [Sound effect, Korean]

Zion apologized and continued.

“Yes.

It just so happened that her father came and said there was a way to become stronger, so she left for training in the backcountry, saying that she would definitely come back to help me.

I thought she was just a reckless cat, but she was truly admirable.”

Smiling while saying that was completely intentional.

Adding these words to that would be like pouring aviation fuel on a burning house.

“So I promised to grant her one wish when she comes back.

It’s nothing much.”

“···!”