Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 126

<126>

The King’s Death.

There were no particular omens.

I knew he wouldn’t live long. He had been harming his health for far too long.

Still, I didn’t expect him to pass so suddenly.

Even when I briefly encountered him about a week ago, he didn’t seem particularly weakened. I thought I would smoothly inherit the crown right after my coming-of-age ceremony.

There was no significant unrest internally or externally.

I was already handling most of the King’s important duties, so most of the power had already been transferred to me.

After the Crown Prince’s enthronement, I was already the de facto king of the kingdom.

As per the request left in the King’s will, which he had prepared in advance, the funeral was held very modestly.

“He said he didn’t even want a tombstone left behind, so people wouldn’t remember him if possible, right?”

On a dark night with deep moonlight, when I couldn’t sleep and felt restless, I secretly slipped out of the palace to visit the King’s tomb. Someone spoke to me.

It was Lucas.

He didn’t hide his presence as he approached, so I knew he was entering the cemetery from the moment he did.

I didn’t turn around and answered his question.

“He knew that the old-fashioned nobles of the royal family would never allow it, so he added the word ‘if possible.’ Still, as a second-best option, I had his tomb prepared here in the most remote location.”

“He can’t even do what he wants in death.”

“······.”

“I heard he passed away peacefully.”

“Yes, when I saw him for the last time before the encoffining [placing the body in a coffin], I realized for the first time that he was someone who could smile like that. He looked relieved.”

Lucas and I stared at the King’s tombstone for a while without saying anything.

He spoke first.

“Tomorrow, you’ll truly be the King of the Lionel Kingdom. Congratulations in advance.”

“It’s just a heavy seat. I’m not sure if it’s something to be congratulated for.”

“Then you can hand it back to me.”

I chuckled.

Contrary to his words, I could sense his true feelings that he wouldn’t take it even if I gave it to him now.

“If you make a significant contribution to reclaiming the Elenbeira region, I’m willing to cede it as a duchy. So, please diligently carry out your duties again after your vacation.”

“What’s there to eat in that cold, barren place?”

“You never know. Who knew that Gray Steel, which was considered a useless lump of rock in the northwest taken from the Hamel Empire, would now become a key material for magic superconductors?”

“So, there’s something like Gray Steel in the Elenbeira region.”

Lucas’s eyes lit up.

I didn’t really know, but I still gave him a subtle smile. He might make a great contribution to reclaiming the Elenbeira region later with that motivation.

Since I threw out a blank check anyway, should I fuel his motivation a bit more?

“If we reclaim the Elenbeira region, we can open a land route to the world without going through the Hamel Empire. The weather is a bit extreme, so it’s not a great place for people to live, but all logistics from the Lionel Kingdom to foreign countries will pass through Elenbeira.”

“If the Elenbeira Duchy is established, it will border the Hamel Empire and the Rabia Empire, two empires. It will have to rely entirely on the Lionel Kingdom for food. There’s no port, so there’s no easy way to import, right?”

A sharp question.

Of course, if I’m going to give him a duchy, I need to put that much of a collar on him.

I avoided his gaze.

“Hmm… it’s getting late. I should go in quickly. If they find out I’m gone, Alfonso and the escort knights will make a fuss.”

“I’m leaving without watching the coronation tomorrow. It’s a vacation I worked hard to get.”

“Do as you please.”

“Go ahead. I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Understood.”

Before leaving, I looked at the King’s tombstone one last time. A phrase from his will came to mind.

-If there is a next life, I want to be a bird, not a human, freely flying in the sky.

‘If possible, be reborn as an eagle, the king of the sky that no one can touch.’

And the next day.

Amidst the blessings of countless people, I became the King of the Lionel Kingdom.

***

A week later, a child symbolizing the harmony of the East and South was born. I took some time to visit Count Christie’s mansion in the capital.

“She looks exactly like Count Cliang’s daughter.”

An emotionless face that’s impossible to read and blonde hair that looks like it was plucked from Cliang’s head. The only thing she inherited from Miloa is her snow-white skin?

I realized why they say blood is thicker than water.

“I was worried because she wouldn’t stop crying. At first, I thought she was a fool, you know? I was so worried, but Cliang’s nanny said he was the same when he was young, so I was relieved.”

Saying that, Miloa glanced at her watch and entrusted the baby to the nanny.

“Nanny, it’s almost time for Chloe to be excused. She might be too shy to do it in front of His Majesty, so please take her out for a while.”

“Yes, Countess.”

Chloe Christie.

That was the child’s name.

You could tell she was the daughter of Cliang and Miloa just by hearing her name.

The two had agreed to give the surname White to a boy and Christie to a girl.

Although women’s rights are relatively high, there are actually only one or two noble families with female heads. The White family traditionally has a strong preference for sons.

Well, it was a matter for the two families, so it wasn’t something I should interfere with.

But a newborn already distinguishes between bowel and bladder movements?

Miloa, reading my expression, chuckled and said.

“She’s just like him; she keeps perfect track of her bowel and bladder times.”

I was curious about what kind of person Chloe would become in the future.

“But, I was surprised that Your Majesty visited. Aren’t you very busy?”

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t left the palace for a month since the coronation.”

Even when I was acting as king as the Crown Prince, I was busy, but now that I’ve taken on the miscellaneous tasks that the late king was in charge of…

Well, let’s leave it at that.

The biggest problem was that I had to handle even the trivial tasks that the Queen should have been in charge of.

There were many days when I barely slept for an hour.

“At this rate, I might collapse from overwork. So, Countess Miloa, please return to work soon.”

“Isn’t Julian filling the parts I’m missing well?”

“No, it’s still not as good as when Countess Miloa takes care of it herself. Julian has a good grasp of how the Royal Secretariat works, so it will be much easier when you come back.”

“Aren’t you being too harsh on a mother who just gave birth a week ago?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well, it’s okay. I’ll go back to work next month. It’s an important time inside and outside the kingdom… and my return will reduce my husband’s burden.”

A smile naturally appeared on my face at Miloa’s answer.

“Tell me anything you need. I’ll grant you everything except what’s impossible.”

“Can I say it now?”

“Of course.”

“Bring in a queen as soon as possible.”

“······.”

I was at a loss for words.

“Honestly, I don’t understand why you haven’t taken a queen yet. Don’t tell me you haven’t had your coming-of-age ceremony yet, or that you haven’t met someone you love. You’re not that kind of person, Your Majesty.”

“If I’m not that kind of person?”

“Someone who can marry a widow 20 years older than them if it’s beneficial?”

I felt a little hurt by Miloa’s harsh assessment.

“Hey, isn’t Countess Miloa being too much when she married someone she loved?”

“Hmm… that was due to a small accident… Ugh. Don’t suddenly change the subject!”

She saw through my intentions.

Miloa, who was blushing and angry, continued.

“The moment something happens to Your Majesty, the next throne will go to the Second or Third Princess. Can those two get through this turbulent time?”

“Why, there’s one more.”

“Yes? … You can’t be talking about that guy, are you? You must be joking. Even if they were incompetent and greedy, that guy has a history of abandoning those who supported him. Even Commander Galad is furious with betrayal.”

Miloa crossed her arms and stared at me.

“Okay. I’ll think about it seriously.”

I left Count Christie’s mansion as if fleeing and returned to the palace. I headed to the Emerald Palace.

Now that I’m king, I should use the Leon Palace that the late king used, but there were many places to fix, so it was still under construction.

Alfonso greeted me with the attendants and maids.

“Have you arrived, Your Majesty?”

“Did you do everything I asked you to do?”

“Ugh… I’ve done most of what I could.”

I had handed over some of the lighter tasks that the Queen was supposed to do to Alfonso. I went straight to the office to check how well he had done.

I roughly skimmed through what Alfonso had done.

Passable.

I praised him for his hard work and sat down at my desk, pen in hand. The amount of documents that had piled up in the short time I had been meeting Miloa was considerable.

I couldn’t concentrate on my work.

I got up for a moment and approached the window. I looked out the window and recalled the conversation I had with Miloa.

“Marriage…”

I had been delaying it, but it seemed like the time had come when I really couldn’t delay it any longer.

-Someone who can marry a widow 20 years older than them if it’s beneficial?

Miloa’s harsh assessment of me came to mind.

It wasn’t wrong.

The ‘future’ me, as she said, married several women as queens only because it would help the national interest.

Death in battle, divorce, death with a child during childbirth… they all lived strangely unhappy lives.

The children were the same.

Only one child lived past their first birthday. Even that child died of an epidemic, the Red Reaper, before their second birthday.

Of course, the reason I had been putting off marriage wasn’t just because of those memories of the ‘future.’

I didn’t think I would actually gain much benefit. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. I have to share the benefits I get through marriage with the other party or their family.

I was confident that I could take over the kingdom without borrowing power under the pretext of marriage.

‘Who should I marry as queen?’

My chest felt heavy.

I grabbed a coat to get some fresh air and went out to the garden. Alfonso and Reina, who had already exchanged guards with Verok, automatically followed.

***

‘What’s he so worried about?’

Reina glanced at Evan’s face as he walked through the garden with a serious expression.

There was a handover note that he had met Countess Miloa, and she wondered what important story she had shared with him.

She subtly looked at Alfonso.

There was no way he couldn’t have felt what she was thinking.

“Your Majesty, did something happen with Countess Miloa? You have a very serious expression.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Is it a story we shouldn’t hear?”

“Ah, it’s not that serious. Countess Miloa told me to get married soon.”

Reina’s ears perked up.

“Haha, it’s not a serious matter at all, why are you making such a serious face? How many women at home and abroad want to marry Your Majesty? Choose the most beautiful young lady among them. Ah! What about the First Princess of Arya, who sent a letter last week?”

“I told you not to talk about that woman.”

“You’re not into the Aden’s demi-humans [people with both human and animal traits], are you?”

“I know how people born between demi-humans and humans are treated, why would I? And what king chooses a queen based on looks alone?”

“Then what kind of person do you want to marry as queen?”

“That’s what I was thinking about.”

“Let’s set the conditions one by one.”

“First of all, I absolutely refuse foreign women. As we can see from Damian’s case, foreign powers can interfere in the kingdom at any time. It can be a medicine if used well, but it can also be a fatal poison. It’s better not to leave any trouble in the first place.”

“Then you have to choose from within the country.”

“I hope that the queen’s family doesn’t have enough influence to get involved in the succession battle later.”

“Anything else?”

“It would be nice if she was talented. To the extent that she can help the kingdom.”

“Hmm… that’s difficult.”

A moment of silence.

Reina, who had been listening quietly, carefully asked.

“How old are you looking for, up and down [older or younger]?”

“I’m not looking below me. Above me… Countess Miloa was slandering me, saying that I’m someone who can marry a widow 20 years older than me, but it’s not that much. Up to 10 years? Why? Do you know someone?”