Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 21

021

Evan’s personal attendant, Alfonso Heimdall.

No, Alfonso Einberg.

The sole survivor of the Einberg family, vassals who shared the fate of Beyren County in the North, which fell during the Hamel Empire’s invasion.

Carrying a tray with refreshments, he headed towards the kitchen, his eyes lingering on the Third Princess, Annette Lionel’s, untouched teacup.

‘Is it really that bad?’

Alfonso paused, bringing the teacup to his lips.

It tasted of nothing.

It wasn’t always like this. As a child, he had a normal sense of taste, enjoying sweets and disliking bitter medicine.

Alfonso crunched on a cookie, trying to recall the taste he had experienced in his youth, focusing on the sensations in his tongue.

“Don’t you think the Prince is getting more handsome?”

“You’re only noticing that now?”

“I saw him going to wash up after sword training early in the morning, all sweaty… Oh, my, his shoulders have gotten so broad. I don’t think the two of us could fit in his embrace.”

“You have a strange look in your eyes right now. And think about the Prince’s age.”

“He’ll be 14 soon, he knows everything.”

The two maids giggled.

They were walking with a mountain of laundry on their heads.

Alfonso hurriedly touched his face, checking his subtly curved eyes and faint smile. He wanted to make sure his mask hadn’t slipped.

“Oh! Mr. Alfonso. Hello.”

“Hello!”

The two maids, spotting Alfonso, greeted him cheerfully.

“You’re all working hard.”

“Mr. Alfonso, there’s a rumor that the Emerald Palace will be getting more staff. Is it true?”

“That’s right! Mr. Alfonso, you should be relieved of chores like cleaning up after the Prince! Look at our arms, they’ve gotten so thick from doing laundry.”

“Haha, I don’t have that much power.”

“Come on, everyone knows Mr. Alfonso is the real power in this palace.”

“Are you going straight to Head Attendant?”

“Amazing! There will definitely be a reward for spending the hard times with Prince Evan!”

“That’s right. Honestly, when they said they were choosing an attendant for Prince Evan, I saw Alfonso applying and thought, ‘What a crazy—!’ Ah! What I just said wasn’t what I meant! Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Let’s go together! See you later, Mr. Alfonso!”

As the maids ran off, Alfonso replayed their conversation in his mind.

A subtle prickling discomfort stirred within him.

‘Ah.’

He knew the reason.

He had applied to be an attendant to move around the palace more freely. The fact that others unintentionally saw him as Evan’s meritorious retainer subtly touched his heart.

Before he knew it, Alfonso had arrived at his destination.

A mountain of dishes to wash, and three people with their sleeves rolled up, doing just that.

A new maid, replacing the kitchen assistant who had poisoned the milk, spotted him. She quickly stood up and wiped her hands on her apron as she approached.

“There are so many dishes to wash.”

“It’s alright! This is nothing!”

Alfonso handed over the tray, focusing on her rapidly moving right hand.

The head chef and another kitchen assistant glanced at them but didn’t notice where Alfonso’s gaze was directed. It was the moment when the greatest advantage of his narrow eyes shone.

「Save me.」

It was the signal used by the Northern Liberation Army [a resistance group from the fallen northern territories].

“It’s good to see you so motivated. Haha.”

Alfonso, having interpreted the signal, sent back a ‘no way’ signal and fled the kitchen.

“Chef, did you hear? The rumor that the Northern Liberation Army assassinated the Fourth Prince.”

He paused, hearing the words leaking through the slightly open kitchen door.

“Really? But why would the Northern Liberation Army assassinate the Fourth Prince?”

“Could it be that the fall of the North is related to the Second Prince?”

“Shh! I told you to watch your mouth last time. Think before you speak. You could be dragged away without anyone knowing.”

Only the sound of dishes being washed leaked through the door again. Only then did Alfonso move his feet.

‘I need to be careful.’

The rumor that ‘the Northern Liberation Army assassinated the Fourth Prince’ was spreading unusually quickly. Someone was clearly intentionally spreading it.

The First Prince? The Second Prince?

‘It must be the Second Prince.’

Alfonso recalled Evan’s face when he heard the news of the Fourth Prince’s assassination.

– Your Highness! Urgent news. The Fourth Prince was assassinated while in exile.

– I see.

His voice was as calm as if he had heard about the death of an old horse in the stable. As Alfonso, who had watched him being tormented by the Fourth Prince for nearly a year, it was a reaction he couldn’t understand.

He sensed it then.

Ah, Evan used the Second Prince’s sword to stab the Fourth Prince’s heart.

‘But how?’

– To the Opal Palace.

– The Opal Palace? If it’s the Opal Palace… then it’s the Second Prince’s residence!

At first, Alfonso thought Evan was trying to contact the Second Prince to clear his name.

But the result?

It was shocking.

Not only did he clear his name, but he also drove the Fourth Prince out of the palace. Furthermore, an arrow pierced the heart of the Fourth Prince while he was in exile!

Alfonso was dying to know the rest of the story.

– Can you have people step outside?

Alfonso didn’t hear the conversation between Evan and the Second Prince, unlike someone hiding in the shadows, whom the Second Prince allowed to be present.

‘That shadow must be a loyal servant of the Second Prince, right?’

– Take me with you! Take me too!

– Live, Alfonso. Forget the name of Einberg and live your life.

His father, brother, and sister, knowing they would die, put on their swords and armor and headed to the battlefield for the Beyren County.

He thought it was idiotic.

Loyalty to the lord? Chivalry?

Give it to the dogs.

He certainly thought so.

No, he still thinks so.

But why does Evan keep reminding him of the swords of the North and the people of the family who followed him to the battlefield?

– Your Highness, sword training is enough, why are you studying magic so hard? You should be focusing on swordsmanship. After your coming-of-age ceremony, becoming a knight and receiving one of the royal direct territories as a fief would be the best… Ah! It’s definitely not because the books are heavy and hard to carry that I’m saying this.

– I won’t be a knight.

– Yes? Then what?

– Emperor.

– You’re joking, right?

– Told me to become Emperor… No, I was just joking.

– Did you dream about it?

– Think what you want.

Alfonso chuckled without realizing it, recalling the conversation he had with Evan the other day.

Not a king, but an emperor.

If his meeting with Evan hadn’t been in its current form, if Evan really had such a grand dream of becoming an emperor, he might have wanted to follow behind him.

He arrived at the reception room.

Alfonso smoothed his face, adjusted his expression, and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness! I’m back.”

***

The moment I heard Alfonso’s voice.

I had the feeling that Alfonso was the only one who could cause something that would make the Royal Secret Service [the royal family’s intelligence and security agency] move.

They wouldn’t have come to arrest me.

Only royalty can investigate and imprison royalty. If I were the target, the Royal Committee would have been involved.

‘Did they find out that he infiltrated the palace under a false identity?’

That’s all I can think of for now.

I don’t yet know what he did before entering the palace and what his goal is.

However, I have a guess.

What else would the heir of a ruined family do?

Revenge, and the rebuilding of the family.

‘Did he do something that left a trail? Or is it because of me?’

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness?”

That guy’s voice sounds like he doesn’t know anything.

The Royal Secret Service coming was clearly visible from the hallway window, what was he thinking about that he didn’t see it?

“Come in.”

“Yes!”

Alfonso opened the door and came in.

“But why does your voice sound so bad…”

Alfonso’s expression hardened when he saw the scene I was looking at.

“What have you been up to?”

“……”

Could it be that someone investigated my surroundings after I’ve been stirring things up lately and got caught? If so, I’m a little, no, quite a bit sorry.

A suffocating silence followed.

And then.

The Royal Secret Service burst in.

“Alfonso Heimdall. You are under arrest as a spy for the Northern Liberation Army.”

The Northern Liberation Army.

Nearly half of the families in the northern region of the former Lionel Kingdom were ruined by the Hamel Empire’s invasion. The guerrilla group was organized by the survivors.

Alfonso spent four years in the Northern Liberation Army after the fall of his family.

It seems that his disguised entry into the palace hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

“Then, excuse me.”

“……”

The officer of the Royal Secret Service, who bowed to me before trying to drag Alfonso away.

My mind was very complicated as I looked at Alfonso, who was bound and paralyzed to prevent suicide.

The Northern Liberation Army is a thorn in the side of the central nobles.

Especially to those who actively opposed sending troops when the northern region, led by the Beyren County, requested support after the outbreak of the epidemic and the Hamel Empire’s invasion.

To put it coldly, I have no reason to stand up for Alfonso. I already feel like I’m walking on thin ice, and now the Northern Liberation Army?

‘Getting involved would be troublesome.’

No, maybe I’m already involved? The fact that my mother’s family was the Beyren County, a frontier count in the North, is something that can’t be erased no matter what I do.

It seems that they’re trying to blame the Northern Liberation Army for the recent death of the Fourth Prince, and if that false rumor is disguised as the truth…

Just imagining it makes my head hurt.

One more reason why I shouldn’t help Alfonso has been added.

‘But why?’

Why does that guy overlap with the face of the nanny who was being dragged away on suspicion of poisoning my sister?

About 12 hours.

The average time I’ve been with him since my memories of my past life returned. When I’m in the study, I kick him out because I want to be alone, so that’s about it.

That’s practically a couple.

Ah, of course, based on my past life, not my current one.

Because of that, even though I know he’s a dark-hearted guy, I guess I’ve grown fond of him.

There’s one thing I’m sure of.

‘If he’s dragged away, he’ll die.’

Even if he lives, he’ll be a cripple who can’t hold a spoon for the rest of his life.

Alfonso’s stats? Skills?

At best, he’s a 4-star knight.

“Drag him away.”

“……”

Alfonso, whose arms were grabbed and dragged away.

Surprisingly, his mouth moved.