Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 22

022

5 years ago.

– Olivia Einberg, I arrest you on suspicion of attempted regicide against the royal family.

As the Royal Guard began arresting my nanny, the royal knights, and the servants of the Emerald Palace one after another, I could only watch the scene with a face filled with terror.

It was only natural.

In my previous life, I was just a child who had barely graduated from kindergarten. On the day of that incident, I was a disheartened child who had wet the bed.

But.

I am not the same person I was back then.

“What’s going on, Your Highness?”

The officer from the Royal Guard’s Inspection Department asked with sharp eyes.

Honestly, it’s impossible to clear Alfonso of the charges. Even if I had as much power as the First or Second Prince, it would require significant sacrifices. Maybe it wouldn’t even be possible.

“Alfonso is like my right-hand man. Who gave you the right to take him away?”

The officer frowned.

“I understand that you’re momentarily confused because your beloved attendant has been identified as a spy for the Northern Liberation Army. We will take him and investigate thoroughly. If there was a misunderstanding, he will return unharmed, so don’t worry.”

The officer answered each question diligently.

Remembering how George, the Fourth Prince’s attendant, spat and ignored me in the past, I newly felt my changed status since the royal trial.

“Surely you know what the Northern Liberation Army is, don’t you?”

Well, it wasn’t like he was treating me with extreme politeness. The subtle sarcasm in his tone was grating on my nerves.

I frowned and opened my mouth.

“How could I not know? I sent him to the Northern Liberation Army myself.”

“…… What?”

Everyone present, not just the officer, looked like they didn’t understand what I had said.

Alfonso was also glaring with his eyes wide open, showing his blue pupils that were usually hidden. Is he trying to hide that he’s not paralyzed?

“I sent him. As a spy for the Northern Liberation Army. He didn’t come here from there. He went from here to there and then came back.”

“That, that’s absurd!”

“Why is it absurd?”

“Your Highness and that man only met a year ago!”

“You seem to know quite a bit about me and Alfonso? Who could be so curious about us? Did the Intelligence Department investigate? Or the Espionage Department?”

The Intelligence Department means the First Prince, and the Espionage Department means the Second Prince.

“Or is it the Inspection Department itself?”

“That’s classified!”

Tsk, I was just probing.

I vowed to repay whoever threw the Royal Guard’s Inspection Department bomb at me, even if it was later.

Repay kindness, and revenge 100 times over.

I don’t know who said it, but it’s a saying I really like.

“But you’re mistaken. It wasn’t a year ago. Alfonso and I have known each other since we were very young.”

“That can’t be!”

“Why can’t it be that I’ve known someone from the Einberg family, a vassal family of the Bayern Marquis, since I was young?”

“Einberg?”

“That guy. His name isn’t Alfonso Heimdall, it’s Alfonso Einberg.”

It’s a fact that will come out if they dig in and investigate. I thought it would be better to take the initiative and use it efficiently.

“Surely an officer of the Royal Guard’s Inspection Department knows the Einberg family, right?”

“Olivia Einberg……”

Yes, everyone remembers.

“Your Highness’s claim doesn’t make sense. You have hardly ever left the palace, and those who enter and leave the palace are subject to strict access control!”

“We were pen pals, pen pals. Don’t you know? Many people still do it these days.”

“The letters……”

“I don’t know where they are. I might have thrown them away, but I’ll look for them.”

The officer bit his lip.

“Even if Your Highness’s words are ‘true,’ it doesn’t change the fact that he has been active in the Northern Liberation Army. The Northern Liberation Army is a group whose true nature has not yet been accurately identified. He may have changed his mind in the meantime and be plotting some sinister scheme in the palace. He may know information about the Northern Liberation Army that we don’t know. The arrest is inevitable.”

Ah, is it finally coming to this?

‘If you’re dragged away, it’s over.’

It’s not for nothing that people say their hearts stop when a Royal Guard member even coughs.

“……”

“……”

A moment of silence.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“Did you think I’d tell you to take him if you said that?”

“Surely not. Are you going to go all the way……!”

I didn’t know 5 years ago.

How much power I had just by being a ‘royal’.

“I will exercise my right to refuse arrest.”

“Kuh.”

Right to refuse arrest.

A powerful privilege that is among the top three privileges held by royalty.

– The royal family has the right to refuse the arrest and detention of themselves and their vassals. This is called the right to refuse arrest. In order to arrest or detain a royal family member or their vassal who has exercised the right to refuse arrest, a majority vote of the Royal Committee is required.

The result of those who bit and tore at each other until they were covered in blood, the previous succession battle.

If I had known this 5 years ago, I would have bought some time…….

“Now, leave.”

“…… We’ll meet again.”

From the eyes of the officer, who bit his lip and opened his mouth, I could feel his determination to get permission from the Royal Committee.

He glanced at Alfonso and placed a small vial on the desk from his pocket.

“That’s the antidote.”

I waved my hand, urging him to leave quickly.

After the Royal Guard left, I took the antidote with my Ghost Hand to check if they had played any nasty tricks.

‘Nothing wrong.’

After taking the antidote, I went to the window and watched the Royal Guard leave the Emerald Palace.

Only after they disappeared from sight did I look at Alfonso, who was lying on the floor.

Wasn’t he not paralyzed?

“Why are you still lying down?”

“…… Dyou thindk I am your vasthall?”

It seems he can only move his facial muscles a little.

What is he saying?

Did he say, “Who gave you the right to call me your vassal?” I saved a drowning man and put him on the boat, but instead of being grateful.

I wanted to kick him back in, but it was too late. We were already on the same boat.

“You don’t need the antidote?”

“…… I need it.”

I chuckled and gave Alfonso the antidote. As time passed, he began to wiggle his fingers.

While Alfonso was recovering from the paralysis, I sat on the sofa and checked the accumulated system messages.

[Your relationship with Hyley O’Pin has worsened.]

[Your relationship with Rian Lloyd has worsened.]

.

.

.

There is one function that I didn’t know about when [List of People] was first opened. That is, the information of people who talk to me is registered even if I don’t directly use the Ghost Hand.

It’s convenient when it’s convenient, but when I see it piled up like this, I feel like I’m looking at spam mail.

‘If you give me RP, maybe.’

I closed all the unimportant ones.

[Your relationship with Alfonso Einberg has improved.]

[You have acquired 5,000 RP.]

[You have achieved the achievement, ‘Like Family’.]

[You have acquired 5,000 RP.]

‘Oh.’

I checked Alfonso’s status window.

[Relationship: Trust].

Well, I would be disappointed if he was still in a ‘friendly’ relationship after all I’ve done.

I was about to check his stats and skill window when it seemed like Alfonso’s paralysis was almost gone.

“Ah, aeiou, aeiou.”

The guy who loosened his mouth looked at me.

“Why did you do that?”

“It just happened.”

“But…… even if you exercise the right to refuse arrest, can you be arrested again?”

Alfonso asked in a tone that seemed embarrassed because he didn’t know.

“There’s no need to be ashamed. Most nobles who are alienated from central politics probably don’t know. Most people know that if a royal family member uses the right to refuse arrest, they can never be taken to the Royal Guard or the police.”

“Then, will I be arrested again?”

To invalidate the right to refuse arrest, a majority of the Royal Committee, which is a quorum, must be present, and half of those present must vote in favor.

In other words, theoretically, it can be invalidated with only 1/4.

Roughly 40% of the Royal Committee will support the First Prince. About 35% will support the Second Prince. Either way, it is possible to screw me over.

‘And it’s easy.’

There’s no reason for the opposite side of those who are trying to screw me over to help me. They probably won’t even attend because it’s a hassle.

I explained those facts in detail.

“…… You bought some time.”

“Why, are you dissatisfied?”

“No, thank you. But…… why did you really help me?”

“I don’t know, don’t ask.”

“…… What should we do now?”

“I’m going to think about it now.”

We stared at each other blankly for a moment.

Then Alfonso opened his mouth first.

“Just one thing, can you tell me just one thing?”

“What?”

“I asked you once before…… How did you know I was an Einberg?”

“…… You look like your nanny.”

Even after saying it, I avoided his gaze because of the weak answer.

“I know. You don’t look alike at all.”

“What is your exact relationship with your nanny?”

I could have known if I wanted to.

I just didn’t feel the need to use RP to check. I should avoid using RP as much as possible before a bomb like today falls.

In the case of preemptive use, it is when learning skills to train. If they are close, they are cousins, if they are far, they are sixth cousins. I just thought that much.

“You know I’m an Einberg, but you don’t know that? She was my eldest sister. She left home before I was even born, so I only saw her face in portraits. I was the youngest in the family.”

Alfonso, you were the youngest.

But the age difference with the nanny…… The head of Einberg, he was a strong man.

But how can siblings not have any similarities like that? If there is one…… it’s that their eyes are blue? By the way, one in five people in the kingdom will have blue eyes.

As if he saw my thoughts, Alfonso answered.

“I am the son my father had after he remarried after his divorce.”

He took after his mother. Akard…… No, let’s not even mention that guy’s name anymore, it’s unlucky.

Since Alfonso brought up a hidden story, I felt a little bad for keeping my mouth shut. I decided to tell him only as much as he could understand.

“The day the Fourth Prince broke my head. Think of it as receiving stigmata [marks resembling Christ’s crucifixion wounds] similar to those received by saints.”

Those who can see the future, albeit in a limited way, and perform mysterious miracles such as restoring the bodies of people whose limbs have been torn off.

“Stigmata? I know that if you receive stigmata, you become unable to use mana. And I know that there is a huge price to pay after using the ability……”

It doesn’t make sense to use such abilities recklessly.

“That’s why I said it’s similar.”

“And stigmata usually appear on the back of the hand or forehead……”

“There were also stigmata on the chest and thighs. You didn’t see my butt, did you?”

“Surely not Ma…… No. I’ll keep my mouth shut even if I’m dragged back to the Royal Guard.”

That guy must have thought I made a contract with a demon.

“Anyway, don’t worry, I definitely didn’t make a contract with a demon.”

He nodded ‘roughly’ at my assertion. Sigh…… I don’t know if this will lead to me getting a tattoo on my butt later.

The atmosphere has eased to some extent, and I thought it was time to have a proper conversation instead of nonsense.

“I unintentionally got involved with the Northern Liberation Army. Tell me everything you know. And about you too. I can find out everything if I want to, so don’t hide anything.”

“Then why don’t you find out with Your Highness’s ability?”

“It’s not that convenient of an ability. I said it’s similar to stigmata. I need a price too.”

“A price?”

“There is, something like that.”

For example, I couldn’t really talk about having to get close to you.

“……”

But he suddenly fell into thought.

What are you thinking?

No way!

“I’m not a demon. You know that most of them crave the blood of humans, especially young children and virgins, right? You’ve been watching me, so you know I didn’t have time for that.”

“Ah, I didn’t think that. I know it well because I was right next to Your Highness. I’ll talk about what you asked. How much do you know?”

“First of all, about you, you could have easily knocked down George, but you smiled and took the beating. You have a knack for poison. You must have known that there was a poisonous flower like [Cozy Nightmare] at the head of my bed, but you left it alone. I just learned from your mouth that you were the youngest of the Einberg family and that you belong to the Northern Liberation Army.”

“…… It’s surprising that you didn’t know I belonged to the Northern Liberation Army. More than half of the survivors of the fallen northern noble families belong to the Northern Liberation Army.”

Suddenly, I had a thought.

If I could make the Northern Liberation Army my ally. Furthermore, if I could gather the fallen forces of the north again.

Depending on which side I join, the First Prince or the Second Prince, wouldn’t I be able to gain the status of a kingmaker who decides who will be king?

‘From a ghost prince to a kingmaker…….’

It’s like a serpent, no, an earthworm ascending to become a dragon.