CH 37

“…Red, hair.”

I couldn’t process the scene in front of me at all. I honestly thought the child would have the same hair color as Mia.

The Duchess of Colac spoke to me with utter dismay.

“In the education of the crown prince, you probably learned the importance of the first night after marriage…”

“B-but, it should have be Mia’s first time…”

“Maybe she had an affair after that, with that person…”

Interjecting into my words, the Duchess of Colac turned towards a certain direction.

When I turned around, Brown, who had woken up, turned to the baby with a wide smile on his face.

I finally understood—

“—Brown, could you be…?”

I asked that, but Brown didn’t answer my question at all. He kept staring at the baby.

While fondly looking at the baby, he finally said—

“—…Mia chose me in the end.”

“What?!”

Brown’s words rendered me speechless.

I knew Brown was in love with Mia. However, I believed that he had made peace with merely being her friend in the end.

Mia herself said that Brown was nothing more than a friend.

Therefore, I thought that it’d be alright for them to see each other.

After all, what Mia and I had was true love. I believed that there was no room for anyone else to enter.

“But, it turned out to be a lie…”

I was so shocked, I couldn’t muster a single word. The Duchess of Colac spoke in a tone as if she were speaking to a toddler.

“Because of this, aristocrats keep a proper distance from the opposite sex until marriage. Well, for you who despised the education of the crown prince, this was your own doing.”

“…Kuh.”

I could only stay silent. Brown then muttered in an ecstatic expression.

“We’re united by true love. That notion in itself holds no wrong.”

“Brown…”

I was already swirling with various emotions. My head couldn’t process anything, as such, I could only mutter.

Sagius crawled towards the baby, and when he caught a glimpse at the baby, he had a look of despair.

“But, I should have been the one that tied to her from true love…”

After Sagius had muttered that, I was startled.

“Sagius, what are you talking about!?”

The one who answered me was Duchess of Colac.

“It seems like that man had a relationship with that whore, too. …Let me rephrase that, it seems that many people had a relationship with that whore at one point. That woman, who was supposed to be the queen of the Rolaud Kingdom. Just the mere thought of it repulses me…”

The Duchess of Colac spoke while staring at me. Then, Aiden glared at me.

“I told you many times to open your eyes, but you keep being stubborn. This is the result. It’s time for you to face reality.”

“…Reality.”

I muttered that, and for some reason, Violet’s face emerged.

Back then, Violet appealed to me all the time.

She kept saying the same thing as Aiden.

While she was being dragged to prison by Minerva, she screamed at me—

“—Your Highness is being deceived! Look at reality!”

I finally understood.

Mia was lying about merely being friends with those men. Mia was lying when she said she loved me and only me.

I slowly turned towards Aiden.

“…Everything you said was true.”

“Yes, and you won’t like what will happen from now on.”

“I see…”

I could no longer hear Aiden’s words. A man in armor had came in, one with long black bangs hiding his eyes.

“It seems like everything is finished.”

The man approached me and said.

“I tried to come earlier, but it took me a while to defeat the knights and your aides in the royal palace. I’m Aldam Neonheart, the crown prince of the Neonhart Kingdom.”

“The crown prince of the Neonhart Kingdom…? Shouldn’t you have died…?”

“You’re thinking about my subordinate. I had him act as my body double for various reasons. By the way, I sent you several letters, but did you receive any of them?”

“…I’m not aware of any letters.”

“Well, that’s obvious. After all, the King of Clowns is all about playing and not working.”

“Kuh…”

I couldn’t muster a reply.

After glancing at me, Aldam called out to Aiden.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“Everyone involved in this case will stand in the square of royal capital and be sentenced to stoning after a reading of the charges.”

“That’s a wise decision. It will let them hear the anger of the people. Then, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Yes, thank you, but is this really alright?”

“Yes, this is all I need.”

Aldam answered while holding up a staff, one which was the national treasure of our kingdom.

When I saw it, I thought of a story I had heard from my father a long time ago.

“A staff with the power to go back in time…”

I muttered that, and Aldam approached me. He then spoke in a voice that was only audible to me.

“You know it well. By the way, it’s originally from my kingdom.”

“…What are you going to do with it? It doesn’t have that power. It’s impossible to go back in time in the first place.”

“It’s possible. The original owners, those of the royal family of the Neonhart Kingdom, can draw this power and go back in time.”

“…Go, back.”

When I heard Aldam’s words, an idea came to mind.

It was to ask Aldam to pay attention to us of the past.

What we had done…

…All he had to do was pay attention to me, and make me aware of the mistakes I was making…

I thought so, but I recalled what Violet had told me once again.

Even if Aldam went back in time and supervised me, would I listen to him…?

Then, as if he had read my mind, Aldam spoke.

“You aren’t one to stop after deciding upon something.”

“T, then, I’d just end up doing the same thing again…”

“Be rest assured, I’ll finish it before it happens again next time.”

Aldam said so, and I felt relieved.

I was certain that he’d think up of a way.

While I was thinking that, Aldam grinned and made a gesture of scraping his neck with his finger.

I didn’t understand the meaning for a moment.

However, I gradually understood it. I finally remembered the moment Violet’s head fell.

At that moment, I felt terrified.

“I, I don’t want that—! Please open my eyes, instead—!”

I screamed desperately, but Aldam only left the audience room.

Moreover, Marquis Wayne came and struck my nape with a scabbard instead.

“I, I don’t want that—”

My consciousness slipped into a deep darkness.

***

At the royal capital of the Rolaud Kingdom, many people had gathered. They didn’t lack stones for throwing.

The crowd consisted of the men of the kingdom. Towards the sinners who had caused nothing but misery towards their lives, they were angered to death.

Such grave sinners were gathered in the center of the square. Their bodies were tied to wooden stakes stuck in the ground so that they couldn’t escape. They all seemed terrified.

Meanwhile, Prince Aiden read the charges aloud for a long time before finally saying:

“Let’s erase them from the aristocratic directory, and instead list their names as great sinners so we can continue to remember them in the future. Therefore, this will never happen again…”

Then, Prince Aiden turned towards the people, bowed deeply, and left.

That was a signal.

Many angry words and screams erupted in the plaza. It continued without rest for three days and three nights.

Then, for a while after that, the bodies of the great sinners were exposed outside of the royal capital.

Such was the excerpt from a history book of the Rolaud Kingdom.