Chapter 69

Chapter 69 – The Delegation from the Principality of Meeke (1)

*TL/N: Going forth, the ‘Duchy’ of Meeke will be referred to as the ‘Principality’ of Meeke. The changes will be made to the previous chapters soon.

Even though he was a prince, he was still a foreigner. To act so arrogantly in another country’s royal court, especially toward a duke, one of the highest-ranking nobles, was unacceptable.

‘Should I just kill him?’

Duke Kairos himself was itching to behead the prince right then and there. But he couldn’t.

Leaving aside issues of diplomacy and maintaining appearances, it was for the same reason as before.

They were still at, after all, the royal court.

“Perhaps it’s best to stop here, Duke Kairos.”

“......Duke Herman, are you siding with him?”

“Any further action would be disrespectful to His Majesty.”

“......”

At this, Duke Kairos glanced toward the throne.

At that moment,

“Personally, I think that child has a point.”

“......!”

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock. King Melio II, who appeared lifeless until now, suddenly showed signs of interest.

“Your Majesty! Are you really considering going to war with the Principality of Meeke?”

“Isn’t that something we can resolve through diplomacy? As Marquis Foltaine suggested, handing over the prince might be seen as meddling in another’s conflict.”

“Your Majesty, are you really siding with this reckless boy?”

“......”

King Melio II silently stared at Duke Kairos.

“......Ugh......”

Duke Kairos let out a groan. He was once the leader of the royal faction. It was also he who had betrayed them first. To claim he was on the king’s side now would only prick his conscience.

“......More importantly, isn’t it unacceptable to recklessly hand over a knight of our country?”

“......!”

Duke Kairos’s eyes shot open.

“What? Did you just say a knight of ‘our country’?”

“That’s right. The chief examiner of the knight’s exam informed me that the prince of Meeke successfully passed our knight’s exam.”

“......!”

Duke Kairos’s face instantly twisted in displeasure.

“Isn’t that right, Duke Herman?”

“It is, Your Majesty.”

Duke Kairos finally grasped the situation. The final evaluator of the knight’s exam was none other than Duke Herman.

‘No wonder he didn’t follow me directly to the palace......’

Duke Kairos turned again to look at Duke Herman.

“......Duke.”

“Please, speak.”

“I never thought even you, my comrade, would side with this foolish prince.”

“I’m not siding with some foreign prince— I’m siding with our princess.”

Duke Herman responded with a calm smile.

“Moreover, there was nothing wrong with what the prince said, was there?”

“What did you say?”

“We live in a world where a nation must be wealthy and have a strong military to survive. While having powerful allies or alliances is good, ultimately, self-defense is the only way to survive in this wild world.”

“It seems you’ve learned a lot from this incident.”

“Well, you could say that.”

The other high-ranking nobles watched this intriguing battle of spirits in silence.

“But what can I do? I’ve already informed the Principality of Meeke that Prince Andrew von Meeke is under our country’s protection.”

“......”

Duke Herman glanced at Ancelot and smiled.

“Nevertheless, my opinion remains unchanged.”

***

As soon as I left the royal court, I turned to Duke Herman, who was following closely behind me.

“What exactly is going on here?”

“What do you mean?”

“How could I have been granted a knighthood when I myself didn’t even know about it?”

“Because it’s true. It just hasn’t been officially announced yet.”

Although I’d expected this outcome, something about it made me feel uneasy.

“So, am I the top candidate?”

“What?”

“No? Then, second place?”

Duke Herman looked at me with an exasperated expression.

“Indeed. So that beautiful woman was Princess Winley.”

Prince Enzi’s gaze remained fixed on Winley. As the carriage neared the palace, he quickly jumped out.

“I am Winley Kun Hart. Welcome to the Kingdom of Hart.”

“Thank you for such a warm welcome.”

Prince Enzi responded with the utmost courtesy.

“Please, this way.”

“It’s an honor to be guided personally by both the renowned Princess and the esteemed Duke Herman.”

Prince Enzi expressed his gratitude again and followed them. The atmosphere was pleasant. The prince and princess exchanged pleasantries, as did the two Masters.

Outwardly, relations between the Kingdom of Hart and the Principality of Meeke weren’t particularly bad.

“......By the way......”

Judging that the mood was as good as it was going to get, Winley cautiously spoke up.

“Prince, do you happen to know anything about Prince Andrew?”

She was well aware of his situation. Before they could take him away or cause any harm, she intended to establish that the two were, at the very least, acquainted.

Since that would help him.

After all, regardless of how things turned out, it was true that he had helped her. And one more thing.

‘To be honest, I’m really curious.’

It was pure curiosity on Winley’s part. When exactly had he become so bull-headed...... er, reckless?

“My! I didn’t expect you to take an interest in my brother.”

“Oh, he’s helped me in the past......”

“Well, he did take after his mother in terms of looks.”

Winley fell silent. She had naturally assumed he wasn’t of legitimate birth. If he had been, he wouldn’t be treated so poorly.

Winley herself was born to the third queen, after all.

“Then, his mother......?”

“She’s dead.”

“Pardon?”

At that moment, Duke Veder, who had been conversing separately, interrupted.

“Princess, may I speak freely?”

“Of course, Sir Veder.”

“It would be wise not to take too much interest in Prince Andrew. He is a criminal of the Principality of Meeke, from birth.”

“Wh-What? A criminal?”

Winley’s eyes widened in shock.

“It seems I should explain further.”

With a sigh, Duke Veder continued.

“Prince Andrew’s mother was a traitor. When her plot was discovered, she fled in the night with the infant Prince Andrew. She was a criminal guilty of high treason.”

“......!”

“As you know, treason is a crime that spans three generations. Despite that, our king and queen have forgiven him and cared for him all this time.”

The story was so shocking that Winley’s pupils trembled.

***

After escorting the delegation from the Principality of Meeke to the guest house, the three of them gathered straight away in Duke Herman’s office.

“Is what I heard really true?”

“It’s likely true, at least on the surface.”

Winley turned her head toward the voice.

“Marquis Foltaine, do you know something about this?”

“The Queen of the Principality of Meeke’s influence behind the scenes is well-known, even in other countries. For years, she has systematically eliminated her rivals. By ‘rivals’, I mean the potential enemies of her children— the other heirs to the throne.”

Winley had heard this before.

“Now that you mention it, all the princes from the Principality of Meeke who were granted territories and left the kingdom have all been in mysterious accidents......”

“Yes, they all died. That started when Prince Andrew, the seventh prince, was just a newborn. Imagine what thoughts his mother must have had, witnessing such events.”

Marquis Foltaine continued.

“She must have lived in constant fear. As her child grew older, she knew that he, too, would be sent into exile and killed, just like the others.”

“S-So, the night escape was......?”

“Yes, it was to save her child. It wasn’t treason; it was a mother’s noble sacrifice for her son.”

“......!”

Winley covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

“Of course, she likely had help from someone within the palace.”

“What......?”

“It would have been practically impossible for her to escape from that enormous palace on her own. If she had attempted it alone, she would have been caught and killed before the escape even happened.”

Winley’s expression brightened slightly.

“Then, there might still be people within the Principality of Meeke willing to help Prince Andrew......!”

But Marquis Foltaine shook his head with a somber expression.

“They’re probably all dead by now.”

***