CH 18

Dozens of countries on the continent were held together by the balance of power between the Heineken and Lindwyer Empires, with the Heineken Empire holding the center firmly as the Lindwyer Empire began to decline.

In this state of affairs, if Heineken suddenly attacked Lindbergh and took control of the Mochu Mountains, it could lead to strong backlash from neighboring countries and bring about other problems.

“You’re even worried about the empire. I’m touched.”

The Crown Prince crossed his arms and pondered for a moment.

Learning about the Royal Seal was like catching a rat by the tail.

While searching through Lindbergh’s archives to grasp the key to the novel’s development, I found that Lindbergh’s official documents were stamped with a seal containing Korean characters.

The same stamp was also stamped on documents coming from Heineken, and thanks to that, I learned that it was the Royal Seal

Without that seal, it would never have been recognized as an official document. 

And unfortunately, the seal had the phrase ‘Those who touch this without the legitimate bloodline to carry on the real final amendment will go to hell’ written in Korean.

I was curious if going to hell was real or just a simple threat.

Like a product design that values the package over the content, it looked convincing with pretty fonts engraved, but no matter how much I thought about it, the formula was overly intuitive.

If the power of that formula was literal, then I could understand why Kitchener had endured as a chancellor behind the royal family until now and it’s no wonder that royalty is strictly forbidden from leaving the castle.

Simply put, if he who does not inherit the blood of the Lindwyer royal family touches the Royal Seal, something would happen.

I have only seen the Royal Seal in person twice.

It was once placed on a bedside table next to the bed of the king who was suffering from a boil1 on his buttocks, and the last time I saw it was in a drawer in Kitchener’s office where he sat more often than the king.

“Does Heineken’s royal family also use a Royal Seal similar to ‘Real Final’?”

I don’t know what else to call it, so I gave it a nickname, but the expression on the Crown Prince’s face suggested he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

“The ‘Real Final’?”

Even the name sounds a bit odd, don’t you think?

It’s like, don’t take it unless it’s the final of the final real final document.

Or else you’ll be cursed.

“Oh, you mean the Royal Seal.”

“We use something similar, but why do you ask?”

After a brief silence, the Crown Prince answered, and I asked, “What happens if someone who is not of the royal family touches it?”

The Crown Prince replied, “They are cursed for three generations.”

The Crown Prince, who added that there was no confirmation in Heineken whether or not it was actually cursed because no outsider had ever touched it, said, “I’d like to try it next time.”

I don’t know who he’s going to use to test it, but I pray for that person’s soul.

“But it’s such an old thing, and we were preparing to make a new Royal Seal in case the Imperial throne was overthrown.”

The sturdy Heineken royal family is unlikely to be easily overthrown, but he coldly said that people who inherited Heineken’s blood would not always sit on the throne.

“After all, even if the head of the country changes, people’s lives must be maintained.”

Indeed, he is the protagonist. 

The Crown Prince who casually mentioned the downfall of the Imperial throne exuded an imperial air that prioritized the people along with his confidence.

Thinking about the Lindbergh Kingdom that claimed that the royal family is the pillar and is everything of the country, I feel uneasy again.

There’s no need to compare everything in detail like this.

At least Lindbergh should be better at one thing, right?

I glanced at Leia and noticed that she was biting her lip, seemingly feeling the same way as me.

The Crown Prince crossed his legs and clapped his hands briefly to change the mood.

“First of all, I have a feeling that the riots are spreading too quickly. If we delay, both sides may suffer a lot of bloodshed.”

“Is it serious?”

“It’s too small in scale to be called a war. It’s just a simple local conflict for now.”

The Crown Prince rested one hand on his chin and marked the locations where the riots were taking place on the map.

“Twelve places in total. Among them, three lords attempted suppression and the rest simply locked their doors.”

The three places where suppression was attempted were all territories near the royal capital.

“But the Chancellor is calling my soldiers inside the castle walls, so if a riot spreads inside the capital, a large-scale suppression will be carried out. Then, commoners, who have no equipment or skills, will be helpless.”

Even though it’s understandable for the territories near the capital, why aren’t local nobles actively suppressing the uprising?

“Local nobles are people who believe that just brushing past the commoners can cause them to catch a deadly disease. Unless they suffer significant losses, they will never come forward.”

Leia said, and the Crown Prince smiled bitterly.

“Even in Heineken, we believed in such superstitions a long time ago.”

Upon seeing my uneasy expression, the two tried to comfort me, but I shook my head.

“It’s not just a superstition.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s true that commoners, who lack clean water and healthy food, carry various contagious diseases.”

Surprised by my unexpected remarks, the two exchanged glances with each other.

“But it’s not the right attitude for them to be cautious about the spread of the disease now. They need to actively step forward and solve the problem. That’s the fundamental problem with Lindbergh’s nobles.”

Besides,

“I’m not sure if it’s truly the nobles who should avoid the commoners with weak immune systems.”

Nobles who had gotten to this point and were doing nothing but avoiding them were truly pathetic.

“That’s a good point. We will do our best to prevent nobles from spreading unnecessary diseases to commoners in Heineken.”

The Crown Prince said cheerfully.

It seemed like my choice to involve the protagonist would not leave me with any regrets.

Now, there was only one problem left.

“Anyway, Prince Carl Lindbergh. I think you should spend the next ten days or so practicing horseback riding.”

That’s it.

I don’t know how to ride a horse.

I didn’t want to cling on a knight’s back indecorously when I had a big job to do.

Being transported by carriage was even less appealing.

“Of course, I will teach you how to ride a horse.”

The Crown Prince smiled happily.

I don’t know if I should be pleased or perplexed that he is free…

As Leia volunteered to do it herself, the two started another verbal battle.

Lindbergh’s normalization was one step closer.

“Here, you need to ease up a little instead of gripping the reins tightly.”

“Yes, yes.”

Horseback riding lessons were never to be learned from family or friends.

Due to this strict rule, Leia, who was pushed out of the horseback riding instructor position, insisted, “Teach horseback riding properly without doing anything unnecessary.”

Thanks to the Crown Prince’s horseback riding lessons, I was able to get on a horse and ride lightly within two days.

However, every time the speed increased, I got scared and kept pulling on the reins, provoking the horse’s temper.

Despite the horse’s front hooves kicking wildly, there was no injury thanks to the Crown Prince who came rushing like an arrow.

The Crown Prince grabbed the reins for me, who was trembling, and calmed the horse down.

The veins in his forearm muscles fully stood out due to his neatly folded shirt.

Swallowing hard, I turned my attention back to the reins with difficulty and patted the horse’s face,  which was upset because of me.

“I’m sorry…”

I whispered softly and the Crown Prince smiled with satisfaction.

However, I couldn’t help but avert my gaze again.

I couldn’t help but be distracted by the thick muscles that showed through his thin shirt, or the raised buttocks and toned thighs that showed through his riding pants.

These strange symptoms worsened noticeably after I started learning horseback riding.

When I thought of him as a prospective brother-in-law, my appreciation stopped at a ‘handsome bachelor,’ but now they progressed to specific fantasies like ‘if that hand grabs my wrist,’ ‘if I press my leg down on that thigh.’

It’s a crime when he wipes the sweat off his face and sweeps his hair back, and when his hands overlap with mine and smiles.

When Jeon Jae-young watched pretty female celebrities on TV, she would often admire them and say, ‘Unnie2, you can have me.’

At that time, I didn’t understand Jae-young’s exclamation, but now…

I had to admit that I was now in a complete ‘Hyung3, you can have me’ state.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of his handsome face.

As Leia had said, it was due to the Crown Prince’s pheromone scent that exuded an extremely strong male aura, whose dominance was unmatched, as well as my admiration for him as a man that stimulated me.

“See, you need to ease up on your grip like this.”

I held my breath as the Crown Prince’s hand gently squeezed the back of my hand.

It was a cautious gesture, but I clearly felt his grip, making me conscious of it.

He wields his sword often, which makes the palms of his hands rough.

I envy his body, which is like a well-baked porcelain4 with no flabby parts.

A boil is a tender and inflamed nodule under the skin. It results from a plugged hair follicle and an overgrowth of bacteria.

Unnie (언니 in hangul) means “older sister” but is only used by women.

The literal definition of Hyung (형 in hangul) is “older brother”, used by men.

I’m not too sure about this, but I think it is used to describe someone who has a healthy and well-proportioned body.