The Crown Prince, who had been scrutinizing me with suspicious eyes, reluctantly came over and sat down after I nagged him to hurry up and sit instead of wasting time with his antics.
“……Are you all right?”
“As you can see.”
“Your complexion is very pale.”
“Then I guess I’m less all right.”
“…….”
“What, what do you want me to do about it? Pick one—either feel sorry or feel relieved.”
Well, emotions can’t always be so clear-cut. Although he wasn’t as young as Lenox, the Crown Prince seemed to have barely passed twenty himself.
“I……”
The Crown Prince glanced at me cautiously before speaking.
“I suspect Uncle. Weren’t you someone who followed the late Empress’s words like gospel? And she went to great lengths to make you the next Emperor.”
Mm. Even without me saying a word, he volunteered the setting information—it was far too convenient for me. He was kinder than he looked.
“So I find it uncomfortable and unsettling to have Uncle staying in the Imperial Palace.”
While saying unpleasant things, he still seemed uneasy and kept glancing at me.
I responded indifferently, pretending not to notice.
“It would be awkward for both of us, I suppose.”
No matter how much of a scoundrel, he was still the Emperor’s brother. Since nobles who kept the Emperor and Crown Prince in check could potentially support me, it was natural for the Crown Prince to find my presence unwelcome.
“Good. We’ll get along well.”
Since he brought up the topic I was going to discuss anyway, this was also convenient.
“Remember what I said earlier?”
“About leaving for the North?”
“Yeah. That.”
I replied nonchalantly.
“It’s serious, so don’t doubt it. So talk to your father—that is, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor—properly. Tell him to fill my pockets generously and send me off up north.”
“Why would someone who was throwing a tantrum just days ago, saying you wouldn’t go anywhere?”
“That’s… ahem, forget it, it’s like a dark history from a past life.”
“…….”
“What. Have you only been deceived your whole life?”
“At least by Uncle, yes.”
“Haha, well now.”
The karma I didn’t even accumulate tasted bitter. I clicked my tongue briefly.
“Trust me just this one last time. If it doesn’t work out, you can send me poison or something.”
“……Poison?”
“Put poison in my after-dinner fruit wine, that sort of thing.”
Of course, I wouldn’t die from drinking it.
I said it to convey that I was confident enough to stake my life on it—meaning I was that sincere—but the Crown Prince’s reaction was far from ordinary. He visibly flinched and couldn’t hide his anxiety. His attitude showed he was clearly caught on something.
‘Ah, no way.’
I narrowed my eyes and looked at the Crown Prince. Then the Crown Prince obviously avoided my gaze.
It seemed this guy was behind the poisoning incident a few days ago. It ended as an attempted murder since I didn’t die, but it was still infuriating.
“……I won’t hold you responsible for what happened before. You couldn’t do that anyway, even if you wanted to.”
I let out a deep sigh and said,
“I’ll quietly disappear, so whether you inherit the throne or not is up to you. I’m not interested.”
Did he read the sincerity in my words? The Crown Prince thought seriously for a moment with a grave expression, then opened his mouth.
“People say that I’ll be inferior to Uncle.”
“Do you also throw teacups as after-dinner exercise when you feel bloated after eating? If your life is worse than a scoundrel’s, you need to do some self-reflection.”
No matter what story someone has, a bad person is a bad person. I didn’t want to side with trash who couldn’t control their twisted temperament and took out their anger on innocent people or bullied the weak.
The Crown Prince replied in a voice tinged with self-loathing.
“They must mean it’s better to be wicked than to be common. Of the two, the latter stays in people’s memories longer.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
I clicked my tongue and nagged.
“Being ordinary is the best. The saying ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’ exists for a reason. There’s no such thing as a perfect person, and being exceptional is only temporary. Living like everyone else is so…… well, maybe it doesn’t resonate with someone who wants to become Emperor.”
While a tyrant would be remembered longer in later generations than a mediocre king, living badly for such a reason is foolish.
“The important thing is that we don’t need to fight. Right?”
The Crown Prince scrutinized me with piercing eyes. Though extremely skeptical, the situation was advantageous to him anyway, so he seemed conflicted.
“……I dislike Uncle.”
“Really? That’s unfortunate. I don’t dislike you.”
“I don’t understand why you’re pretending to be a good person now.”
“I’m not really a good person though.”
It was rather the opposite. I was incompetent and irresponsible. I always struggled under the weight of the duties placed on my shoulders, unable to bear them, and eventually even ran away cowardly from that burden.
Still, if I had the capacity, I wanted to try living as a good person. Life is all the same no matter what, but still, if I could choose, good is better than bad.
“……It’s strange. It’s as if the Uncle I’ve known until now has disappeared and a different person has entered inside.”
“…….”
“In any case, I’ll speak well to His Majesty. I hope that heart of yours doesn’t change.”
As he left the room abruptly, as if his business was done, I stared at him and muttered blankly.
“He got it right?”
I was momentarily captivated by the impression that he might be quicker-witted than I thought.
***
Several days passed after that.
The Crown Prince kept his promise. The Emperor was persuaded, and my departure to the North was safely decided. I also heard news that he was in meetings with working-level officials about how much budget to allocate to the land that would become the Grand Duke Betius territory.
During those few days with nothing to do, I spent my time wandering around various parts of the Imperial Palace or going to the library. Surprisingly, the ‘Chaos Meter’ was maintained smoothly, thanks to the servants who believed I would pick a fight just by showing my face and ran away.
Of course, not everyone ran away.
Tap tap tap.
“…….”
Tap tap tap tap.
“…….”
Tap, tap, tap.
It was like this the whole time. The footsteps that had been following me since I left the annex diligently echoed as I moved, then stopped abruptly whenever I stopped walking.
The presence felt not malicious—it was even clumsy. And there was only one person in this Imperial Palace like that.
“Come out.”
“…….”
“……I won’t scold you, so come here.”
Then golden hair poked up from above the flowerbed. It was a bright and cheerful color like sunflower petals.
The boy who slowly revealed himself looked up at me with round eyes. His gaze held half gladness and half fear.
“Hyungnim…….”
I heard that the real owner of this body threw a teacup at him not long ago, but there wasn’t a trace of resentment in the kid’s eyes. No, it was rather the opposite.
Lenox looked at me carefully and asked cautiously.
“Are you not angry with me today?”
“…….”
“Will you really not chase me away……?”
To think he got angry at such a young child. Achille must be a psychopath.
“That’s right. It’s okay, so come here.”
Lenox smiled brightly and ran to me. He circled around me excitedly as if not knowing what to do with his joy.
“Hyungnim, did you sleep well last night? Did you have breakfast? The morning weather has been cold these days, so the chef at the North Wing dining hall makes stew often. It’s light and delicious, so I think you’d like it too, Hyungnim.”
“…….”
“Still, it’s nice weather for a walk. The wind feels good, and the zelkova tree leaves on that walking path over there have turned such beautiful colors. As soon as I saw them, I thought I wanted to see them with you…… Hyungnim?”
When no answer came back, Lenox looked at me again with worried eyes.
After thinking for a moment, I gently stroked his hair.
“Right. Don’t go around dressed too lightly, and don’t skip meals either.”
“Where were you headed, Hyungnim?”
“Well, I had nothing to do so I was thinking of poking around the library…….”
My gaze, about to say something, drifted downward. Small hands like fern fronds were clutching my collar tightly. Round blue eyes looking up pleadingly were a bonus.
“…….”
Oh, whatever.
“……How about we go see those zelkova trees you mentioned.”
“Really? Really truly?”
“Not for too long though.”
“Yes! Great, Hyungnim! I’ll guide you!”
Right. The library won’t collapse just because I go look at some trees. This much should be fine.
……The kid is young, after all.
