Chapter . 119
“It is unbelievable that we missed the rarest sight of the age, a wolf becoming a man, and the Knights of Purity paying their respects to His Highness.”
Everyone nodded emphatically.
“Exactly. How could Montova’s serfs be the ones to witness such a mont in history? Should it not have happened in the very heart of the Imperial Palace?”
“I only hope that the one who draws so much attention wherever he goes will no longer leave the Imperial Palace for long.”
Prince Leontes’s return was welcod so greatly that nobles even complained about his absence. When he was in the Imperial Palace, all kinds of incidents—things that had never even happened before—burst like fireworks every few days. People always watched the second prince with eyes full of anticipation, and the prince always satisfied that anticipation until it overflowed.
When that prince left the Imperial Palace, even court life beca so quiet it was dull and boring, and so they asked what in the world had happened while he was gone.
Not only had the werewolf’s curse been lifted and the Knights of Saint Romola paid respect to an imperial, but the prince had vanished, other princes who went to find him had clashed on the Dragon’s Mountain, and the prince had returned by his own power and even fought his first battle at Montova. And all of it had happened outside their eyes!
Who were they, if not those who always kept their eyes on him and competed to chatter about him, people who could be called his most faithful devotees without exaggeration?
Prince Leontes had to stop leaving the Imperial Palace now. They did not even want to imagine an Imperial Palace without him.
While he was gone, they wanted even less to imagine what astounding thing he might be doing sowhere else.
And so, before anyone realized it, Prince Leontes beca soone who was expected to always be in the Imperial Palace like an emperor or empress, soone whose presence let people feel at ease, and beyond that, soone they yearned to have there.
“Her Majesty the Empress is even more beautiful today.”
“Indeed. She dresses even more beautifully on a day like this. It is truly remarkable. If it were , I would not even be able to raise my head and co out to greet His Highness Leontes.”
“Neither could I. That must be why we could not rise as high as she did, hahahaha!”
“How witty, hahahaha!”
If there was anyone who drew attention next after the second prince, it was the Empress.
The clash among the imperial siblings on the Dragon’s Mountain could be covered up with an explanation that it was due to the mysterious phenona that had often occurred on that mountain since ancient tis. Clashes like that were frequent to begin with.
However, the fact that the Empress’s faction had taken the greatest blow was aningful.
The strongest speculation was that the Empress’s faction had been involved in the vanished prince’s abduction, or that they were behind it, and so the other two factions had counterattacked.
They wanted to attack the faction that had seized the prince, snatch the prince away, and receive the emperor’s reward.
Then why would the Empress’s faction have abducted the prince? Naturally, to seize the dragon egg. Everything fit neatly together.
“Oh dear, how heartbreaking it must be. They lost their most outstanding nephew.”
“I hear the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale have locked the doors of their estate, letting no one in and not coming outside. Lady Cecile is the sa.”
“To even hold the funeral quietly… it is unfortunate, but it is not befitting the dignity of a ducal house. It is no wonder people find it strange. Sir Edward was that extraordinary a knight.”
“And since he has lost Sir Edward, his right hand and favorite cousin hyung who had been by his side since childhood, Prince Desmond also did not appear today.”
“I hear he is in mourning in funeral clothes. It is understandable.”
“Marquis Steiner did not appear either. Since Sir Edward was his younger cousin.”
“Even if they were cousins, were their relations not as poor as the princes’ themselves?”
“When they were children, they were as close as Prince Maximilian and Sir Reinhard. It was a very long ti ago, but I rember.”
“Even so, have they not been enemies who fought so fiercely since they ca of age? And yet he mourns the death. It seems even the empire’s swordmaster has a tender side.”
“That is precisely his hidden charm.”
While all those words flew about, the Empress, with a beautiful face and a sharp majesty, stood with the Emperor and greeted the returned second prince.
“My most beloved son!”
In front of everyone, Lombroso IV embraced the second prince before he could even bow. The more he embraced him, the more such displays of love beca natural.
So insolent people even wagged their tongues, asking if the Emperor had not misspoken when he said I am your only beloved son.
“I apologize for causing you worry because of , Royal Father.”
He had vanished so suddenly. Had sothing happened to that noble body of imperial blood? And what on earth could that sothing be? The prince, who had been the target of the decadent courtiers’ endless and shaless fantasies, returned perfectly fine, and moreover, he displayed dignity and strength that arose from a more mature bearing.
Rumors abounded that the prince had fought nurous ard forces that attacked Montova Castle and won a great victory.
“I even heard that the remnants of the plunderers you repelled attacked nearby Empress domains that could not withstand them. Is it true?”
“The Empress domains, unlike the prince’s domain, were not even besieged, yet their castle fell and was plundered. They did wipe out the remnants, but the damage was so great that the contrast made the rumor spread faster.”
“That is not because the Empress domains are weaker than the prince’s domain. It is because His Highness was in the prince’s domain, while only vassals were in the Empress domains. The conditions are not the sa, so what is the point of comparing them?”
The Empress’s faction, which had been quiet until now, bristled and stepped forward. They faithfully followed the order to let unavoidable remarks pass while focusing their counterattack only on the necessary points.
Then Jero, Prince Leontes’s new subordinate, smiled softly and nodded.
“Indeed. The conditions are different. It is a first battle against a vigorous force, and a battle against remnants.”
When people snickered, those of the Empress’s faction hurried on.
“…That is not all. At the ti, there were also quite a few knights of the Empress domains among those remnants. So we only opened the gate to receive them, but we were swept up by the group that followed along.”
“That is right. Those knights ultimately went to rescue His Highness the prince in accordance with the imperial command. Yet His Highness’s subordinate ignored the imperial command, barred the gate, did not welco them, and failed to properly treat the knights, so of course they could only be angered. And yet to kill so many knights because a few serfs died.”
“His Majesty the Emperor will surely lant the deaths of the knights who rely upheld his command, and he will reprimand His Highness the prince.”
At that, Jero closed his mouth, but his smile only deepened.
All the while, the imperial father and son continued to embrace each other, each of them displaying unchanged paternal love and filial devotion, long enough for people to begin betting on how long the scene would last.
“Prince Leontes, I welco your return. His Majesty the Emperor was deeply worried, so make sure such a thing never happens again.”
The Empress spoke from the side. Prince Leontes looked at her, and people clenched their fists in anticipation. According to etiquette, the prince should have greeted the Empress whether or not she was behind his abduction, but if so, he had not yet bowed even to the Emperor. He had been about to, but the Emperor had embraced him first. Still, he could not greet the Empress before the Emperor.
And the Emperor still did not let him go.
“Now that my son has returned, it is truly fortunate and joyous. I will hold a grand banquet to celebrate your return.”
The Emperor, who had shown unusual concern for his son’s fate, showed not the slightest concern for the fate of the many people he had sent to the prince’s domain.
“Thank you, Royal Father. However, I wish to decline. I only feel ashad to receive such a banquet, because I punished those whom you sent out of concern for .”
Instead, the prince ntioned their fate.
“You say you punished them. Did they commit a cri against you?”
“While I was away from the castle, they defied my orders, plundered my domain, and killed my people. They also insulted , so I killed them to protect the honor of the Armatia imperial family.”
“What? They dared insult you! And yet they claim they upheld my command!”
“Please do not be angered, Royal Father. I killed all those who insulted
and thus dared insult you and the Armatia imperial family as well. If there are any I missed, I will kill them in the future too and continue protecting the honor of the Armatia imperial family.”
The Empress’s faction, which had been gathering and raising its voice with the bereaved families of the nobles killed in the Battle of Montova, fell silent at once, no matter how others pointed and laughed at them.
If they kept clinging to the matter, all they would hear was that Rhiannon and Desmond were baser than Leontes and did not understand the honor of the imperial family.
Whether their complaint was reasonable or not, the prince had shifted the core of the issue. If sothing belonged to Prince Leontes, then even a lowly serf could not be killed carelessly. That was the lesson they could only engrave into their hearts.
“Now tell
what happened. Why did you disappear, what in the world happened?”
Whether it was the fate of nobles or the fate of serfs, the Emperor cared equally little, yet he wanted to know his son’s fate. Even so, he did not look more human than when he had no interest in his son at all.
“I was abducted after being ambushed in my domain. They even tried to kill , but I defeated them all, escaped, and returned, so please do not worry too much, Royal Father.”
The prince said sothing so enormous so openly in front of everyone that even courtiers who lived for gossip felt afraid. It was one thing to chatter that of course it must have been an abduction, and another thing entirely to hear the person involved say it directly. For the first ti in their lives, they thought, Are we even allowed to hear sothing like this? It felt like a top secret matter.
“Who dared abduct my son?”
The Emperor’s voice was low and dark. The courtiers lowered their eyes. Lombroso IV inspired a fear different from that of ordinary tyrants. Yet Prince Leontes alone seed not to feel it, and he continued calmly.
“It was Duke Lauderdale.”
“You dare!”
Empress Rhiannon sprang up from her seat, shouting in fury. Even courtiers who lived for spectacle were startled. So noblewon even dropped the fans they had been hiding their laughter behind.
Empress Rhiannon was known for maintaining a perfectly composed deanor, to the point that people said even the late Empress Erngarde had been more forthright.
There were rumors that even that unyielding composure had been copied from Grimiati rather than the forr Empress, but regardless, it was true that she had been a far more convincing symbol of the imperial family than the emperor, who openly treated people as less than human.
“Prince Leontes! How dare you speak falsehoods before His Majesty!”
But once Empress Rhiannon unleashed her anger, she did not retreat. She had always revealed anger only with dignity, in a manner so elegant it was almost beautiful, so it was all the more terrifying now.
“I sent not only my son, but also my elder brother and my nephew, and many others besides, in order to save you and spare His Majesty the Emperor further worry. Many of them died, and my most proud nephew lost his brilliant life in the bloom of youth. And yet you cannot even kneel on both knees and thank
for my grace, nor can you pray for the repose of those who sacrificed themselves for you, and instead you dare fra that nephew’s father! While deceiving even His Majesty the Emperor who worked so hard for your sake!”
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