episode_0707

Arthur returned to the palace and enjoyed a banquet with the palace’s leading figures, including René and Cecil, before quietly leaving.

It may be because I don’t like noisy places like this, but it was also to bring up a question that I had put off until today.

We arrived at a tower on one side of the castle, following the moonlight shining down from the cloudless sky.

He gave a little warning to the guard who had become lax due to the joy of victory, gave him some food, and climbed the tower.

“There must be a banquet going on outside, so why did you come here? Those people wouldn’t discriminate against you, would they?”

A woman who was once the dignity of the kingdom, but is now a mere sinner.

A man who almost led the kingdom he was supposed to protect to destruction.

A person who still cannot forget his love.

The woman who had now lost even her name smiled faintly beyond the iron bars.

“Are you deliberately keeping some distance?”

“Someday it will happen, but not now.”

“Then why did you come? I don’t think you’re interested in the throne.”

“I have a question for you.”

“Is it about the mother of the 3rd prince?”

“…Yeah.”

Arthur’s mother was assassinated by poison in her tea.

At the time, it was concluded that the employee was the one committing the crime, but it was not clearly revealed who was behind it.

“Your Majesty, do you think I’m the mastermind behind the assassination?”

“You truly loved the former king. You couldn’t leave someone you had one eye on alone.”

“If you look at it that way, isn’t it strange that the 2nd queen is still alive?”

“The circumstances of the mother and the second queen are different. The second queen’s engagement was political, but the mother’s was not.”

Objectively speaking, Arthur’s mother was not worthy of royal status.

He had no special powers, no position, and no huge connections.

She was just a common young lady from a country estate. There was only one reason why such a woman ascended to the position of queen. It was because she was liked by the king.

“It was the king who approached his mother first, it was the king who reassured his mother who was feeling burdened, it was the king who suppressed the discontent of his subjects. Am I wrong?”

There is ample motive for the crime and ample reason to commit it, especially considering the interest the king showed at the time.

“I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Arthur chewed his lips as the woman tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.

“The people who were in the palace at the time conducted a thorough investigation, but no clues were found about the person behind it.”

“If you committed a crime, you could have covered it up.”

“Isn’t that too far-fetched?”

There is no clear evidence…

All that exists is circumstantial evidence.

But it is clear: this woman was the only one who had the motive to do it at the time.

There is only one person who would assassinate a woman who would naturally be eliminated from the palace if left alone.

“If you are truly innocent, tell me. About who killed your mother.”

“Hasn’t that guy already been caught?”

“A single maid brought poison into the palace and assassinated the queen out of jealousy? Ha! That’s a very believable story!”

“But that was the reality, Prince.”

“Are you just going to repeat the same thing?”

“If you want me to say something else, bring His Majesty.”

“…what?”

“I have fully cooperated with you as I promised. So I want to be paid fairly. Until then, I don’t want to say anything.”

“Can you afford to be proud?”

“Well, most of what I wished for has come true.”

Arthur knew where a woman’s leisure came from.

In the first place, the woman had no reason to be anxious.

The kingdom she cherishes above all else is in a state of assured prosperity.

It is clear that those who will rule the country right now are competent.

Those who had to pursue personal glory were disqualified along with women, and even if they kept their positions, they were forced to crawl into the current palace.

In addition, those who would later rule the country could also be called the golden generation of the kingdom.

In fact, it didn’t matter if all of these factors were excluded. With just one person named Lucy Allen, the kingdom could do whatever it wanted.

The pretext of saving the continent from destruction. The connections with many powerful people that arose in the process of obtaining that pretext. Even the support of religious figures in various places.

The mere presence of Lucy Allen, who saved the continent from destruction, made other countries crawl to the kingdom.

It could not be a woman’s weakness for a king who was caught in darkness.

The woman probably never thought she would be able to live happily by the king’s side from the beginning. She probably knew that the sins she had committed were too great for that.

However, the reason the king was set as a condition was probably to provide an excuse for the future.

A comfortable death. Not wandering in darkness forever, but having peace. Leaving the world with him.

“4 years.”

“Please don’t be so angry. I’m just joking. Even if you bring His Majesty, what I have to say won’t change. The incident involving the three queens is certainly a sad thing, but it would be difficult to vent my anger now.”

The woman’s words were perfectly correct. Bringing up an incident that happened over a dozen years ago now won’t make any difference.

Just because all the evidence points to a woman doesn’t mean you can force her to open her mouth.

“Huh?”

Arthur was startled by the feeling of being stabbed in the side and stepped back in shock, when he heard a giggle from the side.

Arthur’s cheeks turned red at the sight of Lucy holding her stomach and laughing without even trying to hold back her laughter.

“What are you doing now!”

“But! Hehe. Hehe. The prince! Hehe. Speaking like a girl. Hehe.”

“I never made that sound!”

“Big. Hehe. Hehe.”

“I never paid it!”

Lucy, who had been laughing for a long time, stopped laughing only after Arthur, who had become so angry that he started to cry.

“Ah. This is really fun. As expected, the Three Princes are fun to play with.”

“Is that something you would say to the prince of the kingdom!?”

“If you don’t like it, you can attack me. I don’t know which one would have a higher status, the daughter of the Lord or the third prince of some kingdom.”

“…That. That.”

“Okay. Arthur. Now you know which one should be polite?”

“I’m… sorry. Alren Youngae.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Lucy smiled as she patted Arthur’s head, who was bowing, and nodded her head in satisfaction as she watched his shoulders tremble.

“You are the daughter of the Lord? Young-ae?”

A woman who was watching the situation from the side expressed her doubts.

“Why? Does it sound like a lie?”

“Hmm. No. I understand, considering what you’ve done. Thank you. Thanks to you, the kingdom will gain more glory.”

“Thank you for believing me so easily. Thanks to you, what I’m going to say from now on will be more convincing.”

“Even if that’s not the case, if it’s Youngae’s words, I can trust them.”

“Really? I was going to say that I was a girl who got dumped by my first love?”

“…Yes?”

The expression on the face of the first queen, who had always been relaxed, hardened for the first time.

“Phew! Why? You lied, saying you understood?”

“Abandoned? Me?”

“What the. Did you really believe that pig loved you his whole life?”

“Of course…”

“Hehehe! Heh! Hahaha! You’re really like a real person! Why do you believe that little bastard who tried to eat his own child?! Have you been brainwashed?”

Normally, she would have been a woman who would have been rambling nonsense as if nothing had happened, but today was different. She completely lost her composure and, hearing Lucy’s laughter, she grabbed the iron bars as if she was slamming them down.

“Don’t lie. He loved me.”

“You should speak correctly. Say, ‘I loved you.’”

“…”

“I think I would have gotten tired of her quickly. She’s the kind of woman who would mutter about the kingdom while sleeping. How much would I regret choosing a lunatic who can’t even say a single romantic word properly~”

“Take back what you said.”

“It must have been really scary when she found out that that crazy bitch killed someone she cared about. Like a honey, didn’t she wet her pants?”

“Don’t insult him with lies!”

“Lies? Me? Puhaha. What are you talking about? I’ll bet my mom that everything I said is true. You obsessive slut.”

Lucy laughed bitterly at the woman who was rushing at her as if she was going to break the iron bars, spat in her face, and dragged Arthur’s arm, who was looking dumbfounded, out.

“Lucy Allen. You.”

“Your guess is right, Prince. When you ask him about it later, he’ll answer you well, right?”

“Did you know all this?”

“I told you. You are the daughter of the Lord. My curse was not for nothing to insult the prince.”

That’s right. Lucy Allen hinted at things I didn’t know about. It wouldn’t be strange if she knew all the details.

“…I’m sorry.”

Arthur, who had been nodding in understanding, frowned after hearing Lucy’s apology.

“Why aren’t you apologizing?”

“I knew the prince was curious, but I didn’t say anything. If I were you, I would have been upset.”

Lucy’s expression was not clearly visible in the darkness, but Arthur thought she was crying.

Because she lost her curse and would be an honest and pure girl.

“…Not really.”

So I deliberately pretended to be strong.

“I haven’t completely gotten over my mother’s death, but I’ve gotten over it to some extent. I just wanted to make sure this happened properly.”

So I lied on purpose.

Even though there is a reason why the doubts I had since I first saw the woman’s bare face have now been resolved.

Even though I was so caught up in the conversation with the girl that I couldn’t think straight.

“So you have nothing to be sorry about.”

Lucy showed off her strong body as she always has.

“… Really?”

“If you must apologize, apologize for the verbal abuse you’ve been spewing. Even if it was because of the curse, honestly, my heart was deeply hurt.”

“That’s not because of the curse.”

“What?”

“There was some truth to it. To be honest, it’s true that the prince was incompetent, right? He was the weakest among us.”

“That’s. So.”

“I felt pathetic because he kept shouting that he would win the next time we met, like a loser.”

“Not that much! Me too, I was of real help to you guys!”

“Was it like that?”

Arthur, who was about to shout with his mouth hanging open, was speechless when he saw Lucy’s face standing under the moonlight revealed as the clouds parted.

“The prince’s eyes are cold.”

“My. What’s wrong with my eyes!”

“Gyaaah~ It’s the pedo prince~ I have to run away before I get kidnapped~”

After Lucy disappeared with a mocking tone, Arthur, left alone, sat down, pressing his reddened face with both hands.

…

How can you get angry when you make that face!

I. I. I’m such a fucking bitch!