episode_0273

Albert Schenian Peselos.

In other words, the crown prince of the Peselos Empire.

If you think about it simply, you could see him as the character next to the emperor in the royal family, but he is not a person to be thought of so simply.

The person who will become the next emperor.

A character who holds a unique position even while competing for the throne.

A war hero who has won every war he has fought since the days of the Great Unification of the Empire.

Just looking at the fingerprints pasted in the game, it showed an enormous presence.

Because of that, I made one rule while playing this game.

I don’t know about other people, but let’s not make an enemy of this person.

‘That kind of person comes to my hospital room…’

I guess I should be nervous.

I’ve never taken this route in the first place, and I don’t even remember meeting him in the hospital room.

If you are given a choice, you should answer carefully.

I asked him cautiously.

“May I ask why you have come to such a wretched place, Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

There would be nothing wrong with it in terms of etiquette.

Given the circumstances, we have all the possible examples.

Still, Albert had a very sullen expression.

He sighed briefly and then opened his mouth.

“Confucius. As I said before, there is no need for pretense. Well, there is someone who should be pressured using that as an excuse, but that person is not you.”

“But, Your Majesty.”

“I don’t want to be remembered as an incompetent crown prince who makes people show courtesy to the injured person, especially the person who threw himself to save them, and causes further wounds.”

Albert quickly poked the air with his index finger as if to tell her to release her from that position.

“If you still don’t listen, I’ll wake up your fiancee here and have her have sex with you.”

“…Yes?”

“Harnie Youngae said this to you when she saw you. She said you’d be really angry if you woke up.”

“…”

That’s a bit tricky in a different sense.

I reluctantly accepted the crown prince’s order.

“…Okay.”

“Haha. Right. That’s right. Actually, I really want to wake her up. But I think it’ll be fun. I wonder how Confucius will react if he gets beaten up by Yeong-ae.”

No. This guy?

When I looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, he laughed heartily.

‘Well… it’s unexpected either way.’

Since my opponent was the crown prince, Albert, I was also nervous and on guard, wondering if any options would appear.

However, the expected reaction did not come at all.

It’s to the point where I wonder if my eyes are deceiving me because the options aren’t even displayed.

To be honest, I’m really surprised.

The order that came out of his mouth, which had the strong appearance of suppressing the nobles, the extraordinary aspect of a war hero, and the charisma of an emperor who reigned over the nobles, was nothing more than telling the patient not to be polite.

It looked similar to what I saw in the game, but was also very different.

Just enough to remind me of someone.

‘…Like me, the student body president and vice president also had older siblings.’

The ability to inherit a company depends on one’s ability.

Sociability is sociability.

I thought he was exactly like that person.

The first time we met was at a sports competition.

And the second time we met was when I was hospitalized after the sports competition.

…strangely enough, this feels like a good fit.

“Hmm. Let’s stop small talk and get to the main point. Confucius.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“What are you going to do next, Confucius?”

“What should I do? First, let me recover, and then after I am discharged─”

“Again, are you planning to save up money like you did before? To go somewhere?”

For a moment my heart stopped pounding.

“Why am I leaving the Bagrand Dukes?”

“Hmm. If you’re going to beat around the bush like that, then there’s nothing I can do.”

The option did not appear.

There is no sign of a decrease in intimacy.

But this point suggests something very clear.

“The scope of the economy that is being dragged back to the two territories that were driven to the bottom is already less than ten in the empire. But, you are saying that the source of the money you are spending has not been revealed yet? Then wouldn’t it be right to assume that you are collecting money to go somewhere?”

“…”

“The Bagrand Dukes are not a family that is short on money. There was even information that they refused to give him money, and they were preparing everything on their own as if they were going to stand on their own. That should be enough evidence. Isn’t it?”

Damn it. I made a mistake.

Yes. Times are different here. I am also a noble.

I tried to pay off all the money I had used in the duke’s house at once and leave, just like in modern times. But because of my spending habits of not using any of the money I earned from the estate, I ended up getting caught.

I swallowed hard at the unexpected comment.

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I came here to make a suggestion.”

“A suggestion?”

“Yes. I don’t know as much as Arsien or Florence, but I know your family situation because I’ve heard about it here and there. That’s why I’m saying this.”

Albert asked, intertwining his hands with mine.

…however.

“What about marriage with Arsien?”

The state of the question was very strange.

***

It was so absurd.

It seemed like he had his mouth open for a long time.

Marriage to a princess.

What kind of nonsense is that?

This is not the topic for this article.

however.

“Hmm. I think it’s been a while since I thought about it. I wish you’d tell me the answer.”

The crown prince was asking in a serious tone, not just a joke.

I came to my senses belatedly and asked again.

“Ha. Are you serious?”

“Seriously, I couldn’t think of a better suggestion.”

But still, they say things like that.

My head feels dizzy.

I don’t know where and how things got messed up.

First of all, I had to organize things step by step.

“Why are you bringing that up?”

“I don’t mind saving money. But from my perspective, Confucius’s plan is unfortunately inconceivable.”

“You’re stepping on my eye?”

“Yes. You are a survivor of the Kingdom of Wederos, of all places.”

“…!”

You know that too?

…No. That’s not it.

Rather, it’s strange not to know.

“As expected, your brain works fast. That’s right. I’ve been on the battlefield myself, so there’s no way I wouldn’t know your origins. When the demons made their surprise attack, I was already standing on the front lines with my sword drawn. I even know very well that you are a descendant of the Kingdom of Wederos.”

Yes. In the game’s setting, Albert is someone who walks around on the battlefield.

There is no way that he, a so-called war hero, would have stayed still when the demons made a surprise attack.

Now I get it.

“Because I am a survivor of the Kingdom of Wederos, the nobles of the empire may find it unpleasant and try to eliminate me. Is that right? Marrying Princess Arsien would ensure my safety because I would be protected by the royal family?”

“Wow. The calculations have already gone that far. I heard it was an emergency, but this is beyond my imagination.”

Albert chuckled, stroking his chin.

“But that’s not all, Confucius.”

“Isn’t that all?”

“Yes. There is no safer place for you to be than the Imperial Palace. But there is a bigger reason.”

Is there anything else besides that?

That kind of thing… no matter how much I think about it, I just can’t figure it out.

As I sat there wondering, Albert pointed at me with his index finger.

“That’s you.”

“…?”

“A capable person like Confucius could go to another country. That would be a huge loss for the empire.”

He lifted his index finger again and continued speaking.

“After Rusmeyer, you revived Chatren, thwarted the Waglu faction’s treason, and even proved yourself as a warrior in the martial arts competition. I judged that no one in the empire could match you. How could we lose someone like you?”

Uh. Okay.

The country is pushing for marriages between its own younger siblings in order to keep talented people in the royal family?

“You’ve got the wrong person. I don’t have that ability.”

“You are so humble.”

“Your Majesty overestimates me.”

“Well. At least one level, no. It seems like you have knowledge that is several levels deep in your head. The theory you showed while reviving the soil of Chatren was so worldly that it made you wonder if it really was. Even if all the nobles put their heads together, no matter how much magic developed, such an elaborate theory could not have emerged in this era. As the crown prince, this is something I am certain of.”

…it can’t be helped.

Modern knowledge is on a different level compared to the knowledge of this era.

“Let’s put it extremely. As the crown prince of this country, even if all the nobles were to rack their brains, could they have come up with a way to save Chatren and Rusmeyer?”

“…”

“It seems that Confucius himself does not know how great a person he is.”

-Minhyuk, it seems you don’t know how great a talent you are.

Praise. No, I felt a little taken aback when I heard those words that were almost like compliments.

What makes them so similar?

“So, what do you think of my proposal? Do you need some time to think about it?”

-Tiring!

▶Crown Prince Albert made a proposal.◀

▶Do you accept?

[ 1. Yes. ]

[ 2. No. ]

In the conversation with Albert, a status window popped up that had not shown any options so far.

There must be one reason why this came up.

Because it might affect another plan.

But, my answer is set.

“I will decline. The offer conflicts with my objectives.”

My goal is as always.

Solve it yourself, get out of it yourself.

The goal is to solve everything on your own and leave the house proudly.

In this process, I didn’t want to borrow someone else’s hands.

“Hmm. Arsien’s looks wouldn’t be bad either.”

“You know very well that’s not what I meant, right?”

Well, you don’t have to do that, but you could use this too.

“Harnie is prettier in my eyes.”

“Hoo. Are you insulting the appearance of the royal family?”

“What can I do when this person is the prettiest person in my eyes?”

“You wouldn’t be able to praise your younger sister in front of the crown prince, but you would say that she’s inferior to other women?”

“Yes. Harnie is prettier. You can tell by the fact that I threw myself to save her. My fiancée is only Harnie.”

In fact, I am more attracted to Harnie than to Arsien.

If this woman were to really come at me… well, I think I’d be shaken too.

Albert expressed his regret by saying, “Tch.”

Even though it was regrettable, I knew it was a half-joking reaction.

“If that is indeed Confucius’s will, I will not stop you. However, you should be careful. The reason the nobles rejected the Westerners is because they possessed great power. That is not rejection. It is fear.”

“…”

“You’d better not do anything that might get you caught. At that time… I can’t guarantee that either. Do you know what I mean?”

“…Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

Like Pollux and Talphon, Albert also gave the same advice.

The fear of the nobles. It is the fear of those in power.

It was not that they rejected the Westerners, including the Kingdom of Wederos, but rather that they were afraid of them.

If my origins are revealed.

If it becomes known that you are using the power of the Kingdom of Wederos.

That means that at that time, they will use all their might to come after my neck.

‘I don’t know if it exists as a dead trigger, but… it can’t hurt to be careful.’

Even in the background of this world, the Kingdom of Wederos is a threat to them.

Because I’ve seen dozens of newspaper articles speculating that he might have survived and planned a rebellion.

“Good work.”

He taps my shoulder gently and leaves the hospital room.

Then, soon after, a blurry status window popped up.

[Albert Schenian Peselos]

A white intimacy box appeared with clear writing.

…This is the same.

Like Heron or Shaden, it didn’t show any actual intimacy levels.

-Tiring!

▶Albert’s intimacy is activated when the conditions are met.◀

[Albert Schenian Peselos]

[ Intimacy: 90% ]

▶Since you have filled up enough intimacy, the protection of the Imperial Family will be applied under certain conditions!◀

“…”

It just so happened that it turned out like this.

really.

‘hmm?’

The blanket is in a slightly different position than before.

…I didn’t move. That’s what I mean.

‘I told you to work hard… No way.’

That guy. He was somehow smiling as he went out!

Are you saying that knowing that I already woke up?

‘…fucked.’

I swallowed hard and barely opened my mouth.

“Uh… Harnie?”

At those words, Harnie’s shoulders flinched.

It’s clear that you’re awake─

-Thud!

…uh?

Suddenly, my body was pushed down onto the bed and my eyes were covered.

“Huh, huh? Harnie?”

“Ah, don’t say anything.”

“Ugh. Ah, it hurts!”

“I told you not to say anything!”

“…”

I don’t know how long I’ve been awake.

Just stay still for now. If you don’t want to get hit.

***

I don’t know when I fell asleep, but my eyes opened wide at the sound of voices coming from the hospital room.

When I woke up, Karsain and the Crown Prince were talking.

I felt like I should show my respect right away, but I couldn’t.

‘Don’t move?’

What can we do if the Crown Prince’s instructions are like that?

Harnie had no choice but to follow his instructions.

But, I couldn’t help but flinch.

Comparisons with Princess Arsien have been made.

At that time, I felt like my insides were getting bloated as the story of marriage with her came up.

“Harnie is prettier in my eyes.”

My face turned bright red at those words.

“Hoo. Are you insulting the appearance of the royal family?”

“What can I do when this person is the prettiest person in my eyes?”

“You wouldn’t be able to praise your younger sister in front of the crown prince, but you would say that she’s inferior to other women?”

“Yes. Harnie is prettier. You can tell by the fact that I threw myself to save her. My fiancée is only Harnie.”

Then, Harnie’s heart didn’t stop at all as he kept hitting the target repeatedly.

‘Ugh…!’

In order to hide my flushed face, I had to pretend to be asleep.

But that didn’t last long.

“Uh… Harnie?”

When Karsain caught me pretending to sleep.

-Thud.

“Huh, huh? Harnie?”

“Ah, don’t say anything.”

“Ugh. Ah, it hurts!”

“I told you not to say anything!”

I couldn’t bear to show him my blushing face, so I had to cover his eyes.