Chapter 109

Chapter 109

The Heroine of the 1st Playthrough Remembers My Training.

Episode 109: The Banquet Of The Sun And Moon (3).

Just because I received an invitation from the princess didn’t mean I immediately went to see her.

Members of the great families were essentially required to visit the Emperor upon arrival at the palace.

And with the Emperor bedridden and groaning, the Crown Prince was now assuming his duties.

“The Crown Prince is currently meeting the next head of the Uruella family. Please wait a moment.”

I nodded at the attendant’s words.

Even this attendant had such neat manners; indeed, it felt truly like the imperial court.

After waiting for a while in the reception room, the attendant spoke again.

“Yujin Calliope, His Highness the Crown Prince is calling for you.”

The doors to the audience room opened, revealing opulent decorations made of gold.

And sitting in the center of the room was a man with an extraordinary presence.

With golden hair like Liana’s and a slender, neatly shaped face.

It was the Empire’s Crown Prince, ‘Linegram Rumenhark.’

“Hahaha, Yujin Calliope! It’s been a long time!”

As soon as I entered, Linegram burst into a hearty laugh, uncharacteristic of his appearance.

The knights in golden armor standing beside him seemed accustomed to the Crown Prince’s laughter, showing no sign of surprise.

Taking a few steps forward, I kneeled on one knee and bowed my head.

“…Yujin Calliope greets His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Hahaha! Yes! Yes! Stand up.”

As I stood up, the Crown Prince clapped his hands.

“Hahahaha! Time flies fast. When I saw you a few years ago, you were just a kid, but now you’ve become such a reliable man! Ah! Right, Erden has become the head of the household, hasn’t he? How is he? Hahaha!”

The Crown Prince’s boisterous laughter seemed almost deafening.

“The head of the household is…”

“Hahaha! What’s between me and Erden! Let’s speak comfortably without such formal titles. Hahaha!”

…I really didn’t understand what’s so funny.

Since everyone around was male, I couldn’t use the ‘Prince of the bed’ tactic.

I struggled to maintain my expression and continued.

“…My brother sends his regards to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Hahahahaha! Good! Good! I’m glad he’s well! I always worried he was too tender-hearted and might be murdered.”

The Crown Prince’s laughter pierced like a sudden stab to the chest.

At a loss for words, the Crown Prince took control without hesitation.

“Haha! Sorry! That wasn’t something to discuss in front of others! Ibein, Heris, you’ll keep this a secret, right? Hahaha!”

The golden knights said nothing and bowed their heads.

It meant they hadn’t heard anything.

“Haha! Good. Is that all? No, wait! Even if you were deaf, your presence could still be uncomfortable. Ibein, Heris, leave us!”

“Your Highness!”

At Linegram’s command, the knights looked at me with startled expressions.

For them, prioritizing the Crown Prince’s safety meant they couldn’t leave his side with an outsider present.

Then Linegram laughed, slamming the armrest of his chair.

“Hahahat! Is Calliope a concern? The shield of the Empire? Hahaha! Go on, leave! If an empire abandoned by its shield is to fall, let it fall. Haha!”

“…!”

The knights were visibly shaken by the Crown Prince’s words.

I was equally shocked.

I never expected to hear the Crown Prince speak so dismissively of the empire.

“Haha! How many times do I have to say it before you’ll listen? If you won’t leave, should I?”

“…No, Your Highness. We will leave.”

Ibein glared at me before leaving.

‘It’s unfair…’

I knew why, but if I were to fight the Crown Prince now, at best I’d last a minute, maybe five now that I had grown.

Despite appearances, Linegram was once a rival for the top position at Carnea with Erden.

“Haha! Now that it’s just the two of us, let’s speak openly!”

“…What would you like to talk about?”

“Hahahat! Playing dumb, huh! It’s about the Maisha family! The Maisha family! How exactly did you manage to make them give up the position of the next head of the household?”

The Crown Prince’s laughter continued to hit right where it hurt.

“…Why do you think it was me?”

“Hahahat! Just a hunch! The problem that Erden and Eddard couldn’t solve for years suddenly got resolved after you returned! And most importantly, you’re the man who saved Liana’s life!”

“…I haven’t done anything. I was just lucky.”

While the former was unknown to me, the latter was genuinely how I felt.

If Liana had not been capricious, everyone present would have been massacred.

“Hahahat! Such modesty! Luck is also a skill! No, in fact, luck is the real skill! No matter how much you train or practice, without luck it’s all useless! Hahaha! Anyway, since you saved royal blood, you deserve a reward. What would you like?”

At the Crown Prince’s question, I took a deep breath and brought up the prepared question.

“…More than a reward, there is something I must ask, even if it may seem rude.”

“Hahahat! Announcing rudeness in advance! Alright! I’ll overlook minor rudeness.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. I am simply overwhelmed by your graciousness.”

“Hahahaha! Enough flattery, just speak! I’m so excited to hear what you’ll say, I can hardly breathe! Hahahaha!”

“Yes… Your Highness, what if the princess is aiming for your position?”

“….”

Linegram’s expression remained smiling, but the boisterous laughter was absent.

“…This is far ruder than I expected.”

“…I apologize.”

“Such a rude question… I haven’t heard something like this in a long time… almost never before.”

Thump─!

The moment Linegram slammed his fist on the floor, a suffocating pressure seemed to stop my breath.

“….”

My nails dug into the palms of my tightly clenched fists.

The pressure emitted by the Crown Prince was not something a villain could handle.

If I hadn’t slightly diverted it with psychokinesis, I might have fainted.

After looking at my face for a moment, Linegram shook his head and said,

“…Oh, I apologize for acting like this after forgiving your rudeness. But remember, YujinCalliope. If you weren’t the lifesaver of Liana, or if I hadn’t said I’d overlook the rudeness, you would be punished regardless of being a Calliope.”

“…I am truly sorry.”

I bowed my head deeply.

Saying in front of the Crown Prince that the princess was aiming for his position was essentially the same as saying she was plotting a rebellion.

I should be grateful to have gotten off this lightly for making such a statement without any evidence.

“…Sigh, the problem is, you’re not stupid enough not to know this. Asking despite knowing the consequences means this question is very important to you.”

“…Indeed, it is.”

“Then, regardless of the rudeness, I too must answer seriously.”

After closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, the Crown Prince slowly opened them.

“I think… I would probably step aside.”

“…Why? Are you not disappointed?”

“It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed. If one is born a man carrying the imperial bloodline, it’s natural to want to ascend to the highest position.”

“…Then.”

“Because I know it would hurt many people. Isn’t that enough?”

At that moment, the frivolous demeanor of the Crown Prince disappeared, and he appeared as a wise ruler who cares about his people.

“Even so, if Your Highness wishes, could the princess…”

“Stop there. As much as I’d like to indulge you, if you continue, I must charge you with lese-majesty.”

“…I apologize.”

As I bowed deeply, the Crown Prince chuckled.

“Liana is special. It’s hard to say how, but she’s special. So, I do not wish to fight with Liana.”“….”

It was indeed an answer befitting someone with ‘intuition.’

While Liana might be concealing her true nature under a guise, the Crown Prince’s ‘intuition’ seemed to instinctively see beyond the veil.

“…Understood.”

I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

The Crown Prince’s choice was admirable.

Even forsaking the highest position for fear of harming those he cherished…

Anyone would say it’s admirable.

However, sadly, while the Crown Prince’s choice was admirable, it was mistaken.

Surely Liana must know.

That the only one in the imperial court who even vaguely sensed her true nature was the Crown Prince.

And given the Crown Prince’s nature, even if she were plotting a rebellion, he would simply step aside.

‘…Because of that.’

Liana was decaying.

Born with overwhelming talent, she could not find thrill in anything, merely rotting away in emptiness.

If the Crown Prince had confronted Liana directly, as he said, perhaps hundreds of lives might have been lost.

But, he might have saved thousands of lives that could vanish in the future.

Still, I didn’t think the Crown Prince’s decision was wrong.

He made his judgment to protect those around him.

Surely, for an empire, having such a man ascend to the throne was a blessing.

Born into one of the noblest bloodlines yet thinking of others first was not an easy task.

I sincerely hoped that he continued to rule the empire with this unchanging character.

To ensure that..

I opened my eyes, which I had closed for a brief sigh.

‘…Now, it’s up to me.’

Instead of gracefully giving up like the Crown Prince.

Dirty, ugly, repulsive, yet lecherous.

Even if it meant using methods no one would acknowledge.

I must stop Liana Rumenhark.