Chapter 13

Gavanes and the captain of the guard have been dealt with, but the etiquette teacher is still left.

Isn't this etiquette, in a broad sense, subtly overlapping with imperial studies?

According to what the Prime Minister and my grandfather learned from their interview with the etiquette teacher, it was discovered that the teacher thought they were supposed to include this in their instruction.

I will eventually leave the royal family and become the Duke of Fullftbaal, so I need to focus on the education of a head of the house. However, since I am still a member of the royal family, the Prime Minister hopes that I will also learn the mindset of a royal.

After negotiating between the two, it was decided that the main focus of my studies would be the education of a head of the house, but I would also learn how to think in terms of imperial studies, to understand the differences.

Therefore, the plan was to study both with the teacher of the head of the house, arranged by my grandfather, and the teacher of imperial studies, arranged by the Prime Minister.

So, what about the etiquette teacher's lessons? Whether I become a royal or a noble, etiquette and court manners are necessary, so it's helpful to have a teacher. However, my grandfather requested that I learn the manners of a noble, not a royal.

The etiquette of royals and nobles is different. The roles of those being taught and those doing the teaching are different, so it's only natural.

My grandfather seemed to be bothered by the fact that the teacher was arranged by the King.

Everyone in the palace, especially those who frequently interact with the royal family, knows that the King has been neglecting the concubine and the first prince. However, they have never directly done anything to me; they have only engaged in a form of neglect that doesn't involve physical harm.

After all, the target is a royal. No matter how much the family despises them, the servants cannot physically assault a royal. In my case, I have a strong backing. Even if the King neglects me, the Duke of Fullftbaal is there, so if anything were to be revealed, it could cost me my life.

The palace servants are staunch supporters of the King. They hold the King's intentions as supreme and do not have a good impression of the neglected concubine and first prince. Even though the first prince is the first in line for the throne, the King dotes on the second prince, so they probably think the second prince should become the King.

The etiquette teacher, like Gavanes and the captain of the guard, who were sent by the King, are loyal to the King. Can you really not predict what such people might do to the first prince, whom the King neglects? The etiquette teacher might teach incorrect manners, and Gavanes and the captain of the guard might constantly compare me to the second prince, fostering a sense of inferiority and turning me into a problematic student who abandons their studies.

My grandfather is wary of this. However, I am not the type to passively accept such treatment.

If they thought I was a dim-witted prince who would let them do as they pleased, I would use that to my advantage, gather evidence, and demand compensation from the King. What? Shouldn't the person who did it be the one to pay compensation? No, no, the person who did it won't just pay compensation; they will be imprisoned and fed bad food until their sentence is carried out. Therefore, the one who will pay compensation is the King, who sent such people.

"So, what do you think? Will you take on the role of my etiquette teacher? If you do, the minimum conditions are that the lessons be recorded using a magical device and that my servants be present."

When I asked this, the teacher swallowed hard, fell silent, and then, in a small, mosquito-like voice, said they would have to decline. At that time, my twins were standing behind me. I didn't turn to confirm, but I'm sure they were threatening the teacher while I wasn't looking. It's overkill. Stop being overprotective.

In the end, my etiquette teacher was arranged by my grandfather, a member of a noble family.

Over these four years, my grandfather and the Prime Minister have become even more wary of the King.

The King, who had ignored me and left me alone, suddenly decided to do something. According to what the Prime Minister and my grandfather said, the King confessed that he wanted to do something for me because he had done nothing for me before (he meant he had not done anything). It seems he overheard a conversation about my education (imperial studies and head of the house education) and, as a form of apology or reflection, arranged for the same teachers who had taught previous generations of the royal family. He claimed he had no ulterior motives and no intention of harming me, but that was just an excuse.

Since I wasn't there, I heard all of this second-hand from the Prime Minister and my grandfather.

To begin with, the King didn't say anything when we were discussing my leaving the royal family. The King's last chance to speak about my future was to assert his role as my parent and not give up custody of me. However, the King only silently listened to the Prime Minister and my grandfather, and did not say a word about my renouncing my succession rights or leaving the royal family. Wasn't that a way of giving up his role as my parent? That's why he didn't say anything?

If that's the case, he should just continue doting on the Queen and the second prince and act like a royal family with them.

My grandfather will take good care of me, so please don't meddle.

Our wishes, my grandfather's and the Prime Minister's, will not reach the gods, who may or may not exist. He will still do unnecessary things.

Everything always starts when my grandfather is planning something for my future and my well-being.

"Albert is ten now, so it's time to start looking for potential attendants."

My grandfather, who visits my palace every half month, said this.

"Potential attendants? Even though I'm leaving the royal family? And couldn't this wait until I enter the academy?"

"You will become the head of the Marquessia family. You need attendants who can complement your weaknesses. At the academy, you will make lifelong friends."

When I become the head of the house, Silt will become the steward in charge of managing the Marquessia family, so he won't be an attendant. As the head of the house and a duke, I will need a reliable partner.

That's true...

Probably, this should have been done earlier, like when I was still considered the crown prince. However, since I was neglected, it's unclear whether it would have been possible to find suitable attendants among the nobility, as there would have been no benefit for them to become attendants to a neglected first prince.

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