Chapter 18

This happened four years ago.

Since then, I started to be frequently invited to the Queen's tea parties. I thought I should accept it once as a formality, to show that although I am stepping down from the royal line, there is no animosity between the Queen and the First Prince. You might think I could just ignore it, but to avoid unnecessary speculation, it was necessary to attend. To prevent people from suspecting that I haven't given up on the throne, I had to show that I was on good terms with the Queen.

Apparently, I reported my renunciation of the right of succession and my departure from the royal family to the upper echelons of the nobility who attend the national council. Of course, there was a heated debate in the council, but thanks to the Prime Minister's skill, the decision was unanimously approved by all the participants.

Therefore, some of the upper nobility who are involved in national politics know about my situation. If I were to show any signs of discord with the Queen, they would start to speculate, especially the nobles who support the Second Prince.

However, once you accept such an invitation, it keeps coming. Moreover, the frequency is about once a month, sometimes twice, and it's a bit hard to decline. The only saving grace is that it's an unofficial tea party, and the attendees are only the Queen, myself, and the Prime Minister. The first time, it was just the Queen and me, but from the second time onward, the Prime Minister always joined us.

Actually, at the first tea party, the Queen, though not intentionally, let slip some things that could cause trouble. She asked if I was really stepping down from the royal line and offered to be my guardian and reconsider my renunciation of the right of succession.

The tea party itself was unofficial, and the Queen's words didn't leak out, but I did report it to my twins, who then told the Prime Minister and my grandfather. Of course, the Queen was sternly advised to stop by the Prime Minister, and my grandfather issued a ban on tea parties with just the Queen and me. The Prime Minister, due to past events, has become overly sensitive about my situation. He understands that it's impossible for me to become king or remain in the royal family, but emotionally, he hasn't given up. He regrets not interfering earlier, which led to the current situation. He wants to maintain a friendly relationship with me, and this is a manifestation of his resolve not to repeat the same mistake.

The Queen, like the Prime Minister, values discipline and fairness. She probably thought that the rightful heir should become king. According to my twins' investigation, the Queen doesn't believe that her second son should become king. She thinks he should support the king as a loyal subject. She often reminds the Second Prince not to be arrogant or complacent, and to serve as a foundation for the First Prince, who will eventually become king. That's why she made those remarks.

When my grandfather and the Prime Minister heard about it, they issued a ban on tea parties with just the Queen and me.

The Prime Minister is busy, and it would be a burden to involve him, so I tried to decline the tea party. However, the Prime Minister said, "It is necessary to monitor the Prince, so please accept the Queen's invitation."

The Queen's mistake was due to a lack of proper information sharing. It seems she thought that the decision to renounce my right of succession and leave the royal family was made by my grandfather, the king, and the Prime Minister, and she didn't know about the agreement. The king should have informed her, especially since it involved the right of succession.

After learning this, the informal tea parties became a venue for information sharing between the Queen, myself, and the Prime Minister.

Information sharing... what kind of information?

Well, various things, but first, how the people who were biased toward the king were punished. I knew about this from my grandfather, but the Queen didn't, as she was shielded from information by the palace staff.

First, the head of the palace servants and the head of the maids were demoted to the lowest positions and had their salaries reduced. They didn't physically harm me or verbally insult me, but praising me was considered a grave sin. Is praising the royal family a crime? Their crime was not doing what they should have done. Decapitation would be too harsh. Additionally, a re-education program for all palace staff was implemented.

Next, the Minister of the Palace. He was stripped of his ministerial position and reassigned to a lower-ranking official in the archive management department. As a court noble, he was also demoted in rank and had his salary reduced. He was also ordered to pay compensation to my mother and me. This punishment was partly due to his past efforts to advise the king on our behalf. Moreover, the king's attitude was a problem. His expression of displeasure and the phrase "do as you see fit" could be interpreted in many ways. The minister confessed that he couldn't say more due to the fear of displeasing the king. However, he should have consulted the Prime Minister. The minister's silence among the king's close aides led to suspicion that the Prime Minister shared the same view. Regardless, inaction is not acceptable.

Then, the Minister of Finance. He didn't embezzle funds but misappropriated the budget for the concubine and the First Prince, and he did it on his own. Even if it was due to favoritism, it's still a serious issue. The problem is that he didn't embezzle the funds for personal gain, but the punishment extended to his entire family. However, if only the Minister of Finance were punished, there would be a risk of retaliation from his family. The Minister of Finance and his family were stripped of their titles and sentenced to lifelong labor in the mines to pay for the misappropriated budget and compensation to the Marquess Marcossia family.

It was also mentioned on Kakuyomu that the Queen visited the Prince's palace to apologize, not to have a tea party. The tea party was held at the Queen's palace, unofficially, for the first time.

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