Chapter 32

"Do you think that those words will absolve His Majesty of all his sins against Prince Albert?"

It was the Queen who shattered the King's self-importance.

"K-Kat..."

Faced with the Queen's cold questioning, the King wore an expression of bewilderment, wondering why his thoughts were not getting through.

"But, Liegen, that's not it. Liegen, surely you must have had doubts about Prince Albert's suitability to be king?!"

That's true. Until the line was connected, I was just a prince lacking in brains. Indeed, there were concerns about my ability to become king.

But did the King realize that?

"Why do you think so when you have never had a proper conversation with him?"

There, the Queen had hit a nerve.

"No, that's not true! When I visited the concubine's palace, I did speak to him."

"Speaking and having a conversation are entirely different things. What did you talk about when you met Prince Albert? Did you ever listen to what Prince Albert had to say?"

No, he never did. He always looked down on me, telling me to do things properly and to act in a way that wouldn't shame the royal family. I never once had a proper conversation with the King.

Realizing this, the King couldn't come up with a clear rebuttal to the Queen's words.

"Even if what you say is true, and Prince Albert was not fit to be king, why did you exclude him and push for Ignatz to become king? As a parent and as a king concerned about the next generation, shouldn't you have first investigated what was wrong and whether it could be corrected? If you had concerns about Prince Albert's abilities, shouldn't you have had the magicians at the magic tower examine him and offer advice? The fact that you didn't do this means you used his condition as an excuse to say he lacked the qualities to be king."

The King, who had been told by the Queen that his actions lacked sincerity, hung his head deeply.

"Moreover, you did not reprimand the actions of your former attendants, claiming that they happened without your knowledge. However, you did not consider their actions malicious and were reluctant to punish them. Your leniency, Your Majesty, is what led to Prince Albert's demands being met."

It was a roundabout way of saying that the King had been played like a six-year-old's toy.

"Even now, it's too late to talk about what might have been. What the King has done and what Prince Albert has sworn cannot be undone. There is no going back on this matter."

"But, but!"

Despite his stubbornness, the Queen tried to reason with the King.

"Having you sign the approval for Prince Albert is merely a formality to maintain the appearance of being a father. I believe that even that was unnecessary. Be grateful for the mercy of the Duke of Fulftball. There is nothing more you can do as Prince Albert's father."

The King, still looking down, covered his face with both hands in response to the Queen's words.

The Queen's words seemed to have resonated with the King. When my grandfather and I were leaving, the King apologized, but I didn't feel any remorse from him at all!

It was more like, "Oh, is that so?" and it didn't touch my heart at all.

I could sense that he felt bad for what he had done to me, but it felt like someone else's problem. I didn't feel like saying things like, "Finally, you're apologizing!" or "Don't think I'll forgive you just because you apologized!" or "I'm letting you admit your mistake!"

The only thing I thought was, "If you understand, don't cause any more trouble and just stay quiet."

"Am I heartless?"

On the way back to the Sturmwind Palace (I know you might have forgotten, but it's the palace where I'm staying), I muttered these words, and my grandfather patted my head.

"If you were heartless, you wouldn't have tried to bring Lise back to Fulftball."

"But, well, Mother was pitiful, you know."

"If you have a heart that feels for others, you are not heartless. The King is just paying the price for his own leniency. You don't need to be troubled by it."

Ah, I see. So, I don't need to worry about the King anymore.

The King apologized to me, but I doubt my grandfather's mood will improve because of it.

I'm sure that tomorrow, just like four years ago, the palace will be in an uproar.

This concludes the chapter on the prince's not-so-easy life in the castle.

There's a character introduction being posted today.

The next chapter will be a new one.

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