Chapter 9

"Ultimately, will I be staying at the royal castle?"

Since I am of the royal family until I come of age, the Chancellor strongly pushed for me to remain at the royal castle until then, showing a reluctance to give up. While I never expected everything to go according to my wishes, staying at the royal castle was within my expectations. However, given how I had been neglected until now, the arrangements for my residence at the royal castle were firmly established.

My residence will be in the harem that my mother used to use—though in reality, it was more like a concubine's quarters. The royal palace can freely assign attendants and maids, but all the servants who will take care of my daily life and manage the palace will be arranged by the Marquess Malcassia family. When I come of age and leave, all these servants will also withdraw. This is almost the same as before.

However, since my mother has moved to the Fulftball Castle, the main stronghold of the Malcassia family, all her personal belongings have been removed. The interior, which was previously tailored to my mother's taste, will now be refurbished for my use. All of this is being arranged by my grandfather.

The remaining issue is the prince's education, which I have not received. This was a point of contention between the Chancellor and my grandfather.

The Chancellor's argument:

Since I am of the royal family until I come of age, I should receive a prince's education.

My grandfather's argument:

After coming of age, I will become the head of the Malcassia family and inherit the Marquess of Fulftball title, so it is more important to receive education as a high-ranking noble and the head of the family rather than a prince's education, which will no longer be necessary.

From my perspective, I support my grandfather's opinion. Since it is a given that I will no longer be part of the royal family, I don't need a prince's education. Instead, noble education and the education necessary to become the head of the Malcassia family and manage the territory are essential for my future.

The Chancellor, however, seemed to want me to remain part of the royal family, even going so far as to have a sworn document with a temple oath prepared, still considering keeping me as a royal. I wish he would give up, as the issue has already stumbled at the first stage. The prince's education should have been started much earlier, anyway.

The reason I didn't receive a prince's education is entirely due to the king's wishes. As the crown prince, I should have received a prince's and crown prince's education from birth. However, the king and his associates did not make these arrangements and approved of this neglect. The king wanted his second son to succeed him rather than me, so he did not even arrange for my education.

But, perhaps my mother should have made these arrangements. She had received education as a princess and was not unaware of a child's education.

However, my mother is, in a way, a 'princess.'

When the king was still a prince, she fell in love with him at a tea party where he was selecting potential brides and attendants. She wanted to become his fiancée and queen. Because she was in love with the king, she was willing to be a concubine as long as she could be by his side. She thought that if she bore a child, he might pay attention to her. As a concubine, she could help the queen with her duties, attend diplomatic parties and charity events in her place, and spend time with the king.

However, none of this happened. My mother was ignored by the king and constantly shown the queen's affection, which made her jealous and resentful. She lashed out in hysteria every day.

My mother simply wanted to be loved by the king. She thought of nothing else and neglected my education as a royal child. When I think about it, my mother is a foolish person who only desired the king's affection. She is foolish but not ugly.

Despite her jealousy and resentment towards the queen, my mother was a kind mother to me. She affirmed me as the fruit of her love and was always on my side. She spoiled me, but the old butler and the maidservant who was with her gently advised that I needed discipline, so I was disciplined to some extent by my mother. However, I never received a prince's education.

Looking back, it was a close call. If my mother had chosen to be a woman rather than a mother, I could have been used as a pawn to attract the king's attention. My mother, who wanted the king's love and favor, could have pressured me to be more excellent than the queen's children or to be perfect as the next king.

My mother did not arrange for my prince's education, nor did she use me as a tool to attract the king's attention. She is foolish, but because she was a mother, she did not treat me that way, making her a good mother to me.

Now, you might have a question. Before I became who I am now, I was always dazed and was thought to be a dim-witted prince. I did not receive a prince's education. Even with the memories of my past life installed and my mind connected to my body, why was I able to understand my situation so well, know about my mother's family, and even know the royal protocols?

There is a good reason for this.

First, even before the memories of my past life were installed, I was capable of thinking about these things. I just couldn't express anything beyond simple affirmations or denials because my mind was not connected to my body. That's why I was thought to be a dim-witted prince.

Second, regarding my knowledge of my mother's family, the Malcassia family, and the royal protocols, the cause, if you can call it that, was the butler and maidservant who are in front of me now.

"Master Albert, your tea is ready."

A maidservant in the Malcassia family's uniform, not the royal palace's, served tea, which was then presented by a young man in the Malcassia family's butler uniform. The two of them, aside from their gender, hairstyles, and voices, look exactly the same, with the same brunette hair and deep blue eyes. The man is named Sylt, and the woman is named Lanz. I think they are about ten years older than me, but I'm not sure. They are the grandchildren of the old butler and initially came to be my playmates and caretakers.

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