Chapter 19.2

The Crown Prince (Acting): Cermiane’s Point of View (2)

The high life force inherited by the imperial family and high-ranking nobles, who also inherited the blood of the first emperor, is the true nature of magical power. Therefore, the royal family and high-ranking nobles are able to heal wounds and illnesses easily and have high physical abilities. Of course, there is a limit, and if they suffer a fatal wound or a fatal disease, they will die.

Magic power (life force) decreases with use of magic and dedication, but it recovers naturally with rest. If you use it too much, in other words, if you use it too little, your life span will be reduced, and if you use it too much, you will die. However, it is difficult to use more than the limit, and except for accidents, it is rare to use more than the surplus life force given by God (this is what is called magical power). That is why commoners cannot use magic.

His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Queen, and the Crown Prince and Princess worship the Almighty God once a day in the chapel in the main building of the Imperial Palace and make an offering of magical power to the Almighty God and the land of the Empire. I participated in the dedication from the day I was appointed acting Crown Prince. Ralphine is not invited because she has not yet been officially appointed Acting Crown Princess. She is still a provisional Crown Princess. She has not yet learned how to use magic, so she probably will not be able to release her magic power and will not be able to perform the dedication.

The ceremony is normally performed by four people, or even more if the Crown Prince has a child over the age of majority. It would be very difficult for His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Queen to perform this ceremony. This is one of the reasons why my appointment as Acting Crown Prince was hastened. According to His Majesty the Emperor, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince had been straining himself a bit with the dedication to cover the loss of His Imperial Highness the Princess, and this may have been the reason for the rapid progression of his illness. Perhaps he had persevered and continued to participate in the dedication even after his illness had progressed.

The dedication itself was simple. In addition to the chapel, it can also be performed in the Great Temple or the cathedral of the Holy Land, which is located deep within the imperial palace. In the estates of the upper nobility, chapels are built and each lord makes an offering of his own magical power. The more magic power is offered, the more the land becomes fertile, so the higher nobility with greater magical power has an advantage. However, if the land becomes too fertile, vermin become stronger and larger, and even legendary pests such as dragons are said to appear, so dedication is not always a good thing. The method is the same everywhere.

The method is the same anywhere, just say that you will offer magic power to the Almighty in front of a formal altar and release it. In accordance with the ancient covenant, I offer my prayers and my life for the sake of my empire. Spread your blessings and moisture to every corner of the land of the empire.

The Emperor chants a benediction and cuts a holy seal in the sky. I and His Imperial Majesty kneel down, place our right hands on our chests, and keep our heads bowed. Then we release our magic power at the same time. This is not so difficult once you get used to it, but it is a little difficult to adjust the amount of magic power released. Especially when several people are involved, as was the case this time, it is possible to release too much.

The release is stopped just as the emperor lowers his right hand, which had been raised with the holy seal cut off. Then a beautiful light powder fell from the top of the chapel. This is the proof that the prayers and magic power reached the Almighty God, and it means the success of the dedication.

When the dedication was over, I felt quite exhausted. As I was holding my forehead, Her Majesty the Queen put her hand on my shoulder in concern.

Are you all right, Sermiane? Sermiane. You don’t have to exert yourself.

I am fine. I am sorry for worrying you. Your Majesty.

The Emperor has come to see you and is concerned about you.

I’m sure it will be hard for you to get used to it, but you can dedicate yourself to it as much as you can. Yes, that’s right. It would be better to let the queen practice the dedication at least from now on, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it be better for her to get used to it little by little?

No, let’s not do that until she officially becomes Crown Princess.

Lafcynne seems to be undergoing intensive training in etiquette at the Marquis de Caliente’s mansion, and when she comes home, she’s gaunt. I don’t want to burden her any further. I tried my best to make a dedication for Ralphine’s sake, but one day I failed to adjust the amount of the emission and released too much, causing her to lose consciousness, and the emperor was angry with me for overworking her when she was not used to it.

Three months later, our detached palace was ready and we moved in with great fanfare, and now socializing began in earnest.

In the imperial palace, socializing took place day after day after day. After all, socializing is one of the most important jobs of the nobility. One cannot call oneself an aristocrat if one neglects it. This is true even for members of the imperial family. It is impossible for the royal family not to attend social gatherings. Socializing is necessary to win the hearts of the nobility, to adjust their opinions, and to obtain materials for judgment. His Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess are attending social gatherings with smiles plastered on their faces, even though the Crown Prince is in a critical condition and their hearts are aching. But I, as the acting Crown Prince, cannot just say, “I’m tired and busy” and not attend social gatherings. Of course, so is the Crown Princess Ralphine. If rumors were to get out that she disliked socializing, she would be considered unqualified to be the Crown Princess.

Ralphine’s rudeness had been corrected to the point where it was almost unrecognizable, thanks to her special training. She must have worked very hard herself, but it was probably the fruits of the hard work of her family, led by the former Marquise de Caliente, who brought her from that state to this. I bow down to them. Although there are some details that are not out of place, the countess of the family attached to her checks them in detail, points them out, and makes corrections. Ralphine, who looked like a wild man, looks like a noblewoman.

As long as her manners are in order, Ralphine’s beauty is unparalleled even in social circles. She is so beautiful that everyone can’t help but admire her. Of course, I was also admiring her, but I also felt sad because I knew that she was working very hard. After all, when we go back to the villa and get into bed, she hugs me tightly and doesn’t let go. It is not often that she spoils me. It was her first time to live in a detached palace, her first time to live as an aristocrat, and her first time to be involved in so many social activities that she must have lost a lot of her mental capacity. Incidentally, we haven’t been married since we moved into the palace, or rather, since the day I was officially recognized as the prince before that. We are both too mentally exhausted to do so.

I have very little experience in socializing, if not as much as Ralphine. In addition, I am also tired from my day job. In such a state, I was surrounded by nobles who asked me, “Are you really the prince? Where have you been hiding?” I would have been angry, but I couldn’t let it out in the open.

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