Chapter 87: Alexander Apple (1)

After that day, Oliver Apple's behavior changed dramatically.

"Your Highness, it's time to wake up..."

"Sir Damian! Good morning!"

Early in the morning, when Damian came to wake Oliver Apple, he was already up and had even finished washing his face, leaving Damian utterly bewildered.

"Didn't Sir Damian always remind me! That I should always start the day early!"

At this, Damian was even more taken aback.

Originally, Oliver Apple had the habit of being extremely lazy, only getting out of bed after noon.

No matter how much Damian tried to discipline him, nothing changed, but now he was suddenly different.

"Your Highness, this is excellent. You've finally realized the importance of a regular lifestyle."

At this, Oliver Apple's mouth opened wide in surprise.

His strange behavior continued.

"Your Highness, today we will continue studying the history of the empire, as we did yesterday..."

"I've already finished it!"

"Already?"

"When discussing the history of the continent, the empire is indispensable! I thought Sir Damian would naturally assign it, so I finished it ahead of time."

Damian narrowed his eyes and looked at Oliver Apple.

Oliver Apple was smart but extremely lazy.

It usually took a beating with a stick for about an hour to get him to start studying, and now he had completed it on his own?

"Um... Well done. You are truly Your Highness."

At Damian's praise, Oliver Apple's face lit up with a broad smile.

By this point, Damian had a good idea of what Oliver Apple wanted.

Praise.

Oliver Apple was improving his own shortcomings to receive praise.

'Was being recognized that important to him?'

Damian could somewhat understand Oliver Apple's mindset. He himself had once been a troublemaker, so he knew all too well.

'He must have felt lonely, never being recognized by anyone.'

To be honest, everything was Oliver Apple's own doing.

Oliver Apple had the blessed position of being the crown prince. The king was prepared to do anything for his son.

But it was Oliver Apple who threw away those good conditions, acted like a troublemaker, and ended up isolated.

'I was the same.'

The past Damian was not much different. He blamed his family without thinking about his own actions.

He never realized how much his family loved him or how much trouble he caused them.

In any case, Oliver Apple's change was a welcome development.

Damian's continued stay in the castle was to make Oliver Apple a proper king.

"Your Highness, you have perfectly mastered the etiquette you learned yesterday! You are truly a model for the royal family."

"Your Highness, you have already learned the swordsmanship I taught you. It seems you have a natural talent for physical activities."

From then on, Damian praised the prince at every opportunity. Each time he heard praise, Oliver Apple's flaws were corrected as a bonus.

"Wow, the crown prince is studying on his own initiative...?"

The king was equally surprised by Oliver Apple's transformation.

"Sir Damian! What's going on here? The crown prince... Oliver...!"

"Please calm down. Everything you see is real."

"Wh-what!"

The king rubbed his eyes several times, then grabbed Damian's hands and thanked him repeatedly.

"Sir Damian, you are truly a blessing in my life!"

"I did nothing. It was all due to Your Highness's efforts."

"Hahaha! You are even humble! Oliver, come here!"

At the king's call, Oliver Apple stepped forward. The king embraced him with both arms.

"Finally, you are on the right path! Well done! Well done! You are truly my son!"

Oliver Apple's face was filled with surprise.

It seemed this was the first time he had been praised by the king, which was why he was so shocked.

Watching the father and son, Damian felt a rare sense of satisfaction.

'Now, if we can just resolve the conspiracy, we can return.'

Oliver Apple's behavior had improved significantly. The rift between father and son was also beginning to heal.

All that was left was to prevent the conspiracy and stabilize the country.

But as they say, things don't always go as planned.

Soon, a new incident occurred.

* * *

That day, the castle servants were unusually busy.

Damian, finding this strange, wandered the castle in search of Oliver Apple.

He eventually found Oliver Apple hiding in a corner of the garden.

"Your Highness, what are you doing here?"

At Damian's voice, Oliver Apple jumped and turned to look at him.

"Sir Damian...!"

"Did I say you could run away from your studies? I said you couldn't, didn't I?"

"That's not it! I was studying here!"

Oliver Apple waved the book in his hand and shouted.

"Then why were you hiding in this secluded spot?"

"I wasn't hiding..."

Oliver Apple sighed and changed his answer.

"...Yes, I was hiding."

"Why?"

"Today is the day He returns."

He?

Damian was puzzled when a bureaucrat's voice came from behind.

"Your Highness Oliver! There you are! Lord Alexander is about to arrive at the castle! Please come quickly!"

At the bureaucrat's words, Oliver Apple's eyes widened. He sighed deeply and said,

"...I understand. I'll go soon."

The bureaucrat left upon hearing his response.

"Who is Lord Alexander?"

"...He is my uncle. The king's brother."

King's brother (王弟).

In other words, the king's younger brother.

"Are you avoiding your uncle?"

"He is... awkward in many ways..."

In response to Damian's question, Oliver Apple gave a bitter smile.

"Sir Damian, I'll be back from somewhere else, so please... don't tell anyone else..."

At this, Damian frowned.

He didn't know why Oliver Apple was avoiding his uncle, but avoiding a situation where he should greet a family elder was not befitting a crown prince.

From Damian's perspective, tasked with making Oliver Apple an excellent crown prince, this was unacceptable.

"Stop talking nonsense and go see your uncle."

At Damian's firm response, Oliver Apple's shoulders slumped.

* * *

Damian led Oliver Apple to the castle gates, where many nobles had already gathered.

"Ugh."

Even here, Oliver Apple's expression remained unchanged. However, he couldn't bring himself to say he wanted to go back because of Damian.

"Lord Alexander is returning sooner than expected."

"It seems he has already eliminated the bandit groups."

"Truly remarkable. The lords of that region couldn't accomplish it in months."

Damian listened to the nobles' conversation, which gave him a rough idea of who Alexander was.

"Lord Alexander is arriving!"

With someone's shout, a group of knights entered the castle gates.

A strong smell of sweat and dirt filled the air. They had clearly been in recent combat, with their armor dented and dirty.

They didn't look good, but no one frowned.

'They seem experienced.'

Damian thought as he observed the knights. Experienced knights often displayed skills beyond their rank.

'Hmm?'

Among the knights, one person stood out with a peculiar aura.

Damian's gaze fell on the knight at the front. The middle-aged man exuded an unusual presence.

'High-class? No, there are too many shortcomings for that...'

The middle-aged knight also looked at Damian, or rather, just beside him.

The middle-aged knight pulled on the reins and stopped in front of Damian.

"Who is this? Isn't this my nephew?"

The middle-aged knight spoke to Oliver Apple, who forced a smile and replied,

"U-Uncle... How are you...?"

At Oliver Apple's greeting, the middle-aged knight, Alexander Apple, smiled slyly.

"I'm always well. And you... Well, there's no need to say. You'll always be in the castle, won't you?"

At Alexander Apple's words, the knights burst into laughter. Some of the bureaucrats also laughed.

"Didn't I tell you? You should go outside at your age. Don't you know that suffering in youth is a blessing?"

"I've heard that..."

"Knowing that, how can you waste your time like this? Be ashamed in front of your subordinates."

"I'm sorry..."

Oliver Apple was flustered by each of Alexander Apple's words.

Even as a third party, Damian couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

No matter how much of an elder he was, how could he scold his nephew, a crown prince, in front of so many people?

"By the way, who is the young man beside you?"

Alexander Apple's gaze turned to Damian, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Are you Damian Haksen? Is that right?"

"Yes, my lord. It's an honor to be recognized by you."

Damian replied briefly. Alexander Apple looked at him with even more interest.

"You reached the middle class at a young age and helped the church eliminate a dangerous black mage. I thought the rumors were exaggerated... but seeing you now, it seems they were all true."

"Thank you for the kind words."

"However, I heard you are still single. Is that true?"

"Yes."

At Damian's answer, Alexander Apple clicked his tongue.

"Foolish. Very foolish. Young men of your age are all like that. They overestimate their abilities."

Damian felt uncomfortable at this, but he didn't show it given the situation.

"Sir Damian, as a senior, I will give you some advice. Find a lord to serve as soon as possible. The more capable a knight, the sooner they should find a place to settle."

Alexander Apple snapped his fingers as if a thought had just occurred to him.

"Sir Dumbell, isn't there an opening in our White Fang Knights?"

"Yes, my lord, there is."

"Sir Damian, join our White Fang Knights. You don't need to be grateful. I am also happy to accept someone of your talent."

At this, Damian couldn't help but chuckle.

Deciding and judging things on his own.

Alexander Apple was the type of person Damian Haksen disliked the most.

"My lord, I apologize, but I have no desire to belong to any group yet."

"Young people are a problem. Didn't I tell you not to overestimate your abilities? A knight should serve a lord..."

"I know my abilities well."

Frustration and discomfort reached an unbearable level.

Damian glanced at Alexander Apple and the knights behind him.

"It doesn't seem very appealing."

For a moment, there was silence. Then the knights erupted in anger.

"How dare this brat speak so freely!"

"Draw your swords! I'll teach you some manners!"

At that moment, Alexander Apple raised his hand, and the knights fell silent.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a bold young man."

Unlike the knights, Alexander Apple didn't look angry. He seemed calm.

But Damian could see the anger burning deep in Alexander Apple's eyes.

"If that's your decision, there's nothing I can do."

Alexander Apple turned away without hesitation. The knights followed him.

"Sir Damian! How could you say such a thing!"

As soon as Alexander Apple left, Oliver Apple grabbed Damian and shouted.

"You've embarrassed Uncle in front of so many people!"

"He didn't seem to mind."

Though he knew it wasn't true, Damian replied nonchalantly.

"Still, Lord Alexander seems very popular."

Thinking about the reaction of the bureaucrats when he entered the castle, it was clear he was not just popular.

"Uncle always takes the lead when the kingdom faces problems. That's why so many people follow him."

As he said this, Oliver Apple looked at the retreating Alexander Apple with admiration.

"Moreover, he has shown talent in swordsmanship since he was young, so many knights follow him. Enough to form his own knight order."

"Remarkable."

"Did you know? Sir Liam Bluegreen is also Uncle's disciple. Uncle learned swordsmanship from the Bluegreen family."

This was an unexpected connection.

"Your Highness!"

At that moment, a bureaucrat ran up to Oliver Apple.

"Two hours from now, Lord Alexander will have an audience with His Majesty. Your Highness should also attend and prepare in advance."

At this, Oliver Apple's expression hardened again.

"I understand. I will take him and attend."

Damian said to the bureaucrat. Oliver Apple looked betrayed.

"Sir Damian...? I don't want to attend if I can help it..."

"Your Highness, don't be stubborn."

Damian said firmly. Oliver Apple looked dejected.

'Something doesn't feel right.'

Damian had come here to prevent the conspiracy that would soon unfold.

In his previous life, the castle was attacked due to the conspiracy, and the king died.

Oliver Apple, who hastily ascended the throne, caused the Apple Kingdom to be greatly shaken.

This was all Damian knew. He didn't know who attacked or what exactly happened, as the royal family had kept it secret.

'The royal family, which suffered, had to keep it secret...'

Damian gazed at the direction Alexander Apple had disappeared.