Chapter 7

Being the second prince in the royal family can be summed up in one word: "backup."

A backup in case something unforeseen happens to the first prince.

Until the first prince ascends the throne and has a child, I am nothing but a backup. I study imperial politics, but there is no place to put it into practice.

Even if my brother becomes king and has a child, and I become a duke, I will still be under constant surveillance for the rest of my life: "Is there any sign of rebellion?" "Is he gaining excessive popularity among the people?" "Is he forming factions that could harm the king?" "Does he have any secret connections with other countries?"

I am not allowed to dream of rising through my own efforts like a commoner. I am not allowed to travel the world freely. I will not lead the country.

Eventually, I will marry a woman chosen from a faction close to the royal family and live off the taxes paid by the people. It's not hard to understand why I felt despair at the age of 11.

"What are you saying such pessimistic things for? You haven't even tried anything yet, let alone accomplished anything at 11."

Marianne, sprinkling flour and crumbs of baked goods on her dress, cut through my lament.

"You wouldn't understand. You're still young and not part of the royal family."

"That's true, but what I don't understand the most is why His Highness Alexandre is drinking tea at my grandfather's house. The Vince family is poor, and we don't have any fancy tea and snacks to offer."

"I didn't come here for the snacks."

"Then why did you come?"

"I came to talk to you. You always find excuses not to come to the palace, saying you have a fever or a stomachache. When I came to visit, you weren't even home. The butler was sweating and panicking."

"Don't waste Sebastian's lifespan. It's a problem for a prince to visit without prior notice. Besides, if you want a tea party, you can invite any of the young ladies who are eager to visit the palace. There are plenty of them at the academy."

"Plenty, huh. Do you not want to come to the palace?"

"Hmm... The tea was delicious. And the fluffy cake with the light yet rich cream on top was amazing. It was as good as, if not better than, the apple pie at our house."

"That's not what I'm asking."

Marianne sighed softly and continued speaking without looking at me.

"Do you know? I have a reputation as the villainous young lady."

"So I've heard. It's a silly rumor."

"It's not just about me. My mother is a bit hurt, and my sister is probably troubled too. A bad reputation for a younger sister can reduce the number of potential suitors."

"Is Katarina going to inherit the Randfloria family?"

"Yes, that's likely."

"What about you?"

"Normally, I would marry into some noble family."

"Has your family already found a potential suitor for you?"

"There's no way they could. After all, I'm the villainous young lady."

"You're suffering at the age of 6."

"Whose fault is it in the first place!"

"I understand. I'm the one who invited you to the tea party, causing you trouble. I'm sorry."

Marianne sipped her tea and, with a resigned look, placed the cup back on the table.

"Can I speak freely from here? I don't want to be beheaded for treason."

"Go ahead, speak your mind."

Marianne then handed me a small piece of paper and a quill.

"What's this?"

"I can't speak freely unless you write this down: 'Marianne can say anything without being charged with disrespect.' Please sign it."

Her serious little face was amusing. Being with this girl, I find myself laughing more than I ever have before.

The situation of being forced to write this was so amusing that I couldn't help but laugh, and my hand trembled, making the writing messy.

Marianne scolded me, saying, "This will be considered a fake document. Forgery of a royal document is a capital offense," and made me rewrite it twice.

"I've written it."

I handed her the paper, and she frowned as she inspected it, then folded it and tucked it into her dress.

"If you want to take it, you'll have to take it from the chest of the villainous young lady!" she muttered to herself.

Everything about her is amusing.

"So, do you want to be the king of this country, Your Highness?"

"What are you talking about? My brother will be the king. I have no such intention."

"Then what do you want to do? A long journey abroad? Travel eventually ends, and the money for it comes from the taxes paid by the people. Is it a journey that can be returned to the people?"

"I, I don't know."

"True. Pursuing academic excellence is good, and cultivating talents that can enrich the lives of the people is also fulfilling. When you become a duke, why not excel in managing your territory?"

"Manage a territory, huh."

"Yes. If you can achieve results in the territory of a ducal family, it can serve as a model for other territories and ultimately benefit the entire country. It's an enviable position."

"It's rare for you to be envious."

"Well, the second in line has a way of fighting. As a second daughter, I will leave the Randfloria family. I want to marry a noble who listens to my opinions and involves me in managing the territory, and I want to excel in it. Now is the time to build up my strength.

"Methods to enrich farmland, measures against drought, cold summers, and pests. Education for the people, health improvement, and the development of specialty products. There are so many things I want to do that I can't learn enough in the time I have."

"The second in line has a way of fighting. Indeed... I'm glad I came here. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Your Highness. Looking around, one can work energetically until about 60, without considering the possibility of injury or illness. Given the remaining time, time is always precious. With so many possibilities, it's a waste of time to be so pessimistic."

---

After returning to the palace from Marianne's grandfather's house, the second prince, Alexandre, began to apply himself to his studies as if he had undergone a transformation.

He studied the basics of managing a territory, gathered information on trade with neighboring countries, and researched the specialties of various regions in the country.

He called in historians to learn about the past weather patterns and records of crop damage in the country.

It wasn't long before the king, through the prime minister, learned of the prince's transformation.

The king showed great interest and summoned the knights who always accompanied the prince to dig out every detail of Alexandre's conversations with Marianne.

That night, the king visited the queen's chambers, and they talked for a long time. The palace maids gossiped about how the king and queen's laughter, which was rare recently, echoed from the room multiple times.