Chapter 3

During the journey, Slein was told that it was fine to sleep, so he leaned back against the seat and escaped into a dream to pass the awkward silence. Thanks to the fatigue of the past few days and the mental exhaustion from this unusual situation, he was able to doze off to some extent.

When the carriage arrived at the fortress at dawn, Slein was left alone in one of its rooms to rest. After being put back on the carriage in the evening, he once again retreated into a doze, and when he next awoke, he was told that they had arrived at the capital, Yuzelheim.

"…Can I open the window?"

"No. We have been ordered to bring you without drawing too much attention."

When Slein asked, Baron Berendorf gave the expected answer.

It would be very noticeable if a commoner, who clearly looked like one, stuck their head out of the window of the royal carriage. His reasoning was sound.

Slein, who had not seen the scenery outside the window at all during the journey, hardly felt any sense of reality that he was heading to the royal castle.

The carriage continued on, eventually stopping, and when the door opened, a large castle stood before him.

The castle grounds, surrounded by a moat and walls, contained a mansion where the royal family conducted their business and lived, as Slein's mother had told him. The mansion in front of him looked like it could be that place.

When he got out of the carriage, Slein's legs trembled.

The castle mansion with its white walls and black roof, the well-maintained front garden, the servants welcoming the carriage, and in the midst of all this, a poorly dressed and scrawny commoner—himself.

His presence seemed so out of place. Was it really right for him to be here?

"This way. The Chancellor is waiting, so please hurry."

Ignoring Slein's appearance, Baron Berendorf gestured to the front entrance of the mansion.

Following the baron, who led the way, Slein cautiously walked through the spacious entrance, a clean but not overly ornate corridor, up the stairs, and stopped in front of a door.

"This is the Chancellor's office."

"Um, I don't know anything about the etiquette for greeting nobles…"

"It's not necessary."

The baron, with a somewhat mechanical smile, answered briefly and knocked on the door without waiting for Slein's response.

"Chancellor. This is Baron Berendorf. I have brought Lord Slein, the son of Lady Alma."

"Enter."

A hard, sharp voice answered from inside the room, and upon receiving it, Baron Berendorf opened the door. At his gesture, Slein stepped into the room with trembling legs. The baron followed and closed the door behind him.

Inside the room was an old man, who looked to be over sixty, with a sharp expression, just as his voice had suggested.

"Lord Slein, it is my honor to meet you. I am Sergei, Duke of Nordendorf, serving as the Chancellor of the Kingdom, appointed by His Majesty the King."

Slein, who was bowed to by the Duke, swallowed hard.

The House of Nordendorf was the only ducal house in the Kingdom of Hassenveria, and the Chancellor was the person at the pinnacle of the country's internal affairs.

To be bowed to by such a person, what kind of reaction was he supposed to show?

"…You must have many questions about your current situation. I will explain them in order, so please take a seat."

At the Duke's invitation, Slein sat down on a chair placed in a corner of the room, like a reception area. The Duke sat opposite him, and Baron Berendorf stood behind Slein.

"First, I will explain your position. Why you have been summoned to the castle in this manner. It is because you are the illegitimate son of King Fredrik Hassenveria."

"………What?"

Forgetting that he was in the presence of one of the most powerful nobles in the country, Slein said in a dazed voice.

"What, what do you mean? What does that mean?"

"Exactly as I said. Your mother, Lady Alma, worked as a low-ranking official at the castle when she was young. There, she had a romantic relationship with King Fredrik, who was then the Crown Prince, and left the castle due to pregnancy. You were born afterward… in other words, you are the King's biological son, though not officially recognized. Is that hard to understand?"

Slein could understand the meaning of what the Duke was saying, but it was hard to believe it was true. It was too incredible to accept so easily.

"No, no… that's ridiculous. It must be a joke."

"Do I look like someone who would make such a joke?"

"…No."

Slein answered. The Duke of Nordendorf, sitting in front of him, looked like a strict person. He didn't seem like someone who would joke about such a matter.

Therefore, what he said must be the truth.

His father was King Fredrik Hassenveria. He was the King's son, even if illegitimate.

It was hard to believe, but it seemed he had to.

Having accepted the unbelievable story with his reason, a new question arose in Slein's mind.

"…Even if I am the King's illegitimate son, why am I being summoned to the castle now and told this? From what I've seen, the King has never tried to meet me or acknowledge me as his son. Isn't an illegitimate son like me not someone who should be kept out of the public eye? I think my presence here will only cause trouble."

The Duke, when asked, showed a slightly surprised expression, then lowered his eyes and fell silent.

After a while, he raised his gaze and looked at Slein.

"You have been summoned to the castle because the King has passed away."

"…!"

Slein remained silent, his eyes wide open.

"About two weeks ago, during the New Year's festival, there was a fire at the castle, do you remember?"

"…Now that you mention it, I think I heard about it."

At the Duke's words, Slein remembered.

The New Year's festival, held in mid-January, was a time when families gathered for dinner and thanked the gods for the new year. During this dinner, a fire broke out at the castle, and the flames were visible from the city of the capital, Yuzelheim. The rumor had reached Slein's hometown, Lutware, but he had forgotten about it after his mother's death and the preparations for her funeral.

"But, I thought there were no fatalities or serious injuries in that fire… I heard the King himself appeared in the city square to declare his safety."

The fire at the castle had been contained as a small one, and the royal family was said to be unharmed. This was why Slein had forgotten about the incident.

"Yes, indeed, the King appeared in the city square and declared his safety. In reality, he had suffered severe burns and could hardly stand, but he did so to reassure the people and show the stability of the royal family… it was a fitting action for the ruler of a nation."

The Duke spoke in a heavy tone.

"That was about ten days ago. The King fought hard against his burns, but he passed away a few days later. Not only the King… Queen Catherine, Crown Prince Michael, and Prince Paul, the King's brother, also died in the fire. Furthermore, the King's sister, Duchess Tia Warrenheit, her husband, Duke Cheslav Warrenheit, and their son, Vladren Warrenheit, also perished."

"…What?"

Slein couldn't immediately grasp the meaning of what the Duke was saying.

If what he said was true, the King, his wife, only son, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew had all lost their lives. Even excluding the dukes, the direct lineage of the royal family had been completely wiped out.

"No, no… how could such a thing happen?"

"The King was a very devout man. On the night of the New Year's festival, he decided to have a quiet dinner with his family in the prayer room on the third floor of this mansion, offering thanks to the gods. This year's festival night was no different… the fire broke out in that room. The hem of the Queen's dress caught fire from a candle, and in her panic, she fell onto a bundle of straw near the door, causing the fire to spread throughout the room."

On the night of the festival, it was considered the most desirable to have dinner surrounded by straw, a symbol of the earth's bounty, arranged around the room.

Not everyone was devout, so few families followed this strict ritual. In fact, Slein's family only decorated the sides of the front door with thin bundles of straw.

However, the current King was known among the people for his devotion to faith. Every year on the night of the festival, he had many bundles of straw arranged around the room where they had dinner.

"The room where the King and the royal family were was a traditional prayer room, with only one entrance and small windows. The fire spread quickly to the straw surrounding the room, and the Queen was quickly engulfed in flames. The others mostly collapsed from smoke inhalation, and the King and his brother tried to clear the straw near the door to create an escape route, but their clothes also caught fire, causing severe burns to their bodies."

When the servants and guards outside the room realized something was wrong and managed to extinguish the fire blocking the door and enter the room, the Queen and the King's brother had died from burns, and the others from smoke inhalation. The King alone was barely alive.

The Duke said that he had heard the entire sequence of events from the King.

"Is it really… really true that such a terrible thing happened?"

Slein couldn't help but ask. It was hard to believe that the royal family had been wiped out by a fire in a single room, not by war, plague, or assassination.

Facts are stranger than fictions, but this was too shocking. It was a tragedy that couldn't be dismissed with a single word.

"I understand your disbelief. Even as I speak, I still wonder if it's a lie… if it could be a lie. However, this is the unchangeable reality. The House of Hassenveria has lost its head and direct lineage in a fire that burned a single room of the mansion."

The Duke of Nordendorf said this and bowed his head in silence.

Slein couldn't bring himself to speak. Baron Berendorf, standing behind Slein, also remained silent. A heavy silence filled the room.

After several dozen seconds, the Duke of Nordendorf raised his head.

"I believe you understand the situation so far. Now, this is the main point for you… to put it bluntly, Lord Slein, we would like you to succeed to the throne of the Kingdom of Hassenveria."

I will update one chapter at around 12:00 PM every day.

Thank you very much for your support.