Chapter 6

"......I'm sorry. I ran away at such an important moment."

"Your Highness, there is no need for you to apologize. Considering your circumstances, it is understandable that you were shaken in such a situation. I am the one who should apologize for not being able to support you properly and ease your mind."

"No, it's not Monica's fault. It's just that I..."

Slain, who had fled to a random room after leaving the audience chamber, was mumbling to Monica, who had followed him.

"Oh, you're here, Crown Prince."

A rough voice called out. Slain looked up to see a muscular, imposing man standing at the open doorway.

"Are you... um... Lord Count Vogel?"

"Indeed. I am honored that you remember me. However, please do not use the title 'Lord.' It makes it difficult for me to maintain my position as a subject."

"Ah, s-sorry."

"No, please don't worry about it... Your Highness, may I have a word with you?"

"Y-yes... Ah, please sit down."

At Slain's invitation, Count Vogel sat down in a nearby chair.

"Your Highness, you seemed very nervous just now."

"......Yes."

Count Vogel's tone was not at all accusatory, but Slain, feeling awkward about running away, answered with his head down.

"There is no need to feel that way. I understand that you grew up as a commoner in peace, and that you recently lost your mother. To be suddenly brought to the castle and told to become the next king, and then to be made the Crown Prince without time to process it all, it is only natural to be confused. I might have run away too if I were in your position."

As he spoke, Count Vogel showed a smile that was free of malice.

"I will keep our conversation confidential, so please speak your mind... Do you still wish to renounce your right to the throne?"

"......Yes, to be honest, I don't want to be king."

Slain spoke his true feelings, encouraged by Count Vogel's friendly demeanor.

"Because I'm just a commoner, right? My mother was a humble copyist, and I've spent my life helping her. I can read, write, and do basic math, but I haven't received any education to be a king. I'm not mentally prepared. I can't possibly be a king."

Monica quietly left the room, but Slain, still looking down, continued talking.

"Besides, to suddenly be told that my father was the king... My mother told me that my father died before I was born. I sometimes wondered if my father was still alive somewhere, but I never imagined he was the king of this country."

He paused and sighed deeply.

"......I understand that the entire royal family died in a fire, and that the country is in a difficult situation. I know that it's most convenient for me to inherit the throne. But when Lord Nordenfelt said that I have a responsibility because I was born with royal blood, I just felt confused..."

Even though he knew it might sound petty, Slain couldn't help but voice his frustrations.

"I want to complain to the king... to my father. For abandoning my mother and not acknowledging me as his son, for not helping us financially, and for leaving us alone. He died without ever meeting or talking to me. Why should I inherit the responsibility of his bloodline... I don't care about it."

"Heh heh heh! Listening to you, I must admit that King Frederick was indeed a poor father to you."

Zeckhardt's hearty laugh made Slain feel uneasy. Calling King Frederick "Frederick" seemed too familiar, even for a high-ranking minister. Slain wondered about this.

"I grew up alongside the king, studying academics and martial arts. He was both my lord and my friend."

As if answering Slain's unspoken question, Zeckhardt continued.

"Prince Slain, speaking not as a subject but as a friend of your father... please forgive him."

"Forgive him?"

"Yes. The reason he sent Lady Alma away from the castle and did not acknowledge you as his son was to protect you and Lady Alma."

Slain tilted his head, and Zeckhardt nodded and continued.

"At the time, the king, who was still the Crown Prince, had a romantic relationship with Lady Alma, a low-ranking official. While such relationships are not uncommon among the nobility, in this case, it turned into a serious love affair, and Lady Alma became pregnant. The king was still unmarried at the time. This was a problematic situation. If the king had a mistress before taking a queen and she bore a child before the queen, it would inevitably lead to a struggle for the throne. If the situation had been left as it was, there was a possibility that you, Lady Alma's child, might have met a suspicious death in your youth."

Slain's face tensed at the dangerous story about his own life.

"That's why the king arranged for Lady Alma to leave the castle and find other work. By not officially acknowledging you as his child, he protected you and Lady Alma. This was the only way, and it was clear to everyone."

"......"

Slain listened intently to the secrets of his birth and his mother's past.

"The king also tried to provide financial assistance, but Lady Alma refused. She thought that if the matter became known to Queen Katarina, it might put you in danger again. The king lamented that he could not support the woman he loved and her son."

Zeckhardt said this with a slightly playful tone, and Slain couldn't help but smile a little.

"Still, the king cared about Lady Alma and you. Of course, he loved Queen Katarina, his official wife, and lavished affection on his only son, Prince Michael. But he never forgot about Lady Alma and you. This may be difficult for a young prince to understand, but that's what men and fathers are like."

Zeckhardt paused and sighed softly.

"So, Lady Alma wrote to the king once a year about your growth. The letters were written in a way that others wouldn't recognize them and were delivered through several intermediaries. The king looked forward to Lady Alma's letters, reminiscing about his youth and the son he had with the woman he once loved passionately... Even if he couldn't build a father-son relationship, he undoubtedly loved you."

Zeckhardt, who had been looking into the distance, turned his gaze to Slain.

"Your father, Frederick Hassenweiler, was such a man. The day before his death, he called Lord Nordenfelt and me, his closest advisors, and asked us to make you the next king and to support you. He also asked us to tell you and Lady Alma... that he was sorry. Unfortunately, Lady Alma passed away on the same day as the king."

Zeckhardt finished speaking. Silence filled the room, and Slain pondered the story he had just heard, reflecting on the father he had never met.

A cup was gently offered to him. Slain turned to see Monica smiling at him. She had returned with herbal tea after leaving the room at some point. Coincidentally, the herbs were the same as those his mother used to grow in the garden.

Slain took the cup and brought it to his lips. The herbal tea was just the right temperature. As he took a sip, he felt various emotions settle deep within his heart.

"......Ah."

Slain placed the cup on the table and exhaled.