Chapter 31

Georg and William entered the library.

Compared to the library in the Stewart family's mansion, this one was much larger, with a vast collection of books covering a wide range of topics.

They immediately found the prince and bowed in respect.

"Prince Edward, you are quite studious."

Georg, who usually disliked studying, addressed the prince with a look of admiration.

The thick books piled up in front of the prince were all on difficult subjects, as evident from their titles alone.

Edward shifted his gaze from the books to his brothers and sighed.

"Are you here to play again today?"

Since the tea party, they had been visiting every week, showering praise on his mother, winning over Jadwiga, and even gaining the favor of the servants. It made him wonder if his mother, sister, and the servants were really that gullible.

What he should be concerned about was his position in the capital from now on.

Until now, he had managed with the king's favor alone, but his mother was over 30 and struggling to maintain her youth. She was so focused on improving herself every day that he wondered if she had nothing else to do.

Thinking about what the capital called his mother gave him a headache.

He had no intention of becoming king and didn't believe he could. The first prince, who was five years older, was an excellent person with talent. As the second prince, he needed to study for the kingdom.

His situation was different from that of the wealthy border baron in front of him.

"Today, we brought Lady Rose some new dresses. She is trying them on now. When she's done, would you like to go see them with us? I'm sure they will be incredibly beautiful. My sister's designs are well-received."

William smiled softly and made his pitch, likely trying to make Emma his fiancée. The obvious flattery was extremely unpleasant.

"I'm busy studying. I don't have time to play."

His words might have sounded a bit harsh, but he hoped this would convey that he wasn't as easily deceived as the others.

He needed to finish the problems assigned by his tutor today, but he was frustrated because he couldn't find the necessary book.

"Would you like some help?"

"You can't solve these problems."

William's offer was immediately rejected. Although he didn't know William's actual age, he clearly looked younger.

"Your Highness, William is actually smarter than me. Why don't you give him a chance to try?"

Georg tried to help, but there was no pride in his voice. He casually threw the problem sheet to William. If William could solve it, then so be it. He wondered why the tutor had assigned problems on ancient laws. The references couldn't be found.

William scanned the problems and thought for a moment.

It was impossible to solve.

"These problems are incorrect. The references can't be found."

William looked at him sympathetically, pointing to the problematic question.

"This law did not exist in the 256th year of the royal calendar. It was established in the 326th year when the local boundary hazard occurred."

"Boundary hazards are scary, aren't they?"

Georg suddenly became serious.

A local boundary hazard refers to a phenomenon where holes appear in the boundary, not at the edges, but locally, after a long period without any mages mutating.

While skilled hunters were always present in territories near the boundary, it was not uncommon for territories without such hunters to exist.

The 326th year's local boundary hazard occurred in a territory near the center of the boundary, where no hazards had ever appeared and no hunters were present. It resulted in a historical tragedy with significant casualties.

The territory, which was not allowed to have an army, consisted of people who did not know how to fight. It took three days for the nearest territory with hunters to reach the hole, during which the residents were continuously attacked.

The hole was identified by the hunters, and the work of exterminating the monsters and building walls around the hole was carried out simultaneously.

Only about ten hunters were involved in exterminating the monsters, and the absence of these ten hunters resulted in over 1,200 casualties.

Handling the monsters was difficult, as they could explode, call for reinforcements, or curse their attackers, leading to secondary and tertiary damages.

This led to the establishment of the six rules for managing monsters by the lords:

1. Lords must have basic knowledge of monsters.

2. They must create a manual for handling hazards and submit it to the royal government for approval.

3. Male members of the lord's family must receive at least three years of education as hunters at the capital's academy.

4. Border lords must actively assist and provide relief during hazards.

5. Border lords must regularly accept and educate hunters from territories without monster appearances.

6. Territories with frequent monster appearances receive tax reductions.

"Recently, there have been no mutations of mages, so the problem setter probably wanted to make the prince aware of the methods to handle local boundary hazards."

As he spoke, William handed the prince a thick book that could serve as the correct reference. The prince, surprised, read through the book and was even more surprised.

It contained a list of the basic knowledge of monsters that lords should know.

The entire thick book was filled with this information, and it was the first volume.

"The minimum knowledge required is from the first to the sixth volume. The types of monsters that appear during hazards are somewhat limited."

William smiled and explained to the prince. Georg, looking exhausted, added something even more astonishing.

"In territories like ours, which are near the boundary, the types of monsters that appear are diverse, so it is an unwritten rule to memorize from the first to the thirty-second volume. Even then, not everything is in the books, so a new book is published every 5 to 10 years."

Despite all this effort, the only benefit border lords receive is a tax reduction. Since the law was established, the decline of border lords has been continuous. It's impossible to immediately find a replacement lord, so neighboring lords often take over. As a result, the territories near the border are generally larger.

The Stewart family has been educated to choose companions who are either intelligent or skilled in martial arts. Mother Mersa was the most talented student at the capital's academy. The story of her father bowing down to marry her is a heroic tale in the Stewart family.

"I didn't know..."

The prince muttered.

He had always thought that the most challenging life in the country was that of the royal family. However, while the negotiations with other countries, the art of winning people's hearts, and the study of imperial science were demanding, they did not involve life-threatening situations.

He had heard rumors that Georg had already gone on hunts, but he was facing the terrifying monsters depicted in the book.

Monsters rarely appeared in the capital or the Valeri territory. The more pages he turned, the more he felt the fear of the monsters.

"Are you not afraid to face such terrifying monsters?"

Prince Edward asked Georg honestly.

"No, I'm better at physical activities... In fact, I find it scarier to spend hours in the library reading books like you do."

Georg answered with a wry smile. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. William was intelligent but lacked physical strength. Emma had action and creativity but lacked common sense.

"What I find lucky is that my sister and brother can make up for my weaknesses. One person has their limits."

Even their father had struggled to learn about monsters. He had once mentioned that he couldn't have done it without his mother's support when he was about to give up on his studies.

"Brother..."

William, who was often overlooked, was moved to be praised and recognized in front of the prince.

Edward realized he had misunderstood the Stewart family by only looking at their surface.

Georg recognized his siblings and acknowledged his own weaknesses, making him a solid eldest son. William supported his siblings from the ground up, performing his duties modestly without showing off his intelligence. What about Emma?

"What role does your sister play? What kind of person is she?"

It was the first time the prince had shown interest in someone else.

"Uh... Emma is... well... cute. Especially her smile."

Georg, taken aback, answered. From their perspective, Emma was different. She took unexpected turns in her thinking and somehow found shortcuts to the right answers. Was it appropriate to tell the prince directly? It wasn't. His answer was hesitant, but it was true that she was cute. The Stewart men were under a curse. He sought help from William with his eyes.

"Recently, I've noticed that my sister is very popular! When she smiles, everyone falls in love."

It was difficult to praise his sister in a way that was appropriate. Her knowledge of insects was vast, and she could be considered a genius, but how did she fare as a lady? Her obsession with food was not a good trait, and she was often sarcastic towards William, so she couldn't be called kind.

Misinterpreting the brothers' efforts, the prince made a bombshell statement.

"So, you think she is suitable to be my fiancée?"

"Absolutely not!"

The brothers shouted in unison.

"Emma will stay as close to me as possible! (She's unpredictable and makes my heart race!) I can't let her marry into the royal family! (What if the country falls apart?)"

"That's right! I won't let my sister leave the family! (The territory will become a lawless insect haven!)"

"We absolutely won't let her marry the prince! (We can't create more victims!)"

The prince, surprised by their intensity, developed an interest in Emma, whom he had never cared about. The brothers were protecting her like knights, and he felt like an enemy trying to steal a precious princess.

Then,

"Oh, oh, Emma is truly loved."

Their mother's voice came from the entrance of the library.

Turning around, they saw her in a tasteful dark blue dress, which, despite its minimal exposure, clung to her body in a way that made her look incredibly sexy. For the first time, he truly thought his mother was beautiful.

Hadn't William mentioned earlier that the dress was designed by Emma?

Jadwiga tugged at his sleeve.

"Big brother, isn't Mom really beautiful?"

He almost nodded but was overcome by embarrassment and held back.

"Big brother! Your thoughts don't always come across! You have to say it!"

Jadwiga, mimicking what Emma had said, complained to the prince.

Somehow, Edward felt that she might be right today.

"Mother... The dress suits you very well. You look incredibly beautiful, and I was captivated."

Embarrassed, he said it without looking at her face, but when he raised his head to see her reaction, she was teary-eyed and looked extremely happy as she hugged him.

He reflected on his stubbornness, realizing how much he had been neglecting her. How much had he been cold to someone who could be so happy with just a compliment?

I will become a knight.

At that moment, he thought.

He would become a knight like Georg and William, protecting his mother and Jadwiga.

If the king's favor waned, he would be the only one who could protect them.

He saw Emma smiling behind his mother's shoulder.

The genuine smile of the Stewart princess.

This is unfair.

How can anyone have such a cute smile?

Stealing a princess is always the prince's role. The thought crossed his mind.

His face flushed. What should he do? There were two formidable knights in front of Emma. He wanted to make that smile his own.

Georg and William watched as Prince Edward's face changed to one of infatuation, and they held their heads in their hands.

(Why? Sister? You haven't even spoken to the prince yet?)

(Emma... You're not looking at an insect encyclopedia in the library right now, are you? Hide that smile! More victims will