Chapter 8 (8/205) - The Youngest Prince of the Bean Flour House

The solemn evaluation of the Holy See towards Thomas Becket.

He was a man of England who lived up to his name.

He was as upright as the apostle Thomas (Doubting Thomas), but in a negative sense, he was also stubborn.

However, the important thing was that Thomas Becket was as capable as the apostle Thomas.

His capability was such that:

He succeeded his mother Matilda's business by overcoming various challenges,

and he gained the favor of the great leader of England, Henry II.

Thanks to this,

Thomas Becket, who possessed both the administrative and religious powers of England.

Around the time he began to receive Henry II's favor,

the young Prince John's life became critically ill.

After the death of his eldest son William,

Henry did not want to lose another child, John.

So he called Thomas and asked him to pray.

Perhaps the Lord heard this prayer,

and the dying Prince John was revived.

Yes, it was a miracle.

Honestly, Thomas was delighted that a life on the brink of death had been saved.

Until he heard the barking of Henry II.

"Let's dedicate this child to the Lord like Samuel. As a servant of the Lord!"

Usually, clergymen come from noble families,

and it is common and natural for the youngest sons of prestigious noble families to become clergymen.

But for John, the legitimate youngest prince of the Plantagenet family, it was a different matter.

"That's out of the question!"

Fortunately, Queen Eleanor intervened.

'Oh, Lord's peace.'

At that moment, Thomas was grateful to the beautiful queen.

However,

his lord, Henry II, made an unexpected proposal.

"Then, I will appoint you, the most capable servant of the Lord, as his teacher."

Thomas was so surprised that he asked in return.

"Your Majesty, me?"

"I need a wise teacher like you for my youngest son."

At first, Thomas Becket did not want to be the teacher of the mere infant John.

There were already clergymen dedicated to being tutors for the royal family,

and yet he was asked to be the teacher of the infant John who had come back from the dead.

Of course, as a servant of the Lord and a leader in the Church,

he was happy that the infant prince had been revived.

But,

wasn't it obvious that he was being forced into this role?

Annoying is annoying.

But he had to follow the command of the solemn king.

Fortunately, at the time, he only needed to teach appropriately.

However, as the prince began to show outstanding abilities,

Thomas started to take a slight interest.

"I hope the prince will study hard and become a great servant of the Lord like Samuel."

"I don't want to."

In any case, Thomas spent his time teaching the young Prince John the basics of the Bible.

But then, an incident occurred.

A great rebellion.

Although the rebellion was suppressed by the excellent commander Henry II and the seven nobles who followed him,

the power of Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey, the most dangerous successors of the Plantagenet family, was unexpectedly strong.

The territories where the fighting took place suffered significant damage.

At that time, Thomas felt fear.

It was a fear stemming from his survival instinct.

Of course, Thomas Becket was a servant of the Lord who was ready to die at any moment.

But,

he was worried about the lives of the clergymen who followed him.

After the great rebellion, the position of the clergymen became precarious due to the power struggle between the princes and Henry II.

He engaged in a power struggle to protect them.

Although it was not righteous before the Lord, he indulged in worldly desires.

At least, if he were purged, his disciples would survive.

Despite the fear of death, Thomas was determined to protect his people.

Then,

Prince John saved him, claiming it was a birthday gift.

His pouting to Henry II, who was conflicted about whether to kill or spare him, worked.

As his teacher, I can easily guess that Prince John was not an ordinary student.

While it was hard to gauge in some aspects,

in conclusion, Prince John was intelligent.

It was natural that Prince John was intelligent.

The people of the Angevin-Plantagenet family, who were said to have sold their souls to the devil for cold wisdom, were generally intelligent.

Not only Henry II,

but also the young King Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and even the first illegitimate child of Henry II, Geoffrey.

These were people whose abilities were already recognized.

But Prince John was different in some way.

"Prince John, are you sleeping?"

"I am so focused on your excellent lecture that I don't notice the time passing."

He pretended to be asleep with his eyes open.

"Teacher, I don't understand no matter how many times I listen."

He claimed he didn't understand whenever he got the chance.

But he always got perfect scores on exams.

So Thomas gave him praise that didn't quite fit.

"Of course, Prince John, as a member of the Plantagenet family, you are naturally intelligent."

Praise is something all children like.

But Prince John was different.

"To be honest, I don't like studying. I got the right answers on this exam by luck."

After that day,

Prince John took exams just enough to pass.

He started to act strangely.

He made Peter, one of the illegitimate children, his subordinate,

and went to France as if it were his own home to confess to Princess Agnes of France.

He organized a gathering for the youngest children of French noble families.

And he proposed marriage to the Norman noble family, the Clares.

Although they were a powerful family in the region, they were not a particularly great family, so the marriage was full of questions.

No one around him was particularly wary.

But those who knew the other side of the Clare family were

only Eleanor, Henry II, and Thomas Becket.

'Was Prince John aware of this?'

Thomas Becket, one of them, was surprised by the prince's choice.

A few days later, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was summoned by his secular disciple, John.

To resolve the 'misunderstanding' between his father, Henry II, and his teacher, Thomas.

Thomas realized the feelings he had been trying to ignore.

He also realized that he could not oppose his long-time lord, Henry II, forever.

So he told Prince John,

that he had been waiting for a long time to hear those words.

**

Suddenly, he was at a loss for words.

In the current great country of England,

the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is not suited for forgiveness, reconciliation, or tolerance in politics,

and my strict teacher,

was on the verge of tears, saying he had been waiting for my words of reconciliation?

Something seemed off.

I am generally a realist who believes in the inherent evil of human nature.

"Really?"

"Prince, I am a more faithful servant of the Lord than anyone in this world."

Ah.

He was so faithful that my father was considering whether to kill him.

It's called ethnic hatred.

My father and teacher are similar.

Even in their dogmatic nature.

"Now is the time for reconciliation."

What? Now is the time for reconciliation?

"Do you really think so?"

Of course, it was natural to have doubts.

Then the teacher said,

"Because I, like Lazarus, came back from the dead."

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned humanistic?

"I was originally a person who should have died."

Ah, right.

I saved him on the pretext of his birthday.

Of course, I didn't save him. My father, who was considering whether to kill him, saved him.

"That was my father's decision."

"No, if it weren't for Your Highness, I would have been 'assassinated,'

and the King would have faced a great loss by opposing the Pope.

But that's not the important part.

The one who saved me,

was only Prince John.

You saved me, Prince John."

As the teacher said,

I did save the teacher who was about to die.

If I had asked for a pardon from my father later,

the probability of him being assassinated was high because he had many enemies.

While reminiscing about those old memories,

the old teacher said,

"Before long, I will visit His Majesty. I have found a reason for reconciliation. Prince John, you are the 'reason' to clear the stubborn grudge in front of me."

**

A while later, my teacher, Thomas Becket, went to see my father,

and my father, with a moved expression, told me,

"Go meet your brothers. You will gain something good there."

I didn't know the reason,

but leaving the stuffy island for a trip to the continent wasn't bad.

Thus, I arrived in continental Europe.

The smell of French wheat filled my nostrils.

This way, I visited France again.

More precisely, not the French territories ruled by the Capetian dynasty,

but the French territories ruled by our Plantagenet family.

The difference this time was that

many of the knights guarding me were from the Clare family.

My marriage to Mary was confirmed,

and the place of this promise was

the coveted territory of Aquitaine.

Although thousands of soldiers would shed blood over this territory,

it was not my concern.

"Are you really okay with this?"

Peter asked with a worried look.

He meant, "Aren't you nervous about meeting your brothers?"

"I'm fine, of course."

"Prince John has arrived."

"Brothers, I missed you."

Of course, my brothers, who were in the French territories, did visit England.

Our father, the great King Henry II of England, wouldn't let their discipline slip, would he?

After the failure of the great rebellion by my brothers,

he suddenly tested their loyalty.

The talk about giving 'Aquitaine' to the poor John was part of that plan.

Although they might dislike me for soon marrying into the Clare family and gaining new power,

I visited Normandy as the youngest son without any suspicion.

"Brothers, this youngest son needs pocket money."

"..."

Perhaps they didn't expect my strange and ugly appearance,

so their reactions were cold.

Now, by the standards of medieval England,

I am an adult who can do everything.

But,

considering the significant age difference with my brothers,

it's only right that I am treated like a child.

"You, a man, shouldn't walk around with such a face."

Clang.

Henry, my brother, is indeed the great young king of England.

"Aren't you afraid of us?"

Somehow, Geoffrey, my brother, who looks like a viper, smiled and took something out.

Clang.

"I can't be the only one not giving you anything in this situation."

Clang.

Richard, my brother, also threw gold coins at me.

Now, Safe John is rich.

Of course, my brothers are still terrifying.

The young king Henry, whom I underestimated in the past,

has the legitimacy of being the eldest legitimate son of Henry II and Eleanor.

The support of young nobles, regardless of whether they are English or French.

The loyalty of the Aquitaine nobles who serve his mother.

And his personal capabilities,

make him the number one target of our father's vigilance.

Of course, the second and third targets are Richard and Geoffrey.

But I, Safe John, did not earn the honor of being the fourth target.

But today, my brothers were slightly wary of me.

The reason was my marriage.

"Clare family, huh? You're quite naughty, youngest son."

"I only needed a shield instead of a territory."

To Geoffrey's words, I answered without flinching.

In any case, Father will soon give me a territory, whether I want it or not.

It's a natural thing to give a territory to a prince who grew up in the Middle Ages.

But I,

gave up such a territory and chose a family with military power to protect me.

While the original John rushed to Aquitaine, thinking it was good, and was disliked by his brothers,

I, Safe John, by giving up the production base of a territory,

received the treatment of a cute youngest son from my brothers.

"Geoffrey, stop tormenting the youngest."

"Richard, I'm just scaring this little brother because I find him cute."

So now, Richard, who looks favorably upon me, cut off Geoffrey's words.

But there was something I didn't expect.

"Today, as a co-king of this great England, I will give my brother a wedding gift."

A gift?

At Henry's words about giving a wedding gift out of the blue,

my heart skipped a beat.

"I will give you the territory of Mortain. Now, you are the youngest prince of England and the Earl of Mortain."

"Congratulations, youngest brother."

Richard said indifferently.

"To give such a good territory as a gift to the youngest."

Geoffrey looked at me with interest.

At that moment,

the indifferent Richard shouted at me.

"John, what are you doing? You must show respect to the co-king."

Oops.

I almost made a mistake because of the unexpected gift.

I immediately prostrated myself and said respectfully, as a subject to the king,

"Your Majesty, thank you. I, John Plantagenet, am merely a subject of Your Majesty."

No matter how much political power Henry II holds,

he is also a co-ruler, no matter how you look at it.

He wouldn't make such a decision on his own.

He must have reached an agreement with my father about my territory beforehand.

"Well, now that our youngest is a lord, he must show proper respect."

Of course, he must!

Even if we are half-brothers,

if we cross the line, I won't be safe either.

"Praise the Lord's mercy! Today, John Plantagenet has become the Earl of Mortain."

In the end, I, through the co-ruler Henry,

received the title of Earl.

Although I used to think the title of Earl was inferior after reading fantasy novels about Dukes and Marquises,

it felt good to become an Earl in England, where titles were rare.

As the Earl of Mortain,

it's a position given to the most loyal vassals of the Duke of Normandy,

but thinking about the future, it was actually good.

"Since the appointment is over, you can relax."

"Henry, brother."

"Sure."

"Can you call my title again?"

"Earl of Mortain!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Are you that happy?"

"Very, very happy."

"That guy..."

"He must be feeling good."

Richard and Geoffrey looked at the youngest with a strange expression.

I guess it's a bit surprising for a brother who already has a 'Duke' title to be satisfied with being an Earl.

Thinking about the bleak future of this dysfunctional family, I couldn't laugh purely,

but being an Earl made me happy.

In that pleasant moment,

Henry said,

"But John, this is not the end of your wedding gift."

Huh? There's more?

**

-Clare Family Secret Inner Chamber-

While Prince John spent a surprising day,

Mary and the Earl of Hartford, known as siblings to the world, spent time in the secret inner chamber.

Mary, leisurely sipping wine, said,

"What are the princes thinking?"

"They say they called you to give the territory of Mortain to your future husband."

Mary seemed to ponder for a moment,

then smiled and said,

"Mortain. It's not bad if it's a territory under the influence of Prince Richard."

"You agreed to marry Prince John, but do you really want to?"

"To someone who has lived a very boring life, there's no one more interesting than John Plantagenet."

"But didn't you hide your age? It feels like a fraudulent marriage."

"Well, that's unavoidable. Anyway, that's not the important part. Brother! Add my name to the Clare family. Mary de Clare."

"Understood. I'll handle it quickly."

As she watched her 'brother' the Earl of Hartford leave,

Mary thought about 'John,' who would soon be her husband.

In fact, Mary almost burst out laughing at the time,

but seeing John's unexpected appearance made her heart race uncontrollably.

Recalling that moment, Mary muttered,

"I found you, my love."

Good brothers.