NOVEL NEXT chapter 43
43 – Farewell is Not Eternal Separation (4)
“Because, in the end, Lady Godmilla is also a victim.”
“What…?”
“Your Majesty, I trust that you are well aware of how much threat and harm Lady Godmilla has faced from Prince Christopher and Prince William.”
I approached His Majesty and spoke up.
“Even if a normal person were to face multiple assassination attempts and poisoning threats every day, it would only take a month before they lose their sanity. It’s only natural since they can’t even eat peacefully. Considering this, Lady Godmilla is truly an extraordinary person. Anyway, because Lady Godmilla’s mental state has become so fragile, she might have acted so radically as to bring the Princes to this point. So, if someone asks why Princess Selenor, Bruce, or Miguel behaved that way, it’s because, due to ‘that incident’ orchestrated by Prince Christopher and Prince William, Lady Godmilla made it impossible for anyone, including Princess Selenor, to trust her. In that context, it’s worth taking into account.”
“Count, what exactly do you want? Earlier, you seemed to talk as if you wanted to get rid of Godmilla, and now you defend her?”
His Majesty spoke to me with an annoyed tone. It seems that he’s getting even more agitated because of the way I’ve been wavering.
I confidently replied to His Majesty.
“I have said it before, but I am acting only for the peace and security of the royal family, not for personal gain.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“If you don’t believe me, should I tell you my true feelings? Yes. I do not like Lady Godmilla. From the moment we met, she acted terribly towards me, and at a banquet that Your Majesty had graciously invited me to, she even insulted my teacher. Additionally, when talking with Princess Selenor, why did she suddenly come in and hit the princess in front of the guests? How much disrespect did she have for me?”
“…”
The king looked surprised as I angrily spoke out against Godmilla. The people around us were staring at me with eyes full of shock, as if they had never seen anyone angry before.
“So personally, I have no regrets whether Your Majesty sends Lady Godmilla to prison or executes her. No, rather, I would prefer it.”
“…But why have you suddenly turned against Godmilla?”
“Because it contributes to the well-being of the royal family, Your Highness. Lady Godmilla is now only a hindrance as a court tutor, but as someone outside of the court, she can be of great benefit just by her mere presence.”
“Great benefit? How so?”
“Your Highness, can you truly trust Prince Christopher and Prince William 100%, just as Lady Godmilla says? Without any doubts at all?”
“..!”
“Baron, Viscount, what are you saying?”
It seemed like the king was considering my words carefully. When Christopher, who smelled faintly of urine, crawled towards me and started to argue, I smiled and spoke to him.
“Of course, I think Your Majesties truly regret their actions and are willing to pay for their crimes. The promise to pay for their sins is not necessarily false.”
“T-then why…”
“However, there must always be a ‘safety measure’ in any plan, Your Highness.”
The king’s eyes widened when he heard my words. Finally, he understood why I was doing this.
“Although Your Majesty has reconciled with Prince Christopher and Prince William for now, conflicts may arise between the two princes and Your Majesty again in the future. In fact, it is bound to happen. Habits are not changed overnight. For now, it may be difficult for them to cross the line again because they are both extremely cautious, but when some time passes and their minds are relieved, it is common for a household that was previously reconciled for a small ‘mistake’ to fight again. And therefore, Lady Godmilla becomes a kind of ‘psychological restraint’ that prevents the princes from going back to the way they were before.”
Lady Godmilla became a ‘psychological restraint’ to the princes. As long as she is walking around outside the palace, the princes will naturally think of her when they begin to cross the line. This will make Christopher and William hesitate and reconsider before getting angry.
“Of course, I’m not suggesting that Lady Godmilla be completely innocent. She has committed countless crimes apart from what she has done to the princes and princess. For the sake of justice in the kingdom, Lady Godmilla must definitely repay all the damages she has caused, even if it means paying fines. Your Majesty can also punish her for other minor offenses at your discretion.”
That being said, I have no intention of letting Lady Godmilla go freely from the palace. She must bear the consequences of all the crimes she has committed, regardless of her relationship with the princes. Why should I shield her just because she is pretty?
“Your Majesty can use Lady Godmilla to prevent the princes from returning to their previous ways without resorting to violence. Isn’t this a huge advantage? Of course, it would be better if Your Majesty didn’t create a situation where Lady Godmilla returns to the palace in the first place.”
“That makes sense… Baron’s words are right.”
As the king accepted my opinion, I decided to take one step further.
“But if I may, Your Majesty. Are you not worried that the princes may return to their previous ways, and become concerned about it?”
“Is it possible?”
“Yes, it is. Wouldn’t it be easier for Your Majesty if you confirmed that the princes truly felt sorry for their actions?”
“So…is that even possible?”
“Just have the two princes apologize to Lady Godmilla for everything they’ve done to her so far.”
As my bombshell declaration dropped, Christopher and William, the two princes, suddenly stood up, shocked.
“Viscount, what are you saying! Apologize to that witch…”
“We would rather die than do that!”
“Why can’t you? You clearly said you would bear the consequences, that you would apologize directly to the families of the victims.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with it. To put it bluntly, if Lady Godmilla hadn’t managed to escape your actions until now, wouldn’t she have become the one to receive a direct apology from the princes? Ah, come to think of it, if it had happened that way, Lady Godmilla herself would be dead, and the apologies would need to be given to her family.”
“But…”
“Yes, I understand. The two princes have surely suffered quite a lot because of Lady Godmilla. Offering an apology makes all those pent-up feelings bubble inside, doesn’t it?”
“If you know that, then why…”
“That’s exactly why you should do it. If the princes sincerely acknowledge the sins they’ve committed so far and truly repent, they must apologize.”
“…”.
The faces of the two princes darkened at my firm statement. Finally, it seemed like they were starting to grasp the hardships they would face ahead.
“Of course, the knights who protect the princes will be dispatched together, so they won’t dare harm you physically. However, Your Highness, just as you have killed palace tutors by various means, there are countless ways for people to torment others without physically touching them.”
“…So, what is the point of me telling this story?”
“That’s why I suggest practicing beforehand, before facing such hardships. You don’t know what embarrassment and difficulty awaits you there, but merely apologizing to Lady Godmilla is already such an easy task. If you can’t even do that much, how do you plan to face each and every one of the families later on? If Lady Godmilla herself had any integrity, she wouldn’t even lift a finger against the princes and would just close her eyes and say sorry.”
“…”
I pushed the hesitant backs of the two princes towards Godmilla.
“Come on, hurry up. This is an opportunity to practice in advance and erase any doubts His Majesty may have in one go. What are you hesitating for?”
“Ugh…”
The two princes finally stood in front of Godmilla. Even though I was behind them, I could clearly see their expressions.
The reluctant princes stood there for a moment, hesitating, but then they tightly closed their eyes. Slowly…
Thud.
“We… truly apologize for everything we’ve done to you…”
“We seek forgiveness for all our actions towards you…”
Kneeling down with bowed head, he apologized to Godmilla in a trembling voice.
Everyone inside the reception room held their breath, waiting for Godmilla’s response.
But no matter how long they waited, they couldn’t hear any answer. The two princes lifted their heads and looked at Godmilla’s face, but tears were streaming down her cheeks.
And moments later,
Christopher, William, Your Majesty, Celenor, Bruce, Michael, Doris…
Tears started flowing from everyone’s eyes except mine.
Watching the people crying and sobbing in the reception room, I felt that the echoing cries finally signaled the end of all this nonsense…
And my own eyes became slightly moist.
**
After everything was over, surprisingly, there weren’t immediate changes.
Everyone continued with their own work and lives.
Except me.
“You, you madman!!!!!!”
“Have you gone insane?!??!”
Because I had heard the story of whipping the princes and making them wet their pants, I was foaming at the mouth, being held tightly by Nirsera teacher and the baffled grandfather.
Well, it ended well, didn’t it?