chapter 12
It was the first time.
Reinhardt didn’t avoid his eyes.
So it seemed like it was the first time we met face to face.
‘Do not avoid Jim’s eyes…’
Eyes as black as ink, black hair.
Features that resemble the empress as it is.
On the other hand, Reinhardt had nothing in common with him.
Unlike the other princes, everything about Reinhardt was slow from a young age.
Talking and learning, everything was far from normal for the crown prince.
―Aren’t you autistic?
―They said he wasn’t the emperor’s real son.
People in the imperial family whispered.
After the death of the empress, it was common to openly ignore it.
Emperor Deus also did not like Reinhardt.
Even more so after he installed that child who cried at the mere sight of him as the crown prince at the request of the nobles.
‘Was it this clear?’
Reinhardt’s eyes, he remembered, were always cloudy.
It was blurry and lacking energy.
However, the current Reinhardt had more intense momentum than anyone else.
do not avoid
Again, he even had some leeway.
I know people who have those unique eyes.
It is a human who once rose to the top of all people.
No matter what it was, Reinhardt had a gaze that only those who reached the peak could see.
So Deus was silent.
It was for this reason that the entire process was tolerated.
‘This must also be a fleeting whim.’
But people don’t change overnight.
This is especially true for those traits that are inherently possessed.
It can be temporarily alleviated, but not cured.
The ability to alleviate the runaway may have been due to that madness.
Of course, it was better than the prince who had no ability.
“It’s noisy.”
The emperor summarized the situation in one word.
Noisy and cluttered.
Then, he looked at the princes and said.
“Today’s event was very impressive to Jim as well. The kingdom’s future is bright. Especially the first prince, Launel.”
1st Prince, Launel.
A person with the strongest talent as a commander who leads the Phoenix Knights.
With an excited expression, Launel turned his gaze to Deus.
Deus then opened his mouth.
“Apart from sleeping time, I heard that you only focus on training. Proud of you.”
“·······! I will work harder, Your Majesty!!”
“I will specially open the Imperial Palace Secretariat. Take whatever you want.”
“thank you!!”
boom boom First Prince Raunel’s excited voice spread throughout the palace.
face flushed red. They were at a loss for what to do with the emperor’s praise.
Besides, the imperial palace is a warehouse that only the best of all the treasures of the continent are collected.
Treasures accumulated over hundreds of years.
A place with an iron wall that has never allowed an outside intrusion ever since it was built!
My heart couldn’t help but tremble at the thought that I could take anything I wanted from there.
The emperor shifted his gaze to the second prince.
“Second Prince, Kazan. You still look like you’re bothered by everything.”
“No, Your Majesty. I am very excited about what he will give me.”
“Your straightforward personality is still the same. good night. In particular, I will give you the ‘Wind Gem’ as a gift. It will help me a lot to get to the 7th circle.”
“ah······! Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Kazan’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected to give it away.
The Jewel of Wind is a treasure among treasures that the first emperor received as a gift from the King of Spirits.
Now that the relationship between the spirits and humans has been severed, it was certain that it was the greatest treasure among the spirits’ items remaining in mankind.
Then, looking at Carmon, who was being examined by the doctor, the emperor said.
“Third Prince, Carmon. I was greedy, but the effort was imaginary. If you hold up a staff called ‘seeker of light’ and devote yourself to it, this kind of misfortune will not happen.”
“Heavenly grace, I will never forget. your majesty.”
Empress Josephine bowed her head in response.
Carmon was in a state of fainting and could not answer.
It seems like a small reward compared to the two princes, but ‘The Seeker of Light’ is an item that has not yet revealed all the secrets in the imperial family.
If the secret was revealed, it could have been better than the reward of the two.
last.
The 4th prince, who couldn’t even demonstrate, had a tearful expression.
“Jim will separately confirm the achievements of the 4th prince. So don’t be sad.”
“Yeah······.”
“In return, I will give you the ‘Ice Bird Egg’ I brought from the ‘North Sea Palace’. Take good care of it and raise it.”
“oh! like!”
The young 4th prince’s face widened as if he had never been in tears.
The ice bird is a “mythical species” that is rare on the continent.
A monster that is said to be the last vestige of a spirit.
If you can nurture and nurture it, you won’t fall for any treasure.
The present ceremony of the princes was over.
“And.”
However, there was still one left.
“Crown Prince, Reinhardt.”
This place is not only for the people of the imperial family, but also for the owners of the mage tower.
No matter how talkative the prince was, didn’t the emperor directly appoint him?
If you just ignore it, the foundation of the empire may collapse.
“The process of stopping Carmon’s runaway and healing the owner of the Ice Tower was quite impressive.”
But what to give.
The ability to stop the runaway was nothing compared to what other princes showed.
It may be a strange scene to the wizards in the closet, but the emperor was in a dominant position even though he dealt with all mysteries.
I was tired of seeing that level of mystery.
‘It’s a reward.’
It was the first time giving a prize to the crown prince.
This itself was the biggest mystery to Deus.
So I had no choice but to worry.
To give or not to give.
If you have to give, what should you give?
‘That would be nice.’
***
next day.
On the promised third day, Isabella got into the imperial carriage leaving.
“majesty. Are we still friends?”
The word friend was very awkward.
There has never been a person as close as that.
At least, if there was a character like a friend, Jeremin was everything.
“Since you kept your promise, I will keep my promise too.”
It sounds like we’re still friends.
She was called a saint by the people of the past.
sword maiden. Among the sword masters, there were only two women including her.
If he had properly learned the sword, he would have been reborn as the strongest faster.
In addition, the county of Versailles had enough power to enter the central political world if it had not been for the great famine and wounding me.
Perhaps that will come soon too.
The imperial family like a barren land. There was nothing wrong with making ‘my side’ like this.
“Don’t be prejudiced, Your Highness. Your Highness is a greater person than anyone else.”
But what about those eyes?
Perhaps because of the influence of watching me from the side for the past three days, the way she looked at me was very different.
The cold eyes were full of warmth.
Do they think of each other as comrades fighting against the prejudices of the world?
“You too.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
It is the eyes that are determined to do something.
I felt the determination of the struggle to fight back.
Looking at my actions for the past 3 days, I seem to have realized something important.
After exchanging good-byes, Isabella fully loaded herself into the carriage.
‘I’ll see you again soon anyway.’
Now that the worst things in the past were gone, the only thing left for Isabella and the Countess of Versailles to take flight.
When they enter the central political world, they will inevitably encounter them.
If not, we could have met sooner if I had risen to the social scene.
anyway.
‘Looks like his eyes are increasing.’
eyes looking at me
More and more people were looking at me for various reasons and opinions.
And among them were wizards.
Wizards hadn’t left the imperial family yet.
The reason they don’t leave isn’t simply to pass the time with the princes.
Wizards are calculating beyond imagination.
Would such people remain in this boring imperial palace for no reason?
‘You must want to know the secret to mitigating the congestion.’
One, two, I see them sneaking around me.
If I wasn’t the crown prince, I would have already been kidnapped.
No, if this place wasn’t the imperial palace, they could have kidnapped the prince or whatever.
I planned to take advantage of their impatience, to inflate rumors with a line.
Afterwards, those who understand each other will hope to meet me.
This was the only way to create a ‘complete side of me’ that no one of the imperial family and nobility could reach.
For him, I planned to pretend to go for a walk, stop somewhere, and create a routine to give wizards a chance to contact them.
However, there were other things to do.
Putting the shackles on Empress Josephine in the name of healing Carmon.
And.
‘······ I was given something troublesome as a present.’
Recalling the emperor’s gift, he shook his head.
―Prince, Reinhardt.
I never thought he would call me and proceed with the peddling with the other princes.
It was unexpected, but it must have been that the Mage Towers were paying attention.
―Please give me the key to the high-class convict ward.
The problem was content.
It’s called a key, but strictly speaking, it’s an authority.
All of a sudden, he entrusted me with the authority to manage the high-level convict ward.
‘The most dangerous place in the empire.’
It was like a hellfire pit where anyone from the imperial family would be reluctant to even get involved.
What was the Emperor’s intention for giving me such a place?
There is an intention hidden in every word and action of the emperor.
For example, the reason why the imperial palace was opened to the first prince was to check his eyesight.
Giving the Jewel of Wind to the 2nd Prince was also to show his passion and inquisitive spirit.
Because both were lacking.
However, he gave me the key to the express convict ward.
‘Leave the madman to manage the madmen. Interesting.’
You mean kill each other so that only the strongest madman survives?
no.
The Emperor was testing me, my worth.
‘It might be a gutter for someone, but.’
A smile came out of nowhere.
Even if you gave it a hand, there would be no resistance from other members of the royal family.
It must have been just thrown into a suitable test place.
‘It’s the greatest gift to me.’
The key to this prison cell was a much more valuable treasure than the gifts of other princes.
< Nongonghaengsang > End