NOVEL NEXT Chapter 218
Chapter 218. The Beggar Siblings – The Prince and the Princess
Lies?
Leo had no time to answer his accusation. With shocked eyes, he helplessly watched his melting comrade.
However, the person in question remained unfazed. The young man from the Eastern Kingdom with light brown hair looked back at the prince and said,
“Surrounded by Nevis and everyone died? With Lena here? I must have done something wrong, though I don’t know what it is, so I’m sorry…”
“Lev!”
Lev collapsed forward like a puppet with its strings cut. Leo dragged him out of the pool of blood and turned him over, but Lev was no longer of this world.
Ironically, at that moment, cheers erupted.
“Long live!”
“We won! Long live Prince Leo de Yeriel!!”
Wiping his tears and looking up, Leo saw that Oriax had vanished.
Whether Oriax was dead or had simply decided to leave, the giant corpse had turned to ash and scattered away, restoring the bloodied banquet hall to its former state.
The sunlight streaming through the windows was a beacon of light. The hellish scene of maggots crawling and the ground covered in blood and rotting flesh had disappeared.
The only evidence of the fierce battle was the scorched and shattered wooden floor, broken stairs, and the cheering crowd. There were no casualties among the living; all who were injured had been warriors who fell and became part of Oriax, unable to return. Only Lev’s lifeless body remained.
Despite his reluctance, Leo raised his fist high. He fulfilled the desires of the cheering subjects, turning his back on Lev.
Knowing that this was not an eternal farewell… he was able to do so.
“Hazen.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Assess the fallen. I will provide 1,000 days’ worth of pay to the bereaved families, so gather their details and report back.”
“Understood. But what about this body…”
“He is the savior of my life. He will be given a state funeral. See to it that he is… properly cared for.”
Lord Hazen, who had been about to inquire about the identity of the half-melted corpse, fell silent. The prince’s face, smiling at the cheering people, was somber.
Leo approached the exhausted Bishop to check on him. He calmed the cheering soldiers, knights, crusaders, and priests, and then searched for the nobles who had taken refuge and led them out of the banquet hall.
Yet, the ballroom, which should have been empty, was—
“Quickly! The Marquis is injured!”
“Priest! This way!”
—covered in blood. It was not as horrific as the banquet hall before Oriax’s departure, but the limbs scattered around made it resemble a slaughterhouse.
“Lena!”
Leo, startled, urgently searched for his sister. Fortunately, she was unharmed, but Lena sat on the floor crying, while Santian Rauno lay cold and lifeless, having lost both legs.
“Xenia. What happened?”
Leo asked as he comforted his sobbing sister. Xenia Zachary, Lena’s guard, answered while catching her breath.
“There was a fight here as well. Duke Tertan… I am sorry. I was inadequate.”
Xenia explained that Duke Lapert Tartan had suddenly transformed into a monster. This creature, with a bull’s head and a massive axe, had targeted the princess.
With all the knights, crusaders, priests, and royal guards having rushed to the banquet hall, there was no one left in the ballroom to stop the monster. This beast was on a different level from the monsters summoned by Prince Eric, and Xenia could only briefly resist alongside some noble swordsmen and late-arriving royal guards.
“It was by the grace of the heavens that the princess was not hurt…”
“Brother, Tian… Tian said he…”
Xenia made no mention of Santian Rauno. When the princess sniffled and spoke, Xenia added, “Ah, that servant pushed the princess.” — She said it with a tone that was both respectful and indifferent.
After all, he was just a common-born servant who rose to prominence. Xenia looked at the princess, puzzled as to why the princess was so mournful over someone she had treated coldly.
With a sigh, Leo patted his sister’s back. The princess, her makeup smeared and in disarray, wept more sorrowfully in her brother’s embrace.
“Tian… said he loved me. That fool. That stupid, foolish man.”
“…Yes. You were loved. Santian cared for you a lot.”
“I… I…”
The front of Leo’s tunic was soaked with her tears. However, Leo knew that his sister was not to blame.
It is my fault. I thought that killing Prince Eric would solve everything.
Back when he was an apostle of Barbatos, Leo had also ensnared Marquis Guidan with enchantments. He had poured his divine power into it, ensuring that the enchantment lasted long enough to dispel doubts.
Since Eric, now a prince, could not frequently meet with Duke Tertan, he must have taken similar measures with him.
However, Leo did not consider this a serious issue. He had expected that the divine power would vanish with the death of the apostle Eric, and the duke would naturally be freed from the enchantment…
But Oriax had descended.
‘…I am sorry.’
Leo blamed himself for the fleeting realization.
Years ago, when he first met Oriax, Sir Bart had died while trying to kill Duke Tertan. That great knight.
Hazen, under Oriax’s provocation, had run over and informed me. At that time, I was marked and rotting, and Lena was left alone in our hideout in the alley where thugs roamed constantly, so I couldn’t pay attention to his words.
If only I had paid attention to the danger posed by the duke being capable of killing Sir Bart… Leo thought as he hugged his sister.
Lev will come back to life.
Santian too, and the dead knights.
But there was no way to undo the sorrow of his sister who wept in his arms. Lena would remember this as a dream again. His chest felt tight.
After that, Leo was incredibly busy. Having ousted Prince Eric, who had been corrupted by the evil god, he became the master of the palace with the unanimous consent of the nobles, and there was much he had to learn and handle.
He first met with the commanders of the knights, generals, the captain of the royal guard, and the garrison commander of Rutina. He reviewed and praised the knights and soldiers for their efforts and promised substantial rewards to the fallen and the meritorious from ousting Prince Eric.
Then, he realized there were people he needed to meet urgently.
The head steward and the treasurer.
Leo called the head steward and greeted him, requesting his future assistance. He then reviewed the Yeriel royal family’s assets, income, and expenditures.
There was much to verify with his own eyes, but for now, he was satisfied with skimming through the thick ledgers.
Next, he summoned the treasurer, who managed the kingdom’s assets, and received a brief report on the ongoing projects, budget allocations, expenses for the Akinen preparations, the total freight and population distribution of the Conrad Kingdom, and tax revenues.
These were issues that couldn’t be understood without months of thorough review, so Leo demanded a pledge of loyalty from the treasurer.
It was an unusual action for a prince who hadn’t even held a succession ceremony yet. The treasurer, though taken aback, pledged his loyalty, and Leo felt relieved.
“But why are we building a port here?”
Leo asked, pointing to the full map of Conrad Kingdom.
There was a plan to establish a large-scale port in the southeast of the Conrad Kingdom. However, the treasurer only knew how to procure the necessary timber and labor on-site and did not know the reason behind it.
It was a direct order from Prince Eric de Yeriel, and with him gone, there was no way to find out… but while conversing with the many nobles who came to see the prince, a clue emerged.
“It seems that Prince Eric was trying to check Marquis Denis Arne.”
It made sense. Leo nodded.
Marquis Arne, who held the northern frontier of the Conrad Kingdom and controlled the land trade route with the Kingdom of Eisel, had one of the continent’s finest fleets. Naturally, he owned a port and engaged in maritime trade, generating enormous income.
He had opposed Prince Eric de Yeriel’s legitimacy, so it seemed Eric had planned to establish a new port between the Marquis’s eastern port and the southern free port city of Noyar to levy taxes on the southern route.
Marquis Denis Arne is on my side.
Leo canceled the port construction. There were other matters to address with the resources allocated for that.
Buried in paperwork, Leo worked until he slept for two hours. He woke up early, had tea with Xenia, and then attended the nobility succession ceremony (Banun) of Midian Tartan, son of Duke Lapert Tartan.
Duke Lapert Tartan had died, leaving the ducal seat vacant, which was now inherited by Midian Tartan. He acknowledged the crimes committed by his uncle, Prince Eric de Yeriel, and his father and decided to step down from his position as the western frontier lord. It was necessary to decide who would take over that position.
Leo, having attended the Banun, went to meet other members of the royal family. It had been a long time! However, this was not a social visit but a strategic move to solidify his position.
Lena and Leo were indeed first in line for the throne. Prince Eric, born to a concubine, was second.
But they were not the only ones eligible for the throne. There were others in the Yeriel royal family who could claim it, ranked third and fourth. Leo issued subtle threats to prevent any dissent, smiling warmly as he did so.
No one would dare oppose a prince who had returned as a Swordmaster, defeated the evil god, and won the loyalty of the nobles and knights. However, one could never be too sure. Leo realized how delicate and stifling the supreme positions of king and prince could be. Constant vigilance and suspicion of everyone were necessary.
‘I need to declare martial law.’
With the successor changed, the nobles who claimed to support him might still harbor other thoughts. On his way back to the office, Leo changed his course and headed to the Captain of the Royal Guard’s office. He ordered increased security for the palace and then, recalling something, searched the entire palace.
The palace staff included more than just the head steward and treasurer.
There was the judge who assisted the king in overseeing the kingdom’s laws and punishments. The head of protocol managed the royal household’s major and minor affairs alongside the head steward. There were also the master of the stables, who oversaw the royal horses, the master of the hunt, who coordinated royal hunts, the master of the kitchen, and the chief steward of the cellar. He even had to meet with the head maid.
One of these people, who started talking the moment the prince arrived, was the etiquette officer.
“I’ve heard Akinen has been renamed Akinero. Prince, you must hurry. I’ve prepared new formalities, so please try them on and check the updated procedures. Where is the princess? Where is Princess Lena de Yeriel?”
The etiquette officer emphasized the difference between the coronation and the succession ceremony, looking at the returned prince with concern.
He was skeptical if the prince even knew the proper protocols… but, ha! That was something Prince Leo was most confident about.
While sharing accomplishments, Leo Dexter was the best in terms of swordsmanship due to his physical abilities. Hunting skills were Lev’s forte, but in matters of etiquette, Leo de Yeriel excelled. The meticulous etiquette officer was silenced by the prince’s demonstration of the Archean Empire’s formalities.
The etiquette officer then returned to his duties, stating that as long as the prince moved with the princess and her schedule was considered, there would be no issues.
Thus, Leo continued his rounds in the palace. He confirmed that the banquet hall, which had been wrecked during the battle with Oriax, was under repair and turned to leave.
At that moment, he noticed that while the wooden flooring had melted, the wood used for the walls remained intact. Upon inquiry, he learned that the floor was made of ordinary wood, but the walls were adorned with wood treated with ambergris.
Ambergris is the saliva of a whale in this world, called a balaena. Wood treated with it emits a subtle fragrance and is fire-resistant.
Naturally, it is incredibly expensive.
It’s as valuable as gold and, remarkably, was not dissolved by Oriax’s blood. Leo examined the wood thoughtfully and returned to the prince’s office. The documents he needed to handle were piled up as they had been yesterday.
Realizing he might have to pull an all-nighter, Leo felt a wave of fatigue. Remembering the etiquette officer’s advice and needing a break, he got up to visit his sister.
In the princess’s room, Lena was in a state of despair.
Even after entering the palace, Lena seemed unable to focus, lost in thought.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t engaging in conversation. She welcomed her brother and suggested the ‘Count Ropero Family’ as the new western frontier lord.
It was a knightly family that had split from the Tartan Dukedom. Now that she thought about it, wasn’t the name of the captain of the guard who protected Palace Tartan Tadian Ropero? Yes, that seemed right. He was dead now, though.
“Instead of just sitting there, help me out a bit. I’m incredibly busy,” Leo said.
“…Should I?”
After a brief contemplation, Lena nodded obediently. She decided she should do something and settled in Leo’s office.
Yes, working would be better than staying cooped up in her room all day. Leo suddenly recalled how Lena always had to stay in her room.
His sister slept almost half the day. She could sleep all day if she wanted, which might have been her survival strategy for dealing with hunger. She barely exercised…
Right, the only time she exercised was when she learned ‘Hiveruna’ from Santian after joining the Rauno family.
Feeling a bit melancholy, Leo sat at his desk and began processing documents. Lena, seated on a spacious sofa, occasionally took a few documents to read.
“Sign this,” she would say, handing them back. Leo would glance at the content and then approve them.
Scratch, scratch.
In the quiet evening, the siblings diligently worked through the paperwork.
Though they could no longer be called beggars… they split the snacks brought by the maid out of habit, not asking for more.
It was an evening three days before Lena and Leo’s coronation.