Chapter 17 - A Farce
◆ The Pleasure of the Judicator
From the dark corridor, I could see the brightly lit grand hall of the royal castle below. They probably couldn’t see us from there. The Second Prince, who was to announce the opening of the gratitude banquet, ascended the stage. The usual attendants surrounded him. Normally, each person would have their fiancée by their side, but that wasn’t the case now. Under the light of the magic lamps, the Second Prince, with his shining blonde hair and ocean-like eyes, raised his voice.
"Everyone, let us celebrate our adulthood! From today, you shall swear loyalty to the kingdom and be publicly recognized as nobles who serve His Majesty the King. I expect you to continue striving for the development of the kingdom and strengthening its military. While I wish to deliver a speech of encouragement and expectation for your future success... there is something important I must tell you first!"
He raised his head proudly, and with the aid of amplification magic, his youthful yet resounding voice echoed throughout the grand hall of the royal castle. The Second Prince, a member of the royal family and the one closest to being the Crown Prince. His words, spoken by someone already destined for a bright future, reached the ears of the nobles in attendance—adults who had come of age, along with their families, the very ones who supported this kingdom. The atmosphere was overwhelming. The Second Prince had already begun to exude the dignity of a ruler.
Everyone listened intently to the Second Prince's continued words, and the grand hall was silent, not even a cough was heard. Many serious gazes were fixed on the Second Prince, who stood on the stage. However, some of those gazes carried a certain sense of skepticism.
The reason was that the person who should have stood by his side was absent, and in their place stood a young lady from a vicontiel family, dressed in an extravagant gown. The viscount's daughter looked as though she might burst into laughter. Her expression was a symbol of the failure of her upbringing, revealing her emotions openly. There was a noticeable sense of confusion among those who understood the meaning of her standing beside the Second Prince during such an important royal ceremony, given how insufficient she was in every aspect.
"At the Magic Academy, you must have an engagement to enroll. This rule applies even to royalty. However, it is also possible to annul an engagement while still enrolled if there are issues with the fiancée, as the academy provides time to properly choose a lifelong partner. I too struggled with this. My fiancée, the daughter of the Grand Duke who had supported me since childhood, seemed like a perfect match before enrolling in the academy. But unfortunately, she revealed the arrogance of her noble house. The truth of this was brought to light when she became jealous of the wonderful lady from the viscount's family present here and, unbelievably, tried to have her expelled from the academy. I could not contain my shock and anger at this."
The Second Prince continued speaking in a resounding voice. He was attempting to explain why the viscount’s daughter stood by his side. It was a poor move. Even though it was common knowledge within the academy, it was not something to be discussed during such a public event like the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. And certainly, it was not the kind of thing to be openly stated by the person involved.
Had he consulted anyone? With whose approval had he begun to speak? Was this something decided upon with consensus at the privy council of the government? Those of us seated in the dark corridor, watching the developments unfold, simply observed without a word. I could imagine the thoughts of the noble attendees, the King’s thoughts, and the Queen’s thoughts, surely swirling like a small boat tossed by a violent storm.
Her Grace, seated before me, showed no emotion, quietly gazing at the grand hall. She appeared utterly unfazed, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. I... was left in awe. Even if unjust and baseless dishonor was being thrust upon her, she maintained an unshakable sense of self.
The woman I met that day, on that occasion, in the corridor—nothing had changed about her... She was still as dignified, harsh, and filled with pride. Below us, the Second Prince continued to speak, his words flowing freely. Even in the face of such a situation, I couldn't help but feel deep respect for Her Grace, who remained still and unwavering.
"......The viscount’s daughter has shown me gentle eyes and a heart full of compassion, as I strive to hone my skills to lead this country. Of course, she too has an engagement set. Therefore, I kept a respectful distance in my interactions with her. However, her fiancé continued to neglect her, without even the courtesy of gifts, and repeatedly hurt her. Her lord must have sensed this situation, as they resolved to annul the engagement in an extraordinarily rare move. I say this for her honor. The blame lies entirely with her fiancé, the son of a knightly noble with the lowest rank from a frontier. She bears no fault. He was nothing more than a provincial man. He was only allowed to attend the Magic Academy because of his internal mana. He was nothing but a lowborn man. Someone like him could never be a match for someone as noble, modest, and compassionate as her. No, absolutely not! Therefore, not knowing what kind of disadvantages she might face, I offered her my utmost protection and decided to ensure she received proper training as a lady at the Magic Academy."
It was a self-serving line of reasoning. A narrative built upon blindly accepting what he saw and heard... If he had only listened to the voices scattered around, organized the situation, and disciplined himself, he would have arrived at a different conclusion... But by surrounding himself only with those who affirm his views, and continuing to wield his power in a biased manner, he had become incapable of seeing anything but what aligned with his narrow understanding. His distorted perception of reality blocked him from understanding the true nature of his situation.
What a departure from basic noble thinking. Born into the royal family's golden cage, cradled by golden and silver branches, fed with jewels, the Second Prince must have found the brightly colored caterpillar, before it transformed into the nocturnal butterfly of the wild, far more graceful than anyone he had known before. This was the result of the royal family's failure in their primary education. They raised him with such care that they neglected to teach him to face reality. The golden cage became his only world.
It was truly... truly regrettable. For a man born to the revered King, known as the wise ruler, and the Queen, who stood at the pinnacle of the country's noble women—one who had enjoyed privileges and been granted power from birth—he was... naive. Too naive...
If the Second Prince were to sit upon the throne, the highest seat of this kingdom, with these thoughts and ideas, the future of the kingdom would likely be plunged into dark depths.
It was not hard to imagine that his tendency to swallow sweet words without question, to avoid facing reality, and to make decisions based on the rumors around him, stemmed from lessons he had learned since childhood. His perspective was very narrow. I could see the arrogance of someone who believed that everything he saw was all there was.
Even a lowly noble like me, born into a knightly family at the very bottom, had been taught the common sense of nobility since childhood: to gather information, to imagine the full picture from fragments, to read between the lines of gossip and understand the hidden truths. But it seemed that the esteemed prince had no such understanding.
If that person had ever lived in the frontier, with such limited understanding and knowledge, they would have been constantly exposed to danger. The attacks from monsters and magical beasts would have been the least of their worries. The severed relationships with people, and the lack of privileges when it came to injuries or illness, would have left them vulnerable—likely ignored, in fact. In the frontier, those who didn't listen were met with coldness. Even cooperation would have been a struggle for survival in such a place. No, it would have been impossible. They wouldn't have lasted a year and would have quickly been led into eternal darkness.
--- Without changing my expression, I simply watched this farce with a sense of deep disappointment.
Even when my family was defamed or the frontier was insulted, it was nothing more than the Second Prince’s personal opinion. In fact, there had been no such sentiment among the people gathered in that corridor, including His Majesty. Even the Minister of War had looked at me with a most apologetic expression.
So what if I, an adult noble, was insulted by someone who knew nothing, like a crying infant? I said it plainly: it was foolish to care. ...That fool’s speech still wasn’t over, and he had now shifted his target to Her Grace.
"...... Such a kind-hearted, compassionate young lady, diligently pursuing her education as a lady, was sought to be eliminated by my fiancée. Using her own power and the influence of the Grand Duke's family, she attempted to strip her of the opportunity to study. This was unforgivable and inexcusable. After inquiring with the vicontiel family, I discovered that the Magic Academy had asked whether they intended to withdraw her enrollment. For someone to possess the influence to carry out such a reprehensible act—denying a young lady with Count-level mana the right to study—there could be no one else aside from the royal family but the Grand Duke's family. It was nothing less than opposition to my offer of protection to a lady of fragile standing, who had been scorned by her fiancé. Someone with such a mindset cannot be my consort. Therefore, I will exercise my right as an adult to annul the engagement that has been made to me. This is a legitimate adult right, and justice lies with me. The blame lies with my fiancée and her family, without a doubt. I hereby declare it in this very place. Those capable individuals who serve by my side have also expressed their agreement. Furthermore, their fiancées, following the example of the Grand Ducal lady, have also conspired in wicked plots. Therefore, they too have exercised their rightful adult authority, and their engagements have been annulled. No objections will be allowed from the Grand Ducal lady and her followers. The evidence has been fully submitted to His Majesty the King. Sit back and wait for the decision. Justice has been served! And, my fellow countrymen, on this fine day, let us rejoice together in the defeat of evil. May our kingdom’s future be bright! And let us give thanks to all those who have led us! Now, let the celebration begin!"
The orchestra began to play. The Second Prince, wearing a satisfied smile, looked as if he had accomplished his task. Beside him was the aforementioned viscount’s daughter, standing in a manner that seemed to position her as his fiancée. The gratitude banquet began harmoniously, with the first dance following soon after. The Second Prince, as expected, took the hand of the viscount’s daughter.
Well... I supposed that this was how things had ended. The self-proclaimed close aides had also extended their hands to the viscount’s daughter’s followers—daughters of other baron families. Those around them, though visibly bewildered, had likely accepted this as the inevitable conclusion. They exchanged polite congratulations and offered their blessings to the Second Prince...
This was bad. This was...
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