Chapter: 615
Rene, feeling uncomfortable being with the queen, slipped out of his office with paperwork in hand, but his hand hesitated, moving only to stop and move again repeatedly.
Usually, this would have taken less than an hour, so why was he hesitating now?
As soon as Rene started to ponder, memories of a long-lost connection came to mind.
“That damn brat.”
When they first reunited at the Partran Festival, he thought she was deliberately ignoring him.
She was someone who had whimsically resolved things her way, misunderstood him, and then just up and left, so he assumed she was flaunting her attitude.
Even after such a long time, the thought of her still irked him, and seeing her laughing with others while leaving him behind only fired him up more. So, he intentionally poked at her to stir up a quarrel.
He had never thought he would lose. After all, she was just a girl who had only recently emerged from confusion for about a year.
In contrast, he had been training tirelessly to become king, so the gap should have been insurmountable.
The only thing he had been pondering after winning was what punishment to inflict on her to make her suffer.
And he lost.
Even now, it made him chuckle in disbelief.
What kind of strategy was that?
Even more ridiculous was the testimony from Lucy Alrn that claimed she usually tackled dungeons like that.
He thought it had to be a trick possible only in mock raids, and he had accepted his defeat because of that, but who would’ve thought she was engaging in her strange antics all the time?
Watching her shine surrounded by her friends made him jealous, but at the same time, it also brought relief.
After everything was over, he had uneasily mentioned the word “debt,” but he had no intention of meeting her again after that.
After so long, what reason was there to bring up the past with someone who had found happiness?
Thinking it through, he knew he had also been at fault for not correcting the misinterpretation when he got riled up; if they were to go their separate ways now, he thought that would be just fine.
A long time later, when he heard whispers about marriage, he realized his mother wanted to place Arthur on the throne.
Arthur was talented and sharp.
His only flaw had been the lack of backing, but since entering the Academy, even that had faded away, so Arthur would undoubtedly be a marvelous king.
Rene had no lingering sentiments toward the throne, so he nodded along without hesitation.
It was at that point he had hoped he might reconcile with that brat.
Perhaps that’s why he felt so emotional watching her retreat in shock, hiding behind Arthur.
No matter how much of a stranger she became, that reaction seemed excessive. It irritated him to see her genuinely despising him.
When he took a stroll with her under the pretense of creating a foundation, he thought she was purposely trying to rile him up so he’d grow to despise her.
Even though he considered her nonsense, he continued to hang around her for that very reason.
He thought if he stayed with her long enough, he could become close again once he ascended the throne.
But—
Ah.
Had she completely forgotten about him?
That brat who had wept so bitterly had somehow erased him from her mind?
After cooling down, looking back on all her previous actions made sense now.
From her perspective, a complete stranger would’ve seemed overly clingy!
Fuming and feeling embarrassed, he huffed, shaking his fist as he thought of her likely living her life just fine.
His complicated feelings were still a mess even now.
With another sigh, Rene set his pen down and leaned back in his chair, voicing into the empty space.
“My state isn’t great, but I’m not so oblivious that I wouldn’t notice something’s up.”
At that, a man appeared from the previously empty wall.
“Isn’t that the guy Karia is teaching?”
“You, the First Prince, know about me? It’s truly an honor.”
“Not necessarily a joyous matter for someone in the shadows. Only someone like Karia could stroll about with their face out in the limelight without a care.”
“It’s fine. I’m quite capable of similar acts myself.”
He had merely covered his face for a moment, yet Alsetin’s features transformed to those of an older man, easily over fifty.
“Well, I am the master’s pupil.”
Rene noted the change in his voice fitting his new appearance and couldn’t help but let out a small gasp of admiration.
“So, what brings you here? Given that you bypassed the palace guards, it must be something important.”
“There are several matters at hand, but the main reason is to check on the First Prince’s safety.”
“An easy way to secure the throne is to eliminate all the other claimants, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Rene revealed a look of disdain and chuckled.
“Then isn’t that contrary to what the First Queen wishes? Various nobles would accuse Arthur of being a kinslayer, and Arthur would naturally act against the First Queen out of hostility.”
Rene didn’t know much about his mother, but one thing was clear.
She was genuinely concerned about the revival of the kingdom. No matter how simple or easy a method might be, if it harmed the kingdom, the First Queen wouldn’t choose it.
“If it were the First Queen, she’d rather give Arthur achievements. He’s already being held back by many nobles. If she gives him a few more after restoring the Fairy Forest, he would naturally participate in the competitive landscape.”
It’s not difficult to direct him towards achievements.
Arthur’s always meddling. If he nudges those around him into sufficiently risky situations, they would naturally gather achievements.
“Speaking of achievements, when was the last time you saw His Majesty the King?”
“I haven’t met him often since his illness worsened, but I’ve visited a few times. Just last Sunday, I confirmed he was sleeping peacefully.”
“Was that truly His Majesty?”
Rene cursed under his breath audibly enough for Alsetin to hear.
“You think I wouldn’t be able to tell that?”
“However, First Prince, according to what my master knows, it’s unusual that His Majesty hasn’t passed away until now.”
“…Explain further.”
“During the time my master was still in the kingdom, His Majesty was diagnosed with a terminal illness.”
Not a lie… it truly wasn’t. The man spoke earnestly.
There was a chance Karia had intentionally provided incorrect knowledge, yet Karia wouldn’t have a motive to create chaos.
Come to think of it, His Majesty had been gravely ill a couple of years ago. He suddenly recovered, and his ministers praised him with excessive flattery.
While he was furious that the succession had been delayed, his façade of a smile was wretched.
“If we assume that’s true, what does it have to do with achievements?”
“Whoever defeats the demon that has taken His Majesty’s life would gain that achievement. The other nobles wouldn’t dare speak easily.”
“Your statement just now. It wouldn’t be enough for an immediate execution.”
“I realize that. However, if you’re to decapitate him, please confirm before you do so.”
Rene, tapping his fingers on the desk, slowly leaned forward.
“Do you think it’s possible to meet His Majesty without the First Queen discovering?”
“I received cooperation from Erginius. I borrowed the power of darkness to conceal our tracks.”
When Alsetin activated the magic in the necklace, his true self suddenly vanished.
In the face of such perfect stealth that left no trace, Rene was shocked, and Alsetin reappeared.
“Will you accompany me?”
“Do you really need me?”
“There’s a purpose behind persuading you as well.”
For now, no one would come looking for them in this room. No one would notice if they took a break.
“Alright. But if what you said was wrong, I’ll hold your master responsible.”
“Your master, you mean?”
“No. I mean Lucy Alrn.”
He couldn’t hold back his irritation. While one person had had a hard time because of him, that brat—blissfully forgetting about him—had no trouble at all.
“She needs to be thrown into more trouble because of you.”
“I’ll do my best if things go awry.”
Hiding in the shadows with Alsetin, Rene was amazed anew that no one in the palace seemed to recognize them.
Wow, you’d expect at least the castle workers to have some level of competence, but they couldn’t pick up on anything peculiar? The power of God is truly something else.
“About this matter…”
As they passed the area where the First Queen was, Rene shrank back for a moment, but the First Queen was only discussing duties with her attendant and didn’t pay them any mind.
Having passed the most dangerous spot without issue, the two soon arrived in front of the king’s chamber.
“Then.”
“Wait. There are several magical barriers on this door. If you touch it recklessly, everyone in the palace will come running here.”
“It’s fine. As you know, the initial design of this palace was by Erginius.”
When Alsetin took a piece of paper from his pocket and pressed it against the door, the myriad of complicated magic placed upon it was effortlessly neutralized.
Feeling the genius who could even defile the gods’ magic right before him, Rene chuckled lightly and stepped into the chamber.
This was a place he had frequented countless times before. The scenery was just as he remembered.
Yeah. This is absurd.
What reason would the First Queen have to disguise His Majesty’s death? There’s no way the First Queen would incite chaos within the palace.
“…It shouldn’t be happening.”
Confronted by the king’s gaunt face, Rene repeatedly checked himself to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating.
And finally, he accepted the reality. There was no way that the majestic Soladin had his life hanging in the balance.
“Then who was it that I saw until now?”
“Isn’t that shock a clue to an achievement?”
“My head hurts. What on earth is going through the First Queen’s mind?”
Rene, shocked to find that his mother had gone beyond his imagination, spun around at the sound of footsteps he heard coming from afar.
The clicking of heels was unmistakable.
“Did you know that I called your name?”
It was none other than the First Queen herself, who had just been discussed.
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