Episode 63:
The knight who came with the crown prince knelt on one knee and handed the sword to him as if supporting it with both hands.
The crown prince said as he held up the sword.
“Raymond Millennium, be polite.”
As the knight before him did, he put his left knee forward and his right leg back, placed his left hand on his left knee, and lowered his right hand to the ground.
Tuk.
The sword held by the crown prince tapped my left shoulder.
Tuk.
Tap your right shoulder again.
Tuk.
He taps my head and tells me to raise my head.
I accepted the sword he held out with both hands.
“Please take care of me in the future. “Treasure of the kingdom.”
The smile he smiled at me was creepy.
An expression as if looking at someone else’s coveted treasure.
It looked as if the treasure would be taken away at any moment.
That doesn’t mean I should be intimidated.
The more confident you must be.
If you show even the slightest gap, you will be punished.
I made eye contact with him for a moment.
Is it not for nothing that he is not the crown prince? For a moment, an unusual energy emanated from his body.
It wasn’t enough to be called a king, but it wasn’t something that an ordinary person could surpass.
An intimidating feeling that only those who have it can see.
Anyone who sees the crown prince for the first time will be intimidated by the weight and intimidation of the name, even if he is a powerful knight.
“We will try to live up to your expectations.”
He bowed his head slightly and came down from the podium.
I felt a burning gaze on the back of my head, but I tried to ignore it.
Then I looked back at the first princess, who was in the midst of appointing an official wizard.
“…!”
I was a little surprised when I made eye contact with her.
I looked at her calmly.
I thought she would avoid eye contact, but contrary to what I thought, the first princess did not avoid eye contact.
Instead, he looked at me even more blatantly.
‘what.’
Her gaze was so burdensome that I had to turn my head away.
I took the sword the crown prince gave me and immediately returned to my lodgings.
Anyway, I can’t meet the crown prince or the first princess today.
Because they are busy.
You will have to meet me tomorrow.
“You can come visit the prince tomorrow.”
That prediction was not wrong.
The knight who came with the crown prince came to see me and made an appointment with the crown prince.
It was closer to a notice than a promise.
I will tell you the time and place, so come there on time.
It’s royalty. Also the crown prince.
If it weren’t for the nobles of the empire and if I wasn’t Count Millennium, I could do that much.
Although I won’t be able to do that if I become Count Millennium.
I nodded to the driver, saying I understood, and sent him away.
***
The sun was just starting to set.
“young master.”
These days, I often see Alice’s various facial expressions.
What happened this time?
“why.”
“….”
She hesitated to answer for a moment.
Then he took a deep breath and said.
“The First Princess has arrived.”
“…what?”
Why is the first princess here?
When she saw my brow furrowed, she spoke quickly.
“You are currently waiting in the lobby.”
“…what is that?”
Am embarrassed.
How long has it been since the appointment with the crown prince was made before the princess comes to visit?
This smelled bad.
It smelled like it was going to be a huge hassle having to get involved in a power struggle.
In cases like this, it’s best to just ignore it and move on.
‘Of course.’
The problem was that it was the royal family that came to visit me.
If it had been a marquis or a duke, he would have made any excuse to ignore it, but he couldn’t do that to the royal family.
If I made a mistake, they would pick on me and my life could become difficult.
No matter how weak the royal family is and how wary they are of each other.
On the contrary, there were cases where they banded together when there were people who ignored them or were hostile to them.
Serion in the original was like that.
After the crown prince became king, when the protagonist attacked, the princes who had been fighting each other joined forces with the crown prince.
“Why is the 1st princess…”
Is there any reason for her to come to me?
‘Is that really true?’
Suddenly, the auditors came to mind.
The examiners for this test were auditors from the royal family.
Everything they saw and heard will also be included in the royal family.
And in front of them, I showed myself as an impossible cadet.
He faced the troll and showed the sword skill, the symbol of a sword expert.
“What did the atmosphere look like?”
“It seemed a little rushed.”
“It seemed like you were in a hurry?”
“yes. “It felt like I was being chased by someone.”
I was confident in those words.
That was the only reason she came to the academy even while watching the other royals.
Because there is something to be gained by enduring all that.
And what you can get from the academy.
‘I am the only one.’
You might say that this is arrogance.
But this was just telling the truth, regardless of pride.
In the original work, the crown prince and the first prince did not leave the capital for a while.
Academy graduation ceremony?
Of course it didn’t come.
In the first place, unless there was a truly outstanding talent, there was no case of visiting in person.
You don’t have to go looking for them, because they will enter the royal family on their own.
‘But this time it’s different.’
A talent similar to, or even superior to, the Sword Master who went to the Empire appeared.
But they say that talented person is a son of a famous family?
In the Kingdom of Serion, the Millennium Counts were located in a neutral position.
This means that they do not belong to any royal family.
To put it simply, should we call it a ‘dog’ without an owner?
The person who takes possession first is the owner.
“Raymond Yeongsik, no, I guess I should call him Sir Raymond now.”
It is natural that even though he smiles brightly at me, his nervousness is hidden inside.
She already lacked strength.
However, Millennium is a threat to other nobles just by existing.
If she were to fall for the crown prince, it would be impossible for her to even make a comeback.
But what if, on the other hand, I take her side?
Even though I am not Count Millennium.
I am his successor.
If I supported her, it would be like gaining a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses from her perspective.
“What brings you here?”
He brought her into the parlor and served her tea.
She stared at me without even looking at the car.
“Why did you come to see me?”
She opened her mouth at my blunt words.
“I want to have you.”
“….”
What did I hear just now?
Eggplant… What?
She leaned towards me and spoke again, as I was confused.
“Please be mine.”
This is so blatant, so direct.
I had no idea that he would be this bold, so I was worried about how to react.
These questions should not be answered hastily.
If you do it wrong, you could get your nose pierced.
So, you have to be careful about what you say.
“If it’s mine… are you asking me to stand on the princess’s side?”
“yes.”
Daria’s eyes did not waver.
It felt like I had made a very deliberate decision.
“I’m sure you don’t know that our family maintains neutrality.”
“I know. But neutrality can be broken at any time, right?”
It’s not wrong.
There was no particular reason for the Millennium family to remain neutral.
Because there was a lot of caution.
There is definitely a lot to be gained by choosing one side, but on the other hand, the risk is also great.
Count Millennium did not like gambling very much.
That’s why no one chose it.
Although he was a count, he had as much influence as a duke, so he did not pay any attention to the royal family.
It is not for nothing that they are called the two great mountain ranges along with Count Warrug.
‘I have no intention of remaining neutral until the end.’
Although we are maintaining neutrality for now, it cannot last forever.
Although I am strong now and am holding on firmly.
As time goes by, the power will gradually weaken, and since no one side is chosen, pressure will come from all directions.
If that happens, it was only a matter of time before we became isolated and weak.
“But there is no reason for me to cling to the princess.”
However, there is no reason to attach it to the crown prince or other royals.
If I had to choose a side, I would choose the girl in front of me.
And I also thought about meeting him later.
‘But if you say it’s good here, you’re an idiot.’
First impressions are important to everyone.
Moreover, since she knows that I am Raymond, I have to show a strong appearance that will make her forget the rumors.
So what I chose was to refuse her request.
There is help for her, but not now.
“Does that mean I can just accept that you will ignore me?”
But she was no pushover.
From what I said, she caught something that caught me off guard.
Here, ordinary nobles would be puzzled by the word ‘ignore’.
It is impossible for even a noble to ignore the royal family.
Unless you’re so good at politics that you can fill hundreds of snakes inside, or you’re powerful enough to ignore the royal family.
It will be difficult to deal with her.
And unfortunately for her, I am not like those ordinary nobles.
“If you think that way, there’s nothing we can do. To be honest, there is nothing I can gain by joining the princess, right?”
I didn’t need to say it again.
Because the Daria Serion I know doesn’t like lying or spinning around.
“And I already have an appointment. I plan to meet with His Majesty the Crown Prince tomorrow. However, it would be difficult if you suddenly came to me like this without any connection.”
“…!”
Her eyes widened at my words.
The already large eyes grew even larger and began to shake rapidly.
Crown prince.
With that one word, her body relaxed.
She knows it too.
Choosing between the crown prince and yourself is impossible.
Any thinking person, at least someone who can see the current royal family structure, has no choice but to know who to go to.
Because she knows that, she can’t say anything else.
“….”
She looked at me with trembling eyes and then lowered her head.
And he seemed lost in thought as he touched his teacup.
“Then can I consider the business to be over?”
“….”
She still didn’t say anything.
It was clear that he was convinced that I would end up with the crown prince.
That’s why he looks like a loser like that.
And in fact, she would have lost many talents to the crown prince in this way.
‘If I fall over to the crown prince, there is no point in further confrontation.’
It didn’t matter whether I was a sword user or not.
The moment Millennium sides with the crown prince, the power structure that has been maintained so far is broken.
The crown prince’s already strong power will grow even greater.
There was absolutely no way for her to break it at the moment.
I thought I would no longer be able to talk to her.
I couldn’t wait for her forever, so I decided to get up.
“I have a lot to do, so I wake up first….”
“We’re getting married!”
“…yes?”
She dropped a bombshell.
Wow!
As Ellis entered the living room to fill up the tea, the kettle fell from her hand and shattered.