Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: The Usefulness of Spare Princes
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‘Let’s see. They really are a diverse-looking bunch.’
The Third Imperial Prince, Yursil Calem, was a man with long, flowing golden hair. Though in his mid-thirties, he possessed a striking appearance and a cold, charismatic aura. The inorganic look in his eyes as he surveyed the people made him seem very much like a son who resembled the Emperor.
‘This one seems to have inherited the Emperor’s temperament directly.’
Following him was the Fifth Imperial Prince, Eyorn. In a word, he gave off the impression of a ‘rebel’ or a ‘wild man.’ Standing nearly 190 centimeters tall, his russet-brown hair was tied back, his shirt and outer garments were left open, and his gait was entirely his own. Seeing him act like this even in his thirties suggested he was a stubborn, unyielding character.
‘…That one, on the other hand, seems to be the type who extremely dislikes the Emperor. Well, it’s probably also a rebellion against the lack of freedom that comes with being a prince…’
The fate of princes who are not the heir is, in many ways, like a chicken rib—useless yet not entirely disposable.
Daughters could be sold off as high-quality goods to other noble families, but sons were different.
They needed to exist as a ‘reserve’ in case the firstborn died, but they could also become ticking time bombs capable of shaking up the succession and political power structures at any moment.
So, in a way, they needed to be controlled even more strictly than the heir in terms of education and duties. They couldn’t be allowed to be completely incompetent, but if they became too capable, they could threaten the heir’s position—a headache-inducing problem. Moreover, the princes themselves suffered immense stress, often leading to them becoming twisted like this.
‘Anyway, a classic case of imperial rebellion… and the last one is… hmm.’
Trailing behind them, the Seventh Imperial Prince, Ajac Calem, entered not on his own feet but seated in a wheelchair pushed by a maid.
Oddly enough, there always seemed to be at least one sickly type among the imperial family. In truth, at the commoner level, those born sickly usually died before reaching proper maturity, making it a rare occurrence.
The imperial family, however, could afford to have priests on hand and ensure proper meals and sleep, providing good nutrition. That was the only reason someone so frail could survive.
‘He looks… quite gloomy. Well… that’s to be expected. Reminds me of our Emperor from the old days.’
Combining the stress of being a spare prince with the stress of a frail body resulted in a doubly painful case, so it was understandable he’d be gloomy.
Beonald recalled the Emperor of the Unified Empire from his past, whom he had carried on his back while clutching his lifeline—a man lacking in confidence, incredibly timid and weak. He remembered all the hardships he endured just to prop up that man’s rock-bottom self-esteem.
‘…I don’t want to go through that suffering twice. Sigh~’
After the princes’ procession ended, the Third Prince, Yursil Calem, waved his hand and declared that the party could resume. The nobles, who had been standing in a line offering respectful bows, scattered and began enjoying the party once more.
“Hmm, seeing that Crown Prince Joan did not attend, it seems he doesn’t consider this a very important matter.”
“Indeed. It appears he values the Boeln family only to that extent…”
Beonald, along with Kedron, also noted that while imperial princes had come, the Crown Prince had not. They were discussing the Boeln family’s treatment and the political calculations involved, preparing to move on, when suddenly two figures broke away from the prince’s entourage and dashed toward Beonald.
“Hey! Wait a moment!”
‘…Yikes!’
Halted by the voice calling them, Beonald and Kedron saw the Fifth Prince, Eyorn, running toward them, followed by the Seventh Prince, Ajac, being wheeled in his chair.
Beonald sensed something troublesome, but he couldn’t refuse a prince’s summons. He stopped and, together with Kedron, offered a proper bow to greet the two princes.
“Wow! It’s really true! What the head butler said was real! The hero of that duel—‘Beonald’—is at this boring party!”
“P-please… give me your autograph.”
‘Ah… damn that head butler! He’s really screwing me over twice as hard!’
The Fifth and Seventh Princes, upon seeing Beonald, raised their voices in excitement as if meeting a star they admired. They were still imperial family members, rotten or not, and their actions drew people’s attention. Being unable to refuse made the situation even more awkward for Beonald.
“I am deeply sorry.”
“Come on, don’t be so stiff. I’ll treat you, let’s go for a drink. That duel! It was truly amazing! And making that old man pull a face like he ate shit—how satisfying was that! Hahahaha!”
‘It seems… they liked that I screwed over the Emperor.’
It was roughly the logic that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
These spare princes must have spent their entire lives under the Emperor’s strict control for the sake of power balance. Even their movements and residences weren’t free, so resentment toward the Emperor would have inevitably built up.
And into that painful daily life appeared Beonald. His fight, like a drama or movie, was interesting, but above all, the ending where he gave the Emperor a massive screw-over must have been moving to them.
“It was seriously awesome! That old man, his face turning pale, sweating bullets, floundering around! And that constipated look while he was agonizing! Hahahahahaha! The best! It was the best!”
‘Ah… so they watched from the imperial spectator seats.’
Searching his memory, Beonald recalled that both of them had indeed been seated in the spectator area packed with imperial family members during the duel.
Anyway, agreeing with such statements would be imperial slander, a very sensitive topic for the imperial knights standing behind them. So, he first tried to gauge the situation.
“That… even so, speaking that way about His Imperial Majesty… might not be appropriate. Moreover, I did not commit my acts with the intent to insult His Majesty…”
“Enough. Giving him this much trouble is good for that old man anyway. A rogue prince, how great is that? Doesn’t hinder power, good to use as a discard piece if needed. So I’m just collecting the price in advance!”
‘…Hmm, a rough-looking fellow, but his mind seems to work.’
The Fifth Prince appeared frivolous and coarse on the outside, but Beonald realized that was actually a wise attitude.
Since his position was inherently unfree and unlikely to change without a sudden accident or miracle, he had decided to enjoy himself to the fullest within the limits possible.
This was also a form of savvy social maneuvering. Should any power struggles or covert fights arise around him, he could survive.
“Um… um… please, your autograph.”
“Ah, of course I’ll give it to you, Your Highness. But where should I sign…?”
“Anywhere… is fine. By the way… it was such a shame. If… if only you had a proper sword, you could have defeated the Kmel family heir…”
“Yes. I think so too, it was truly regrettable.”
Unlike the Fifth Prince, the Seventh Prince seemed to genuinely admire Beonald, who had fought his way up fiercely despite an unstable bloodline and position.
Children like the Seventh Prince, who couldn’t live normal lives or be active, often tended to admire heroes who overcame adversity. Most such heroes existed only in fairy tales, folklore, or novels, and the Seventh Prince, spending much of his life in bed, likely had read many such stories.
“N-next time! Next time, I hope you win for sure.”
“I certainly intend to, Your Highness.”
“Come on! Anyway, let’s go for a drink! Ajac likes you too, so we should talk more! Wahahahaha!”
Prince Eyorn, the Fifth Prince, threw an arm around Beonald’s shoulders without hesitation, trying to pull him along. However, Beonald had his original purpose for being here today and needed to assist Kedron, so he immediately refused.
“But this is a place to celebrate Marquis Boeln’s birthday…”
“It’s fine. My elder brother Yursil will handle those trivial duties.”
“And I am also here in an official capacity to support the Valderian family…”
Beonald hurriedly tried to send a distress signal toward Kedron, but he too couldn’t treat the Imperial Family recklessly. Moreover, his purpose for coming to the Boeln Family was different, so he seemed ready to hand Beonald over obediently to facilitate his own escape.
“I am fine. You attend to Their Highnesses. I must offer my birthday congratulations to Marquis Boeln. You can return separately later, so serve them well.”
“Great, permission granted, so let’s go! Ajac! You come too!”
“Yes, Brother!”
‘It was sudden and surprising, but thinking about it, this is a good turn of events.’
Outwardly, he pretended to be troubled, but inwardly, it wasn’t a bad development at all.
Spare or not, imperial family members were still imperial family. Becoming friendly with them held no downside.
Even if the princes themselves were useless, the imperial knights attached to them had plenty of potential value. Beonald decided to follow them, putting on an air of reluctant acceptance.
In this world, not all emotions are positive.
Just as there were people who admired Beonald’s actions, there were also those who disliked him, whether out of inferiority complexes or other reasons.
So when coming here today, Beonald had been on guard against such individuals and made some preparations. Fortunately, thanks to the Valderian family’s backing, he hadn’t been harmed. However, seeing him walk off with the princes, those who found him distasteful began to whisper.
“Look at that rootless fellow, mingling with the princes just because he gained a bit of fame.”
“It’s truly sickening. They are people we cannot even speak to casually… and he has the audacity, with his mixed blood of lowly mercenaries!”
“I really don’t understand why people are so enthusiastic. In the end, it’s just a lowborn like him being presumptuous before Her Highness the Princess.”
“It’s simply infuriating. Isn’t there any way to deal with him?”
Beonald’s story, viewed deeply, was indeed a moving romance. But viewed superficially, it could be talked about just as the gossiping nobles above were doing.
In truth, they weren’t incapable of understanding the story in depth. But as legitimate nobles themselves, they found it extremely grating that he—who dared to act presumptuously before high nobles they themselves could not even look at directly, and who even stood defiant before His Imperial Majesty—continued to exist.
“You’re right. But with the Valderian family backing him… I don’t see any way to act.”
“But isn’t it also true that we can’t just leave him be? If one day he suddenly receives a higher title or becomes the son-in-law of some high noble, we’d never be able to hold our heads up for the rest of our lives.”
“Ah! Sir Escal! So the Kmel family can’t just watch quietly either, I see.”
A handsome young man joined the group of nobles muttering intently. With long, glossy brown hair, captivating eyes, and a beauty mark, this man was Escal Kmel, a member of the same Kmel family as Lloyd.
In his mid-twenties, this man handled the major affairs of the Kmel family as a noble house, while most of the family were swordsmen and knights. He had brought Kmel family knights as his escort.
“Yes. Although the outcome ended favorably, it is a fact that our Kmel family’s prestige fell because of that one fellow. That shocking five consecutive losses stemming from him alone—it truly is a heartbreaking, bitter matter.”
“Ah! That’s right!”
“I didn’t expect to meet him here today. Truly, there’s no worse kind of ill fate. Anyway, I have no intention of sitting idle, so don’t worry.”
“Hohoho, as expected of the Kmel family!”
“Conversely, it’s also a good opportunity to restore the Kmel family’s prestige. Hehehe. So, I’ll go learn more about him for now. Have a good party~”
Escal Kmel parted from the nobles gossiping about Beonald with a smile, then looked toward where Beonald’s group was.
A drinking scene was unfolding, with the Fifth Prince, Eyorn, making a boisterous racket while Beonald and the Seventh Prince played along.
Watching this, his eyes filled with ambition and cunning as if he had found excellent prey, he approached them and initiated conversation.