Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: The Crystal Orb's Truth
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"What is this!"
King Sedes slammed the table and shot to his feet as he watched the footage.
Sharp glass shards dug deep into the child's tender palm.
Some among those watching the crystal orb with him gasped in horror, while others turned away, unable to bear the sight.
The child's blood soaked the floor, yet the cold voice droned on.
-How dare a lowly thing glare at me like that.
-….
-What a vicious brat. Not even crying out once.
Lady Sarete sneered those words as she ground her heel in. The mangled hand trembled violently in agony.
The child summoned every ounce of strength from his suckling days and shoved her away.
-Urk!
Lady Sarete tumbled to the floor with a deafening crash. One of the scattered glass shards sliced her hand as it rolled.
That was the very wound she claimed the child had inflicted by swinging a shard at her.
"Th-this…!"
Lady Sarete's face drained of color as she frantically tried to hide her injury, but it was futile.
In the footage, Sarete clawed at her own hair like a madwoman, disheveled her clothes, then suddenly shrieked and bolted from the room.
Servants who rushed in afterward kicked over the still-recording orb, cutting the feed short.
The air in the room turned icy in an instant, and Lady Sarete's face went deathly pale.
'I've been tricked. Tricked from the start… She planned this all along…'
Sarete stole a glance at the queen. Those crimson eyes, usually brimming with boundless warmth, now gleamed with chilling frost.
'N-no, this won't do. I have to… somehow…!'
Thud. Sarete dropped to her knees.
"Y-Your Majesty, p-please hear this old woman's plea just once!"
"Do you have any excuses?"
"I-I admit my wrongdoing, Y-Your Majesty. B-but please know that the footage I showed you holds not a shred of falsehood! I-I've suffered so much too, so that's why… that's why…!"
"…."
"I was wrong… I'm so sorry, Your Majesty!"
Thump. Tears streaming down her face, Sarete slammed her forehead against the floor.
"Your Majesty… This old woman is at fault, yes, but how much must one suffer to resort to this? I bow my head like this, so please, grant me mercy just once."
Ah….
The queen's unexpected words twisted Sarete's face further. It wasn't a defense. It was a warning.
A warning that any more nonsense, any refusal to take full blame, would not be tolerated.
She glanced around. Eyes full of contempt stared back. Bitterness welled up in her throat.
'How can you abandon your nursemaid like this? After all I've done for you!'
She wanted to scream it, but in the end, she could only spit out the words those crimson eyes demanded. After all, the wicked child was one she had raised herself.
"So much resentment had built up… I hated that child so much. Forgive me, forgive me."
"…How dare you. Imprison this criminal who deceived royalty."
King Sedes's golden-yellow eyes blazed fiercely. Sarete's bloodless face now looked ashen gray.
The guards surrounded the sinner.
Nihil, confirming Sarete being dragged away by the guards, removed the hand covering Lianus's eyes. Then he shot a glance at his friend's father.
Sedes, still fuming, added to his words with a faintly awed expression at the boy's cunning.
Yes, there was good reason for enduring even after securing the orb.
"Until the investigation of the criminal Sarete is complete, Queen Helia shall reflect in the cold palace."
"Apparently, the item Lady Sarete shattered from the beginning wasn't a magic tool at all—just an ordinary glass orb. It seems she intended to give it to Your Highness as a gemstone, either as an apology or to escape that situation."
"…I see."
"Yes. The recording orb found in the reception room looks like the one the child pocketed in place of the broken glass orb."
"…Right."
Sedes gave a half-hearted reply, unnerved by the meticulous scheming of his son's friend.
"He must have carried it around in his pocket like a treasure of his own, so it's a shame it got broken. We can't return the orb since it's evidence…."
"…."
Sedes inwardly seethed at the subtle wave of sympathy for his son's friend drifting through the room.
No matter what, that glass orb wasn't some treasure. The real treasures were probably those trifles like bookmarks and string bracelets.
"We still haven't figured out why the orb was there in the first place."
"Ah, it might be mine."
"Pardon?"
Abel, who had been listening to the report in the office, replied sheepishly.
"Haha, I lost it a while back."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Just return it to me once the investigation's done."
"Understood."
Since most magic tools in the main palace had passed through Abel's hands, the guard captain nodded without suspicion and withdrew.
Clank. As the office door shut, Sedes let out a deep sigh.
"…You can come out now."
At the command, a shock of white hair popped out from under his desk.
The fearless child who had sneaked into the king's office stretched languidly before flopping onto the sofa.
How startled he'd been upon returning from lunch to find the kid huddled under his desk.
Sedes smoothed out the slightly wrinkled cloak—rumpled from the boy's fidgeting—and broached the subject.
"…Where's the prince that you came alone?"
"He's napping right now. Kids grow best with plenty of sleep, you know."
"Napping?"
"Yeah. He hasn't been sleeping much lately with all his studying. He's probably hugging his stuffed dolls tight. Used to be just Poofu, but lately he makes sure to include Popo so it won't feel lonely."
Ah, Popo was the rabbit doll's name. His son's nanny—no, friend—chuckled as he said it.
"More importantly, I came to ask a favor."
Sedes couldn't hide his uneasy expression at those words.
"…Can't you see how much more work you dumped on me?"
Sedes eyed the papers piled higher than usual. With the queen in confinement, all her duties had landed on his desk.
"About hiring servants for Wernus Palace this time."
"…You're not even pretending to listen."
He grumbled about how unfair it was, but thinking of the prince sleeping with his dolls in a tight embrace softened his face on its own.
Come to think of it, there were several bookmarks presumed to be the prince's handiwork. Maybe ask for just one.
"…That's why I want to lend a hand."
"With what?"
"Father, focus on the conversation."
"…Sorry."
Sedes racked his brain, momentarily forgetting what he'd been saying, then spoke up.
"Ah, right—the Wernus Palace servant hiring. Since the queen's confined anyway, it shouldn't be too hard…."
As he spoke, an odd feeling crept in. Managing inner and outer palace staff was the queen's role, and for underage princes, servants inevitably went through her as well.
That's why he hadn't allowed extra hires for the 2nd Prince's Palace and instead assigned reliable servants from his own palace….
"…This is why you took the risk to sideline the queen."
The boy's lips curled into a sly grin.
A chill ran down Sedes's spine.
"Sister, hear me out!"
"Abel, why are you acting like such a child lately!"
Amanda frowned at her younger brother, who had shown up at the Tarandrus Count's townhouse early in the morning, throwing a tantrum.
"They're recruiting servants for the 2nd Prince's Palace right now."
"Oh? His Highness must be doing much better."
"That's not the point. Nil asked His Majesty for just one squire."
"And what of it?"
"He's talking about sending our eldest nephew as a sacrifice—no, as a squire. He's turning sixteen this year—perfect age."
Amanda bristled at that.
"What good is sending a boy with bad legs? And Abel, this isn't the Bridged Marquisate. It's the Tarandrus Countship. I can't just do as I please. If you want to support the 2nd Prince, get married quick and send one of your own kids."
"That's what I want too! But kids don't pop out the moment you marry."
He'd suggested adoption to Nil, only to get rejected. Abel pouted as he grumbled.
To be precise, he'd proposed raising twins. Nil had refused adoption with elegant poise.
Tap, tap.
Just then, a boy descended the stairs, leaning on a cane.
"Uncle, you're here."
Abel pondered deeply at his nephew's stiff greeting. Nil liked small, cute things, but his nephew was… hmm….
"Nephew."
"Yes."
"What color ribbon do you like?"
"Pardon?"
"I think you really need a ribbon."
"…Yes…?"
"Jain bro! Sweep your hair back neater!"
"B-but it'll look too f-fierce…."
Jain hesitantly let his bangs fall back down after Dave flicked them up. His narrow, upturned eyes often made him look fierce, drawing unwanted trouble.
"No way! Clean and neat is the best!"
"Yeah, Jain. Hair up suits you."
With Yvon chiming in, Dave confidently swept Jain's hair back again and checked his outfit.
"Whoa! Bros, you look so cool dressed up like this! Good call submitting those applications on a whim. How'd we all get rejected except one?"
"Haha, Dave, we only passed the paperwork. We might flop the interview today."
"Still! Oh, where's it at?"
"Uh… 8th Street Opera Hall."
"Opera hall? I thought I'd never even see one in my lifetime…."
"M-me too. B-but what's W-Wernus?"
As Jain furtively lowered his bangs again, Dave swept them up and answered.
"Hey, no dropping them. Isn't it the opera hall's name?"
"Th-then it's just c-cleaning the h-hall or c-carrying stuff, r-right? Wh-what if they ask us to s-serve or something? Of c-course p-passing comes f-first, but…."
Jain kept rubbing his chest, tension unrelenting.
"Jain bro, you wrote about your stutter on the form, right? Don't worry too much."
"Yeah, Jain. Worst case, we fail… Honestly, I'm more scared of Nil chewing us out. Spent a ton on these clothes."
Dave jumped at the needless worry.
"He said 'use it when you need it'! This is do-or-die for our futures! When else would we use it? Oh, thanks for my clothes too."
Dave straightened his own outfit as he spoke. He hadn't expected his application to pass paperwork, not meeting a single requirement.
Of course, it wasn't mere coincidence.
Dave fidgeted nervously, his freckles twitching.
"Yvon, good luck. I'll watch the kids."
"Yeah, Marie, thanks. You might've had a shot if you'd applied too…."
"I can't even read yet. Teach me letters when you get back."
"Y-yeah! I will!"
"Bro, hurry. The coachman's waiting."
Dave dragged the blushing Yvon into the carriage.
Was it the cheapest carriage, or were they all this bumpy? The hard seats made his butt ache with every jolt.
Still, peering out from the carriage, something swelled in his chest.