Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Sometimes a Gentle Appeal is Stronger than a Sword (2)
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As time passed, more and more people came to visit my palace.
Among them were minor lords from the provinces and even some of the great lords who were now few and far between in the kingdom.
And because of them, my life became incredibly hectic.
Deep down, I wanted to chase away every last visitor, but I couldn't bring myself to treat them so coldly.
Half of those who sought me out were fathers who had entrusted their children to me, and the other half were comrades who had shared life and death with me in the recent war.
If the nobles, who knew my temperament to some extent, hadn't kept their greetings brief and excused themselves quickly, I would have bolted from the palace long ago.
"No, seriously, should I just sneak away?"
I began to seriously consider it.
I had to escape. Hide out in the north for a while and return once things settled down.
I thought it was a pretty good solution, all things considered.
In fact, I even put the plan into action.
Late at night, I quietly slipped out of my chambers.
And just as I was about to scale the wall,
"His Highness the Crown Prince has gone missing!"
A familiar voice rang out from inside my palace, a step too late.
"He can't have gone far yet!"
It was Kals.
"Send the signal!"
At that moment,
Bwooooooo.
A horn blast echoed, the kind you'd hear on a battlefield.
Fwoosh.
At the same time, lights flared up all around.
"All knights to your positions!"
"Inform the gatekeepers to seal all the palace gates!"
The Royal Knights and palace guards bellowed at the top of their lungs, their shouts piercing my ears.
"Find His Highness!"
Among them was the dignified voice of the Captain of the Royal Knight Order.
It was like a war zone.
"We've found His Highness!"
While I stood there dazed, the Royal Knights spotted me and shouted.
And so my first escape attempt ended in failure.
I didn't give up and tried again.
And failed again.
The second attempt failed due to a magical security measure I hadn't anticipated at all.
The third was blocked by the Captain of the Royal Knight Order and the other mentors.
The fourth didn't even get off the ground because the Royal Knights were watching me without sleeping.
A multilayered net of surveillance involving every mentor in the kingdom.
It was absurd.
I couldn't tell if I was in the palace or right in the heart of enemy territory.
But the truly absurd part was something else.
"How could you do this to me?"
I trembled with a sense of betrayal.
Standing before me were Arwen and that Ilai bastard.
The disciples I had raised myself, the traitors who had stopped me on my second attempt.
"I'm sorry."
"What choice did we have when His Majesty issued the order himself?"
Arwen bowed her head deeply and simply apologized, while Ilai shamelessly blabbered on.
I looked at them and let out a sigh.
Scolding them now wouldn't change anything.
As they said, the King had personally issued a royal decree.
Besides, every one of my failed plans was my own fault.
Trusting the rigid Kals too much. (First failure)
Bringing the White Tower mages into the palace. (Second failure)
Raising Arwen and Ilai to master level. (Third failure)
"This is all karma."
Self-inflicted wounds, indeed.
That day, I promised my knights there would be no more escape attempts.
Of course, if I was truly determined to leave, nothing could stop me. But slipping through a net that included my mentors without causing a fuss was impossible, even for me.
In other times, I wouldn't have cared about the commotion, but right now, foreign envoys were visiting the palace.
Brawling with my own knights like a madman would only tarnish the kingdom's dignity.
It was laughable for me, who had already caused several disturbances, to worry about the kingdom's image now.
Regardless, I gave up on escaping, and the palace regained its peace.
Time slipped by helplessly.
Finally, the banquet was just one day away.
"His Majesty requests Your Highness's presence."
That's when the King summoned me.
He wouldn't meet me no matter how much I asked, but now he wanted to see me.
I headed straight to the King's chambers.
"Have you eaten? If not, join me."
The King acted as if nothing had happened, utterly shameless.
I wanted to confront him right then, but I decided to sit first.
I was hungry anyway.
I could protest afterward.
The King and I quietly focused on our meal.
"Thank you, Ian."
When I had nearly emptied the plates in front of me, the King finally spoke.
"I'm sorry for pushing ahead without asking your opinion."
I looked up to see the King gazing at me with an unusually gentle expression.
"But I could no longer leave the position of Crown Princess vacant."
He went on to explain that after brushing with death, he had come to realize the importance of securing the line of succession, and that as both a father and a monarch, he had no choice.
"So all I ask is that you understand my feelings this time."
The man who once would have lectured me about the Crown Prince's duties without a care for my wishes was now earnestly pleading with me.
My words caught in my throat.
I couldn't even voice the protests I had prepared.
The King continued persuading me for a long while after that.
He wasn't asking for much, just that I find a suitable match to solidify the royal family's future.
All of it was hard for me to accept right now.
"I know what you're thinking. Given your nature, you'll keep roaming the battlefields. And if something goes wrong, you won't want to leave anyone behind without taking responsibility—that's why you're avoiding marriage."
The reasons differed slightly, but it overlapped somewhat with my own reluctance toward connections I couldn't be responsible for.
"If it's too burdensome, think of it as a political alliance. Your partner will see it the same way."
The King shifted his approach, persuading me patiently.
When I still didn't respond, he offered a compromise.
"Just sit there and watch, nothing more."
I knew this was the utmost concession he could make, so I couldn't refuse.
"I'll just watch. If there's no one to my liking..."
"I won't force you."
With that, I rose from my seat.
Staying longer might invite more annoyances.
As I hurried out of the King's chambers and headed back to my palace, I suddenly stopped and looked back.
"I feel like I got played."
For some reason, it felt like everything had gone according to the King's plan.
"Ah, whatever."
He said just sitting would be enough, so I'd just sit and leave.
With that thought, the lingering unease faded a bit.
Marquis Villepeldt visited the King's chambers.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Villepeldt requests an audience."
When the Royal Knight announced him, the King personally opened the door.
"Your Majesty."
The Marquis bowed reverently, all while subtly gauging the King's expression.
The King looked extremely pleased.
No wonder he came out personally to open the door.
"It seems the talk went well."
"I got him to agree to attend the banquet, so half the battle is won."
As expected, things had gone smoothly.
"Just as you said, Your Majesty, that fierce-tempered boy couldn't even argue and just grumbled to himself."
The King smiled faintly, glancing at the seat where the Crown Prince had just been.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has always been strong against the strong and weak against the weak. Of course, I don't mean to say Your Majesty is weak."
"I know what you mean, Marquis. I've felt it myself quite recently."
The King never lost his smile.
"They say even a steady wind can erode a sturdy mountain, and this is exactly that."
He seemed genuinely in high spirits.
"That child is like a mountain too, and as a father, I failed to understand his nature, only suppressing him—how could there be no rebellion or resentment?"
The Marquis nodded in agreement.
"He's so compliant now."
But even he couldn't agree with what the King said next.
Compliant? Who?
"Ahem."
The Marquis covered his thoughts with a cough.
"His Highness the Crown Prince possesses not only the traits of a sturdy mountain but also the free-spirited nature of the wind. Please don't let your guard down until the very end."
He advised the King not to get complacent, as the Crown Prince might bolt anywhere.
"I'll keep that in mind."
The King, now grasping his eldest son's temperament, readily accepted the advice.
"I hope our preparations prove effective."
"I'm only worried they might fall short and disappoint Your Majesty."
"We've done all we can, but people's hearts don't always follow plans."
With a resolute expression, the King added,
"If once isn't enough, we'll try twice, three times, ten times. We have no shortage of excuses for banquets anyway."
"And with the reparations from the Empire, our coffers are full again."
Thinking of the replenished warehouses, the Marquis looked satisfied. The King wore an equally pleased expression.
"Have a drink."
The King personally filled a glass and offered it to the Marquis.
"May this toast not prove a curse on an empty castle."
He raised his glass high.
"To Ian."
"To His Highness the Crown Prince."
The King and Marquis clinked glasses, exchanging knowing looks.
In the heart of the kingdom, a conspiracy unknown to the Crown Prince alone began to unfold.
And so the night passed, and the day of the banquet arrived.
"Ugh."
I grimaced.
My sleep had been restless, and even after waking, my head wasn't clear.
As I circulated mana to shake off the grogginess, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door flew open at my words.
Maids and servants filed in through the wide-open door.
"Your Highness, we'll assist with your preparations."
There was still plenty of time until the evening banquet.
Before, I'd naively let the maids drag me through preparations from morning, barely lying down before the banquet started. Not this time.
"Not now. Later."
The maids responded without a hint of distress.
"Then we'll return around noon."
They seemed to have anticipated my reaction after dealing with me for so long.
I lounged around all morning.
Even the people who usually frequented my palace stayed away today.
Everyone must be busy with banquet preparations.
It was a relief for me.
Forcing myself to attend an unwanted banquet was bad enough without morning hassles.
But that leisure lasted only until noon.
The maids appeared right on time, like clockwork.
"Ah, what a pain."
"Any more delay, and we won't make it in time."
As I dawdled uncooperatively, the maids shot me pitiful looks loaded with meaning.
If preparations went awry, they'd be in big trouble.
Their faces fell as if disaster had already struck.
I couldn't ignore those eyes and sat where they directed.
"Then we'll begin. Please stay still."
And the ordeal started.
The maids began kneading my body every which way.
Every nook and cranny.
"Ow, why there? It'll be covered by clothes anyway!"
"Just in case."
I had no idea what "just in case" meant to them.
I just thought their faces looked mischievously sly.
Hard to believe they were the same women who had gazed at me so pitifully moments ago.
Whatever.
The maids focused on their work.
Experienced in royal service, their hands were deft, if not quite at Adelia's level.
I surrendered my body to their ministrations for a good while.
"All done, Your Highness."
I was released only after the tailor had fitted me perfectly into the ceremonial robes.
But my suffering didn't end there.
Whenever I shifted to ease stiffness, the maids swarmed to adjust my attire, fussing noisily.
It was so bothersome I chose to stay still.
I closed my eyes and entered meditation.
When I finished, the banquet was almost upon us.
"Your Highness, we'll escort you to the banquet hall."
Kals appeared in armor gleaming brighter than ever and knelt before me.
"Let's go."
I strode out of my chambers.
Royal Knights waiting outside surrounded me.
Clank, clank.
The sharp sound of armor today made it feel like I was marching to battle.
Though what I wore was pristine white ceremonial garb, not plate armor.
After a long walk, I reached the banquet hall.
"Shall we proceed with the entrance?"
I nodded, and the chamberlain cleared his throat.
Then he bellowed so loudly the palace shook.
"The rightful ruler of the Leonberger Kingdom, the most noble Lionel Leonberger, His Majesty the King! His lawful blood, the eldest son of the Leonberger royal family! Savior of the North! Lion of the North! The kingdom's strongest knight! His Highness the Crown Prince Idrian Leonberger enters!"
The doors swung wide open at last. I stepped through.