Chapter 158
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158
The Sorsen Kingdom.
Since ancient times, a peculiar rumor had circulated regarding the royalty of Sorsen.
It was said that in every generation, one absolute philanderer and one incredibly devoted lover were born.
The current King of Sorsen was the quintessential philanderer of his generation.
He kept more than ten concubines, and the number of women he had spent a single night with, regardless of their status, exceeded a hundred. It was not entirely without merit when the nobles whispered mockingly that, were it not for the skill of the royal physicians, the King’s lower half would have rotted away from venereal disease long ago.
Regardless, due to the King’s wandering eye, the Sorsen royal palace was teeming with princes and princesses.
With relatively few princesses and a vast number of princes, the palace was a place of elegant savagery—a sophisticated jungle.
Only a few years ago, the most fragile prey in that jungle was the youngest prince, born to a low-born mother.
Benjamin Fluers.
His half-brothers, the rowdy and violent princes, had delighted in kicking and tormenting Benjamin at every opportunity. To them, Benjamin was a presence even less significant than a dog to be kicked when bored; he was practically an inanimate object.
Yes.
There was a time like that.
“Prince Benjamin.”
The bedchamber was luxuriously decorated. Every piece of furniture was the work of a famous artisan, and fragrant flowers filled the room with brilliance.
Decorating a room with fresh flowers every day cost more than one might think. First, it required diligent servants; second, one had to possess a private garden where flowers bloomed year-round, along with a skilled gardener.
Thus, in any country on the continent, the chambers of high-ranking nobles were always adorned with fresh flowers.
The royal palace of the Sorsen Kingdom was no exception.
“The Third Prince has come to see you.”
Benjamin, who had been reading a document, lifted his head.
He noted that the person reporting was a maid rather than a valet—specifically, an older maid—and he gave her a faint, charming smile.
Had the maid been even a little younger, it was a smile so attractive she would have blushed helplessly.
“Tell him to wait a moment.”
Prince Benjamin’s voice was even kind.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Thirty minutes passed after the maid withdrew. It was a long time that did not suit the phrase "a moment," yet Benjamin did not glance at the clock even once.
Only after he had finished reviewing the document, placed it back in its box, and locked it did he pull the bell pull.
The Third Prince, who had suddenly found himself waiting thirty minutes just to see Benjamin, spoke.
“Be-Benjamin. I heard you were chosen as the representative to attend the Brillant Empire’s Victory Banquet?”
He spoke with a hesitant, fawning smile, constantly trying to gauge Benjamin's mood.
“These are clothes my mother and I prepared ourselves. They’re for you to change into comfortably during your journey. I don’t mean for you to wear them to the Imperial banquet, of course! Ah! If you don’t like them, you can give them to your subordinates! Do as you wish. It’s a long journey, and I thought you might run short on clothes along the way…”
The chests brought in by the servants were filled with extravagant evening wear and cloaks lined with sable fur.
Despite giving such precious gifts, the Third Prince’s expression was filled with a subtle fear as he suggested they could be given to subordinates.
Benjamin glanced at the chests and smiled. However, it was not the same smile he had given the elderly maid; it was a cold sneer, as if he had swallowed ice.
“Thank you. But Father has already provided me with more than enough, so I fear these will only be a burden.”
“Ah, ah…! I-I see! Of course, of course! Father would have naturally taken care of you, my mother and I were so ignorant! Then, as I said before, feel free to bestow them upon the clever ones among your subordinates! The quality is quite good, after all…”
The Third Prince, who had been rambling with flattery while watching Benjamin’s every move, flinched the moment he saw a hint of boredom in Benjamin’s eyes.
He then made several excuses and beat a hasty retreat.
It had been like this for days.
For several days, every prince except one had brought Benjamin heaps of gifts and showered him with flattery before hurrying away.
Benjamin rose from his seat and walked to the wall to look in the mirror. On the wall where the mirror hung, there were several lines carved—marks that were now significantly lower than his current eye level.
They were marks he had made only a few years ago.
Much had changed, but some things remained the same.
No, he had to correct himself.
Everything had changed, but exactly two things remained constant.
One was Trini.
The mysterious servant who had claimed to be sent by Benjamin’s mother after her death and had looked after him since he was a child.
Not long ago, Benjamin had requested the King to formally ordain Trini as a knight. Now, everyone addressed Trini as "Sir."
And the other thing that remained unchanged was…
Benjamin looked into the mirror and then turned his head.
“Sir, is everything ready?”
“Yes, Prince Benjamin. We can depart first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Good.”
“The princes and the various concubines seem quite anxious. The number of chests brought in over the last few days already exceeds forty.”
“Sell them off as you see fit. The more money, the better. There are so many things in this world that can be bought. And many things I must buy.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Trini tilted his head while counting the chests.
“Only one person has failed to show. It seems the First Prince is still immersed in his grief. Or perhaps he is still clinging to his pride.”
Helsen Fluers, the eldest prince, who had been the ringleader in bullying Benjamin.
The First Prince had lost his mother last year. Since the funeral, he had remained in seclusion for a long time.
Trini was personally curious and even timing how long the First Prince could hold out and how long he could resist the changing tides. Benjamin, however, seemed entirely uninterested, merely fiddling with a single box.
“How long do you intend to stay in the Empire this time?”
“I must stay until I’ve achieved my purpose. I won’t be able to stay too long, though. If I’m not by his side, Father will quickly…”
Benjamin smiled playfully.
He was born with a brilliant golden aura, so even a slight smile made his eyes as dazzling as if the Sun God himself had descended.
But Trini alone guessed the truth: that within that abundant radiance, there existed only a strange hunger.
A boy who had found no place to rest since the day he was born.
Though his sun-drenched skin shone, the boy inside was withered and twisted, yet he stubbornly refused to die.
As if craving something, he never died.
Not once in his life.
Even if what he was to encounter was not a soft, sensual rain, but a downpour that would destroy the world.
Benjamin lived on, determined to meet that rainfall at least once.
He had transformed from a youngest prince more wretched than a fly into a prince who held power that no one could ignore.
‘What is it that he wants to see so badly?’
Trini always wondered.
Did he want the throne?
Or did he want to achieve revenge for his mother, who had died miserably?
But Trini did not ask.
From the beginning, his true master, Tulia, had only commanded him to support Benjamin well so that he would not die.
‘She will likely order my return once we come back from this trip.’
Benjamin Fluers was no longer a young prince in need of an adult’s care and assistance.
Tulia, who would personally check Benjamin’s status at the Brillant Empire’s Victory Banquet, was certain to issue Trini the order to return.
Though it had started as a command, Trini, who had looked after Benjamin for a long time, gazed at that golden hair with a touch of affection.
Knock, knock.
It was then that a knock was heard at the door.
“Prince Benjamin.”
A servant entered and announced.
“The First Prince has arrived with a gift. Shall I show him in?”
So, even the First Prince had finally admitted defeat.
While Trini smiled inwardly, Benjamin turned his gaze out the window. His chin, resting nonchalantly on the back of his hand, formed a line as perfect as a meticulously crafted marble sculpture.
“I am busy right now. Tell him to wait.”
“Yes, Prince Benjamin.”
After the servant left, Trini asked.
“The First Prince is a bit special. How long do you intend to make him wait?”
“The spring breeze is pleasant, so I’d like to rest for about half a day.”
“It is indeed fine weather. I’m sure the First Prince will wait patiently.”
Trini opened the window wider for Benjamin.
Outside, the pink tulips blooming in the garden swayed in the spring breeze.