Chapter 270
Chapter 270
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 270
Chapter Title: The Bloodline of Teraje (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Uorin glanced at the wall clock, then hastily set the cat down and rose from her seat.
“Oh? It's time for dinner. Let's go, brother.”
Setting down his teacup, Zion rose and got in Shirone's face.
“I don't know what you were thinking, coming here, but you'd be wise not to get your hopes up. Not if you want to stay in one piece.”
Shirone didn't even scoff.
“Let me be clear. I'm not expecting anything. The only reason I came here was to meet my birth parents.”
“Haha! Birth parents? Right, so important. But you know what? Do you really think parents who abandoned their child once wouldn't do it again?”
Not understanding, Shirone frowned.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“How pathetic. When power is on the line, blood ties mean nothing. Surely you don't think Father just happened to look for you for no reason?”
Shirone had suspected there was some ulterior motive for them seeking him out after eighteen years. Still, hearing it from Zion was a shock.
Uorin tapped Zion on the shoulder.
“Come on! Let's hurry. We'll be in trouble if we're late.”
Zion shot Shirone a sneer and let his sister lead him out the door.
After leaving Shirone alone in the room, Zion glanced back and clicked his tongue.
“Tch! What a punk. I especially don't like the look in his eyes. Is it because he grew up in the gutter? He should be trembling in his boots, not talking back to me.”
Uorin placated him.
“Don't be so harsh. I, for one, am happy to have a mage for a brother. In any case, he can't be your rival. As long as Mother is here, the Kazura Kingdom is yours.”
“Who doesn't know that? It's his attitude I can't stand. I don't even want to call him Father. That bastard, Orkamp. When I become king, I'll make sure to get rid of him.”
Uorin pouted.
In any country, a son plotting to kill his father was the ultimate act of depravity. And this was the royal castle. If his words were to leak out, the entire kingdom would be thrown into chaos.
But that was the extent of Uorin's reaction.
They were children of the Teraje.
@
The feast laid out on the royal table was so magnificent it surpassed even the wildest dreams of a commoner.
Shirone felt it was unnecessary to spend so much on daily meals, but in truth, such extravagance, whether the food was eaten or not, was considered a royal virtue.
Royalty had to be superior to the nobility in every conceivable way, no matter how trivial.
As long as the world's nobles indulged in every luxury imaginable, the royal family's almost foolishly excessive spending would never change.
Shirone and his companions were seated at the far end of the table. Vincent and Olina, as well as Reina and Amy, were all pale-faced.
They had never imagined they would actually be invited to dine at the king's table.
Was this a first in the hundred-year history of the Kazura Kingdom?
Their anxiety grew accordingly, to the point where they couldn't even taste the food they were eating.
The atmosphere at the table was frigid.
Orkamp's pride was wounded by this breach of protocol, while Shirone and Zion were still simmering from their earlier confrontation.
Eliza, however, was in a rather fine mood. She was pleased with the dress she had chosen from her wardrobe—one with sleeves trimmed in marten fur, accessorized with diamonds.
Eliza, who had been picking at her food as if deconstructing it molecule by molecule, suddenly set down her silverware and beamed.
“We must decorate Shirone's room. Something splendid and grand. He has blond hair, just like you, so we'll need to order him a navy suit. Oh, and he'll need a carriage, of course. We're going to be so busy for a while.”
Olina's face fell. These were all things she could never have provided for him.
Shirone, having made up his mind, spoke.
“I don't need any of that. What the parents who raised me have provided is more than enough.”
“Huhu, my son is so frugal. But you are a royal now, and you can't live as you did before. Let's see... Yes, gold would suit you. Or perhaps sapphire?”
“Gold and jewels aren't what's important. My parents here gave me their all. I could never find that kind of love anywhere else.”
Eliza frowned. What could possibly be more important than gold and jewels? It was their station to enjoy the most luxurious wealth in the kingdom. It was a duty, not a right.
She was trying to teach him the duties of a prince, and here he was, waxing poetic about the love of his caretakers. She was not pleased.
No, perhaps Shirone was just too sentimental. That must be why he couldn't bring himself to say he would live well without them, not with them sitting right here.
Eliza turned to Shirone's parents.
“Vincent, was it?”
Vincent hastily set down his silverware.
“Ah, yes! I am Arian Vincent!”
“I shall reward you separately. You took excellent care of our son, so you deserve compensation. Gold would be too cumbersome... darling, what do you think of granting them some land in the Kosent region?”
Orkamp replied with a look of indifference.
“That would be fine.”
Shirone was furious. He had come to the castle as they wished. Vincent and Olina were terrified of losing their son. In this situation, the only true gift they could receive was the acknowledgement and pride of having raised him well.
He just wanted these great people, these royals, to say one simple thing: 'Thank you for raising our son.' Was that really so much to ask?
“Wait. Why do you keep talking like that? They raised me for eighteen years. They were the ones who taught me how to live, who acted as my parents from the time I was a child until now.”
Eliza's expression turned harsh. She felt a measure of guilt for abandoning Shirone, of course. But his constant defense of these commoners was beginning to grate on her nerves.
“Is the compensation not enough? Then we shall build you a small castle on the land...”
Shirone's voice grew louder.
“That's not what this is about! Why can't you just say thank you?”
Eliza stared at him, dumbfounded. For a moment, she wondered if he was mad. Why on earth would a royal need to thank a commoner?
Zion spoke with a look of displeasure.
“What is this disgraceful behavior? Do you think you're at a commoner's dinner table?”
Shirone glared at Zion. Though rage was boiling inside him, there was some truth to the prince's words. Pushing any harder in the presence of royalty could make the situation devolve into something much worse.
Uorin quickly stepped in to defuse the tension.
“Oh, come now. It's just because Brother Shirone is a very kind person. I think he believes feelings are more important than material possessions. So, from his perspective, compensation without any sentiment behind it is just a simple transaction.”
In that moment, Shirone saw Uorin as a dear little sister. He couldn't have been more grateful to her for putting his feelings into words.
Catching his eye, Uorin gave him a quick wink. Then she turned to Vincent and Olina.
“I'm sorry we've been so harsh. And thank you, truly, for raising our older brother to be such a fine man.”
“Oh, not at all. How could we...”
Vincent trembled, overwhelmed. Never in his life had he dreamed he would be thanked by a member of the royal family.
Shirone's expression softened as well. He felt a pang of guilt, wondering if he had misjudged this girl, Uorin.
Reina, on the other hand, was shocked. Uorin was a princess of the Teraje family. And the throne of the Kashan Empire had been passed down for generations through the women of the Teraje line.
Zion's ambition was limited to the throne of a single kingdom, but Uorin, if she could overcome a few rivals, was in line to become the empress of the Kashan Empire and rule the continent. Thus, regardless of Kazura's internal politics, Uorin's actual power was overwhelmingly greater.
For a child of such power to express gratitude to a commoner was astounding. From another perspective, it could be seen as a sign of a true sovereign's disposition.
As Reina had anticipated, Uorin's words carried immense weight. Once she had shown favor to Vincent and his wife, even Orkamp, who had remained silent, had no choice but to support her.
“It seems I have been thinking too much from a royal perspective. I am quite grateful to you.”
Vincent bowed his head once more.
“Oh, not at all. We only did what was right.”
A subtle anger crept into his wife Olina's eyes. A woman's intuition told her that while Uorin's words were sincere, Orkamp's were not.
She may not have given birth to Shirone, but after raising him for eighteen years, the love she felt for him was thicker than blood, and he was her son in every way that mattered.
If it would make Shirone happy, she could let him go, even if he chose to leave with his birth parents. But despite the appearance of these parents who had everything one could desire, she felt a deep unease.
“We don't need money. We only wish for Shirone to be happy.”
Shirone turned to Olina, surprised.
Unlike moments before, when she had been cowering under the royal pressure, her voice now held a subtle trace of anger.
The preternaturally perceptive Eliza did not miss it. Her face soured. She could tolerate such behavior from Shirone, but she would not stand for this insolence from his caretaker.
Still, she couldn't throw them out, not while Uorin's words still held sway over the room.
To Eliza, the Teraje were a loathsome clan that had stolen her husband, but she wasn't foolish enough to act in defiance of the power they held. In the end, all she could manage was a petty revenge delivered in a condescending tone.
“Take it anyway. I'd rather you not change your minds later.”
Olina neither agreed nor refused, simply lowering her head. But her gaze remained fixed on Eliza.
Sensing the conversation was heading toward disaster, Shirone decided it was time to address the heart of the matter.
“Actually, there's something I need to say.”
Eliza, also sensing the need for a change in atmosphere, shifted her expression with almost embarrassing speed and offered a smile that reached her eyes.
“Of course, dear. Tell me anything. Your mother will listen.”
Her words only offended Olina further. They were laced with a taunt: *No matter how much you play the part of a mother, Shirone is royalty.*
“I have no intention of becoming the heir to the Kazura Kingdom. I've already settled this with Zion. Please, just let me stay for a little while, and then allow me to return to Thormia.”
The clatter of silverware ceased. Orkamp's face grew grave, and Eliza's mouth fell open in disbelief.
“What are you talking about, Shirone? This is your home now. There's no need for you to go back to that... humble place.”
“I want to go back. Or, at the very least, let me graduate from the academy I'm attending.”
Shirone played the magic academy card first. Honestly, he wanted to walk out of the castle right then and there, but doing so could put his family in danger.
“No! That is absolutely unacceptable! You are a prince, with royal blood in your veins! There are plenty of magic academies in Kazura! I will find you the very best tutors.”
“I have my graduation exams next year. This is a critical time for me. Please, just give me one year.”
Of course, he had no intention of returning in a year. His plan was to get out of here safely, graduate from the academy, and then flee with his parents.
Once again, Uorin lent her support to Shirone.
“I can understand how Brother Shirone feels. He must have friends at the academy. And maintaining connections is important.”
“What connections? With nobles? You should be associating with royalty.”
Eliza was dead set against it. How could she let the son she had just found leave again? More than anything, it was a maddening blow to her pride to be outdone as a mother by these commoners.
After a long silence, Orkamp finally spoke.
“I will consider it.”
“Darling!”
Eliza protested sharply. But seeing the cold look in her husband's eyes, she quickly fell silent.
Orkamp also thought it was absurd to hand his son back over to commoners. It would be a disgrace to the royal family. But a child of the Teraje was present. If he tried to force Shirone to stay, it might arouse suspicion from the Teraje faction.
Reina finally understood Shirone's strategy.
The Teraje faction was the most dangerous, which also meant they were the most powerful. Rather than oppose them, he was using their power to achieve his own goals.
*He really is clever.*
At first, she had worried he was getting too emotional, but as expected, Shirone wasn't one to rush into a battle he couldn't win.
Seating his parents at the royal table, daring to announce his departure in such a setting—these were all decisions he could make precisely because the Teraje children were present.
In the end, Orkamp had no choice but to concede.
“Shirone, all the evidence points to you being my son. And I, too, believe it to be true. However, it has not yet been definitively verified.”
He was saying they needed definitive proof. It wasn't something one would normally say in this situation, but Shirone had anticipated it. This statement was meant to reassure the Teraje faction.
“So, how about this? The process of verifying the First Prince must follow proper procedure. We will conduct a paternity test. If we begin tomorrow, the results should be ready in about four days. Let's use that time to think of a good solution.”
Shirone didn't like the delay, but he knew it was impossible to settle things with royalty in a single stroke.
“Understood. I'll think it over carefully as well.”
Countless dishes were served at the royal table that day, but no one could remember a single thing they ate.