Chapter Ten: The Prince, the Tactician, and the Slave

A sudden gale violently shook the carriage. Had that been the only thing that happened, the riders would have paid it little heed and dismissed it as a passing gust—but the carriage stopped entirely, and the yelling that subsequently broke out caused Thomas Rosseholm to furrow his brow as he stood up from his seat.

“What is this commotion?!” he yelled, opening the carriage door and stepping outside, only to be struck dumbfounded at the sight before him.

“Lord Rosseholm! You mustn’t come outsi—” a soldier attempted to say as he drew his sword, but before he could finish the powerful wind picked him up into the air and sent him flying.

The soldier was not alone. Of the less than twenty soldiers who had accompanied Thomas from Felvolk, roughly half were lying on the ground and moaning—though no blood could be seen, and the soldiers were all alive and mostly still conscious.

Turning his gaze to the front of the carriage, he saw someone who shouldn’t have been in this country—a beastman—blocking its path with an imposing stance. His deep blue wings spread, he threatened the soldiers with a rod as long as he was tall.

Thomas recognized this beastman. This was the battle slave who had previously served as the captain of the unit commanded by Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure. His battle prowess was notable even among the already skilled beastman slaves, and he was always seen by the side of Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure herself.

Thomas had been informed that this beastman had been captured by the Gracis government and was currently awaiting execution. He had also been told that the female tactician who had traveled with him had become acquainted with the royal family before seizing an opportunity to escape. So if that slave had been captured, what was he doing here? Thomas’s mind was overwhelmed by confusion and questions.

Next to the beastman was another, much smaller, figure. The figure noticed Thomas exiting the carriage and threw him a radiant smile.

“Hello! I’m so sorry for the disturbance, Lord Rosseholm,” the figure said. It was someone he had only seen from a distance at the banquet—the Seventh Prince of Gracis, Herscherik.

Despite his apology, the prince’s face showed not one hint of remorse. This, combined with the fact that he was standing next to the slave who had sent Thomas’s soldiers flying, made it clear that he had not come with friendly intentions.

“Whatever might have prompted you to visit me, Prince Herscherik? And with a slave in tow at that,” Thomas asked.

Though he was having trouble processing the situation, he still hailed from a country where slaves were a common sight, and he observed Ao as though the beastman was some kind of inferior creature.

Meanwhile, Herscherik’s smile vanished. Instead, he rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh before throwing Thomas a piercing glare.

“I’m not here for a visit. Would you mind closing your mouth? I’m not interested in hearing about your superiority complex.”

“What gives you the right to—”

“You do realize that we are still within Gracis’s borders, right? I’d advise your men to stay put too.”

The young prince’s cold gaze and overpowering tone caused Thomas to fall silent. This was a prince of the most powerful country on the continent, and he had the highest status of anyone currently present. Though Thomas may have been a member of one of the ten houses of Felvolk, he could not address a prince on equal terms as a mere second son. Despite the prince’s young appearance, Thomas felt as though he was looking at someone far superior to him, and it sent a chill down his spine. He could do nothing but silently do as he was told, gesturing to his men to stand down.

Seeing Thomas fall completely silent, Herscherik then started speaking to the person still inside the carriage.

“Now then, Kurenai, would you mind coming out?”

After a short pause, a woman with crimson hair—nicknamed Kurenai, though her real name was Alterisse Danvir—stepped out. She ignored the suspicious gaze of her traveling companion as she walked up to Herscherik.

“Your Highness,” she said.

Her voice was stern, and her face was devoid of her usual smile. Her gaze was fixed on the prince, intentionally avoiding looking at Ao—Gale—who was standing behind him. Her dark eyes, seemingly devoid of emotion, met the prince’s bright green eyes.

“Why, Your Highness?” Why were they here? What had they come to do? Why was the prince here at all, and with him? Her question carried all these different meanings.

“That’s... No, it’s not for me to say. Ao?” Herscherik said, stopping himself before answering her question and nodding in Gale’s direction.

Encouraged by Herscherik, Gale took a step forward and opened his mouth.

“Alte...”

Alterisse’s dark eyes wavered as he came into view.

“I’ve come to get you,” he continued.

“Gale...” Alterisse responded, but she quickly shook her head and averted her gaze, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t understand. You’re finally free. What are you doing here?”

“Alterisse.” Gale once again spoke her name in a low, calm voice. Hearing that, Alterisse clutched her arms even more forcefully as she continued to avoid Gale’s eyes.

“How dare you speak my name, you... You slave,” Alterisse spat—however, she did not speak in the same contemptuous tone that Thomas had used. Instead, she sounded as though she was coughing up blood.

“Won’t you come back with us?” Gale continued.

“Back where?” Alterisse responded without hesitation. She then stopped avoiding his gaze, turning her dark eyes straight toward Gale. “The only place I have to return to is my homeland.”

As Alterisse rejected him outright, Gale was unable to respond. He was overwhelmed with the sense that he couldn’t let her go back to Felvolk no matter what, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“Ao,” Herscherik said as if sensing Gale’s suffering. “The only way to convey your feelings is to put them into words.”

Hearing Herscherik’s encouragement, Gale closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then opened them again and looked Alterisse straight in her eyes.

“Alterisse...”

Gale’s voice was even lower and gentler than before as he walked up to Alterisse. Only a few steps separated them now.

“If you won’t come back to me, then kill me instead,” he continued.

Both Herscherik and Alterisse fell silent with shock upon hearing Gale’s words. Herscherik especially was flabbergasted for a moment, wondering what Gale was thinking, but then he recalled exactly the kind of person Gale was. The beastman was a poor speaker, and whenever he did try talking to anyone, his words came out frank and unaffected. It was painfully clear just how sincere he was being right now.

“My life belongs to you, Alterisse. If you claim you don’t need me, then it has no value.” In spite of his usually emotionless and difficult-to-read demeanor, he raised the corners of his mouth slightly to form a smile. That smile confirmed that he was speaking from his heart, making Alterisse more flustered than Herscherik had ever seen before.

“What are you...?”

“My life has been yours ever since we exchanged these,” Gale interrupted her, touching the crimson feather that adorned his hair.

Gale had once told Herscherik that birdmen in love had a tradition of exchanging their feathers, which they would keep on them at all times. The feather in his hair was the same deep crimson as Alterisse’s hair.

Herscherik turned to look at Alterisse, who was clutching her shirt near her heart. It was evident that she was still carrying Gale’s feather there.

“If you’re going to reject me, then please...just kill me,” Gale continued. “If I can’t be by your side, Alterisse, I’m as good as dead already. You control my Brand of Servitude. One word from you is enough. Kill me if you really want to reject me.”

“Gale, I... I...!”

A painful grimace showed on Alterisse’s face, as though her very heart was being torn in two. Seeing this, Herscherik was convinced.

“Kurenai, I understand how you feel,” Herscherik said.

“Your Highness...?”

“The feeling of losing someone dear to you,” Herscherik continued. “The feeling of being too powerless to help them, of wanting to take revenge, and even that desire to die.”

“What? To die?” Gale suddenly said, distressed. He turned to Herscherik, who nodded.

“Kurenai,” Herscherik said. “You’re leaving for Felvolk in order to die, aren’t you?”

“What...is he talking about?” Gale said as his eyes turned back to Alterisse, visibly shaken. The sight of her trying to avoid his gaze was enough proof of Herscherik’s claim.

“Ao,” Herscherik continued. “Kurenai may be a tactician skilled enough to be called Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure. But in the real world, things aren’t so simple. They never go perfectly according to plan. Surely you know how likely your revenge scheme is to succeed, Kurenai.”

In response, Alterisse shifted her gaze to the still silent Thomas. Though he remained fixed in place, he looked back at her with eyes filled with rage.

I don’t have any choice but to give up, do I? Alterisse thought.

She could no longer use Thomas as a pawn. After hearing everything that Herscherik had said, the man must now realize that Alterisse had only been taking advantage of him.

Alterisse had factored in the chances of Herscherik and his men giving chase. However, the sleep-inducing magic she had cast on Oran had been powerful, and once it took effect, it should have kept him asleep for at least half a day. That should have given her enough time to escape even Gale’s telescopic sight. Alterisse realized that she had been naive, and now that Thomas had learned of her plans, it didn’t matter how greedy he was for his own ambitions—there was no coming back from this.

“I suppose thirty percent would have been optimistic,” Alterisse said, resigned.

“Alterisse?” Gale responded in bewilderment.

“After spending ten years dividing Felvolk, pitting faction against faction, stoking unrest, and interfering with other countries—my chances of bringing down Felvolk were, at most, thirty percent.”

“Thirty percent in ten years...” Herscherik was astonished—it was actually far higher than anything he’d been expecting.

Alterisse must have already come up with an elaborate plan to destroy Felvolk—with her own death as the final step.

“Why, Alterisse?” Gale asked.

Ten years—that was the very same amount of time that had passed since she graduated from the military academy and joined the Felvolk army. She had spent the entire time destroying Felvolk from the inside, with no intention of living to see the end of her scheme.

“I...can’t forgive myself,” Alterisse said as she looked down at her own hands. “I sacrificed everyone in my unit... They all died because I was chasing my goals.”

Even now, those red, scorching flames burned vividly in her mind—as did the sight and sound of her dying comrades and the smell of their blood.

“But here I am, still shamelessly alive. And not just me—the Felvolk leadership, the ten houses, and the people of Felvolk are too. They all still stand on the sacrifices of beastman lives.”

She couldn’t forget the sight of her comrades rushing to their deaths to protect her as Gale carried her to safety. They had died for Felvolk, and for her.

“Father, Mother, my comrades, my ideals, my hard work, everything I had achieved... Felvolk stole them all from me, trampling them underfoot. Why am I still alive when they’re gone?!”

She despised the country that had taken everything from her—but even more than that, she despised herself.

“I can’t forgive myself!”

Herscherik’s heart ached as he watched Alterisse. She had borne these feelings of guilt this entire time, all the while showing a gentle smile to everyone around her.

“That...was their wish,” Gale said. “You saved them, Alte.”

Alterisse raised her eyes from her hands and looked at Gale.

Before Alterisse, the battle slave unit’s survival rate had been about seventy percent per battle, at best. At times, reckless strategies had led to the loss of more than half the unit. Speaking with a friend one day, then seeing them dead the next, was an everyday occurrence. But after Alterisse took command, the survival rate had risen to ninety percent at worst. Often, the entire unit would return alive—and sometimes even completely unscathed.

“Our survival was always your first priority,” Gale continued.

No human before Alterisse would spend their nights bringing every drop of their knowledge to bear in order to formulate the best possible plan for the sake of mere slaves. That would have been unthinkable. Yet she had claimed she wanted to truly change the country, and had brought a ray of hope to the slaves.

“So, Alte—we would gladly give our lives up for your sake.”

“But... I...” Alterisse’s words faltered. In the end, she had been unable to bring about the change she wanted, and had failed to protect anyone she cared about.

“We don’t want you to avenge us. All we want is for you to live.”

As silence fell over the pair, Herscherik stepped in.

“Kurenai, my personal belief is that if someone has entrusted you with their heart, you have to live on, no matter how painful it may be,” he said solemnly as the pair turned toward him. “I, too, failed to protect the people who told me the truth.”

He took out his silver pocket watch and gripped it tightly.

“I let someone I cared about die right before my very eyes,” he continued, gently stroking his copper ear cuff.

Herscherik then closed his eyes, conjuring up the images of everyone he had lost in his mind’s eye. He then opened his eyes and looked straight at Alterisse. She was the same as he was.

“Kurenai, even if you manage to exact your revenge, it won’t bring them back to life. And the void you feel here won’t be filled,” Herscherik said, placing the right hand holding his pocket watch on his chest.

He had once thought that if he defeated Barbosse, everything would be fine. But even now, with the minister gone, Herscherik’s grief still remained. All he had left was the sensation of an empty void in his heart. He had a feeling that this void would stay with him for the rest of his life.

“Do you want Ao to suffer the same way?”

Alterisse turned her eyes to Gale.

“You still haven’t lost everything,” Herscherik explained. “There must still be things you want to keep. Things you want to protect. You can’t just look away from them.”

“I... I...!” Alterisse cried as she twisted her face in pain.

“Alterisse.”

As Alterisse looked as though she would collapse at any moment, Gale closed the gap between them and embraced her as though to prevent her from falling.

“But why, Gale?” Alterisse asked as Gale’s sturdy body enveloped her. “You lost your friends. I’m the reason they died in vain. I’m the one who robbed you of your comrades.”

“No, you weren’t the reason they died. They only wanted to protect you,” Gale immediately responded, strengthening his embrace. “They didn’t die in vain. Don’t say it was for nothing.”

Before they parted, Gale’s comrades had told him to take care of her. Those words were what spurred him to focus not on revenge against Felvolk, but on protecting the person he loved.

Alterisse laid her hand on Gale’s deep blue wings. She had always loved the sight of him soaring through the air. Though he was held as a slave on the ground, in the skies he was free. She had always wished for him to be even freer.

“You told me that flying was the joy and pride of birdmen,” Alterisse said. “Why did you go so far as lying, casting away your pride, just to...”

She had known from the beginning that Gale was lying about his wings. But even the slightest possibility that he was telling the truth about not being able to use magic made it impossible for her to leave his side—and even if he could cast any spells, she hadn’t wanted to leave him alone in this country regardless.

“I don’t need the skies if I can be with you,” Gale responded.

Just as Alterisse had chosen Gale over her own convictions, so had Gale chosen Alterisse over his pride.

Hearing this, tears started running down Alterisse’s cheeks. These were the first tears she had shed since fleeing that sea of flames.

“So you were taking me for a fool this entire time!” A sudden scream rang out at the same time as a bright light flashed. Still holding Alterisse, Gale instinctively tried to jump out of the way, but his face twisted into a grimace as he felt a sharp pain in his arm.

“Gale!” Alterisse shrieked as red blood started to stream down his arm—the same blood that was now dripping from Thomas’s sword.

“Why must everyone take me for a fool?!” Thomas yelled, his face red with rage. Even an imbecile would have realized how he had been taken advantage of from the conversation that had just taken place.

Gale turned his back to Alterisse and Herscherik to protect them, readying his rod in one hand.

“Kill them! Kill them all!” Thomas screamed like mad.

“But...” The soldiers who were still on their feet after the initial attack stared at Thomas as they hesitantly lifted their swords.

“None of them were here! No supposed Greatest Treasure, nor any Prince of Light! It makes no sense for a prince to have been here to begin with! Am I wrong?!”

In response to this, the soldiers, though still bewildered, nodded to each other and began to surround Herscherik and the couple. However, this turned out to be an exercise in futility, as two figures suddenly appeared from above.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“I am here to offer mine aid.”

The two figures were Kuro and Tatsu, whom Herscherik had left behind in the capital.

“Kuro and Tatsu?! Where did you come fr—wait, Shiro?!” Herscherik said in disbelief as he turned his gaze upwards due to their unexpected entrance, where an even more unbelievable sight awaited him. “How are you flying?!”

Floating above them in the sky like a messenger from the heavens was none other than Shiro. He was sitting on empty air with his legs crossed, looking down on the others. His posture combined with his appearance made for a truly divine sight.

“I used that guy’s Wind Magic as a reference,” Shiro replied, glancing toward the man who was currently shielding Alterisse. Gale also seemed visibly surprised at the fact that Shiro was flying. Herscherik could do nothing but sigh at Shiro’s nonchalant gaze, which almost seemed to say, “What, is there a problem?”

After that, it was all over in an instant. Kuro used only his fists, and Tatsu his still-sheathed sword, to capture the Felvolk soldiers one by one. The soldiers got away with only a light beating.

“Ha ha ha... This means war between Felvolk and Gracis, you know!” Thomas sneered as he sat on the ground with his hands tied. Seeing Herscherik shift his eyes toward him, his sneer only widened. “Isn’t that right? Not only did Gracis steal Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure, they even assaulted us!”

“Your Highness...” Alterisse said as she tended to Gale, whose torn mantle was tied around his arm to stop the bleeding while he received first-aid treatment from Kuro. As Thomas had said, this could spell trouble for the kingdom.

“I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about,” Herscherik said as he tilted his head in feigned confusion. “Gracis doesn’t allow illegal immigrants, nor does it support the slave trade. Beastmen aren’t even allowed to enter the country.”

“Prince?” Gale threw Herscherik a perplexed gaze.

“Kurenai, come here.”

Alterisse stood up and walked up to Herscherik.

“Kuro, hold Ao down. Shiro, you too,” Herscherik ordered before Gale could move.

Kuro did as commanded and quickly moved behind Ao, pinning him around the neck with one arm while restraining the beastman’s uninjured arm with the other. Though Gale might have been physically larger, Kuro was a skilled martial artist, which was more than enough to make up for that. He immobilized Gale easily. Shiro waited next to them, while Tatsu stood still, confused about Herscherik’s order.

“Prince?!” Gale frantically cried out, but Herscherik did not turn toward him. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the clearly bewildered Alterisse.

“Kneel, Alterisse Danvir,” Herscherik ordered in an unusually harsh tone.

Alterisse complied with the demand, and kneeled down much like a knight would when swearing fealty.

“Alterisse Danvir,” Herscherik continued after Alterisse was kneeling on the ground. “Not only did you enter this country illegally, you have also been found in possession of a slave. In accordance with the laws of this country, this merits the death penalty.”

Gale’s eyes became wide open at the sound of the words “death penalty,” but Alterisse only nodded quietly in agreement at the prince’s charge.

“Alterisse Danvir, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I...do not.”

She had no argument. Herscherik was a prince. She knew that no matter how close they were, he had to protect the stability of his own country and people. He couldn’t prioritize a foreigner—eliminating them was the right choice as a member of the ruling family.

“Prince!”

Gale struggled, but Kuro’s hold was too firm to escape. He then attempted to use magic, but Shiro quickly erected a barrier that prevented Gale from casting any spells, trapping both Kuro and Gale inside. Kuro then loosened his hold on Gale, but the barrier must have been soundproof as well—though Gale forcefully pounded on the barrier wall with both hands, no sound reached Herscherik’s ears.

Herscherik slowly unsheathed the sword hanging from his hip.

“In the name of the Seventh Prince of Gracis Kingdom, Herscherik Gracis, I sentence you, Alterisse Danvir, to death on charges of illegal entry and possession of a slave.”

Alterisse simply lowered her head in response. Herscherik had saved her once already. If he now judged her to be worthy of death, then she would gladly offer up her life.

She quietly turned her eyes away to find Gale desperately shouting something from inside the barrier.

Even if I die, I’m sure the prince will save Gale. Alterisse had no regrets.

Herscherik reached out toward Alterisse and, as if it was in the way, grasped her long crimson hair. Alterisse closed her eyes as Herscherik brought his sword down.

But she felt no pain. Instead, Alterisse saw her now shorter hair flutter at the edges of her vision.

“Huh?” Alterisse let out a confused noise. Looking up, she saw Herscherik holding his sword in one hand, a handful of her crimson hair in the other.

Shiro removed the barrier, releasing Gale and Kuro. As he watched Gale run toward them out of the corner of his eye, Herscherik turned to Thomas, still unable to process the situation, and handed him Alterisse’s hair.

“Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure, Alterisse Danvir, is hereby declared dead,” Herscherik declared.

“What are you...?” Thomas responded with a bewildered look, as his eyes turned back and forth between Herscherik and Alterisse.

Herscherik threw the crimson hair on the ground in front of Thomas.

“This woman is one of my trusted retainers, Kurenai—or rather, Alterisse di Rot,” Herscherik said with a mischievous smile. “If needed, I will gladly provide supporting documentation to prove it at a later date, showing that the wanted tactician from Felvolk entered Gracis illegally and was lawfully executed as a result. I shall attach a note expressing how very regrettable the whole situation is. I’m afraid that Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure you speak of is no longer in this world.”

Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure was dead, Herscherik had asserted, and the woman here was one of Herscherik’s retainers. Thomas spent some time turning the claim over in his mind before his face once again turned red with rage.

“That’s mere sophistry! And how do you explain the beastman who’s standing right there?!”

“What an odd claim,” Herscherik responded with an angelic smile. “He’s not a beastman. He’s another one of my retainers—Gale Blau being his name. How in the world could a beastman be present in a country that strictly refuses entry to them?”

Neither Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure nor a beastman was present—only two of Herscherik’s retainers. They were citizens of Gracis, and served to protect their prince. Of course, it was all sophistry just as Thomas claimed.

I’m not much better than Barbosse, am I? Herscherik was aware that he was using his power to twist the law in his favor. Still, he had no regrets. People had to uphold the law, but the law existed to protect people. Then what was the purpose of a law that only served to harm?

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about yourself right now?” Herscherik said to Thomas, who was shaking with rage. “You just attempted to assassinate a prince within the borders of Gracis. We would be well within our right to take your head right here and now.”

Thomas suddenly began to tremble with a different emotion entirely as Kuro and Shiro threw him freezing gazes over Herscherik’s shoulder.

“Besides, I may or may not have heard a rumor that the Gracis countryside has been a bit unsafe as of late... It probably wouldn’t be out of the question to run into some bandits around here. Oh, what a terrible accident that would be,” Herscherik said with a cheerful smile.

Though Herscherik was obviously implying that if he killed Thomas, he could cover it up easily, no one attempted to stop his threat.

“But I’m a kind prince, you see, so I’m willing to let this attempted assassination slide. If you don’t want your reputation to suffer, I’d advise you to keep quiet too.”

“You little brat!” Thomas yelled at Herscherik, to which the little prince responded with a wide sneer.

“You’re perfectly welcome to plead for your life, if you like. I’m quite fickle, I’ve been told, so who knows when I might change my mind.”

Herscherik’s sneer then suddenly turned into a cold, sober expression.

“I detest the way your country does things,” the prince continued.

He glanced toward Alterisse, who intently observed Herscherik while leaning on Gale, before turning his gaze back to Thomas.

“The woman you call Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure did everything according to protocol and worked hard for years as she endured unfair treatment. She never disobeyed you even as she struggled for her ideals. Yet you betrayed her.”

Herscherik could not stand for such treatment, where someone was punished for honesty, and hard work went unrewarded. His feelings didn’t change just because it happened in a different country—especially when someone he cared about had lost so many people dear to her as a result.

“I won’t tell you how to report this to Felvolk. But if your report results in an attempted attack on Gracis...”

Herscherik thrust his sword into the ground. His action completed his sentence for him—his imposing expression seemed to say, “Prepare for your country to be utterly destroyed.”

Thomas then recalled how this prince had led the kingdom to victory against an imperial army of one hundred thousand soldiers with a mere twenty thousand men of his own. That was why people called him a hero. Seeing Thomas trembling and frozen in place, Herscherik realized that he had won.

“You can take her hair back with you as proof. I’m sure returning a part of her to her home country will help Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure rest in peace,” Herscherik mused. “Now then, have a safe trip home.”

With a parting wish that could only be taken as sarcasm, Herscherik turned around and instructed Kuro and Tatsu to release the Felvolk soldiers. As the soldiers had already been made well aware how dangerous Herscherik’s men were, they made no attempt to fight back. No one there was in a rush to die.

Wallowing in his defeat with Alterisse’s hair clutched in one hand, Thomas was about to board the carriage again when Gale stopped him.

“You there,” Gale said with a piercing gaze as Thomas looked back with suspicion. “I will never forgive you or Felvolk.”

Gale spoke with a voice so low that it seemed to come from below the earth. It was filled with rage and spite.

“I’ll never forgive you for killing my people and my comrades,” he continued.

His comrades had asked him to protect Alterisse, and that was always at the forefront of his mind; however, that did not mean that his anger toward Felvolk was quelled. They had destroyed his country and exploited his comrades, only to mercilessly slaughter them in the end.

“The next time I see you...” Gale continued with an even deeper voice. “I’ll kill you.”

Seeing Gale’s gaze, which was even more murderous than his words, Thomas started trembling violently before his legs gave out. He recalled having heard about Gale alongside Felvolk’s Greatest Treasure. He was the slave unit’s birdman captain, known as the “Blue Tempest.” It was said that if you ever saw his blue wings in the skies over the battlefield, your head would be rolling the very next moment. Once he set his sights on you, escape was impossible.

Thomas grew pale and quickly launched himself into the carriage, which set off the moment he closed the door.

“Okay then. Let’s head home,” Herscherik told everyone once he saw the Felvolk emissary ride off, and the party started to make their way back.

At the same time, Tessily was just about to leave Solye’s office. After parting with Herscherik, he had immediately set off to meet Solye in order to report on the youngest prince’s plans and discuss how to handle matters going forward. Solye quickly agreed with Tessily’s proposal and instructed him to carry it out.

“Understood, Father. I will begin the necessary preparations with Will,” Tessily replied.

“I’m counting on you, Tessily,” Solye replied before continuing in an apologetic tone. “I always seem to be working my children to the bone, don’t I?”

“Far from it, Father,” Tessily responded with a sympathetic smile. “I don’t think so in the least. And we’re all happy to do everything in our power for our beloved father.”

Tessily then left the office and began to head toward the Department of Foreign Relations to discuss how to deal with Felvolk and Lustia. He had already outlined the general policy with his father, but there were still details that he needed to work out with the officials and his brother William. He also had to report to his oldest brother, Marx.

Briskly strolling down the corridors of the castle, Tessily reminisced about the past.

“Don’t cry, Tessily. You’re a big brother now.” So Herscherik’s mother, whom Tessily had loved like an older sister, had said on her deathbed as Tessily wept by her side.

“But... But...!”

“A big brother always has to be strong,” she said as she stroked Tessily’s hair. “And you have to protect our family, and my child, in my stead.”

The dying queen gave Tessily a feeble smile.

“Will you promise me?” she asked.

Tessily wiped away the tears streaming down his cheeks before giving her a firm nod.

“Yeah!”

“Thank you, Tessily.”

Tessily would never forget her smile.

I’m the one who was supposed to protect him...

Tessily gave a resigned smile as he continued down the corridor.

I never thought he’d solve everything on his own before I even finished my preparations.

He had heard about the death of the minister while he was off in a foreign country, but when he learned his youngest brother was responsible, his surprise was immense.

“Well, he’s her child after all,” he mumbled to himself.

She always did the unexpected and unprecedented, and Herscherik certainly takes after his mother.

Tessily then thought back to that wish he’d heard from his younger brother.

“Neither winning nor losing, always kind to others... You’re too hard on yourself, Herscherik.”

His youngest brother’s wish was the result of his wisdom and his kindness.

Tessily stopped walking and shook his head. He didn’t have time to think about that right now.

“Well then, it’s a bit earlier than I planned, but I suppose it’s time to go change the country,” he said to himself as he resumed his stride.