/
Chapter 8: A Slap In The Face?
“Hehe…”
Today, the emperor’s mouth was torn with a satisfied smile.
It was because today was the day to report the princes’ educational achievements regularly.
In the hall, the first prince Eurius and the second prince Leonhart stood side by side, and behind them were their guardians, Marius and Duke Wilhelm.
‘Of course, Eurius is my son too.’
Until recently, Eurius’s achievements were always compared to the excellent Leonhardt, except for swordsmanship.
But what about now?
Since Marius took charge of Eurius’s education, he had been doing well in all areas.
“Princes, listen.”
“Yes, father.”
Eurius and Leonhardt bowed their heads and listened to the emperor’s words.
“I’m very pleased to see you two studying so hard to lead the empire in the future.”
The emperor looked at them with a gentle look as if they were more lovely than ever, and then opened his mouth again.
“Do you two have anything you want from me? I’ll grant you a reasonable wish if I can.”
“I don’t have anything I want. It’s all thanks to the duke and the servants who supported me wholeheartedly.”
Leonhart quickly showed his humility and gave credit to his uncle, Duke Wilhelm.
It was not a normal reaction for a 14-year-old boy to refuse the emperor’s reward and give credit to someone else. The second prince Leonhardt was definitely a smart boy with a promising future.
The emperor admired him again and turned his eyes to the duke.
“Then the duke’s merit must be great too?”
“Huh, I didn’t do anything. It’s all because of the second prince’s talent.”
He chuckled and gave a subtle wink to Marius next to him.
‘It’s useless for an old man with only power ambitions to try hard. The prince you are pushing is so different.’
He had been putting some effort lately, but the first prince was just a hopeless kid anyway. The invisible battle with Marius today would surely end in his victory.
Duke Wilhelm had absolute confidence in Leonhart’s talent, not just because he was his nephew.
The first prince was talented enough compared to others, but the second prince was a genius beyond talent. The starting line itself was different. How could it be done by effort?
“…”
But Marius’s reaction was unusually bland. Normally, he would look at the first prince with a worried face or be angry.
Then Eurius opened his mouth.
“I have a request for you, father.”
‘That’s right!’
The duke smiled victoriously.
But Eurius’s request was completely different from what the duke expected.
“I’ve been going to the administration office lately to receive education from Marius.”
The emperor looked puzzled.
“So what’s wrong with the administration office?”
“I heard this from among the bureaucrats when I went there for education.”
Eurius calmly continued.
“Because of the heavy rain this year, the upper part of Goethe River in the north of the capital overflowed, and many villages nearby were damaged.”
“Ho ho.”
“The people in the affected areas are still suffering from lack of relief supplies. I hope you can give them enough support.”
The emperor scratched his cheek and turned his eyes to Marius.
“Is that true?”
“That is correct. It was a sudden disaster and there was a lot of concern among the bureaucrats due to lack of budget. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Hahaha!”
As soon as he heard Marius’s answer, the emperor clapped his hands and laughed out loud.
The duke felt like he had been hit in the back of his head and looked stunned.
The emperor stopped laughing for a while and became serious again.
“First prince, Eurius!”
“Yes.”
“Your request today was very admirable. Many nobles or imperials overlook this fact, but when one people gather together, they become a crowd, and when a crowd gathers together, it becomes the voice of the country and the foundation of this empire. Leonhart, follow your brother’s example and don’t forget this fact.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
They answered in unison and the emperor immediately called his secretary.
“Release the imperial treasury and support the people in the affected areas!”
He added one more thing.
“And reward all the servants who have been in charge of educating the first prince so far.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Marius bowed his head deeply and gave a sneaky smile to Duke Wilhelm next to him.
‘Heh! You got a good slap today, old man with only power ambitions!’
Seeing Marius’s triumphant expression, Duke Wilhelm felt like his blood was boiling but forced a smile.
“I can’t help but admire your benevolence for thinking of your people.”
Leonhart also approached Eurius and spoke with a more excited expression than usual.
“You are amazing, brother. I learned a lot today.”
Eurius smiled and patted Leonhardt’s shoulder and hugged him.
“We haven’t seen each other often because you’ve been living in the duke’s territory. Let’s talk sometimes.”
‘Stat window!’
[Leonhart von Scharnos]
Job: Prince, Beginner Knight
Strength C+ Agility C- Intelligence B+ Mental Power B+ Force C+ Force Aptitude A
Disposition: Cold, Ambitious, Charismatic
[Traits]
Imperial Bloodline – You have the bloodline of a player. All your stats grow faster.
Versatile – You learn faster in any field.
‘Why did this brat have this already?’
Eurius clicked his tongue as he checked the stat window. This guy was definitely getting the [correction] of the player’s bloodline from birth, unlike him.
He had the knowledge and experience of his previous life, so he could understand the stats, but this guy was only 14 years old and his intelligence and mental power were better than an average veteran bureaucrat.
And even though he must have felt a big slap just now, he came up to him and pleased him. He was not an ordinary politician at a young age.
If it was him in his previous life, he would have ignored his easy-to-handle incompetent brother.
Considering his future growth, he was not an easy competitor even if he had all the knowledge of his previous life.
In his previous life, he always suffered from an inferiority complex because of Leonhart, and that eventually led to his downfall.
‘But it’s different now!’
Eurius smiled and continued to chat with Leonhart.
…
Meanwhile, Duke Wilhelm, who left the hall, couldn’t hide his discomfort. He immediately summoned Earl Wallace secretly that night.
“How dare you, you traitorous scum! What kind of scheme did you hatch behind my back?”
“…”
A scheme?
“Answer me. Did you really switch to the emperor’s side? If so, you should be prepared for the consequences.”
An invisible aura began to emanate from the duke’s body.
The duke was not only a great nobleman with the highest power in the empire, but also a warrior who had reached the superhuman level that only four people in the vast empire had.
Everyone who wielded a sword in the continent knew him as the Sword Saint Wilhelm, the best superhuman in the empire.
All the knights of the empire respected and followed him.
“Cough, how dare I? Please calm down for a moment.”
Count Wallace tried to look relaxed under the duke’s interrogation, but there was no way he could withstand the duke’s aura as a bureaucrat.
He sweated profusely and hurriedly said.
“I’ve been watching for a year and the first prince’s personality hasn’t changed.”
He caught his breath for a moment and started to make excuses.
“Think about it. He’s only sixteen years old. How can he suddenly become a genius and a hard worker who surpasses the second prince?”
The duke also nodded at that point.
He also remembered a conversation he had with the first prince a few months ago.
…
“By the way, I heard that you have reconciled with Marius.”
“Reconciled? What do you mean?”
Eurius answered nonchalantly.
“I just do what Marius says. It makes father happy, and I get more time to practice swordsmanship, so why not?”
“Huh… Marius said that?”
“I’m old enough to know things. There’s no need to fight with that old man unnecessarily.”
…
When he heard that, he thought Marius somehow persuaded or forced the first prince to take lessons.
But after hearing what the duke said today, it wasn’t like that, was it?
“Marius, is that old man behind this?”
“Yes. Honestly, who else could come up with such a trick?”
People’s personalities don’t change overnight. And how could a prince who hardly goes out of the palace care about the people’s suffering? It’s ridiculous.
The emperor might not know because he was busy with politics and couldn’t see his sons well, but he had been watching the first prince for over ten years. He knew Eurius would never think of such a thing.
“Crack.”
The armrest of the chair where the duke was sitting broke into dust in an instant.
‘He always pretended to be clean, but he tried to put the first prince on the throne with such a trick?’
If Marius was behind it, his intention was obvious.
He wanted to put the incompetent first prince on the throne like himself, and wield his power himself.
Count Wallace quickly agreed.
“We underestimated him too much. He is supposed to be the emperor’s closest aide.”
‘We have to separate the first prince and Marius somehow!’
The same thought crossed their minds in an instant.