Chapter 60

“Fania-chan, have you made any progress in the preparation?”

“Yes. I’m roughly done for most things.” I responded to Mother while putting in the last piece of cloth in the suitcase.

At this moment, I was preparing for a trip. It was for a trip abroad that I had promised to go with Mother.

I had a talk with my father, and he finally believed that I was his biological son. He discovered that the thing of his concern—the blood-tie between Al and me—was untrue, so there was no more need for him to eliminate me. I no longer needed to hide.

Father continued to be the King’s close aide, but he said he didn’t want to be the leading Duke. Moreover, he decided to quit being in the second prince faction to avoid stirring up any dissidents.

Nevertheless, I didn’t return to the House of Arginia. I requested Mother to let me stay in this hideaway. I had been estranged from my father since I was born. My childhood was a misery in which I was always in fear of his acts of violence. Even if he now knew that I was his son and the discords gone, there was no way we could suddenly hit it off.

The sixteen years between my father and I would always be there, never disappearing. I would not return to that house, and father also didn’t call me back. On top of that, very soon I would leave this country, Frialist, and go on a trip with Mother. On a trip that had yet any plan of returning to this country.

Princess Caroline from Agrid country had arrived in Frialist. There would be a Princess Caroline’s public appearance on the first Sunday of April; it was said that at this time, there would be an announcement to the whole citizens although its content was still undisclosed. The mass citizens were in joy predicting that it would be an announcement regarding Al and the princess. In the wake of Princess Consort Jane’s mourning period, the whole nation was very welcoming of this to blow away all the gloomy mood from before.

I… I honestly couldn’t be happy about it. You might laugh at me for being so narrow-minded, but I just couldn’t say any congratulatory words. I initially thought of meeting Al and making things clear between us. I thought of clinging on him, condemning him, punching him, then crying and bawling and finally ending it all.

With my father’s misunderstanding solved, I was free to move around. It seemed like Al was really swamped with work, but if I were to go meet him, probably he would meet me. However, I chose not to. I missed him so, so bad, but I didn’t go meet him. It was because things had changed…

Our situations had changed.

In this country, one was considered to be an adult once they reached the age 18. Marriages were allowed from age 16. For nobles, a marriage before that age was permissible but they had to keep it as a ‘white marriage’ (Without sexual intercourse) until they reached the legal age. Princess Caroline had just turned 16 and after her arrival in this country, she would enroll in Frialist Royal Academy in the coming April. And at the same time, her engagement to Al would be announced; after two years attending the academy, she would graduate and get married to Al.

That was what people thought… Although there was no official announcement from the country as of yet, in the newspapers, it was reported so from their speculations. All the citizens had been thinking like that.

However, when the princess arrived in March, things changed.

There came an official demand from Agrid, the country where the princess hailed from. In Agrid, both males and females came-of-age at 16. Caroline had already become 16, so she was already an adult. Instead of getting engaged and spending two years in the academy in the meanwhile, they insisted that it was better for her to immediately get married.They also stated that they wished for both countries to enter a treaty (by holding a royal marriage) as early as possible.

The newspapers reported that it was officially announced in that manner all over Agrid. Things had been smoldering between the warlike Agrid and its neighbouring countries. Agrid must’ve wanted to increase its allies. In the first place, Princess Caroline came for marriage, so Frialist couldn’t exactly turn down their argument of not wanting to allocate time for an engagement period.

When I read that in the newspaper, my sight turned dark. Al is getting married! Engagement and marriage are entirely different. I can never see Al again. How can I calmly meet Al when he has a princess by his side? If I see them basked in happiness, just what will become of me?

His Majesty told me that I could just be Al’s Second Consort. Even the old men in the second prince faction that were friendly to me also advised that. But I couldn’t! That was totally impossible for me. How could I see Al holding somebody else’s hand with me at the side?

Inside my heart, it was overflowing with dark emotions. Aah, in the end, I’m that villainous noble son. I even have a heart this ugly. Therefore, I chose not to see him. I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t possibly see him while my heart was like this.

“Fania-chan, what’s wrong?” Mother’s call snapped me back to my senses.

I remembered that I was in the middle of packing up.

“I’m sorry, I was dazed for a while.”

“Ufufufu, there’s no need to apologize. Rather than that, Fania-chan, didn’t I tell you, no need to pack that much clothes.”

Mother shook her head as she saw my suitcase. From when we started packing up for the trip, she had been telling me to pack as minimal as possible.

“Once we arrive at our destination, we have to wear what the people over there are wearing. If they identify us as foreigners, bad people would flock to us. We can just buy clothes over there, so no need to bring from here. It’ll just bulk up our luggage. For all that space, we better stuff it with our specialty items from here instead.”

“Yes, I know that. But I think it’s still better to bring my underwear from here.”

“Well, you can just go with whatever you have on your body. It’ll be fun to buy them at every place we stop.”

Mother looked like she was enjoying it. Until then, her hands were tied with official duties, so she must’ve had no chance to freely go abroad.

The day we would set off was the day of the announcement of the matter between Al and the princess. On the first Sunday of April. It was chosen to be on the same day. The day when Al and the princess would stand side by side on the balcony of the Palace, waving their hands to the citizens. Probably, the date of their marriage would be announced at that time. I had wanted to depart earlier than that, but I had to also consider Mother’s circumstance.

Mother was presumed to have passed away, so she cannot be seen by the public. Regardless of how little appearance she made in public before, she still had to attend events as the Princess Consort, so there were a lot of people who could recognize her. We could not allow people to see an alive Mother. So we would covertly set off while taking advantage of the moment when the whole country would be bubbling with excitement and most citizens gathering at the Royal Palace. That was how Mother explained it to me.

It was decided that I would set off from this country, Frialist, on the first Sunday of April.