Chapter 38

Leohart was not an incompetent prince for the royal family.

He was the first child of the king and queen, and his lineage was not an issue.

He was seven years younger than the second prince, and if he possessed the required abilities, the nobles would not have had significant complaints about making him the crown prince.

There was no particular need for a fiancée to support Leohart's claim to the crown.

There were no princesses of a suitable age in the neighboring countries, but there was no immediate threat to the Beltsurian Kingdom, and the only concern was the territory of the northern beasts.

Over a decade ago, the border lord and lady died during a stampede.

However, their legitimate son had succeeded them and was defending the Baltsrain territory admirably.

Therefore, as a royal family, the priority should be the stability of the country. This was what was required of the current reign.

Thus, the king initially considered Angelina, the eldest daughter of the Steizen Duke, to strengthen ties with the domestic nobility.

In fact, this engagement was supposed to be finalized with the approval of both families.

However, Leohart himself put a stop to it.

Initially, the king and queen thought it was just the prince's capriciousness.

But if the engagement with Angelina were to proceed despite Leohart's clear disapproval, it would create friction between the Steizen family and the royal family.

Therefore, the engagement between Leohart and Angelina had to be postponed.

The king, unable to give up on the connection with the Steizen family, decided to put it on hold.

When asked if the Rodick family would be a suitable alternative, Leohart firmly declined.

When asked about his intentions, Leohart responded as follows:

"There is a woman who is a descendant of the Alstroemeria royal family. I believe I can prove it eventually. So, I would like some time, Father. No, Your Majesty."

...It was a dubious story.

But if it were true, it would be a matter that could not be ignored.

There was no credibility, but Leohart seemed to have some certainty.

Moreover, the king had heard that Leohart was acting on his own.

It did not seem like he was lying to avoid the engagement with the duke's daughter or acting out of childish caprice.

The king decided to observe the situation.

During this time, Angelina Steizen, whose engagement had been postponed, became engaged to a border lord.

The Steizen Duke applied subtle pressure.

While he did not strongly blame the royal family, it meant that the royal family could no longer interfere with Angelina's future engagements.

The king sighed.

This was the first significant disappointment he had in Leohart.

Leohart advanced to his second year at the Royal Academy.

It became evident to everyone that he was paying attention to a particular young lady.

She was the daughter of Baron Schliegen, a first-year student.

Naturally, the king also received reports about this.

"Is she just a baron's daughter? An orphan, perhaps? At the very least, she doesn't seem to be the biological daughter of Baron Schliegen."

Leohart seemed to believe she was a descendant of the previous royal family.

He was planning to bring the leading marquis family into her guardianship to make her eligible for adoption.

It appeared he intended to appoint them as her guardians.

Leohart's political intentions were understandable.

He was taking action.

Leohart did not reveal the evidence that the young lady was a descendant of Alstroemeria to anyone.

But he seemed to have a strong conviction.

At that time, the Steizen family had already taken a stance that they were no longer concerned about the crown prince's engagement, and the Rodick family had strongly protested.

It was impossible to make a baron's daughter the queen.

It seemed that Leohart's movements were also being monitored...

The king was considering, at some point, to give up on Leohart's actions and force the crown prince's engagement by royal decree.

The king still had Angelina in mind, who had consistently been the top student in her year, but he had also given up on the situation.

He wanted to prevent the Rodick Duke from having his way and still believed that Sandika should be the one to marry Leohart.

Just then, the Steizen family proposed an education program for the future queen.

Surprisingly, this proposal seemed to support Baron Schliegen's daughter and keep the Rodick family quiet for a while.

It aligned with Leohart's thoughts and delayed the appointment of the leading marquis family as her guardians.

It was a plan to postpone the drastic changes in the power dynamics within the Beltsurian Kingdom.

It appeared to be a strategy to suppress the Steizen family's enemies.

The king even wondered if the Steizen family's true intention was to rekindle the engagement between Leohart and Angelina, but he had heard no news of the engagement being broken.

On the contrary, Angelina seemed to be on good terms with the border lord, which the king found regrettable.

"I can't figure out the Steizen family's intentions..."

Carlos, the prince of the Steizen family, maintained a distance from Leohart that could not be called a friendship.

Was he trying to mediate between Leohart and the baron's daughter?

He seemed to be considering an alliance with the Rodick family.

Duchess Sandika did not try to get close to Leohart and instead surrounded and protected the Schliegen girl.

She did not seem to want to exclude her.

"Does Leohart have the support of others? Is he being supported? If so, why..."

There were people the king had considered as Leohart's close aides.

However, they had declined to be near the crown prince.

The second son of the Marcott family, the third son of the Chancellor's family, the prince of the Steizen family, and even the young man managed in the magic tower.

While Leohart had aides now, they were inferior in various aspects compared to the ones the king had in mind.

This would likely affect the evaluation of Leohart.

"...Sigh."

The king accepted the proposal from the Steizen family.

The Rodick Duke was still expressing dissatisfaction, but Sandika's positive attitude towards the proposal was the deciding factor.

However, the king set conditions for Leohart regarding this issue.

"Leohart, if the girl you mentioned has the circumstances you previously spoke of, you must prove it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. That is not a problem."

"...Is that so? Then, there are conditions."

"Conditions?"

"The girl must accept the Steizen family's proposal and receive the queen's education. If she fails to show results, your engagement will not be recognized. It would be unfortunate for her. A crown princess cannot be someone who lacks the qualities. Therefore, I will not allow you to favor the girl, Merk Schliegen."

"...Huh?"

"It means she must receive fair education and be judged impartially. You must not show her any special treatment because she is the crown prince's favorite. You must also avoid excessive contact with her. It will attract unnecessary attention."

"What, no!"

"...Do you intend to make her the queen in the future? It seems you are acting on your own. As you wish."

"Ah, no, that's..."

"Then, make the right judgment."

The king knew that Leohart's attitude and actions were causing ripples in the country.

Still, he had overlooked many things.

"Do you dislike the Steizens and Rodicks? Do you want to elevate the marquis family in your reign?"

It was not entirely wrong.

If the power of the ducal families was too strong and threatened the royal family, it was understandable to want to empower the marquis families.

"That's... No, the Steizens, they..."

"If you dislike the Steizens, choose Sandika. I do not like the Rodicks."

"...I understand."

The king sighed.

"The proof of the Alstroemeria descendant must be done while she is in school. She must also show results in the queen's education. You must not favor her. Show pure results. Avoid excessive contact with Merk Schliegen. I will judge her fairly. It is for the future, for your own good, Leohart."

"...But, you have confidence, don't you? I don't know why you remain silent and do not explain the reasons to me. Can you definitively say that she is a descendant of Alstroemeria?"

"Yes! Absolutely!"

"...Is that so? Then, follow the conditions I have set."

"Ugh... Yes... I understand, Your Majesty."

Thus, Leohart did not get as many opportunities to meet Merk as he had initially planned.

He only approached her during the 'events' he could not compromise on.

The king believed that Merk would give up quickly.

He thought she would not be able to keep up with the rigorous queen's education, and many nobles shared this belief.

They thought it was just a performance to showcase Sandika's qualities.

However, Merk did not break under the strict education.

She had already been performing well in school and was working to improve the areas where she was lacking.

She showed a strong will to improve.

"...But, she is still inferior to the duchess' daughter."

In terms of ability and demeanor. She was also rated lower than the other candidates, the marquis' and count's daughters, who were receiving the same education.

However, the other candidates were gradually distancing themselves from the queen's education, possibly due to Sandika's influence.

"No, it might be because of Leohart's attitude..."

While he was forbidden from favoring Merk, Leohart did not show any signs of favoring the other candidates.

The candidates who judged that they were not cut out for it, despite the rigorous education, quickly distanced themselves.

The king felt anxious as the options narrowed.

He urged Leohart to prove the previous royal family's lineage sooner, but Leohart's confidence from before seemed to have waned.

"It's... that..."

"What is it?"

"Merk... is not very motivated."

"Huh?"

"She should manifest 'the power of the holy flower' when she uses high-level magic. I am certain of this."

"...I see. Well, there is no other way to prove it. But, can she use magic? The Baron Schliegen's daughter?"

"No, that's not possible... However, she is not showing any motivation... I am encouraging her, but..."

This was the second thing that did not go as Leohart had planned.

According to his memory, Merk was more enthusiastic about high-level magic.

And she had already shown him 'the power of the holy flower' at this point.

The thing that did not go as Leohart had hoped the most was, of course, Merk herself.

Even though he was interacting with her as he did in the 'past,' she did not show the same passion or the infatuated expression of a young woman in love.

They were supposed to have loved each other deeply. If her heart had moved to another man, it did not seem that way.

It was just that the passion directed at him was slightly colder than before.

(Why... Merk. What's different now? What was different about us before... I know. What is the significant difference?)

Leohart had one answer.

The reason his romantic feelings for Merk were not as intense as before.

And he also knew that his own actions had caused this difference.

"But, my conditions remain the same. Do you understand, Leohart?"

"Yes..."

"You rejected the excellent Steizen princess and did not take the hand of the Rodick princess, who is still devoted to you. Will the marquis family be the support you need? The Rodick family's influence has already reached the Schliegen family. Leohart..."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What do you want? What are you seeking? Just the love of the young lady? If you get that, do you not need the throne?"

"Huh?"

"...She is seven years younger than you, but there are others who have the blood of the royal family. I do not plan to abdicate soon. There is time until the second prince grows up. Remember that. You are not irreplaceable. Do not think too short-sightedly. The second prince has trustworthy guards."

"I... understand..."

The position of crown prince could change depending on the situation.

If Merk could not prove her lineage to the previous royal family. ...But that should not happen.

If Sandika rejected Leohart. ...She already seems to be taking Carlos' hand.

"...If you do not cause excessive problems, creating a new ducal family could be a good option.

If she lacks the qualities, her title will be lower. This is also a 'reprieve' and 'expectation' for you."

"Reprieve and expectation?"

"...Do you have confidence that Merk Schliegen is indeed a descendant of Alstroemeria?"

"If so, it would be good to establish a new ducal family and surround her with support. She may not be suitable for the queen's position in this generation, but if the bloodline continues, it could eventually merge with the Beltsurian royal family again."

"Your Majesty! Please wait! The truth is, Merk is indeed a descendant of Alstroemeria!"

"I know that."

"Huh?"

"...If she is a descendant of the previous royal family, she is worth a ducal title. However, that does not mean she can be the next queen or king. Do you understand?"

Leohart's eyes widened.

"But! If the 'princess' of Alstroemeria marries me, the crown prince, then it would be—"

"Until now, I also thought so. But it depends on your results. If she is useful, we will use her. If not, that's all there is to it."

"Ugh..."

"...Leohart, you were not that incompetent. You could handle politics to some extent. But recently, your shortcomings have become more noticeable."

"Ugh... That... Father..."

"...Sigh. I still regret it."

"Regret?"

The king looked at Leohart with the eyes of someone disappointed.

"If you and Angelina had been engaged, she could have compensated for your shortcomings. If that had happened, I could have said that you could remain the crown prince without any worries. But now, with your current shortcomings and a 'somewhat excellent' young lady, I feel uncertain about you succeeding to the throne, even with the name of Alstroemeria. Do you understand? This is how you are evaluated now."

Those words were the ones Leohart least wanted to hear.

◇◆◇

To say that the thought of 'that' never crossed Leohart's mind in the face of the current situation would be a lie.

If he had been engaged to her.

If this time, their relationship had gone well.

If he had spent this time for that purpose.

He had thought about it. It had crossed his mind.

But 'that' could never be obtained again.

Unless time could be rewound.

A choice that Leohart himself had made.

At first, he had judged 'her' as a villain, and Leohart had never considered such a thing.

But in the current time, Merk was not being oppressed.

...He had always been wary of her. This time, he would protect Merk.

But it turned out to be meaningless.

Leohart had only wasted time and energy.

(No reason to be jealous? Or...)

Now, even his former friends and comrades advised him.

What was Leohart wary of with her... Angelina?

Was there a need for it?

Leohart did not openly show his strong aversion to Angelina, partly due to the influence of Dennis Colden.

Dennis had confronted Neil Drought, a teacher at the academy, suspecting Angelina of misconduct.

He had done so several times.

Leohart thought the son of the chancellor would take care of it without his intervention.

During that time, he would avoid Angelina and spend his time deepening his relationship with Merk. That was what he thought.

However, it was proven that Angelina had no reason to harm Merk.

Moreover, Leohart had seen it.

Angelina spending time affectionately with the border lord.

The passion directed at the border lord, the look, the expression...

'If Angelina is in love,'

This is what she would look like.

(I have never been given such a look, such an expression, by Angelina.)

Then?

If the former Angelina had never been in love with Leohart.

The foundation of the 'past' time would collapse.

There would be no reason for him to be jealous of Merk.

...No, if she had a desire for power, it could be possible?

The current situation