Chapter 133 - 2-15 Ricardo's Perspective
Isaac rushed into my office while I was working. Seeing the blood drained from his face, I knew instantly that something terrible had happened. The news he delivered was far worse than anything I had imagined.
"What is the Crown Prince's condition!"
"The royal physicians have been dispatched... but it doesn't look good."
"Summon every dark magic user. We must do everything possible to stabilize him."
"Yes, the mages have already been notified."
The moment I heard the report, I left the office with Isaac, heading for the room where the Prince was being treated. As we hurried, I pressed Isaac for more details, and his complexion only grew paler.
How could this happen...
I usually kept my expression neutral, but I couldn't hide my irritation now. When I saw a figure approaching with a group of knights, shouting "Ricardo!", I couldn't help but click my tongue.
"Hey, what is the meaning of this! Confining Mother!"
"I am busy. As you can see from the situation, I don't have time for your nonsense."
"Wh-What a way to speak to your older brother..."
I had been caught by a nuisance when every second counted. I tried to brush past Faust, but he grabbed my arm so hard it nearly knocked me off balance.
"Brother Faust, we are in a hurry," Isaac said.
"Isaac, you too? Regardless, you will explain yourself to me first!"
As Faust glared at Isaac while gripping my arm, the murky frustration in my chest turned pitch black. I took a deep breath to steady my panic and shot Faust a sidelong glance.
"I will say it again. I am busy. Leave it for later."
My voice was colder and flatter than I intended. I must have looked quite chilling, my face devoid of all emotion. Faust flinched and stepped back slightly. I roughly shook off his hand.
But Faust wouldn't back down.
"Tch... Regardless, I will take Mother under my care. Poor thing."
"Poor thing?"
"It is a pity she has such a heartless son as you."
"Hah. ...It seems you still don't understand the situation, Brother."
"I've heard the story. A horse was spooked by an arrow fired by the Queen's knights for the hunt, and it went wild. The Crown Prince of Dutoit was unfortunately caught in the chaos and fell from a cliff, suffering heavy injuries."
"If you know that much, then get out of my way."
I glared at him and shoved his shoulder to move him aside.
"Ricardo, this was an unfortunate accident. We are not at fault."
"Unfortunate... you say? This is an 'incident' caused by Mother. Not an accident."
"But it wasn't intentional. No one could have predicted the horse would go wild or that the Crown Prince would be involved."
True, that bird-brained mother of mine probably hadn't considered it would turn into such a disaster. She just wanted to scare them into silence, and it resulted in the worst possible outcome.
But intent doesn't matter when it comes to sweeping this under the rug. We had harmed the Crown Prince of a neighboring nation. Dutoit would not remain silent. Therefore, the Prince's recovery was the absolute priority. Furthermore, we had to settle this with minimal casualties—even if those casualties came from the royal family.
As soon as Isaac returned to the castle, he had ordered his men to keep Mother under surveillance in her room. Once we confirmed the Crown Prince's condition, we would have to interrogate her and decide her fate.
"Regardless, the cause lies with us."
"And what of it?"
He really was a fool. He was so used to having everything explained to him that he never thought for himself. My contempt for my brother reached its limit, and my irritation boiled over.
Ah, damn it. I'm going to snap.
At that moment, the restraint I'd been holding back finally broke.
"Listen well."
A loud thud echoed through the hallway. Faust hit the wall, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at me.
The sound was from my fist hitting the wall right next to him. But I didn't care. I needed to shut this noisy brother of mine up.
In the sudden silence, the air grew even colder as I spoke slowly.
"If this leads to war, the lives of every citizen in this country will be at risk. Compared to that, don't you think it's better to hand over the heads of a few royals to avoid it?"
"Huh? You... what are you..."
"Though, if we lose the war, our heads will likely be lopped off anyway."
Faust turned pale at my intensity. Yet, he still seemed to have the energy to speak. I needed to drive the point home.
"Listen. If you don't want your head on a platter, stay in your room and keep quiet. ...If you interfere, you might just lose your life in an 'unfortunate accident' right here, Brother."
I forced a smile at the end, perhaps having threatened him too much. Faust's face went even whiter, and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Anyway, we must get to the Crown Prince. Isaac, hurry!"
"Yes!"
Leaving him there, I called out to Isaac. He jumped, gave a loud reply, and immediately ran after me.
I've wasted more time than I thought. I have to hurry.
When we reached the room where the Crown Prince was being treated, the knights of Dutoit stood guard, radiating a sharp, murderous aura that pressured the Orta knights nearby.
Entering the room, I heard a woman's agonizing cry from the center of the circle of physicians and mages.
"...Louis... Louis-sama... Louis-sama!"
It was his fiancée, Lady Rachel Marcel. Her voice was filled with a despair I couldn't have imagined from her usually dignified self. She called his name over and over, tears streaming down her face, but the man on the bed did not respond.
"...This can't be real," Isaac whispered beside me.
The Crown Prince was being fed mana by the most skilled dark mage in Orta, second only to myself. But his eyes remained closed, and not even a fingertip twitched.
"Status?"
"Prince Ricardo! We are doing everything we can, but the situation remains critical. Magic healing... can only do so much to stop the bleeding... if the Saint and the Prince could combine their powers, perhaps..."
The mage didn't stop his work as he turned to me. Sweat beaded on his forehead; he had clearly pushed his mana to the limit and was holding on by sheer willpower.
I placed a hand on the Crown Prince's head to check his condition.
No...
It's too late...
The surface wounds were healed, but the internal damage was too deep. The hemorrhaging continued inside, and it was already beyond help.
The light of his life was fading. Knowing that, I realized my own power was utterly useless. I had been arrogant, thinking that if I came here, I could save him. Especially with the Dark Saint present.
But this is beyond my expectations. I didn't think it was this bad...
"...If I use mana now, it will surely extinguish his life."
There was nothing to be done. No way to save him. Stunned by the reality, I could do nothing but stand there, paralyzed.