kscans

Chapter 27 - Severance

Lupia's father, Aristerios, was genuinely furious. Lupia's past circumstances, her future path, and furthermore, the Calmond family funds that had been used without permission—funds that were by no means a gift. If Lupia had become Crown Princess as planned, he might have forgiven it as youthful folly. Though he would have undoubtedly given them a harsh lesson.

But to think the money had been used to buy gifts for Falty, the current Crown Princess—and that Liam had been foolishly honest enough to document the purpose of the expenditures—made him laugh despite himself.

Then there was the sheer stupidity of Liam's earlier remark—the 'royal command.' The pale faces of those who had been present made it clear just how idiotic it was. Of course, Aristerios had merely smiled inwardly.

He didn't know if Liam had even noticed his sarcastic jabs, but he figured they would be useful 'material' for what was to come. After parting with Liam, he walked to the King's Office. The conversation ahead would likely be one the King would want to cry through, but Aristerios couldn't care less.

He took a deep breath, knocked on the door of the King's Office, and entered upon receiving permission.

"Pardon the intrusion."

"Ah... yes..."

The King looked terribly unwell. Did he already know what they were about to discuss, had he heard about the little commotion earlier, or was it both? But there was no need to consider the feelings of a royal family that had cast aside his ducal house. That was Aristerios's judgment.

"I will be direct. Our family will be renouncing our title. We ask that you cease all interference with us."

"W-wait! Wait, I say!"

"Furthermore, our family will be relocating to the neighboring country... What should we do about our domain?"

"Duke, p-please, listen to me...!"

"Would it be best to return the territory? If we were to take it with us, we wouldn't want to be seen as traitors... And I wonder what our people will decide. Shall we ask them what they wish to do? At the same time, I believe it would be wise for you to promptly arrange for a replacement to govern our lands."

"...!!"

The King's aide, and the King himself, opened and closed their mouths repeatedly, their faces ashen. They seemed shocked, but it was the royal family who had made moves to cast off the ducal house. Why were they now looking so 'hurt'?

It was the same with Lupia. The Crown Prince's sudden change of heart was likely due to the liberating feeling of his time at the academy, an environment so different from what he'd known, causing some pent-up feelings to explode. But as a member of the royal family, his behavior was far too immature.

"My, Your Majesty, you look terribly pale."

"...You move to a neighboring country, and what will you do? Tell your daughter Lupia to become a pawn for the family again!? Surely you don't intend to force something upon Rupert as well!"

"Not at all. My wife has renounced her right to the throne, a fact that is recognized in Qua, so we have taken thorough measures to ensure there will be no succession dispute. Besides, what we do is a matter to be arranged between our family and the Qua Kingdom. I have no obligation to report to you... Am I mistaken? This should have nothing to do with Rupert either."

"Ugh..."

"I intend to let Lupia do whatever she wishes, to make up for all the things I made her endure. I hope it will serve as atonement for binding my daughter to this country for the simple reason that she was 'just right.'"

"Rupert was scheduled to join the Royal Knight Order, was he not?!"

"Yes, if Lupia had become the Crown Princess, that is."

"...Ah."

"You and the Queen both agreed to that, did you not? If she is not to be Crown Princess, what problem is there in my son changing his path? It's not as if he'd already taken the Knight Order exam and passed."

"Th-that is..."

It was a sharp barb of sarcasm... or rather, a fact. It mercilessly pierced the King. He was a great ruler when it came to politics, but he was hopelessly inept at these kinds of personal relationships. That was one reason why various retainers, including Aristerios, had lent him a hand.

"If His Highness had expressed a desire to be with that count's daughter, a wish to change his fiancée... if you had only gone through the proper channels, I would not have resorted to such measures... but it can't be helped. You must tend to the flowers you have sown and raised yourself."

"...!"

"Also, I will require the immediate return of this."

He smoothly presented a document. The King's aide trembled as he confirmed its contents, but it was something Aristerios was well within his rights to demand back.

"My personal assets, which I prepared and made available out of love for my daughter. It would have been no problem for Lupia to use them. But..."

Aristerios's eyes narrowed.

"Why did His Highness see fit to dip into these funds...?"

The room filled with a palpable aura of rage. Why had Liam used the assets meant for Lupia like his own pocket money? The sum was considerable, so even Aristerios could not overlook it.

"If you wish to hide this from the public, so be it. But I expect it to be returned before we leave this country."

"I... understand."

He had no choice but to agree. What Liam had done was tantamount to embezzling the Duke's assets. Shouting, 'Why didn't he use his own Crown Prince budget!' would change nothing now.

"As for the amount, a lump sum. If there is any delay, I will use whatever means necessary..."

"I-I'll return it! Of course I'll return it!"

He couldn't afford to have such a scandal exposed. What would happen if the people found out the heroes of their beloved romance story were such fools?

"Returning it is a given. Now, could I please have your permission to renounce my title? Our preparations for moving are proceeding without delay, and there are many procedures to attend to."

"...Ugh..."

Oh, and one more thing, Aristerios sneered. There was someone using words without understanding their meaning. Since he was still a subject, for now, he felt he had to report it. He put on a smile, but the King's complexion only grew worse.

"Your Majesty's son seems to be quite the excellent and ambitious young man."

"...What?"

"My, it seems you haven't heard from your aides yet."

At times like these, when Aristerios was scheming, he was never up to any good. The King thought lightly of it, figuring he probably just wanted to issue another warning or admonishment to the royal family.

"I was stopped by His Highness just a moment ago. ...He used the words 'royal command' you see."

"...What?"

Aristerios was laughing, looking thoroughly amused. The King was stunned.

This contrast between the two looked so bizarre that the color drained completely from the King's aide's face. And on top of that, the King's face grew even paler.

Don't cause any trouble, he had strictly warned him, yet what had he gone and said? A furious anger began to boil up inside the King. To begin with, Liam was still the 'Crown Prince,' not the 'King.' The fact that Liam himself hadn't realized how utterly absurd it was for him to shout 'royal command' was the problem. And there were plenty of witnesses. They had been talking in the middle of a corridor, and numerous nobles and castle staff had been listening to their conversation with horrified expressions.

"L-Liam... used the words 'royal command,' you say?"

"Yes."

Aristerios affirmed without a moment's hesitation, the smile vanishing from his face.

"And he still insists on calling Lupia by her first name, without honorifics. ...Despite the fact that he already has a Crown Princess... Perhaps he sees her as little more than a scullery maid?"

No, that's not it, I'm sorry. Words of denial tumbled out of the King like a scream. Give me permission to renounce the title instead of this, Aristerios wanted to say, but if he pushed too hard, there was no telling what the King might do.

"...Your Majesty, may we go over this one thing at a time?"

"...Yes."

Aristerios, who had been standing the entire time, finally sat down in one of the chairs of the reception set prepared in the office. The King sat across from him, looking utterly exhausted as he stared at the papers laid out before him with an expression of despair.

"Regarding the misappropriation of my personal assets, I ask for their swift return. ...I have no intention of donating them."

"Of course!"

"And, regarding the renunciation of my title."

"Th-that I cannot allow! Please, somehow, reconsider!"

"That would be impossible, would it not?"

"Why...!"

"You approached our family seeking ties, proposed an engagement, and then unilaterally dissolved it from your side. To top it off, after breaking the engagement, you invited my daughter, whose position had become precarious, to the Crown Prince's wedding and tried to force the role of instructor on her. Had she accepted, what did you intend to do when it was over?"

His face, which had been pale, finally turned white, but Aristerios continued, unconcerned.

"My family is not a convenience service."

"That wasn't my intention!"

"And one more thing. Friendship cannot possibly exist between Her Highness the Crown Princess and my daughter."

".........What?"

The expression fell from the King's face. His aide also looked confused, muttering, "Huh?" but Aristerios continued.

"Her Highness the Crown Princess seems to be telling people that Lupia is her friend, but that is impossible. ...Whether they are friends among nobles or not, if one were to become a friend to the daughter of our house... that is to say, a ducal house, there would be some sort of connection between our families. ...There is not. Not a single connection between the Ardia Count Family and ours."

Aristerios sighed at the stunned King and his aide. He didn't care how Falty had become close with Liam; he had no interest. All that existed for him was the fact that 'his daughter was kicked out of the position of Crown Princess.'

But it seemed Falty often said within the royal palace, 'Lupia is my friend, so I'm sure she'll help me!' There was no association between their families, nor were their parents even acquaintances.

That one year when Lupia's behavior had been strange. Considering that Falty had done something to Lupia, or perhaps was controlling her during that time, it all made sense. He wouldn't know for sure without speaking to Lupia herself, but Aristerios simply could not bring himself to trust the person known as Falty.

"Your Majesty, please give up on our family already. It is this country itself that has cast us aside. The people, the other nobles—they have all judged that our family is not needed. That is why we have decided to leave. Do not involve yourselves with us any longer."

It was a letter of severance from the ducal family, stated over and over. The King had refused to acknowledge it, rejecting it time and again, but now, at this point, he finally realized, understood, and was trying to accept that there was no going back.

"...I am sorry for Liam's foolish actions."

"No, I do not mind it at all. However..."

Hah, the King looked up to see Aristerios smiling with an expression of immense amusement.

"On my way here, His Highness the Crown Prince shouted, 'It's a royal command!'... Perhaps you should hasten your response. Ambition is well and good... but it would be best if you were to instruct him on his place in things. ...Thoroughly, that is."

"Well then, excuse me!" Aristerios stood and left briskly. The King stared after him in a daze before hastily summoning Liam to his office. Needless to say, his shouts echoed throughout the room, but at the same time, word of the ducal family's renunciation of their title was spreading through the royal palace at a tremendous speed.