Circumstances of a Fallen Lord - Chapter 145

Chapter 145

Luisen had appeared at a time when everyone was dithering about, struggling with the prince’s order that forbade everyone from entering the room. Since the Great Lords were necessary for the coronation and invested in the safe procession of the ceremony, Luisen was the right person to take the gun in hand and to enter the room. ¹ Guys, Luisen doesn’t actually have a gun. This is a metaphor.

“We shall l-leave this to you! We have… a lot to do to prepare.”

Receiving everyone’s hopeful gazes, Luisen unlocked the door with a key and entered. The room was dark with the curtains drawn.

“I’m sure I told people not to enter.”

The room held a makeshift partition for changing clothes, but Luisen could hear the prince’s voice from beyond. He sounded incredibly prickly and emotional. Luisen could understand why the servants were stamping their feet helplessly outside–after all, they didn’t want to draw the ire of the future king.

However, Luisen wasn’t concerned about such things. So what if the king was unhappy? ‘I’m the only Great Lord of the South, and I’m about to be nominated as a Saint soon.’

“The coronation ceremony will begin soon. Can the protagonist really hold himself up in his room?” Luisen strode towards the direction of the prince’s voice, pushing through the partition without much compunction.

“…Duke.” The first prince looked at Luisen, startled. He was crying and hadn’t even changed out of his funeral outfit. His eyes were red, and his cheeks were wet.

Tears streamed down the first prince’s uncontrollably, indicating that his emotions were not yet in order. How long had he been crying alone? Who knew a grown man–moreover, in Luisen’s opinion, the perfect brother and king– would cry alone before his coronation.

Luisen dragged a chair over, sat down in front of the first prince, and handed him a handkerchief. It didn’t seem like this matter would be resolved soon. The first prince buried his face into the handkerchief, sniffled a few times, before raising his head.

“…This is such a disgraceful display,” the first prince opened his mouth first. Though he sounded dignified, he didn’t seem very suave since he had a nasally tone.

“Why are you here?” Luisen asked.

“I can’t be crying in front of people, can I?”

‘That’s true. But, that’s not what I meant to ask, hm?’ Luisen looked at the first prince, unsure of what he should ask. 

Fortunately, the first prince opened up on his own, “I thought everything was fine, but… After the funeral… I was reminded of when my father died, so I couldn’t endure anymore.”

“Ah…” Luisen recalled the first prince who had accepted his father’s death like a doll.

“After that, I lost all confidence… Do I really deserve this…? As you may have already noticed, I still remember when I was being manipulated by the count. Some, not all of it.”

Luisen didn’t really ask for all of this, but it seemed like the prince had a story he needed to get off his chest. So, Luisen nodded and sat still.

“The inquisitor said I had no connection to heresy, but… Actually… I am at fault… to some extent.”

‘Well, this is new.’ Luisen thought.

The first prince continued his confession.

It happened shortly before Luisen arrived in the capital. One day, Count Doubless came to the first prince with a proposal. He said he could help the long-ailing, comatose king regain consciousness. “If he had said something about restoring my father’s health or the like, I wouldn’t have even listened. But the count promised me a very short time with him… about five minutes. If it was just that…”

The first prince would have suspected the count if he had offered to make the king healthy again or something similar; however, the prince didn’t think a mere five minute conversation would come at a high cost.

So, the first prince accepted the count’s offer. The prince allowed those the count required to enter the royal palace; they prepared something that looked like a beast. At the time, the count’s demands seemed insignificant.

“No, actually, I did sense that it was weird. However, I just ignored it. That’s how much I wanted to talk to my father again.”

“I understand–my prince considered His Highness a special person.”

“No. It’s not that. I just…” The prince clasped his handkerchief so tight his hands turned white. “…I just wanted my father’s approval!  That I was the heir he chose; that I’m the one who he expected to win the civil war…not my brother!”

Luisen recalled how the prince had competed with his younger brother all his life. The one who had fueled that competition was their father, the king. Behind the prince’s gentle demeanor, there lay an inferiority complex. Count Doubless had exploited that vulnerability.

“I don’t even remember what my father said.”

The first prince made his way to the king’s bedroom with Count Doubless, late at night, avoiding the public eye. There, he was completely taken over by the count. Once the prince gave the count an opportunity, the prince couldn’t escape, no matter how much he resisted.

The first prince deeply regretted his actions.

“My selfishness and weakness brought difficulty to everyone. If I had rejected the Count’s offer, such a tragedy would not have occurred. Is it right for me to become king? What if I repeat the same mistake again… I don’t know. I have always been self-assured, but now…” The prince bit his lips forcefully. Tears threatened to flow at any moment.

Luisen clicked his tongue. The prince had been shaken by his father’s death–the count’s betrayal–and his confidence had hit rock bottom. The prince had pretended to be fine, but after the funeral, he couldn’t bear it anymore.

At that moment–during this vulnerable moment–Luisen appeared, and the floodgates had opened. The confession tumbled out of his mouth.

‘If I leave him be, I think he’ll be able to overcome this on his own, but…’ Though it wasn’t good to show such weakness before the coronation–it wouldn’t be good for the future king to be breaking down like this. Luisen thought he could leave this matter alone, but he still felt sorry for the prince.

“Count Doubless is a son of a bitch who would sell his own son.”

“……”

“Therefore, the fact that you were deceived by such a man couldn’t be helped. Please don’t worry–another bastard like him won’t appear again.”

“No, but… Duke…” The first prince looked at Lusien, bewildered.

“Human beings make mistakes. The problem is what one does afterwards, and I believe the prince is very wise.”

“……”

“The fact that you accepted the count’s proposal? Would it be fitting for a newly crowned ruler to have such a stain in his history? You hid this well.”

The kingdom was nearing its limits; the people wanted peace and stability. Making the deal public between the prince and count public would only bring chaos. This country could no longer afford such confusion.

“Thanks to your actions, the people sympathize with you and deeply empathize with your pain. The citizens will naturally be united.”

A common enemy had appeared and was handled before knowledge of such an enemy was made public. All honor and glory went to Luisen; all blame was laid on the count. This naturally brought everyone together, allowing them to vent their frustrations and strengthen the country. And, the prince was at the center of this unifying effect. It was a clever move.

“A wise and generous man will become king, and he will bring blessings to this country,” Luisen continued.

“…You only tell me things I want to hear, huh?” the first prince said, as if he was surprised. He only knew Luisen as his brother’s close friend and enemy to his rule; he thought that Luisen would be against his rule.

“My prince, you will become a good king. You will be respected for your many achievements.”

“Are you trying to flatter me?”

“No, I’m being sincere.”

“Do you really think that way? On what basis?” The first prince asked earnestly. His teary eyes made him seem desperate. It probably meant that he was emotionally overwhelmed and desperate, but Luisen was starting to get annoyed. At this rate, he felt like he would have to come up with a hundred reasons why he thought the prince would make a good king, so he just rambled on.

“I’m certain.”

“So, why?”

“I know because I’ve seen the future.”

“What?”

“The future prince has indeed become a wise king. He became a man who would be written down in history, leaving a lasting legacy. You will become a ruler who will motivate his citizens and give them the ability to thrive.”

The first prince stared at Luisen as if the young lord had smacked him in the back of his head. 

Even though the prince was clearly bewildered, Luisen steamrolled through.

“Haah…” The first prince was dumbfounded. The prince thought he wouldn’t be able to trust whatever Luisen said–empty flattery. But, Luisen’s words were so unreasonable that the prince couldn’t come up with a rebuttal. The young lord was very serious. So much so that it made the prince laugh. His forced laughter soon turned into genuine laughter.

“Hahaha, who would make a joke in this sort of situation? My duke, you really don’t know how to console a man.” ‘He saw the future? How ridiculous!’ However, a weight was strangely lifted off of the prince. Knowing how indifferent and aloof Luisen usually was made the young lord’s poor attempt at comfort even more effective.

‘I’m speaking the truth, though.’ Luisen watched the first prince tremble and burst into laughter. Even if he were truly making a joke, this shouldn’t elicit so much laughter. 

Just as Luisen began to worry slightly about the prince’s mental health, the prince stopped laughing and said, “My duke, you’ve changed a lot as well. The earlier you wouldn’t have approached me to console me.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

The prince suddenly reached out his hand, “I look forward to being in your care, duke. Please take good care of my inexperienced self.”

“Of course.” Luisen shook that hand. The two engaged in a firm handshake. Somehow it seemed that he had successfully reconciled with the prince.

***

The coronation proceeded as planned a short while later. The first prince walked out proudly and kneeled in front of the Pope before all the nobles.

The Great Lords, including Luisen, acknowledged the first prince’s succession to the throne. Following a formal exchange–a ceremonial question and answer–between the Pope and the first prince, the prince was crowned. He wore the crown atop his brow and swore to uphold a king’s duty in front of all the nobles and god above. His voice was clear, without any trembling; anyone could see that he had determination befitting a ruler.

With the coronation ceremony successfully concluded, the prince–now a king–marched from the church back to the palace. He climbed into a roofless carriage and waved to the people as he rode by. The onlookers cheered as they watched him pass. The young king’s confident demeanor was enough to soothe anxious minds.

Luisen was greatly relieved to see all this happen. It seems that he made the right decision to be nosy and comfort the young king. When he arrived at the banquet hall, he realized, ‘…I didn’t get to say what I planned to say.’

Ahhh…he had nothing to show for his efforts to come find the king. Not a single goal was accomplished. Luisen entered the banquet hall, weak and hopeless.

The banquet hall was located on the fifth floor of the royal palace–the very site where the ritual had failed to occur. All the debris from that conflict was removed, and now the space was decorated with blue lion insignia, flowers, and greenery. A golden chair was placed where the altar used to stand, and the new king confidently took his seat.

Luisen went to his seat, which was just located below the throne, and sat down. The Eastern Great Lord began nagging at him when the older noble noticed Luisen’s unusually despondent appearance. This nagging was something Luisen heard often, so the lord’s words went in through one ear and out the next.

‘I should go look for Carlton…’

Luisen thought he should at least ferry the mercenary around and expand his network. He tried to search for Carlton in the crowd, but couldn’t see the mercenary anywhere.

‘What? Where did he go?’

As Luisen sat there, perplexed, the King declared, after some customary greetings, “I’d like to give an award to a person who made great contributions for current success.”

The nobles stirred. Luisen had also heard nothing regarding this proclamation. After the new king was crowned, it was only natural for him to honor those who helped them, but that usually didn’t happen at the first banquet. This showed how important this person must be to the king.

Luisen’s heart suddenly began to leap.

“Carlton,” The King called.