BBYW Vol. 1 Chapter 23
Chapter 23 – The Day the Royal Palace Shook and the Beginning of a Turbulent Age
“I said let go!!”
“Your Highness, please calm down!”
“Silence!! You dare give orders to your king!?”
That day, the royal palace was enveloped in a commotion.
In the throne room, the king was ranting and raving. His servants and the nobles, his subordinates, were desperately trying to contain him.
The normally calm — or rather, meek — king was now raging furiously.
Several days prior, a letter had arrived from a major noble house in the eastern province — house Maxwell.
The letter explained how the former crown prince Sullivan, who had left the royal family to marry into house Nommes, a baron house of the eastern province, had plotted the assassination of the heir to house Maxwell, failed and was killed in the aftermath.
After reading the letter, the king, who still harbored feelings for the son he had let go, foamed at the mouth and collapsed instantly.
He ended up sleeping for several days, but, as soon as he woke up, he sparked this commotion.
“My precious Sullivan was killed!? Nonsense!! This is all a conspiracy by the Maxwell house!! Inform the generals immediately!! House Maxwell must be destroyed…gwah!?”
“His Highness did not mean those words! The king is simply terribly exhausted! You all have not heard anything, is that clear!?”
Duke Rosais hurriedly closed the king’s mouth with his hands, to stop his unbelievable order, and barked at everyone present to forget what they just heard.
The king flung away the duke’s hands and angrily protested.
“Chancellor!! Does this mean you are on house Maxwell’s side!? Those filthy traitors are treating Sullivan as a criminal, without a shred of proof!! How can you allow that!? Where is your loyalty!?”
“Your Majesty, I beg of you to settle down already. House Maxwell has sent proof!”
House Maxwell had indeed sent concrete proof that Sullivan attempted the assassination.
There was a contract signed and sealed by Sullivan. When compared with the documents preserved in the royal house, it was verified that the handwriting matched perfectly and the seal was indeed Sullivan’s royal seal.
Sullivan’s guilt was so incontrovertibly clear that anyone would not suspect it was really a setup.
“The compensation detailed in the contract also matches with the total amount of money Sir Sullivan borrowed from his friends in the capital. I’m sorry to say that there is no doubt about the charges against him.”
“Shut up, shut up!! Even if that was true, there is enough just cause to exterminate those Maxwell rebels!! We’re going to rescue Sullivan!! Now!!”
“How absurd…!!”
Duke Rosais’ face twisted in indignation.
Other than the king and the duke, there were also several central nobles and functionaries working in the royal palace present.
To publicly call a major noble house such as the Maxwell as “rebels” in such a situation might even spark a civil war.
The king, however, did not seem to care for such implications anymore, as his inflammatory remarks continued.
“Raise the troops and dispatch them to Sullivan’s rescue!! Now!! I had Sullivan bring the immortal bracelet with him!! He’s definitely still alive and well!!”
“The immortal bracelet…【Herakles】!?”
Duke Rosais was shocked, his eyes wide.
“You cannot be saying you have given that to Sullivan!? You have given such a precious treasure to a disinherited prince!?”
The immortal bracelet, 【Herakles】, was an inestimable treasure handed down through generations of kings of Lamperouge. It was the symbol of royal authority, and only the king was allowed to wear it.
“There is nothing wrong for Sullivan, the next in line for the throne, to have the proof of royalty!! Sullivan is the next king!! He is my only son!! I will never allow anyone else to take the throne, especially that little bastard!!”
“Whaat!?”
The king’s words caused the nobles to stir.
The current crown prince, the second-born son, resembled his mother very much, but did not look like the king or Sullivan at all.
However, who would have ever expected the king to publicly declare he did not recognize him as his son?
“Shut your mouth already!!”
“Gwah!?”
Duke Rosais could not allow the king to say anything worse, so he resorted to drastic measures.
The duke’s fist struck the king’s stomach and his frail old body folded easily.
None of the nobles or even the royal guards attempted to stop Duke Rosais.
“…the king collapsed from fatigue. Quickly bring him to the royal chambers. And do not let him outside until I say so. All servants who will enter the room shall wear earplugs.”
“Y-yes! Right away, sir!!”
“Everything that happened here today must stay here. If not…you understand me, yes?”
Duke Rosais glared at the faces of all present, one by one.
It was more than clear who truly was the person to fear most in the room.
“Yes!! Naturally!”
“We have heard nothing!!”
No one dared object, as all present violently shook their heads.
~
Half a day later, the king woke up and started raising a fuss again, rampaging in the room he was locked in.
For better or worse, the king suddenly held his head and collapsed again, thus quelling the commotion.
The king’s life was saved by the royal family’s secret 【Potion】, but, as a side effect he suffered from strong paralysis, which did not allow him to even stand from his bed by himself.
Because of this, the crown prince — despite only being 12 years old — ascended to the throne, assisted by Duke Rosais as his regent.
The national treasure was lost along with Sullivan.
The nobles’ trust in the royal family was lost as well.
The new king was not recognized by the former king as his legitimate son.
Thus the kingdom of Lamperouge entered a new age, carrying such issues within it.
The direction the turbulent kingdom was heading towards — was still a mystery to all.