Part One, Section Three: “And Then, the Sisters Sprang Into Action”
Chapter Twenty-nine (Mia’s POV)
“Your Highness Fernando, it is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Mia Adenauer, the fiancée of His Highness Julius.”
I formally greeted the pale, thin young man sitting on the bed before me. His light brown hair was thin, and his eyes looked somehow hollow… But his facial features were well-proportioned, which only made him look sicklier.
My first impression of Fernando, the first prince of the kingdom of Girtonia, was like this.
Of course, I was originally supposed to come here with Prince Julius, but I requested Pierre to stall him so I could have time alone to talk with Prince Fernando. For that, Pierre asked for his opinion on the design for the golden statue.
Therefore, Prince Julius would be arriving here quite late… In other words, the time until he came was crucial.
“Mia…? Wasn’t the name of Julius’s fiancée supposed to be Philia…?”
After staring at me absentmindedly for a moment, Prince Fernando tilted his head. It seemed that he had shut out most external information, as he appeared to be unaware that Philia had been sold to a neighboring country.
“My sister, Philia Adenauer, parted ways with His Highness Julius to become a saint of the neighboring country, Parnacota.”
“Oh, really? They let go of Philia? Father certainly made an interesting choice. I’ve only met her once, but I thought her excellence was unparalleled in Girtonia’s history.”
Surprisingly, Prince Fernando held a high opinion of Philia, despite having only met her once. It seemed he was unaware of the fact that the king’s health was deteriorating.
“His Majesty is in poor health, so currently, His Highness Julius is primarily handling the state affairs.”
“I see, so he’s pretending to be a king. I guess it’s finally my turn to be cast aside. If Julius wants to become king, there won’t be any obstacles as big as me, I suppose.”
I’m not sure if it’s recklessness or desperation, but Prince Fernando was speaking quite openly. Despite understanding that Prince Julius harbored ambitions of becoming king and was trying to exclude him, he remained entirely unfazed.
“Nevertheless, there are also people among the populace who wish for you to inherit the throne, Your Highness Fernando.”
“They’re the conservative faction that values traditions. They’re trapped in the established notion that the eldest son must inherit.”
“It’s not such a trivial reason. If His Highness Julius continues to hold real power, the country will perish.”
Prince Fernando’s standpoint might have been valid in the recent past of the kingdom of Girtonia. However, things have changed now. Given the current situation, I couldn’t tolerate a prince who only did one foolish thing after another.
“Well, those aren’t exactly words one would use for their own fiancée, I must say. Do you dislike my brother?”
Prince Fernando gazed at me with hollow eyes and calmly asked this question.
I could put on a façade. But…
I don’t intend to protect myself by lying here.
“Yes, I dislike him. However, my dislike for him is not the reason behind my earlier statement. The words I spoke earlier were not as His Highness Julius’s fiancée, but rather as the saint of this country.”
I conveyed my aversion towards Prince Julius and separately told him about the imminent crisis looming over the country. Yes, there was indeed personal resentment, but… the current situation was his responsibility. That was why my earlier words had nothing to do with personal grudges.
“I see. So, you’re a saint too… Just like Philia… She had the same look in her eyes. Eyes that said she had to save everyone… So, what’s your true purpose for coming to see me?”
“I want you to rise up and, with your help, we must overthrow His Highness Julius to save the country. Your Highness, please assist us!”
I spoke with all my heart, pouring my emotions into my words, as I earnestly pleaded. Hoping that he would become an ally…
And Prince Fernando immediately responds.
“…No.”
After saying that, he pulled the covers over himself and lay down. Ah, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy, but he really was quite troublesome…
But… I can’t just say "Oh, is that so?" and back down.
“Your Highness Fernando, I implore you once again. Stand up for the future of this country and denounce His Highness Julius.”
I called out to Prince Fernando once again. Covering oneself with a blanket amid a conversation… It was starting to irritate me a bit…
No one else could stand up against Prince Julius. And if the king saw Prince Fernando rise as the next heir to the throne, it would be easier for him to reprimand Prince Julius…
“…Just leave me alone. I’m not capable enough. I’ve always had a weak constitution. You know that, right? Even Father must want Julius to inherit the throne. Compared to someone like me…”
A faint voice tainted with insecurity came from under the blanket.
I understood now, he had built his own wall. And he was stuck in that wall.
While having a weak body might be unavoidable, having a weak mind as well was not good. And that was no reason to dare not to take Philia’s medicine.
“I’ve heard that the medicine created by my sister works quite effectively. Why don’t you consider taking it?”
“…That medicine, huh? Your sister creates truly terrifying things. Listen, even if my health improves a bit now, it will only become the spark for conflict. Julius will be determined to kill me. In fact, I’ve heard that he’s preparing for that. That’s why that medicine is, ironically, hastening my demise.”
I see. In other words, you want to remain weak out of fear of His Highness Julius. It’s quite different from what Pierre was saying. He mentioned that if your health improved, you wouldn’t have excuses for yourself anymore.
“So, if your safety were guaranteed… does that mean you would consider taking the medicine to improve your health?”
“…I don’t know. Even if that would be the case, I…”
It wasn’t as simple of a conversation as I thought. His voice conveyed a lack of confidence… and a sense of despair towards the future…
“I used to despise this body to the point of wishing for death… yet somehow, I’ve found myself clinging to this very body. The part of me that whispers ’It can’t be helped, you’re weak’ binds me to my weak self with incredible strength.”
Being immobilized by weakness… saying such spineless things… those weren’t reasons at all. From my perspective… whether your body was frail or robust, as the first prince, you were fated to carry the burden of the nation.
Moreover, Sis went to great lengths to create medicine with your well-being in mind. And yet… you’re treating it as an inconvenience. What kind of attitude is that?
I can’t forgive this…!
“Do you intend to keep making excuses like this forever!? My sister didn’t run from her fate when her engagement was suddenly broken off and she was sold to another country. Despite that, she’s offering her power to protect the homeland that sold her!”
“That’s because your sister is strong. Even I can see that. She’s not only talented but also diligent and hardworking. I don’t possess those qualities. This is the only path left for me… to lead a life like a defeated dog.”
Because Sis is strong…? Don’t end it with such a cliché remark! And even if you called yourself a loser, in reality, you are…
“Your Highness, if you continue like this, you won’t even become a loser. That title is reserved for those who have fought. To run away and offer nothing but excuses… Isn’t that too sad? If you stay like this, you won’t even be capable of losing.”
“…”
“Isn’t it fine to lose? If you can still hold your head high for not running from your fate, that’s admirable! At least I prefer that!”
Oops… I’ve done it now… My bad habit is showing itself.
I tend to get emotional. I intended to calmly persuade the prince, but before I knew it, I got heated and ended up shouting nonsensical things for a long time.
Bringing up my preferences at the very end… to think I would do something like that… Philia would never, ever do such a thing…
“Not even able to lose…”
For whatever reason, Prince Fernando abruptly threw the blanket aside, gradually sat up, and then rose to his feet. Despite stumbling and appearing unsteady, he managed to straighten his posture and ultimately stood before me.
“Mia Adenauer. I used to believe that nothing mattered. Whatever my brother did… as long as he didn’t attack me, I was fine with that. If I could just live a little longer, I would be satisfied. But the moment I started thinking that, I was already half dead.”
“Your Highness Fernando…”
’But what you said earlier made me want to… try losing. I… I wasn’t even living. I’d rather… live the way you told me you liked to live, at least for my last moments.”
Light dwelled in his once hollow eyes.
But I had absolutely no intention of letting you lose even a tiny bit. If you stood up, then I won’t allow you to become a loser.
Yes, this was the signal for a counterattack. To deal a stinging blow to the arrogant fool who believed everything was going his way.
Welp, I hate this spineless prince as much as the second one
ReplyDeleteHe may be spineless, but at least he's currently trying so it's better than nothing
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