Chapter 95 The Royal Family'S Secret Of Roisen
In reality, there was an untold truth behind the royal family's turmoil in Roisen 10 years ago. It wasn't that the king decided to purge, but rather that the third prince committed a murder against his 2 older brothers.
In other words, the murder happened first.
The third prince was the eldest son born to the queen, so if he claimed it, he would have a superior position to his 2 older brothers born to concubines. He was only a few months younger than the second prince.
However, the third prince was a gentle and peaceful person who didn't like conflict, and he often favored his 2 older brothers born to concubines. So, the king of Roisen thought his sons got along well.
Roisen is a country with a polygamous system, and it's not rare for a prince born to a concubine to inherit the throne. However, if there's a prince born to the queen, they usually take priority. The third prince was flawless in terms of age and physical condition, so the possibility of him becoming the crown prince was extremely high.
However, the concubine who gave birth to the second prince was pushing for her son to become the crown prince. She was the daughter of the powerful Marquis family, which rivaled the royal family in influence, and she was a woman with strong ambition. As soon as it was decided that the king's official wife would be a princess from a neighboring country, she offered herself as a concubine. Using her father's influence, she managed to enter the palace even before the official wife did.
The concubine, the Marquis daughter, soon realized that her appearance wasn't the king's type. She didn't receive many nighttime visits, and even when she did, the king would leave early. She was a beautiful woman with a stunning, curvaceous body, but the king preferred women with a more subtle, elegant beauty.
One day, she noticed that the king was secretly glancing at her maid while they were having tea together. Indeed, the maid was a woman who fit the king's ideal type. So, she bribed one of the king's subordinates and sent the maid to the king's bedroom.
The king believed that his subordinate had introduced him to a woman of his liking, and he easily took her to bed. As a result, before the queen arrived, the maid became pregnant with the first prince and became another concubine. However, the former maid who became a concubine was also a woman with a strong sense of loyalty, brought from her hometown by the Marquis's daughter. In other words, even after she became a concubine and gave birth to the first prince, she remained loyal to her master, the Marquis's daughter, and her son, the first prince, also showed respect to the second prince.
Later, the queen who married into the royal family had a gentle personality and didn't quarrel with the existing concubines. The third prince, who was born later, also showed consideration towards his older brothers. The king thought that the concubines were playing tricks on him, but since the third prince, born to the queen, would become the crown prince anyway, he didn't bother to intervene. He simply didn't want to stir up trouble in the harem.
Years passed.
The queen never mentioned the throne and always kept a low profile, but the mother of the second prince actively gathered support from the nobles within the country. The second prince grew more arrogant with each passing year, behaving as if he were the crown prince.
Then, an incident occurred.
The third prince, who was unusual in the polygamous kingdom of Roisen, cherished only the wife and didn't take any concubines. Although they didn't have any children yet, they were a loving couple, and those around them smiled at their relationship.
The prince's wife, who loved flowers, heard that rare orchids were being cultivated in the castle's greenhouse and visited it with her attendants. However, neither the prince's wife nor her attendants knew that the greenhouse was a notorious spot where the second prince would secretly meet with his mistresses.
In one corner of the greenhouse, various types of orchids were being cultivated, and a sofa made of wicker was placed in a spot where one could easily admire the flowers, with soft cushions laid out. As the prince's wife was relaxing on the sofa, enjoying the orchids, a woman dressed in flashy clothing appeared, accompanied by a man who seemed to be her servant.
The woman and man were shocked to find the prince's wife and hastily retreated, but several maids chased after them, confirming their presence at the knight's station. Only 2 maids remained, but one of them was allowed to leave due to stomach pain.
And so, the prince's wife and the maid waited for the others to return, admiring the orchids. That's when the second prince, who was in high spirits and flirting with a courtesan, appeared. His attendant was waiting outside the greenhouse door, with a clear purpose in mind.
The second prince had drunk a considerable amount of alcohol, despite the early hour, and was sitting on the sofa, seemingly unaware that the woman beside him was his brother's wife.
"Oh, today's catch is 2 people. What a delightful surprise!"
"Prince Adolf, what are you doing? This is the third prince's wife!"
The maid and the prince's wife desperately resisted, but the maid was punched by the prince and lost consciousness, and the 2 were injured by the second prince.
Later, the maid who rushed to the scene and the knights restrained the second prince, but it was already too late. The prince's wife had been stabbed in the neck with the short sword the second prince possessed and had stopped breathing, and the maid had been brutally assaulted and killed.
When the third prince heard the report of the incident, he rushed back to the prince's palace and faced his wife, who had been changed beyond recognition. The maid who had complained of illness was blaming herself and trying to take her own life, but was stopped by her fellow maids. Of course, the other maids who had left the greenhouse were also blaming themselves.
"It's not your fault. I'm responsible for not stopping my brother's tyranny."
The third prince spoke to the maids and then headed towards the second prince's palace. There, he found the second prince, who was being scolded by the first prince.
"I apologize. It was an accident. I mistook her for a courtesan."
"As Adolf said, it was just a coincidence."
However, the third prince didn't say a word, and swiftly drew his sword from his waist.
"W-wait, I didn't mean to do it either."
"But didn't they resist? You used that much force and yet claim it wasn't intentional. Besides, my wife was someone you knew, and you should have recognized her."
"I was drunk and didn't realize it. What can I do?"
"Is that an excuse for a prince of a country? It's utterly pathetic."
"Wait!"
The First Prince became the Second Prince's shield and became the first sacrifice. The surrounding guards and servants were torn to shreds by the wind-attribute magic released by the Third Prince. Since the Third Prince had never displayed magic before, this magic was also a result of losing control.
Thanks to being protected by the guards, the Second Prince barely managed to survive the out-of-control magic, but he was already heavily injured. However, the moment the Third Prince recognized that the Second Prince was still alive, he slashed at his groin from below with great force.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!"
"This is why you're always causing trouble, brother, because you're carrying around something like this!"
The Third Prince continued to cut off the Second Prince's limbs and stabbed his body repeatedly. It's unclear when the Second Prince finally died, but he must have lived for a considerable amount of time. On the floor, there were bloody traces of him trying to crawl away.
When King Roisen heard about the incident, he immediately arranged to keep the prince's consort's affair from leaking to the outside world and replaced the situation with the story that the First Prince and Second Prince were executed by the king's orders. The king couldn't bring himself to execute his own children due to paternal love, but he knew it was inevitable.
"If only I had been more decisive, this wouldn't have happened..."
The king deeply regretted his actions, but the incident had already occurred. To justify the Third Prince's actions, he would have to execute many powerful nobles one after another. The lack of preparation was severe, but there was no other choice.
As a result, he managed to eliminate the Second Prince's power, but the domestic industry was severely damaged, causing great obstacles to the country's governance.
Even so, the king believed that the wise Third Prince would rebuild the country. However, the Third Prince said he wanted to give up his right to the throne.
"Why do you refuse to become the crown prince?"
"I don't have the qualifications."
"But didn't you justify your actions by killing your brothers?"
"..."
Then, the queen, who was standing by, called out to the Third Prince.
"You knew, didn't you?"
"Yes, Mother."
Then, the queen knelt before the king.
"Your Majesty, the third prince is not Your Majesty's child."
"!?"
The queen wasn't calm from the start. She had married into the royal family with the expectations of her home country, but there was a arrogant concubine who ruled with an iron fist. Even the concubine who was pregnant with the first prince was looking down on her, with a face that said "I'm the real queen." The queen's heart was slowly being chipped away every time she was belittled.
The one who supported her was a knight of the royal guard. As the queen's guard, he was chosen from the Duke family, a cousin of the king. He had an unnamable feeling, a mix of sympathy and admiration, for the pitiful queen, and the queen's heart was swayed by his comfort.
It didn't take long for the 2 young people to cross the line.
However, during that year's founding festival parade, the people who couldn't take the concubine's tyranny anymore rioted.
Originally, the people should have attacked the concubine's carriage, but the concubine, who was pregnant with the second prince, proudly showed off her large belly, wearing a more extravagant dress than the queen and sitting beside the king. The queen didn't say a word and got on the carriage behind them. As a result, the rioters mistook the queen for the concubine and attacked her carriage.
When the knight saw the rioters attacking the queen's carriage, he kicked his horse and rushed to her side, using his body to shield her. Moreover, because he hesitated to draw his sword against the people, he ended up taking the blows from the rioters' axes and clubs on his back while protecting the queen.
The rioters were eventually subdued by the knights who arrived, but the knight who protected the queen had already died.
That night, the doctor who examined the queen, who was bedridden from shock, told her that she was pregnant. Of course, she already knew. The child in her womb wasn't the king's. But she had wished from the bottom of her heart to protect the child of the person she loved, even though she knew it was impossible.
That night, the queen sought comfort from King Roisen, who accepted her plea and shared a bed with her. A month later, she informed the king of her pregnancy. Only her loyal lady-in-waiting, who had accompanied her from her home country, knew about this fact. The doctor who had first told her about the pregnancy might have had some suspicions, but he had quickly left the palace for his territory, possibly fearing being silenced.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my sinful self. But, please, at least save the prince."
"No, Mother. I'm not worthy of being a king, having deceived the prince and killed the rightful heir. I don't deserve forgiveness."
King Roisen could only laugh at himself, sitting deeply in his chair.
"So... you weren't my child, either..."
"Did you say 'you too'?"
"Yes. The brothers you killed were also not my children. That woman must have plotted against me, bearing the child of another man, just like you. It seems she was frustrated that she couldn't conceive, no matter how hard she tried. Maybe I'm just not capable of having children."
"No way!"
"Even so, the child that was born is innocent, isn't it? You were all so lovable when you were young. Even now, I still love you, and my deceased sons as well..."
The king wept, his voice trembling.
"It's all my fault that I stirred up conflict among the nobles and princes. This is my sin, but the price is too heavy. Are you telling me to lose all my sons? Can't you at least remain my son? Is it not enough to be a father just because we're not related by blood?"
"...Father. If I may call you that, I will continue to do so until my dying breath. I know that I have a father by blood, but I still respect and love you, Father. That's why it's been so hard for me until now."
The Third Prince also knelt beside his mother, in front of King Roisen.
"Please, let me remain your son. But, please, let Gerhart inherit the throne. The rightful prince deserves to sit on the throne."
"If you're willing to be my son, then do as you like."
The queen, who had been watching the exchange between her husband and son, continued to shed tears.
"Your Majesty, I will follow your decision. Even if it means death, I will not hold a grudge against you."
"Queen... We've spent a long time together as husband and wife. If you have even a little feeling for me, won't you stay by my side as my wife? Not as a knight, but... well, even a little bit would be fine... I just want you to be by my side."
"He's still a precious memory to me. But, I've come to adore the gentle smile you always wear, Your Majesty. Am I a shallow woman?"
"No, this makes me incredibly happy. My wife."
And so, the third prince gave up his right to the throne, and Gerhart, the king's nephew, suddenly became the crown prince. Gerhart's first words upon hearing the news were "Whaaat?", but only the king's brother, who had told him the news, knew that.
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