A Captive Prince Awaiting Execution Falls In Love With A Young Lady - Episode 21

That afternoon.

Sirius and Judith. Duke Cornelius was in the Golden Tree Palace of the royal castle.

“Do you know this room, Sirius? Have you ever been in here when you were a prince?”

Judith is constantly excited, and although she is sitting properly, she is restlessly looking around the room.

“There’s no way a room like this exists. I was raised in Aobamiya.”

Sirius, while answering, somewhat absentmindedly glanced around the room.

This is the palace where the king and queen conduct their official duties.

Located in the center of the royal castle, it includes not only the office but also the audience chamber and rooms for receptions. There are also halls where concerts and balls can be held.

It’s one of the audience chambers in the Golden Tree Palace.

There is no space.

Rather, it’s cramped.

However, all the decorated furnishings are top-notch, and even the wallpaper and curtains are of high quality.

“Aoba-no-Miya?”

“The building further north from here. Even though I was called a prince, I was a bastard child. The crown prince and Robert lived in the Kongouha Palace.”

Sirius points to the western wall and shows it.

“Wow. Even though it’s called a royal castle, it’s quite spacious.”

Judith let out yet another sigh, and her father, Duke Cornelius, laughed.

“Of course. We’re gathering everything from the kingdom here. Are you going to your father’s office later?”

“I’m not interested.”

Defeated in an instant, Duke Cornelius slumped his shoulders in despair.

When I inadvertently felt sympathy, the door was knocked on three times firmly.

Yes

Count Cornelius, still heartbroken, replied and slowly stood up.

Sirius, imitating, also stood up and urged Judith, who was still sitting, to stand up.

“His Majesty has arrived.”

Both Sirius and Judith widened their eyes at the words from beyond the door.

Indeed, this is the Golden Tree Palace.

It is an audience room.

However.

His Majesty may not come.

Rather, I never even considered the possibility of His Majesty coming.

I was brought here by Count Cornelius, so I thought I would be introduced to a colleague or someone.

And then, they will be told the reason for being brought here.

“Bow”

Count Cornelius says leisurely.

Finally coming to his senses, Sirius bowed his head, and Judith also bent at the waist, with one leg pulled back.

The door opened, and multiple footsteps were heard.

“Very well, very well. You must be Prince Sirius and Lady Cornelius, the daughter of the court noble, right? Raise your faces.”

I slowly lift my face to the cheerful voice.

Next to me, Judith relaxed her posture just a little faster than Sirius, and I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of admiration.

“Regarding Your Majesty, who is the sun of our nation, as your subjects, we hope you are spending your days in peace…”

“That’s why I said that’s fine. Cornelius.”

The man whom Count Cornelius referred to as “the Sun of Our Nation” sat on the sofa, laughing.

Sirius cautiously looks at the man.

This man.

King Benedict LeBlanc, who usurped the throne from his father.

He must be in his thirties. I was surprised that he still looked young. Back when we were chased out of the royal castle, I was still a child, so he might have looked like a cunning giant to me.

In reality, he was an ambitious person in his mid-twenties.

A sturdy, muscular body and a face with slightly protruding cheekbones. The wavy black hair is lush and unkempt, adding to his friendly demeanor.

“I don’t have much time. I’ll have them make tea later, so let me just get to the point. Everyone, please sit down. Come on, Mrs. Garcia, don’t just stand there.”

King Benedict called out cheerfully towards the entrance.

Are there still people in the room?

Sirius turns his face.

And.

I gasped.

There was someone there.

It was that lady.

The lady who came to Sirius for just one day because the caretaker woman was on sick leave.

Right now, she is wearing heavy makeup and has adorned her tied-up hair with hair ornaments, but her distinctly foreign appearance is unforgettable.

Um, that’s her.

“Prince, I apologize for not introducing myself at that time.”

She must have noticed Sirius’s gaze. The lady, called by Madame Garcia and King Benedict, bows deeply.

“Acquaintance?”

In a low voice, Judith asks. Sirius nods slightly, confused.

“Well, you know… when the caretaker was sick and took a day off… the person who came to replace them.”

“Does that mean he’s an acquaintance of your father?”

Judith asks Cornelius. Cornelius smiles warmly and invites his daughter and Sirius to sit on the sofa.

“I’m about to tell that story now. Come on, both of you, sit down. Mrs. Garcia, please come over here too.”

When Mrs. Garcia stepped away from the door, it was quietly closed from the outside.

“Well then. This time, you have come all the way to the royal capital, and it must have been quite a journey for you, Prince.”

When Sirius confirmed that he was sitting, King Benedict showed concern. Sirius was so surprised that he almost jumped up and shook his head.

“Not at all! Um, I see you’ve been calling me ‘Prince’ for a while now, but there’s no need for such courtesy. I am already a deposed prince. His Majesty’s son is the true prince of this country. Please, call me Sirius.”

“That’s not how it works, Prince Sirius.”

King Benedict said that, then leaned his upper body heavily against the backrest.

“There has been an offer from the neighboring country of Darnian.”

“Darnian… is this the Empire?”

It is the empire adjacent to the south of the kingdom.

“To treat you as a prince… Ah, in their customs, it’s a royal prince. They have come to offer to treat you as a royal prince. Because of that, Madame Garcia has come to visit.”

“………What?”

Not understanding at all, Sirius asks back.

By the way, I also turned my face towards Judith, who was sitting next to me.

“Do you understand the meaning? I don’t understand it.”

“Me too. Why is Sirius a prince of the Darnian Empire?”

Seeing Judith’s bewildered face, I feel somewhat relieved that I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand.

“That is because Prince Sirius’s mother is a princess of our country.”

Mrs. Garcia opened her mouth, and once again, my head was in a whirl.

“Huh? What? No, um. Are you mistaking me for someone else?”

Sirius shook his head, then waved his hands left and right. He even shook his whole body side to side to deny it.

“My mother was a maidservant to the late queen. She died of puerperal fever after giving birth to me.”

“Well, that’s been the official stance so far, hasn’t it?”

Hehe, King Benedict laughed merrily.

“Your mother is Princess Mare of the Darnian Empire. She is the sister of the current emperor.”

“……W-Why would someone like that be with…! Father?!”

My voice cracked. There’s no way we could meet, no matter how you think about it.

“Officially, Princess Mare was here as an exchange student. But in reality, she was a hostage.”

The Darnian Empire and this country are still in a state of ceasefire. It is not a state of peace.

It might not have been widely publicized, but there could have actually been a hostage exchange between the royals. Glancing briefly at King Benedict, he shrugged his shoulders in a playful manner.

“I also studied abroad for several years. It’s quite common.”

Princess Marie lived in Aobamiya Palace, inviting professors to study diligently without going outside.

“Aoba… Miya”

The palace where I used to live.

So.

She had been living there all along, my mother.

Imprisoned just like me.

“Even though she was a hostage, her treatment was not bad. In fact, King Bredin was so concerned about the princess’s well-being that he frequently visited Aoba Palace… and then…”

Mrs. Garcia closed her mouth there.

It seems that a situation has arisen where Sirius is being born.

“Th…that means, um, Princess Mare really did give birth to me and then passed away…?”

“No. A discussion took place between this country and our country, taking the situation seriously. Although he is a child born out of wedlock, we agreed to leave the child here on the condition that he would be treated as a prince, and Princess Marie returned to her home country.”

Mrs. Garcia quietly sighs.

“The anger of Princess Marie’s father, the former emperor, was truly fierce. Despite being unmarried, she had an affair with a married man and even became pregnant with his child. Princess Marie was treated as a sinner, and as soon as she was transported back to her homeland, she was exiled and died there. It has already been… 16 years since Princess Marie passed away.”

That means Sirius probably passed away around the time he was two years old.

“The former emperor passed away five years ago, and now Prince Turdo, who is Princess Marie’s elder brother, has ascended to the throne. Prince Turdo is not only a very compassionate person but also deeply adores Princess Marie.”

Mrs. Garcia takes a brief breath.

“Since the time of the late Emperor, I have been seeking opportunities to petition for the Princess’s clemency, but it has never come to fruition. Now that you have become Emperor yourself, I humbly ask if you might consider taking in the Princess’s surviving child as your own.”

“Sirius… is it?”

Judith inadvertently lets the words slip out.

However, without considering it rude or disrespectful, Mrs. Garcia will nod in agreement.

“Indeed. And during Princess Marie’s studies abroad, I was closely involved with her, and it is thanks to King Benedict’s efforts that we are here today.”

“Not at all, I haven’t really had any significant hardships.”

King Benedict laughed heartily.

“I just contacted Cornelius, who is protecting Sirius, and introduced him to Mrs. Garcia.”

“…The lady… wasn’t in cahoots with her brother-in-law, was she?”

It just slipped out.

Sirius immediately closed his mouth as if realizing his mistake, but King Benedict, still leaning on the sofa, crossed his legs and squinted his eyes.

“Yes. This lady has nothing to do with your brother-in-law.”

And King Benedict gave a troubled, wry smile.

“And now, Prince Sirius. The problem lies with your brother-in-law.”