The End of First Love - Chapter 46

The scene takes place several days before the debut ball for His Highness William and Baroness Maria.

Inside the audience chamber of the royal castle, Heinz knelt on the polished floor, waiting for the master of the castle—His Majesty—to appear.

At last, the moment had come.

A smile naturally played on Heinz’s lips, unseen by the royal guards stationed at the entrance.

From a door beside the throne—a door reserved exclusively for the royal family—emerged a man: His Majesty Kaiser Gluttenburg, King of the Gluttenburg Kingdom.

He had golden hair, a thick mustache of the same hue, and soft wrinkles around his eyes that gave him a kind appearance. But one must not be deceived by that gentle facade. Many had been consumed before realizing the danger. With his political acumen, he had vanquished countless enemies. Even now, while exuding an air of calm, his eyes betrayed no warmth.

Heinz felt a chill along his spine, a warning that if he let his guard down, he would be devoured.

There could be no mistakes here. If he were to win this final gamble, he would obtain Elizabeth.

Once the king was seated on the throne, Heinz opened his mouth to speak.

“It is an honor to be granted an audience with Your Majesty today.”

“Heinz, you are a busy man. What brings you here?”

“I’ve uncovered a matter I believe should be shared with you in private… Your Majesty, are you familiar with the churches owned by the royal family in the countryside?”

“There are many churches under royal ownership. I wouldn’t know which one you’re referring to.”

Of course he wouldn’t acknowledge it that easily. Silencing this crafty old fox wouldn’t be easy. Both His Majesty and Marquis Baker were skilled manipulators.

Compared to the men entrenched in the center of power, Heinz was still a fledgling. But he hadn’t lived a sheltered life. He wouldn’t back down here.

He would win this.

“—I see. Your Majesty, I’ve long questioned a certain rule imposed only on the women working in the castle. Every time they get their monthly cycle, they are required to report it to their superiors. These records are managed by the head lady-in-waiting. Were you aware of this?”

“Hmm, how could I possibly know such trivial matters?”

“Indeed, whether or not a lady-in-waiting has her cycle likely means little to Your Majesty. It shouldn’t affect her work. Anyone would think so. So why mandate such personal information be reported and tracked by regulation?”

“It must be part of their health management.”

“That’s one possibility. But what if there’s another, more significant purpose? I formed a hypothesis: that tracking cycles allows for early detection of possible pregnancies. The royal castle is a much smaller world than it seems. Even if people try to keep secrets, who is romantically involved with whom becomes known quickly. And once a woman is pregnant, the identity of the father soon follows.”

“—And what does that have to do with the royal-owned church?”

“I speak of cases where the father is royalty. Looking back through history, there have been other royal members like His Highness William, with similar… habits. There must’ve been many instances where a woman became pregnant after relations with a royal.”

His Majesty’s gentle smile changed. His sharp gaze pierced Heinz, a hint of panic in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected Heinz to reach the heart of the matter.

That church’s existence was a top-level secret. Had William’s womanizing not grown so rampant, the church might still be hidden in the shadows.

That was how thoroughly its existence had been concealed.

“If the father is a royal, then no matter the mother’s status, if the child is male, he holds a claim to the throne. Such situations must be handled swiftly or they could become the seeds of conflict. After all, it’s not guaranteed that the queen or concubines will bear a male heir. Royals often marry for political reasons, but love other women. For a lineage-focused royal family, bloodline is everything. Thus, a secret facility to raise such heirs was needed. That facility is the church hidden in the forest under royal ownership.”

The purpose of some royal churches was to raise children with royal bl00d who could not be acknowledged publicly, and to keep their mothers under surveillance.

If the mother was a noble, she could potentially use the child for power. Therefore, she was held hostage in the church under the guise of being a sister. With the mother held hostage, her noble family couldn’t act against the crown, even if her child held royal bl00d.

In this way, the royal family could secretly raise princes as backup heirs in case anything happened to the legitimate ones.

“The church I found housed five sisters who had relations with His Highness William, along with two boys and three girls. The children were of various ages, but all five sisters confirmed they were His Highness’s offspring. Your Majesty, even if this were to become mere rumor, some nobles would be tempted to exploit the situation.”

This was the royal family’s hidden trump card.

It must never be revealed to the public—precisely why it could be used as a bargaining chip.

“—Heinz, what do you want?”

“I wish to marry Elizabeth Baker.”

“Very well. A formal letter of approval shall be sent shortly.”

Finally. At long last—

“—Tell me, Heinz. Do you intend to bring down the royal family?”

Bring down the royal family?

A smile slowly spread across Heinz’s face, and a chuckle escaped his lips.

“No, not at all. As long as I’m not separated from Elizabeth…”

As long as he had Elizabeth, he wouldn’t do anything. But if he lost her—well, then who could say what he might do? So long as he could live a happy life with her, that was all that mattered.

“I see…”

A sigh, almost a whisper, echoed through the audience chamber and faded away.

“At last. I’ve finally secured permission to marry Elizabeth.”

Riding in a carriage back to the Schwein ducal estate after his audience with the king, Heinz spoke aloud, unable to contain his joy.

“Heh, I can’t wait for tomorrow’s debut ball.”

He couldn’t help but smile as he recalled the grand spectacle planned for tomorrow, coordinated with His Majesty himself.

Though Heinz had thought His Majesty might show mercy to William in the end, it seemed the king had no intention of doing so. Perhaps sentiment had no place in a king’s heart.

The plan was to destroy the Mareille Count family—long plagued by scandal due to the relationship between Maria Kastor and Leonardo Mareille—and expose William’s numerous affairs.

He wondered how William would react to the appearance of Rebecca Walter, the Count’s daughter. Would he cling to Elizabeth?

The more Heinz imagined the coming scene of judgment, the more he couldn’t suppress his laughter.

His Majesty had refused to allow the royal-born sons at the church to be brought into the public eye. But when Heinz pointed out that the sisters preferred to stay at the church and that, with William disinherited and confined for life in the countryside, no one would see the children as threats, the king finally agreed to bring only Rebecca’s child forward.

In truth, even without succession rights, royal bl00d held immense value. But how many nobles would realize that?

Not Heinz’s concern.

And now was the perfect time to eliminate the Second Prince’s faction. If left unchecked, the dissatisfaction of lower and rural nobles might explode. His Majesty surely understood this.

With this, the Mareille family would fall. If the concubine were blamed for her son’s actions and divorced, her powerful ducal family would lose its influence as well. The king even held cards that could justify punishment of the concubine herself—perhaps even the dissolution of her family.

Affairs between the count and the concubine, the use of illegal narcotics, secret meetings with young male slave prostitutes in brothels… such a greedy woman—truly sinful.

By thoroughly crushing the Second Prince’s faction, the root of lower noble dissatisfaction could be removed.

His Majesty was ruthless. If it meant stabilizing his reign, he would discard even his son and concubine. Now that he had granted Heinz permission to marry Elizabeth, the nobles backing the Second Prince were no longer needed.

It was time to crush them utterly…

With a dark smile on his face, Heinz pondered how best to play the cards he held against the nobles of the Second Prince’s faction.