The next day after returning from the Imperial Castle, Teacher Deska came to visit. It was a scheduled history class.
The classes prepared by teacher Deska were always full of interesting and fruitful contents, so I listened without getting bored.
Towards the end of her class, the Teacher, Deska looked at me and asked if I had any other questions.
“Do you have any questions other than history?”
“Hmm…”
I carefully confessed what happened at the Imperial Palace yesterday.
There are two things I want to know from this story.
The first question is whether the person currently sitting in the throne of the emperor is the second prince of the novel.
The second was why the emperor is helpless to Cardin.
“Is that what happened yesterday?”
After listening to what I had to say, Deska fell into deep contemplation.
After a while, Deska spoke carefully.
“The successors of the Dandelion Empire were chosen through qualification tests to evaluate their capabilities.”
This method was a fact that I learned by reading a book.
The children of the emperor, who have the right to inherit the throne, take the succession exam in the year set by the emperor.
The exam questions were different each time, but their essence remained the same for hundreds of years.
The ability to bring wealth and power to the empire.
It was to see how much influence they have in the empire.
“The previous emperor, His Majesty, had three children. They were the 1st Princess, 1st Prince, and 2nd Prince.”
“Who won the test?”
“The second prince, His Highness Onyx Loop Dandelkius, was the victor.”
He was the second prince after all. I was hoping it wasn’t him.
As expected, the result was very surprising.
What she was curious about was how the second prince won the test.
“It’s already been eight years since the present Emperor ascended to the throne.”
Deska breathed heavily. There was a bitter look on his face that he could not hide.
“Like the previous succession test, the princess and the two princes left the Imperial Palace and went their separate ways.”
The minimum requirement to return to the Imperial Palace should be met after one year from the date of commencement of the succession test.
During that time, the imperial family could choose if they wanted to reveal or hide their identity.
It is said that the first Princess and the second Prince went to the southern and western provinces, respectively, revealing their identities, and the first Prince left his identity hidden in the northern provinces.
“But a year later…… The second prince was the only one who returned to the Imperial Palace.”
I was surprised to hear the unexpected result from Deska’s mouth.
I thought that even though the second prince’s reputation is worse, he will surpass his brothers in the successor examination and get the best score and win the throne by beating his siblings in the successor test.
“Why?”
“The first princess died after being poisoned by a rare poisonous plant without a cure while she was studying medicine in the southern Sezh domain.”
“Ugh.”
I can’t believe she died in vain.
It was a very vain and unfortunate death when I thought of the confident image of the princess in the novel.
“And the First prince, who has left for the northern part of the country, is still missing. In particular, the first prince went north while hiding his identity, so no one could find him.”
“Missing?”
“Yes. At that time, he did not come back no matter how long they waited, so they mobilized the knights to scour the northern regions, but in the end, they could not find the prince.”
The first princess died of poison, and the first prince is missing.
If the first prince went missing and did not return until now, it probably means he’s dead.
In the end, the second prince who went to the western region and achieved nothing clearly took the throne.
“So, the throne went to the second prince.”
Deska ended up in tears when he finished his story.
It turns out that Deska was the teacher of the deceased first princess.
Later, the research data that the first princess was studying was said to have become the basis for flu treatments widely used in the empire.
“It’s been a great help to the Empire.”
“Yes….”
If the first princess had returned alive, the throne successor would be different.
I took my handkerchief out of my pocket and handed it to Deska.
“Oh, thank you very much. I’m really old….”
“No, they said it’s better to cry without thinking when you’re sad.”
Deska patted my head affectionately as I handed the handkerchief.
“When I look at you, I often think of the image of the first princess, who was a wonderful woman in the past.”
I patted the wrinkled hand on my head several times, as if comforting it.
“Actually, … I immediately realized that the princess is very clever.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
I responded with a smile to the sudden compliment.
Deska looked at me and opened his mouth carefully with a serious look.
“Actually, I have gradually increased the difficulty of classes and assignments to a level that an average child cannot easily understand or perform.”
“Yes?”
No wonder the class was so interesting. It was a difficult class… But why?
If I had been regarded as an ordinary child, I wouldn’t have been able to raise the difficulty of the class that much.
Unlike me, who was bewildered, Deska said that his guess was correct.
“If you are a sincere teacher, I think you can immediately find out your disciple’s brilliance and talent.”
Deska laughed and dragged a chair nearby.
“From now on, I will tell the princess what she is curious about. Do you have any more questions?”
Deska was quick to see through the gist of the question I was curious about.
“…Yes, please tell me.”
I took off my six-year-old’s mask and answered honestly.
At my words, Deska brought out a story with a gleam in her eyes like never before.
“It’s been eight years since the Second Crown Prince took the throne. In the meantime, the Dandelkius Empire has been walking on a path of unprecedented destruction.”
Deska’s remarks were, in fact, a great insult to the imperial family.
You’re very frank.
Deska was telling how messed up the Empire is now.
“Taxes rise every year and the lives of my people become increasingly impoverished, and the treasury filled with taxes is often wasted in the wrong place. The current emperor is a tax thief with little to no ability.”
Listening to the stinging criticism, I could tell just how messed up the empire was right now.
“Now the Dandelkius Empire is…… It is safe to say that Duke Bardion is maintaining it.”
“Papa?”
Her head fluttered at the unexpected name.
“Yes. The ballroom issue in the north is also a major disaster that the emperor must personally lead. But the one sitting on the throne right now doesn’t do anything right… *Coughs*.”
Looking at Deska, who became more emotional, I could guess how angry he was.
“Hmm, the one who took the lead in all matters at that time was Duke Bardion. Now, it must be said that the duke maintains the entire administrative system of the Empire.”
“That’s why the emperor can’t do anything with Papa?”
Adults are the mirror of children.
“Yes, but not only for that reason. How many ordinary knights do you think you need to confront the duke, who is a magic swordsman?”
Considering his ability as a magic swordsman, I tried to calculate as generously as possible.
“A thousand!”
Her thoughts of being too generous was overshadowed by Deska’s continuing answer, which was enough to amaze her.
“It is tens of thousands.”
“What?”
“These words mean that one Duke plays the role of tens of thousands of knights. To be honest, it is not difficult for the duke to change the Empire of Dandelkius into the Bardion Empire if he wants to.”
“Ten Thousand…. “
I was stunned by the unthinkable number.
“The emperor knows that, too. For those who have no ability but want to maintain their position, the Duke of Bardion is bound to be their savior and an object of fear”
“But if Papa’s position rises that much, wouldn’t the emperor definitely hate it?”
Even if the emperor had no head, if he knew that his position was being threatened, he wouldn’t leave him alone.
“Actually, the duke has once resigned from all his duties. It was already six years ago.”
“Ah….”
I immediately figured out why.
Six years ago, this is the year I was born and the year that Reina died.
The emperor thought this was the opportunity, so he established a noble family, friendly to him in place of the duke and changed the job system extensively.”
Deska let out the rest of his words with a sigh.
“The duke was the only one not there, but the empire became paralyzed. The people who deal with things and the people who do things are different. I hope the empire will return to its normal state.”
The emperor, who had spent a year without Cardin, finally made a humble wish and asked Cardin to return.
However, it is said that Cardin lightly ignored the emperor’s orders and continued his life in seclusion.
A year passed after that, and around the time when the desperate screams of the people of the Empire pierced the sky, Cardin ended his seclusion and returned to the Imperial Palace.
“As you might expect, it was an opportunity to further elevate the duke’s ability and status. Really…… The next emperor should be the right person.”
“Neinster doesn’t look like the right….”
The smile on his face as he brutally crushed the crawling ants with tree branches flashed in my mind.
“Still, the public’s evaluation of the second prince is very good.”
“I see. That little brat. By the way, is Neinster the second prince?”
“Yes, he has a half-brother, the first prince.”
It was something I didn’t know at all.
“What about the first prince?”
“Um, it’s hard to say.”
After hearing the story of the first prince from Deska, I felt even more disgust for the emperor.
The first prince was one year older than Neinster.
Before the emperor married Mogris, the first prince, was born from a young lady of a common noble family.
The mother of the first prince, the daughter of a Baron, living at the border region died after three years without receiving any position at the Imperial Palace.
The first prince never made his official appearance as the 1st Prince.
No, you have to take responsibility for what you have done. Is that all you can do?
I trembled at the shameful record of the emperor.
“Ah, maybe we’ll see him at His Majesty’s birthday party in two months.”
Nodding my head, I organized the new facts I learned today in my head.
What I knew from reading the novel in my previous life was just the tip of the iceberg.
knock, knock
“Princess. I’m sorry for disturbing your class. The duke is looking for you urgently.”
The servant who opened the door carefully came in and delivered the news of Cardin.
