Bern’s Determination
“…… Bern, we are waiting for you here.”
“I understood”
There is no glitter like the royal palace, but a majestic place where serene air drifts.
I think I’m a new man now or so I want, to be sure of myself.
I walked around looking over the place as I had never visited it before.
The tension increases as I go, unintentionally making me place my hand on the chest.
As I can ascertain the existence of the letter inside the pocket of the chest.
…… Do what you have to do.
A letter to Wang Tao who was frantically entrusted by father.
Even though it is paper, it feels heavy.
“We can not inform the contents to anyone. Even for reliable servants it’s a no. ”
Because it is Father’s, the content must be critical.
Are you afraid of treachery, are you worried about the dangers if someone knew father?
I felt that the latter case seemed to be more likely a possibility, trusting employees is a very complex topic, as we cannot be sure of what dangers it would bring them.
Even if they are proud of how much self-defense they have, they are easily crushed under the enemy that has a card called power.
Even father knows, the darkness of this country which was captured and dragged in….
I was hit by fear as I thought that he was concerned about that.
As I enter the salon, I will continue to be guided by servants.
And at the end when I arrived there was Mr. Wang, who is the present Lord of this mansion.
“Huh … … why did you come here Bern, Louis’s situation is not that bad not?”
“No, my father takes care of himself and is taking medical treatment, there is no risk to his life, as why I came here today …”
“It’s….”
“From my father, he asked me to give you this.”
I retrieved the letter from my chest and hand it to his nearest servant.
King Wang accepted it from his servant and looked at it.
From the beginning of reading the letter, the face of Mr. Wang changed. From a soft face of a noble in an event receiving a guest, to that of a rigid official.
The change increases the tension in the air.
He has an air of someone who is convinced that is the champion who leads this country even if the time of war is approaching.
“Do you know the contents of this?”
I shake my head in response to the question from Mr. Wang.
“Both of the letters?”
“I do not know their contents”
“Yeah … Louis is sweet with kids, is not it?”
His escorts started to laughed aloud.
But his eyes are cold and the air didn’t change.
I felt that … cold sweat ran through my back.
“Or is it because you are in a different side from Louis?”
“…… I am very sorry, but I can not understand what you are saying”
“Oh well, because you were a follower of Edward before, you seem to have been very supportive of him, and with Yuri Noir, the Baron Daughter….”
“…… Certainly, I was close to Edward before, but now I want to protect the Duke of Almeria my legacy and my home, I’m proud of the Almería family who discharged my previous status as a debauchee and gave me authority to help my house and territory, so that’s why my first priority is to stabilize the state affairs. ”
“In other words, do you want Edward to quickly arrive at the throne or not?”
“No. If we are in compliance with the laws of the country, it is reasonable that the first prince will get the throne … and no, I don’t support Edward anymore, I was disappointed and he betrayed my sister and family before.”
“…… The remarks in this place are limited to this place. Please state what you think about the whole state of this country.”
He urges me to say, and I urge Mr. Wang for him to continue.
I was worried that my mouth would slip one after another from the pressure of Mr. Wang, but it is already too late to regret it.
“…… It is my thoughts, but I was blessed after graduating from the school as I had the opportunity to look at myself. I am convinced that various things changed from the past, and I am proud of the Duke of Almeria house and love it at the same time … … In my school days I foolishly broke everything on my own. ”
I remember it… I remember it just like yesterday.
The events of that day…
I did not look after my sister from entering the school until that happened.
…… No, I did not try to see it.
I liked that woman so much that everything revolved around her.
Truncate my sister place for her as if it were my own blemish.
… and, as a result, I broke everything.
When she was suppressed by Dorsen, I gave up all sentiments for my family, and did nothing more than to cause her more despair.
If I think now, with a smile as if to reject everything I said words to break her down.
…… At that time, I thought that I was also sad because she let me down.
But now that I think back, it creeps me frozen.
And even gives me dizziness and I want to puke as I think of what I committed.
Selfishly, I abandoned my sister.
Rather, I even thought of her as a game piece to approach the Baron’s daughter.
…… even though she was my older sister, my only blood sister.
From the time I was young, my emotions shared with my sister and memories accumulated.
Lots of, warm memories and emotions were those.
Even though I was formed today because she was there, I abandoned her.
Now I can tell that it was like throwing away the future I admired and longed for.
I may have never regained it once I discarded it and put it away.
No, I could not regain it.
The event at that time was not only a rupture for the bonds of the family … because to today I know I feel disdain to my own evaluation.
Still I’m here because my older sister who was supposed to broken by me, made me wake up so I can still see the future.
“So, I decided not to make a mistake anymore, I absolutely do not want to hurt my important family anymore, the only thing I have, because they are important I vowed that I will definitely protect them time.
That’s why I will never return to Edward’s side.
Beginning with the abandonment of the engagement with my sister, the excommunication of the church, the harassment to the Azuta Corporation, the harassment to my sister, and the obligations imposed to the Duke of Armenia.
Besides harassment to the company, even if it is not what Edwards did directly, but still it can be said that it only happened because of Edward.
I do not wish for my sister to taste the despair of that day again.
If I got into such a situation, I will never leave my sister’s side ever again.
… Yes, I decided.
It is because she reminded me of the important things.
“Is your family more important than the future of the kingdom?”
“…I’m sorry but it is…”
To the question with that sharp voice, I lower my head and ask to be excused.
A heavy silence floated on the spot.
It broke the silence a couscous sound of laughter.
“What sweet and unlikely to be a martyr … But who can not defend the precious ones close to us, cannot defend our country, so I do not hate it.”
Happy, I breathlessly exhaled…
“Now, the upper part of this country is split into two, those who want the first prince for the throne, and those who want to make the second prince ascend the throne. The leading aristocrats and emerging aristocrats in the region, including the Duke of Almeria are in the side of the first prince, and the senior aristocrats with Princess Elle and the Marquis are in the side of the second prince, while the two factions are striking each other there is still an equilibrium kept… Well, which side are you standing by?
I still do not answer to the question of Mr. Wang. No, I could not answer.
Sometimes I did not have the answer, but because of the air of the place I can not talk anything I don’t feel.
“The correct answer is neutral, leaning towards the first Prince.”
Only because he knew it, Mr. Wang told the answer before I opened my mouth.
“I have been hiding, nurturing, raising the first Prince. I knew that there would be such a confusion in the future, so why do you think that we did not prevent it?”
“… to suppress the growth of nobility, is not it?”
“continue”
“The second prince may have excluded the first prince and the country may not have been confused if he arrived at the throne, but if that happens, then even if turns into the king, who is the top of this country and the top at the power of the aristocracy, the current he will become far from that, he will not be an easy manipulated puppet ,so even the, the root of the kingdom will fluctuate and it’s done for.”
I speaking carefully while choosing the words.
“Well … Well …. But, I was neutral, I thought it would truncate immediately if the Prince was a stupid person, but, unexpectedly, that girl was competent, so that I did not do anything, so I was seen as static by the first prince too … but in reality I was protecting them, as their house.”
“A house …” I can understand without being told clearly.
“For the second prince, the most obstructive thing is not the Duke of Almeria, even if he retired… I am the most obstructive to them because I have a strong voice in the parlamentary”
“Well, Mr. Wang is also targeted like father …?”
“Well, yeah … I will be stripped of authority as a royal member soon, your father and the first Prince were moving to stop it. In this letter, those contents are written ”
“I see…”
“I will answer after reading the letter,” Please tell Louis that you did good for me, you should go back to the territory and relax. ”
“Why … …! Why ?!”
“As the king keeps holding the position for another month, after he dies, the Marquis will start to move, Louis will not recover within a month, I wonder, even though I’m just dying as well, I can not free my worry from it.”
“that is…”
“No way, I did not expect Elle to want that girl.”
I think about the exact meaning of what he says while drinking.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah … Even if they say that they king only fell down, and that he was heading for recovery. The physical body is decaying as he has mental illness … but that suddenly may be kept for a month …… There are other circumstantial evidences.”
When speaking of the word “circumstantial evidence”, Mr. Wang chewed his lips for a moment.
The fact that it can not condemn the Marquis based on it unless it is reliable evidence is regrettable.
“Because I love them, when I lean to these negative feelings, the hatred grows deeper … Anyway, I can not make it in time. Louis is in that state, the first prince has to go to another country… I don’t have support to do anything with it. ”
“… .With which case?”
“That is a secret … … It may have been good now, but the other neighboring countries are not safe, but it is better than being in this country when things happen, and that child, It seems that he was trying to repay the king himself carrying everything on his back.
Mr. Wang and his companions were breathlessly hiding their mouths.
“But, what will happen to you Mr. Wang? …”
“Well … Anyway, I decided to bet on the new generation …… That’s why I do not mind these problems now.”
The brightness of the eyes of Mr. Wang who declared that were so powerful.
“Bern, please tell Louis firmly this message ”
“I am sorry…”