Chapter 87
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 87: Alexander Apple (1)
***
Since that day, Oliver Apple’s behavior changed significantly.
“Your Highness, it’s time to wake up…”
“Sir Damien, good morning!”
Damien, who came to wake up Oliver early in the morning, was taken aback when he saw that Oliver Apple had already gotten up and finished washing.
“Sir Damien, didn’t you remind me every time? You always said I should start the day early!”
At those words, Damien could only feel even more bewildered.
Originally, Oliver had the lazy habit of not getting out of bed until noon. Despite Damien’s attempts to change that, nothing worked. And now, suddenly, everything was different.
“Your Highness, you’re doing great. You’ve finally realized the importance of a regular lifestyle.”
At Damien’s words, Oliver’s lips spread into a wide smile.
After that day, Oliver’s peculiar behavior continued.
“Your Highness, continuing from yesterday, today we’ll study the history of the empire…”
“I’ve already finished it!”
“Already?”
“When discussing the history of the continent, the empire is indispensable, isn’t it? I thought you would ask, so I finished it in advance.”
Damien narrowed his eyes and looked at Oliver.
Oliver was intelligent but incredibly lazy. An individual who, despite being forced to study with a stick for about an hour, would barely start studying voluntarily?
“Uh… well done. Indeed, Your Highness.”
With Damien’s praise, Oliver’s face lit up with joy.
By now, Damien could slowly understand what Oliver wanted.
Praise.
Oliver Apple was improving his own flaws to receive praise.
‘Was receiving recognition that satisfying?’
Damien somewhat empathized with Oliver’s way of thinking. After all, he himself was once a troublemaker and understood it well.
‘He must have felt lonely without receiving recognition from anyone.’
Honestly, everything was Oliver’s own doing.
Oliver Apple held the blessed position of a crown prince. Even the king was willing to do anything for his son.
Yet, the one who disregarded such favorable conditions and engaged in reckless behavior, only to end up isolated, was none other than Oliver Apple.
‘I was like that too.’
Past Damien wasn’t much different. He blamed only his family without reflecting on his own actions.
Unaware of how much love he was receiving from his family or how much trouble he was causing them, Oliver Apple had indeed changed for the better.
Wasn’t Damien’s prolonged stay to make Oliver a proper king?
“Your Highness, you’ve mastered the etiquette you learned yesterday perfectly! Indeed, you are the pride of the royal family.”
“Your Highness, you’ve already learned the swordsmanship I taught you. Now I see you’re overflowing with talent even in physical activities.”
Damien continued to praise the prince whenever he could. Every time he received praise, it was a bonus that Oliver’s flaws were being corrected.
“Wow, the Crown Prince is voluntarily studying…?”
The king was equally surprised by Oliver’s change.
“Sir D-Damien! What’s going on? Why is the Crown Prince… Oliver…!”
“Calm down. Everything you see before your eyes is real.”
“Hu… hu…!”
The king, who saw Oliver’s transformation with his own eyes, rubbed his eyes several times. Then he held Damien’s hands and thanked him repeatedly.
“Sir Damien, you truly are an angel in my life!”
“I haven’t done anything. It was all possible because of His Highness’s efforts.”
“Haha! You’re even humble! Oliver, come here!”
At the king’s call, Oliver stepped forward. The king embraced him with both arms.
“You’re finally walking the right path! Excellent! Excellent! You’re truly my son!”
Oliver’s face was filled with surprise.
It seemed like this was the first time he had received praise from the king, judging by his astonishment.
Looking at the both of them, Damien also felt a rare sense of satisfaction.
‘Now, once I deal with the rebellion, I can go back.’
Oliver’s behavior had greatly improved. There were even signs of cracks in the barrier between the father and son.
Now, all that was left was to stop the rebellion and stabilize the kingdom.
But as they say, things don’t always go as planned.
Soon after, a new incident occurred.
***
On that day, the courtiers were moving around very busily.
Damien found himself puzzled by this and searched around the palace to find Oliver.
Eventually, he was able to spot Oliver hiding in a corner of the garden.
“Your Highness, what are you doing here?”
Oliver was startled by Damien’s voice and turned to look at him.
“Sir Damien…!”
“Now you start to run away just because you don’t feel like studying?”
“N-No! I’ve been studying right here!”
Oliver Apple shouted, waving the book in his hand.
“Then why were you hiding in this corner?”
“I-I wasn’t hiding… I…”
Oliver sighed and changed his words.
“Yes, I was hiding.”
“Why on earth?”
“Today is the day when He returns.” He? It was when Damien questioned this that he heard the voice of a bureaucrat from behind.
“Your Highness Oliver! You’re here! His Majesty Alexander will arrive at the palace soon! Please come quickly!”
Oliver’s eyes widened at the bureaucrat’s words. He sighed deeply and said,
“…Alright. I’ll go soon.”
As soon as he heard the response, the bureaucrat left.
“Who is His Majesty Alexander?”
“…He’s my uncle.”
Uncle? It meant the king’s younger brother.
“Why are you avoiding your uncle?”
“He’s quite annoying in many ways…”
Oliver replied with a wry smile to Damien’s question.
“Sir Damien, I’ll be in another place for a while, so please don’t tell anyone else…”
At that, Damien frowned.
He didn’t know the exact reason why Oliver was avoiding his uncle.
But to avoid a situation where the elder of the household must be greeted? That was not behavior fitting of a crown prince.
From Damien’s perspective, who was tasked with raising Oliver into a fine crown prince, it was nonsense.
“Stop talking nonsense and go meet your uncle.”
With Damien’s firm response, Oliver’s shoulders slumped.
***
Damien led Oliver towards the castle gate. Already, many other nobles had gathered at the gate.
“Hmm.”
Even though they had come this far, Oliver’s expression remained unchanged. However, due to Damien, he couldn’t bring himself to say that he wanted to turn back.
“It seems His Majesty Alexander is returning sooner than expected.”
“It appears he has successfully cleared out the bandit groups.”
“That’s truly impressive. It would have taken the local lords months to achieve what he did.”
Damien listened attentively to the nobles’ conversation. Thanks to them, he could roughly grasp who Alexander was.
“His Majesty Alexander is entering!”
With someone’s shout, a group of knights began to enter through the castle gate.
The smell of sweat and dirt permeated the air. It seemed they had recently been in battle. Their armor was dented, and they were covered in dirt.
It wasn’t a pleasant sight. But there wasn’t a single person who didn’t command respect.
‘They seem to have a lot of experience.’
Damien thought as he looked at the knights. Experienced knights often displayed skills beyond their ranks.
‘Huh?’
However, among the knights, there was a figure emitting a peculiar atmosphere.
Damien’s gaze fell on the knight at the forefront. The middle-aged man seemed to exude an unusual energy.
‘High-class? No, there are many shortcomings…’
The middle-aged knight also looked at Damien. No, to be precise, he was looking right beside Damien.
The middle-aged knight pulled on the reins and stopped in front of Damien.
“Why does your face feel familiar? Oh! It’s you, my nephew.”
The middle-aged knight said, addressing Oliver. Oliver forced a smile and said,
“Un- Uncle… Hello.”
The middle-aged knight Alexander Apple smiled warmly at Oliver’s greeting.
“It’s always a pleasure to see you and as for my nephew here… Well, no need to say anything, right? You are always stuck in the palace anyway.”
At Alexander’s words, the knights burst into laughter. Among the bureaucrats, there was also someone laughing.
“I told you before, didn’t I? At your age, you should go out more. Don’t you know that hardships make you stronger when you’re young?”
“I-I heard… I heard…”
“And you wasted time knowing that? Understand that it’s embarrassing for your subordinates to see you like this.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
Oliver hung his head, feeling chastised by Alexander Apple’s every word.
From a third-party perspective, Damien couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
Regardless of being a household elder, was it appropriate to scold one’s nephew, especially in front of so many people, and that too, the crown prince?
“But the young man next to you…”
Alexander’s gaze shifted to Damien. Instantly, Damien’s pupils dilated slightly.
“You must be Damien Haksen, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s an honor to be recognized.”
Damien replied with a smile on his face.
Alexander examined Damien with even more interest.
“Not only did you rise to the middle class at a young age, but you also assisted the Church in defeating dangerous dark mages? I thought the rumors were exaggerated… but seeing you, it seems they’re all true.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
“But I heard you’re still alone. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is.”
Alexander clicked his tongue at Damien’s response.
“Foolish. Very foolish. Well, young men of that age are all like that. They tend to overestimate their abilities.”
Damien felt uncomfortable at the remark, though he didn’t show it.
“Sir Damien, as your senior in life, let me give you some advice. Find a lord to serve under as soon as possible. Talented knights like yourself should find a position quickly.”
Alexander suddenly snapped his fingers as if he had just remembered something.
“Dumbell, isn’t there still a vacancy in our White Shield Knights?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, there is.”
“Damien, join our White Shield Knights. There’s no need to thank me. I’m also pleased to accept talents like yours.”
Damien couldn’t help but smirk.
Making decisions and judgments arbitrarily.
Alexander Apple was the kind of person Damien disliked the most.
“Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like belonging anywhere just yet.”
“And that’s why young folks are a problem. Didn’t I say it before? Don’t overestimate your abilities. A knight’s duty is to serve a lord…”
“I know my abilities very well.”
The irritation and discomfort reached unbearable levels.
After scanning Alexander and the knights behind him, Damien spoke again.
“It’s not as appealing as you make it sound.”
For a moment, silence fell. Soon after, the knights erupted in anger.
“Who does this brat think he is, speaking so arrogantly!”
“Draw your sword at once! I’ll teach you some manners!”
At that moment, Alexander raised his hand to silence the knights.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a bold young man.”
Unlike the knights, Alexander Apple’s face wasn’t filled with anger. Instead, he appeared calm.
But Damien could see it. The deep-seated anger burning in Alexander’s eyes.
“If that’s your wish, then so be it.”
Without further ado, Alexander turned away. The knights followed after him.
“Sir D-Damien! How you can speak like that to Uncle!”
As soon as Alexander left, Oliver grabbed Damien and exclaimed.
“You’ve embarrassed Him in front of so many people!”
“He seemed fine to me.”
Knowing it wasn’t true, Damien replied casually.
“Anyway, His Majesty Alexander seems to be quite popular.”
Considering the reactions of the bureaucrats when he entered the castle, it was anything but typical popularity.
“Whenever there’s trouble in the kingdom, he always takes the lead to solve it. That’s why he has so many followers.”
Saying that Oliver sent an admiring glance towards Alexander, who was now walking away.
“Moreover, he showed talent in swordsmanship from a young age, so there are many knights who follow him. There are even enough to establish a separate knight order.”
“Impressive.”
“Did you know? Sir Liam is also a peer of Uncle. Uncle learned swordsmanship from the Marquis Bluegreen.”
It was an unexpected connection.
“Your Highness!”
At that moment, a bureaucrat rushed towards Oliver Apple.
“His Majesty Alexander will meet the King in two hours. Your Highness should prepare to attend.”
At those words, Oliver’s expression hardened once again.
“Understood. I will accompany His Highness to the meeting.”
Damien spoke to the bureaucrat. At that, Oliver’s expression betrayed a deep sense of betrayal.
“Sir Damien…? I would prefer not to attend…”
“Your Highness, you shouldn’t be stubborn.”
Damien said firmly. Oliver looked crestfallen.
‘This doesn’t bode well.’
The reason Damien came here was to prevent the rebellion.
In a previous life, a rebellion swept through the capital, resulting in the death of the king and the hasty crowning of Oliver Apple, which plunged the Apple Kingdom into turmoil.
That’s all Damien knew. He didn’t know specifics about who attacked or what happened. It was concealed by the royal family.
‘It seems the situation that the royal family wants to conceal…’
Damien glanced in the direction Alexander Apple had gone.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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