47: Brother and Brother
The next morning, I was greeted by a royal breakfast with the royal family gathered for the first time in a long while.
Led by a maid to the royal dining hall (Great Hall), I was struck by the long, narrow table that dominated the room. Seeing it again after so long filled me with a sense of nostalgia and bewilderment.
Of course, Father and Mother sat at the head of the table, and next to Father sat my younger brother, Brother Daine, the princes, and then my elder half-sister, Lady Lilith, followed by the princesses in a row. In other words, it was the order of succession to the throne.
On Mother’s side sat the First Concubine who had given birth to Lady Lilith, and next to her was the Second Concubine who had given birth to Brother Daine, followed by the Tenth Concubine. This was simply the order in which they had become concubines.
In the five years that I had been away, the number of concubines and their children had increased. To be honest, I felt like saying, “Who are you?” and they, in turn, were giving me all sorts of looks.
The younger children looked at me with innocent curiosity, but the concubines and the slightly older children looked at me with subtle eyes. Well, I was the crown prince who had been away for five years.
To be honest, I had only interacted with my younger brother, Brother Daine, and Lady Lilith, so the rest of them didn’t feel like stepmothers or siblings.
Now, about the royal breakfast that I had not had in a long time, it was very formal.
When I eat at the mansion, I eat alone with several servants around me, so it is natural that it is quiet, but even though there are so many people eating together, there is almost no sound of dishes, and the silent space is very strange to me who has seen the outside world.
The only ones making noise are the young children, while Father, Mother, my younger brother, Brother Daine, Lady Lilith, and the concubines all make no sound of dishes.
This was normal in the past, but it feels a little creepy after a long time. I can’t enjoy my meal at all. I miss the cafeteria at the Adventurer’s Guild.
After that, the short but long meal finally ended, and after everyone had tea, Father spoke.
“As you all know, Croitz made a great contribution in this battle. And before that, Daine made a name for himself by defeating a special individual demon beast. Both of you have been very loyal.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Everyone applauded at the words of my younger brother and Brother Daine.
“I am still reigning as king, but it is a great joy to see those who will succeed me growing up. The young princes should not lose to their two older brothers, and the princesses should strive to have the education and beauty that befits their name. Lilith, in particular, is about to marry the eldest son of the Marquis of Radish. Do not forget that.”
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“Yes, Father.”
Huh? What’s that? No, I don’t know.
“You too, Daine. You have proven your skills in this battle. So it is not too far off to talk about marriage. Become stronger, become wiser, and remember to have the mindset of one who will take a wife.”
“Yes, Father.”
No, I don’t know that either. I don’t know, but that’s what it is…
When Father said that it was not too far off, it probably means that the other party has already been decided behind the scenes. Or maybe I have a fiancé without knowing it.
When I think about it this way, I realize that we have all grown up.
In the midst of all this, I noticed that my younger brother’s expression was clouded. I wonder if he had something on his mind about the current situation. I think he knew about it, unlike me.
“That is all I have to say.”
With that, Father took Mother and left the royal dining hall.
Now, I stand up alone.
There is an order to leave a place where the royal family is gathered like this, and basically, it is in order of importance.
The king and queen, who are at the top of the country, leave first, followed by the crown prince. After that, the princes leave, followed by the concubines, and finally the princesses.
Of these, only the king, queen, and crown prince are special. In other words, no one else can stand up until I leave.
I am led out of the royal dining hall by a maid. As I do so, the gazes that are directed at me are very familiar.
The first and third princes are praised, while the crown prince is not said anything. Yet the crown prince is the first to leave the room. Prince Car-Mine, who is crowned crown prince but can do nothing.
I left the room without a glance at the gazes that I had been subjected to every day for five years.
*
“Don’t give up.”
“Brother.”
The training ground that only the royal family can use. There, my younger brother was swinging a sword alone.
His swordsmanship is superb, and even I, who am active as Jasper, am impressed. He would probably be able to fight Eldred and Romero without any problem.
If we were to apply the adventurer’s skill level, he would definitely be at level 5. What he lacks is experience in 实战, but my younger brother definitely has talent. Those who do not have the ability value will not improve no matter how much they train. The fact that it improves is proof that he has the potential.
The movements of my younger brother, whom I saw before my eyes, were incomparably sharper than five years ago.
“Your swordsmanship is excellent. As expected.”
“I am still immature. I realized that even more in this battle. I also understood how much my teacher held back.”
“Training and killing are different. Well, that’s obvious.”
“Have you ever done that, Brother?”
“No, I haven’t. But I have been close to being killed.”
“Huh?”
Since I was little, I have been targeted for assassination several times. My younger brother happened not to know about it, and the fact that the crown prince was targeted for assassination would never be made public. Just by being in such a situation, the heads of several guards would fly. And those who fear being caught up in it also keep their mouths shut.
“Well, don’t worry about it. It’s over.”
“I’m glad you’re safe now.”
“hahahaha. Thank you.”
Standing next to my brother, I looked around.
“This place brings back memories.”
“Yes. I used to practice with Brother here.”
“I only remember being beaten by you.”
hahahaha, he laughed. But it was true.
No matter how much I trained, I didn’t improve at all. Every time I fought my brother or Brother Daine, I was beaten to a pulp. Sometimes I was literally on the verge of death. After all, I had no vitality or mental strength, and my tenacity and mental resistance were at their lowest. If I took an unexpected blow, the demon doctor would come flying in.
Every time, my brother apologized and worried about me, but Brother Daine gave me a look of contempt. I can still remember those eyes that looked at me like an insect.
“Brother’s greatness was not in such things.”
“There’s no point in not being strong.”
“That may be true, but at least to me, Brother was a strong person.”
“Roy, before you train your body, you should train your eyes to see people.”
“That’s a bit harsh.”
The two of us laughed. It was as if the two figures had grown larger in the midst of the old scene.
“Roy. You didn’t seem to be feeling well in the royal dining room earlier. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Ah… Can Brother tell?”
“Yes.”
I think anyone could tell. Especially our parents.
“…This time, I received the First Class Medal of Honor from Brother.”
I hastily put up a small [Dark Room]. There were guards and maids a short distance away from us.
“What you have in your hand is genuine.”
“No, it’s definitely Brother’s.”
My brother shook his head weakly.
“Brother Daine hunted the demon beast with his own power, and he has a fiancee. Sister Lilith is also leaving the castle as a lady.”
“That’s right.”
“It feels like I’m the only one who hasn’t grown.”
“Hmm.”
Haven’t grown, huh.
“Especially after seeing Brother this time, I realized that I haven’t changed at all.”
“So you mean I’ve changed?”
“No, Brother, you haven’t changed at all. You’ve always been an amazing person. It’s just that it’s come to light this time. That’s why I don’t think I’ve grown at all.”
“Hmm…”
His words were a bit disjointed, but I understood that he felt he hadn’t done anything this time. But perhaps he felt that way because Brother and Sister had fulfilled their respective duties.
For a prince, it was a noble duty to make a name for himself and take a wife, and for a princess, it was also a noble duty to become a wife and strengthen ties with other families.
In that sense, it was true that the younger brother had not yet made a name for himself, nor did he have a fiancée. It was no wonder that he felt left behind.
But in reality, the credit for this battle was already his, no matter what anyone said, and I thought that perhaps, without telling him, there were already talks going on behind the scenes about a fiancée.
Even though I was the crown prince, my fiancée had been decided when I was just a baby. It was unthinkable that my younger brother, who was second in line to the throne, would not have a real fiancée yet. There was only one reason why he might not, but well, it was unlikely.
Even so, for my younger brother, what he was feeling now was everything. Surely, the emotional wounds he had suffered in that battle had opened up just now. He must have been thinking, “What a useless prince I am.”
But I didn’t think so.
“Hey, Roy. How about we cross swords for the first time in a while?”
“Huh?”
“Not with real swords, but with wooden ones. It’s been ages since I had a teacher. Keep me company.”
“Yes, of course, that’s fine.”
With that, I instructed the guards to bring two wooden swords. I took one and faced my brother.
“Now then. It’s too late for me to learn the basics. I’ll attack, and you can dodge or parry. Of course, you can attack too. Otherwise, there’s no point.”
“Yes, Brother.”
Not as a pretense, I really lowered all my ability level values to 1 and attacked with all my might. I felt a strange discomfort as I was unable to make the movements I had always been able to make, as if I were acting out a battle between an adult and a child. The difference in strength was probably about the same as between a young child and a trained knight. The guards and maids watching around us must have been seeing my disgrace anew.
“Ah!”
As expected, I took a diagonal blow from my brother and collapsed on the spot.
My brother must have struck very lightly. However, even that light blow was enough to knock me out, with my Toughness level at its lowest.
“Are you alright, Brother!”
Excruciating pain coursed through my entire body. Even though my Vitality was still quite high, the pain was so intense that I felt my life was in danger. I had forgotten how it felt, as it had been so long. Could it be that when my Mental Resistance was low, I was unable to “endure” so much?
Feeling a chill down my spine, I looked up at my brother’s face as he approached me, and I forced a smile as I placed a hand on my shoulder, which was definitely broken.
“See, Roy. You’re strong. You have something far greater than I do, who is said to have made the greatest contribution in the last battle. I told you. You have the blood of the great King and Queen. And you also have the blood of Zarud. So there is no reason why you can’t do what I can. There is no reason for you, who are superior to me, to be so humble.”
“Brother…”
“If you still feel distressed, then blame me. Blame your brother, who is so incompetent that he can only push his role onto his younger brother.”
Yes, I was born as the crown prince, but I had no power at all. Even when I awakened to my power, I only tried to use it for myself.
It’s the same now. I’m here in the royal palace, but I’m not revealing this power.
In my heart, the thoughts of that day when I first created magic still swirl. As long as I have this, I can’t reveal this power to my father, my mother, my brother, or my grandfather.
That’s why my brother is suffering like this, and it’s definitely my fault.
“No, no. Brother, you are the brother I am most proud of.”
“Well, then,”
I smiled, desperately enduring the pain. The pain was so bad that I was sweating. To be honest, I wanted to roll on the ground. But I couldn’t do that.
“I, who you are proud of, am more proud of you than anything. There’s no need to be depressed, Roy. All you have to do is stand up, face forward, and walk. That alone will make you someone that everyone will recognize.”
“Brother…”
“Even so, if you ever get tired like this again, call me. I’ll help you as much as I can, if you’re okay with that. Because I’m your older brother.”
And my brother clung to me and burst into tears.
When I glared at the guards and maids, they looked away. Ignoring them, I stroked my brother’s head.
Brother. I’m not flattering you, but you can become a great man like Father or Grandfather. I can say that for sure.
With such thoughts in my mind, at that moment, for reasons other than my own convenience, I decided in my heart to give up my right to the throne to my brother.
Suddenly, I remembered the past. It was when I was training with my younger brother here.
One day, my younger brother’s wooden sword accidentally hit me and I broke a bone and collapsed. It was exactly like the situation right now. At that time too, my younger brother, who had attacked me, cried a lot and it was a lot of trouble.
Somehow, this moment felt like that time, and I laughed.
Maybe this is the only thing that hasn’t changed, Roy.
Cheers, cheers, cheers