I Became the Abandoned Prince Whom the Saintess Is Obsessed With

6 – The Fallen Prince

“Glintino, you scoundrel! Get out of the way!!”

Eventually, even the soldiers rushed in at the commander’s shout.

“Get rid of that traitor right away!”

Glintino’s pupils trembled.

It seemed strange, as if he was persistently trying to confirm something.

No matter what, is it really necessary for the person who came to bring the prince to go this far?

Even though he had pleaded to wait a little longer, he was now being pushed as a traitor and was desperately trying to enter the bedroom.

So, even for Glintino, anger arose.

Now it was truly a critical situation.

“I refuse! I won’t move!”

He spread his arms wide in front of the prince’s bedroom and clenched his teeth.

He was determined not to move, even if he had to die.

But there was one strange thing.

Even though there were four soldiers as big as himself clinging to him, his body didn’t move at all.

It was as if he had become a rock himself.

Looking at Glintino like that,

The commander made a disgusted expression.

Even mentioning rebellion.

It was never an ordinary sight to see someone persisting and maintaining such an audacious attitude.

“Why on earth are you going this far?”

For the Crown Prince? Out of sincerity?

My head involuntarily shakes.

No, no.

No one would ever do such a thing for that notorious Crown Prince.

Then, could it be?

Did Glenitino harm the Crown Prince?

If it was to prevent anyone from entering for fear of being discovered, then it made quite a bit of sense.

“Could it be, you, have harmed His Highness the Crown Prince!”

There was a certain conviction in the Prime Minister’s roar.

But once again, Glenitino remained silent.

“Step back, you bastards! Step back!!”

He simply swung his arms violently.

Struggling to push away the clinging soldiers.

“I won’t let go of this!”

Glenitino felt incredibly frustrated.

Who could possibly understand his heart?

Does it mean that he himself doesn’t know why he’s doing this?

I had an overwhelming desire to step aside right away.

But.

If I didn’t do this much, there was no way to avoid instant death.

There was nowhere to complain.

The moment I mentioned that there was a spirit in my heart, my heart would explode immediately.

The horror of that day came back to me and my body trembled.

The innocent prince was nowhere to be found.

He had already become a presence worse than a demon.

By putting a spirit in his body.

He had inflicted terrible pain that he had never felt before for quite a long time.

Without even lifting a finger, just by thinking.

Hard things like clumps of dirt gathered in his body and moved quickly, scattering.

It was a pain so fast and unbearable that even screams couldn’t escape.

Whatever touched it.

Was thoroughly torn apart from the inside.

And then, it quickly recovered.

That miraculous healing.

It didn’t take long to realize that it was for the purpose of destruction again.

Still, I thanked and groveled.

I swore to devote my life in loyalty.

To avoid being defeated once again,

Still, the Prince of Ruin…

Repeatedly, over the course of several days, he carried out such dreadful acts with a nonchalant and feeble expression on his face, each time catching the eye.

It was as if he were taming a fierce beast.

He had tasted a hell that was incomparable to becoming a traitor.

He had fallen into such a miserable state that it would have been better to be executed as a traitor.

It was truly a dreadful torment.

He felt like a tiny bug being ripped apart limb by limb in the hands of a child.

The horror brought about a suffering worse than pain.

The ignorance of not knowing how much more cruel things would come.

A profound fear that was too severe for a human to bear, rising abruptly from deep within his heart like a ship raising its anchor.

That’s why he is still like this even now.

As if he had wagered his soul, his body and mind had already taken action without being commanded, unable to help but do so.

And then, it happened.

“Duck, you bastard!”

In an instant, his body became light and he toppled over to the side with the soldiers.

As he fell, Grentino thought to himself.

It’s over.

He had undoubtedly failed.

Now, the endgame would enter the bedroom.

You will come to realize the absence of the Crown Prince.

If he is the Empress’s person, Glenitino will die.

Even if he is not the Empress’s person, he will die for failing to keep the secret.

Thud!

Despite being crushed under the weight of four sturdy soldiers, only fear for the Crown Prince overwhelmed him the most.

“No… it can’t be….”

With a trembling body, he passed by the fallen bodies and finally pushed open the door to the bedroom.

Clank!

As soon as he opened the door, he rushed forward with a single step, as if driven by the scent of a corpse like a hyena.

Puff!

“Eek-“

But as soon as he entered, the Chamberlain made a strange sound and stumbled backwards.

On his astonished face, as if he had seen a monster, there was a lot of blood splattered.

***

“Huff- huff-“

I managed to return to the bedroom just in time.

But my breath is heavy and dizzy.

My vision is also blurry.

I felt like I would collapse at any moment. It truly felt like I was going to die.

Ah, come to think of it.

I was already in a situation where blood had been spilled.

Who suddenly came in?

I had used up too much energy getting here.

I can’t push myself anymore.

Thud-

I fell to the ground.

And then.

When I opened my eyes again.

I was lying on a bed.

There was a familiar face sitting by the bed.

“Have you woken up?”

It was a gentle yet cautious voice of a middle-aged man.

I knew exactly who it was.

It was the Emperor of the Mersenne Empire, the father of the Crown Prince.

“……”

I didn’t even have the strength to answer now.

I just blinked my eyes, struggling.

Somehow, the only thing I could do now was to capture the Emperor’s face, which seemed to be filled with sadness.

I wonder if I should have tried a different approach.

In order to return as quickly as possible, I made a contract with the wind spirit.

In fact, the contract with the spirit itself consumed mana.

For ordinary elves, it was a kind of unwritten rule not to make contracts with more than two spirits.

But I…

In a state where I had almost no mana left, I made a contract with a new spirit to return quickly.

As a result, I quickly depleted my mana to the three spirits.

And then…

In exchange for the exhausted mana, I used my vitality to nurture the wind spirit.

In a state of transparency, I leaped forward as if carried by the power of the wind.

I advanced hundreds of meters until I soared dozens of meters in one leap and fell back down.

Since I had gone this far…

I also gave vitality to Rakk to increase Glentino’s weight and buy enough time until I arrived.

But of course…

Using vitality to command spirits was a gamble that risked my life from the start.

As if I had become the wind itself, I joyfully streaked across the blue sky.

I couldn’t properly grasp the fact that my vitality was rapidly draining away.

Even so…

I had no choice but to do so.

When it was revealed that I was absent from the palace.

Through anyone’s mouth, it would eventually reach the Empress’s ears.

Glen Tino, who filed a false report, would be killed.

And I, too, would soon lose my life.

That’s why.

I did not hesitate to use my vitality.

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any knights, and I didn’t get caught by anyone.

But I consumed much more vitality than I had initially thought.

The energy of life.

It was the most fundamental energy that sustains life.

Healing magic is nothing more than a surgical procedure, unable to restore the inviolable realm.

Even the spirits could not restore vitality, and as divine officials, they could not do anything about it.

That’s why I went to find the Holy Maiden, Elaine.

Only she, who possessed the divine favor that no one could reach.

Was able to restore vitality in this world.

It was already confirmed in the novel.

Without her divine favor, it would be impossible to restore me.

And then, I felt the Emperor’s cold gaze.

His face looked down on me with deep resentment.

There was a look on their face that seemed to want to say a lot.

“Do you still resent me?”

It was a trembling voice that emerged after a long silence.

I feel so weak that I feel like I’m going to die.

It was quite annoying to ask a question with a gloomy expression.

With a gaze that looked like it was seeking an answer.

I could only shake my head from side to side, expressing denial.

Of course, even that was too difficult, and I could only move slowly.

Then the Emperor…

Had an expression that clearly showed he hadn’t expected this.

His wide-open eyes and slightly parted lips unmistakably conveyed the feeling of “My son couldn’t be like this….”

“…Father, I’m sorry.”

After a brief silence, the words that were cautiously uttered were an apology.

“…”

But that wasn’t what I wanted to hear right now.

“Bart… Marquis… Daughter…”

I wanted to ask him to please call Lady Elaine.

But I didn’t have the strength to say anything anymore.

And soon.

My vision turned black.

As if sinking rapidly into death.

***

Emperor of the Mersenne Empire.

Belcreed Supertor Caldebrion.

He had been visiting his son’s bedroom for the fourth day already.

Even the imperial physician and the court sorcerer said there was nothing wrong with his son’s body.

Yet, they had insisted that there was no doubt he was dying.

Indeed, even to him, the emperor.

Other than looking slightly more gaunt than before, there was no difference.

That’s why this situation.

Felt incredibly frustrating and hopeless.

He had been living quietly in the imperial palace all this time.

Why on earth, he wondered.

Why has he been unconscious for so long.

And why on earth.

When there are still so many words left unsaid.

Why is he dying.

Eos Caldebrion.

He was the painful reminder left behind by his deceased wife.

Sometimes, I felt the impulse to cut it all off because it hurt so much.

But I had no right to do so.

After all, I had betrayed the Empress.

After the Empress died, Eos said,

“All of this is because of you. I curse you with everything I have.”

The memory of that day was still vivid.

His voice was filled with boiling anger.

And all that remained in the eyes of a son who had lost his mother

was seething, relentless hatred, like bubbling lava.

There was nothing to say.

No matter how deceived or betrayed, betrayal was still betrayal.

And it was from that day on.

The Emperor could no longer approach his son.

And eventually, it all exploded into that terrible incident.

The terrible incident where the Crown Prince killed countless people.

At first, it was hard to believe.

Wasn’t he a son who resembled his gentle mother so much?

Although he had been notorious for his wickedness to those around him, I couldn’t even imagine him going so far.

Many people demanded his execution.

Not only the nobles, but also the commoners.

There was not a single person who did not wish for the death of the wicked Emperor.

However, Eos was the precious son left behind by his beloved wife, the only one he had ever loved in the world.

No matter what he had done.

No matter how much others pointed their fingers at him.

He was a presence that could not be valued or replaced by anything else.

That’s why.

In order to save his son, he gave much to his enemies.

In order to prevent punishment, as much as possible.

He even took in an unwanted Empress, against his wishes.

And long ago, he made a bastard child into a Crown Prince, with just one mistake.

But he had no regrets. After all, he saved his son.

But for some reason.

Just a few days ago, his son, who had been perfectly fine, suddenly collapsed, vomiting blood.

They even searched the palace thoroughly, suspecting poison, but they couldn’t find anything like poison anywhere.

Then what on earth was it?

What on earth caused his own son to suddenly be in a state of dying?

It was a situation that he could not understand at all.

Finally, when he stopped sighing over and over again, he stood up from his seat.

Tears fell from the Emperor’s eyes.

Finally, my son woke up.

His face looked so tired that even blinking seemed difficult.

I couldn’t feel the warmth of his hand that I held, and he couldn’t speak properly.

He really looked like someone about to die.

If that’s the case, I couldn’t postpone it any longer.

Even if it’s late.

I had to convey the words of apology that I had never said before.

So I asked first.

If he still resents himself.

The answer that came back was so unbelievable.

…He doesn’t resent me.

It felt like the regret that had been harbored for a long time was being washed away cleanly.

It felt like a tightly knotted knot was loosening.

So I could gather the courage.

I finally conveyed the apology that I had postponed for a long time.

I’m sorry.

For betraying the beloved queen and abandoning my son afterwards.

I’m truly sorry.

The name Barth came up, in that moment.

He even said it was a daughter.

The emperor had a hunch.

About his son.

That he had a woman he wanted to see before he died.

And as a father, there was no reason why he couldn’t grant that wish.

“Barth’s daughter. Just wait a little longer, I’ll call her as soon as possible.”

***

Katia finally calmed down.

It had already been four days since the Crown Prince had visited.

She had almost finished the tasks he had given her.

She apologized to Elaine and fired Anna.

Feeling a strange sense of guilt, she made sure to give Elaine a sufficient severance pay. Of course, on the condition that she apologized to Elaine.

Just in case.

She gathered the other servants and even provided them with training on how to treat Elaine properly in the future, without neglecting her.

She even had a big fight with her mother to ensure that Elaine would no longer work as a maid.

Even at this moment, when she had finished handling everything, her heart was still pounding.

She felt like the Crown Prince could suddenly appear from somewhere, with a chilling expression, and strangle her.

Thinking about the future was daunting.

Only now did she truly realize the sins she had committed.

Until the Crown Prince appeared, she had never thought about how her actions would make Elaine feel.

She had only thought about herself.

I merely thought of myself as a victim of my father’s stolen love.

But to the Crown Prince…

Being trampled upon by status, power, and magic, I finally understood.

What it feels like to be helpless, unable to resist even once.

The moment I was subjected to a greater evil than the atrocities I had committed.

Finally, I understood Elaine’s perspective.

In the end, the biggest mistake was…

Marquis Barth, who had a wife but still touched a maid and fathered a daughter.

And there was also a mistake on my part, who tormented my weaker step-sister instead of blaming our powerful father.

And if the Crown Prince hadn’t appeared…

I would have continued to commit cruel acts against Elaine.

Just as the pain and shame rose like flames, a sound was heard from outside.

“Miss. Someone has come out of the palace.”

…No way.

It couldn’t be…

The palace…

…It can’t be true.

I must have misheard due to my fatigue these days.

Closing her eyes tightly, Katia clasped her hands in prayer.

Please, let it be an auditory hallucination.

“Miss, someone has come out of the palace. The Emperor has ordered your entrance.”

But then, a clear voice echoed again.

Katia felt as if the whole world was crumbling.