I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

002. Hanpuri (1)

Looking back, there was quite a lot piled up against this man.

How much I suffered because of the prince.

If asked who I hate the most in the world, the name ‘Callios van Ortaire’ would come out without passing through my brain.

It was because of this man that I ended up in prison.

It was because of this man’s training that I was so tormented in prison.

It was because of this man dragging me around that I wandered the battlefields after leaving prison.

Of course, I received all the apologies.

Middle-aged Callios was milder in temperament than he is now, and he was a fool who knew he was a fool.

But you see.

If everything in the world could be settled with an apology, why would we need the guards?

Of course, some might say if it can’t be settled with an apology, why have apologies at all, but there are limits to what can be settled with an apology.

Human emotions are truly frightening.

Dreaming of the moment my life was plunged into the abyss, it seemed the resentment from that time came rushing back.

So, my words got a bit rough out of frustration.

“Well done~ You don’t attend banquets, you neglect your studies, you don’t even think about training, and all you do is sneak around. You are truly a sage king deeply concerned with the lives of the people.”

As I raised one corner of my mouth in a smile, the prince’s expression twisted.

“Watch your mouth…”

“Oh, my apologies. It’s not my mouth, it’s my rear end.”

“What the…”

“I can’t stop farting. Please understand. Or what, does it bother you? Honestly, if it doesn’t, you have no conscience.”

And this prince has no conscience.

This is also guaranteed by his future self.

– I didn’t realize I had become so lazy. Looking back now, I was truly a negligent royal. My mind was so full of her that I couldn’t think of what I needed to do.

A great lover indeed.

Of course, that’s all in the past.

It’s none of my business.

I mocked him based on the facts I knew, the facts he told me, and the rumors and stories I had heard.

It was an insult with all my might.

“These days, the way society views Your Highness is quite amusing. A negligent prince who doesn’t care about state affairs. The shadow of a tyrant. The black sun of the empire. Or perhaps the last emperor of the empire… in the making.”

At that moment, the prince’s body stiffened.

How should I put it, it felt like a 20-year-old indigestion was suddenly relieved.

But I couldn’t end it like this.

“Even today, it’s the same. Now, what is my name? Yuren Paros. The heir of the great house of Paros. A name that proves the legitimacy of this empire.”

Even thinking back, I was truly born into a good family.

Of course, during the height of the war, it became a ruined and nonexistent family.

Well, that’s a sad past too.

For now, I must do my best in the present.

“Now, let’s consider this. Your Highness, you threatened me because I slapped a commoner girl. The social circles are quick with rumors. Or perhaps one of your attendants, one of these knights, might spread today’s events. ‘The Crown Prince threatened a great family because he was infatuated with a girl’… they might say.”

I didn’t make this up.

In fact, today’s incident becomes one of the decisive reasons for that man’s dethronement and imprisonment.

It’s a matter of political power struggle.

The factions of other princes who usually looked down on the Crown Prince, or those who had a hold over him, were always eager to bring him down.

No matter how much the Crown Prince was officially appointed, not all his actions could be forgiven.

This incident would become his political weakness for a long time.

Of course, his other misdeeds also played a significant role.

“Your Highness will lose your standing. Even those who claim your legitimacy will start to turn away in disgust.”

Still, the Crown Prince is a smart man.

He would understand my words well, and it was evident in his expression.

‘Now, how should I deliver the final blow?’

How could I make this man’s mood utterly miserable?

A thought that brought catharsis wove several sentences together.

As a result, I found the words he would hate the most.

With a hardened expression, I spoke.

“What on earth are you doing? Where is your mind wandering?”

The Crown Prince’s expression hardened.

“Can you not discern right from wrong? Are you daring to place a mere commoner girl on the same scale as the Crown Prince?”

Veins bulged over his clenched fist.

“The branches may sway in the wind. But the roots must not. Yet, Your Highness, you are like a tree with shaking roots.”

I took a deep breath.

And then, I drove the wedge in.

“Look back. See the expressions of those knights, see how they are looking at you.”

-There was nothing around me but those who looked up to me. So I lost my mind. I was intoxicated with admiration.

The future self showed the prince the reality he had realized too late.

The prince’s gaze creaked as it turned back.

The knights, dressed in their stealthy attire, shuddered.

They had been showing shame or fear on their faces the whole time I was speaking.

They had no time to compose their expressions.

It was because my words had left them too shocked to recover.

“······.”

Even from behind, I could tell.

The prince, observing them, felt as if he had been struck on the back of the head.

For the first time, breaking free from the delusion that everyone admired him, he was confused.

I was right.

The prince’s eyes, turning back to me, were trembling.

Unlike his future self, who would not be swayed by any temptation, he now had a pitiful air, as if he would collapse with a mere puff.

I spoke.

“Release this. If you do, I will erase today’s events from memory.”

“Your Highness…!”

Only then did the knights, who had begun to worry about the future, open their mouths.

The prince’s lips were tightly shut.

His eyes were bloodshot.

The shock seemed quite significant.

However, that emotion was different from anger.

It was an aura that resembled endless confusion.

At last, the prince spoke.

“…Release him.”

The end of the voice, entangled with a metallic sound, was split.

With the help of the knights, I was freed from my restraints.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

Leaving behind the stiffened prince, I casually exited the abandoned warehouse.

The outside air was very refreshing.

The freshness rose to the top of my head.

I stretched.

‘How long has it been?’

Breathing in such refreshing air.

In the prison, it was always the musty air, and after becoming a soldier, I lived perpetually in the stench of death.

The memories that had been sleeping deep in my mind finally shook off the dust and spoke to me.

‘…Yes.’

This was what the capital was like before the war.

‘Beautiful.’

There are lights that illuminate the main street even at night.

There are guards patrolling late into the night for security.

The young men of the empire, full of vigor, wandered the streets drunk, and there were old men laughing at them.

“Ha, haha…”

Laughter came out.

It was because my own foolish past came to mind.

Even though I lived in such a world, what was I so dissatisfied with that I lived like a scoundrel?

What made me so angry that I went around causing trouble?

But regret is always too late.

I shook my head to erase the thoughts.

‘It’s still a dream. So I can enjoy it a little longer.’

After this, there is death.

Rest, or perhaps punishment.

Then, shouldn’t I enjoy this moment to the fullest?

I walked the night streets of the capital.

I sold a ring and bought cheap rum on the street, drinking with the denizens of the night.

“Here, enjoy. It’s a peaceful day.”

“Whoa! Prince Pharos! You are indeed generous!!!”

“Not at all.”

And so, I drank heavily and fell asleep.

The next day came.

The hangover was excruciating,

‘…Why am I still dreaming?’

The dream did not end.

It was then that I realized something was wrong.

* * *

The morning in the imperial city comes early.

It doesn’t just mean that people move busily.

Physically, the sunlight comes early.

This is because the height of the imperial palace is the highest in the entire empire, surpassing the capital.

Among them, the Dawn Palace of the Crown Prince is the second highest, next to the Sun Palace where the Emperor resides.

It is the palace where the rising sun is best seen, and today, on the terrace of the top floor of that palace, there was a man with a graceful appearance gazing at the dawn.

It was none other than the master of the palace, Crown Prince Kalios.

Dark shadows lay beneath his eyes.

It was because he hadn’t slept a wink all night.

From the time dusk fell until now, Kalios had been gazing at the celestial bodies from this topmost terrace.

No one could disturb him.

Except for one person.

Thud! Thud!

Someone with unusually angry footsteps approached the place.

Kalios’ keen senses caught the sound.

-Your Highness, the Princess! Please wait…

-Move aside.

Finally,

Bang!

The door to the topmost floor opened.

Kalios glanced at the door.

A woman with a nervous expression, the same blonde hair and blue eyes as his, wearing a splendid dress, was his sister, the First Princess Erilda.

“…Why at such an early hour.”

“Why? Why?!”

She approached Kalios with the same angry steps.

Immediately after, she grabbed him by the collar.

“Kallios. You worthless b*stard.”

Her tone resembled the growl of a ferocious beast.

Though she was always quick to anger, this level of fury was unprecedented.

“How many eyes and ears does the royal family have? Wasn’t it you who told me to always be cautious from the moment I wake up to the moment I sleep?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You have no idea after provoking a great family? Are you truly insane?”

Erylda twisted her lips into a distorted smile.

Kallios frowned.

‘Has the story already spread?’

It stirred a sense of discomfort within Kallios.

A discomfort that was soon overshadowed by a choking sensation.

It was because the cold, expressionless face of the man he had met the previous night came to mind.

– The social circles are quick with rumors. Or perhaps one of the knights serving His Highness might spread the word about today’s events. ‘His Highness went mad over a woman and threatened a great family’… they might say.

Even amidst this, Erylda continued speaking.

“You’ve provoked a great family. Do you not understand what this means? Why Paros of all families! Why! Why did you choose Paros out of all the families!!!”

Her raised voice soon became a shout.

Anger and resentment covered her face.

At that, Kallios recalled what he had provoked.

‘The Great House of Pharos.’

A house that existed even before the founding of the empire, a house of founding heroes who pioneered this land alongside the first emperor.

And, a house that served as the Grand Master to the first emperor.

They have no titles.

They have no positions.

Because nothing can limit the feats they have achieved, and the feats they will achieve.

Thus, Pharos was simply known as the ‘Great House.’

It was also the only house that could question the emperor’s decree.

What Callios had touched was such a house.

Therefore, her anger was justified.

The faction of Erilda, allied with Callios, would suffer the greatest damage if he fell.

In other words, this was a choice that would drag not only himself but also her into the abyss.

Once again, Yuren’s words flashed through Callios’s mind.

-Can you not discern right from wrong?

He felt a sense of torment.

Erilda’s anger continued amidst it all.

“The noble faction is looking for your flaws. The second prince’s dogs are the same. Enemies are everywhere. Those damn b*stards are eyeing this palace even now.”

“······.”

“But you… what are you doing? Huh? How could you show weakness by falling for a commoner girl? That? Sure, I can understand. It’s the age when love is sweet. I thought that experience would make you mature. But what is this…”

The strength in her hand gripping his collar began to wane.

“Why go that far? What is that woman to you? What is she that you would go against a great family? Why…!”

What would he have answered to this until yesterday?

Kallios could find the answer quickly.

‘I got rid of a scoundrel. A failure that had never existed in the great family emerged. So, I made a decision for the future of the empire.’

He would have genuinely thought so.

He would have said this to Erilda’s face.

If he did, she would have gritted her teeth, but respected his choice and found a way.

As she always had.

But now, he couldn’t say that.

Above all, Erilda’s expression, starting to show disappointment, reminded him of yesterday’s events like a nail being driven in.

-Your Highness will lose your position. Even those who claim your legitimacy will start to turn away in disgust.

Not even a day had passed.

It was just that night had turned into morning.

Yet, everything he had said was coming true.

Kallios was confused.

‘…He was a scoundrel. Certainly.’

His previous actions had shown that, and even when he was captured, he was a scoundrel.

Busy shouting, “Do you know who I am?” and desperately screaming to be released.

Then trembling as he was captured.

But, the moment he revealed his identity, his demeanor changed.

At that moment, he was so cynical and indifferent that it was hard to believe he was the same person as the rogue Yuren that Kallios had known.

Every word he spoke was like a cold dagger, making one reflect on themselves.

What should one call his attitude?

…Yes.

‘I have been judged.’

It was the moment he thought that.

Erilda sighed and spoke.

“…This matter can be easily covered up. The citizens of the capital saw Pharos, the victim of the kidnapping, drinking on the streets all night. The kidnapping will end up as just a rumor spread by conspiracy theorists.”

No, it wasn’t.

Kallios recalled his last words.

– Untie this. Then I will erase today’s events from memory.

In other words, it meant this.

‘An alibi…’

He created it.

A perfect alibi that no one could use to threaten Kallios about that day’s events.

Kallios questioned himself.

‘Is he truly a rogue?’

No, that doesn’t make sense.

It was more plausible to consider the actions of the scoundrel as a mask.

Once you start doubting one thing, you begin to doubt everything.

Kallios was no different.

‘Why did Yuren Paros slap her?’

Was it intentional?

To create a place for a private meeting the night before?

If so, the purpose would be to convey that message.

And if that was the purpose.

‘He sees through all my actions.’

Another question followed.

‘…Am I doing something wrong?’

He was confused.

Kallios felt that if he couldn’t resolve this frustration, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

He looked up and gazed outside.

Even the dazzling brilliance of the dawn at the Eastern Palace couldn’t dispel the shadow cast over his heart.

The name of the shadow was doubt.

End

ⓒ papapa.

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