The Third Prince Of Darkness

"Will you marry me?" After asking this question, I saw Emilia's eyes widen in shock.

"...Your Excellency, please don't make fun of me" said Emilia.

"I'm not making fun of you, Emilia. If you marry me, I'll ensure you live a happy life" I said.

Emilia blushed and played with her food using a spoon. It was as if she was thinking about a hundred things at once.

"But Your Excellency... I'm the daughter of a fallen noble family... and I'm older than you. Even if you're not joking, marrying me could put you in a difficult position" she said, embarrassed.

There is an age difference of approximately 13 years between Emilia and me, meaning she is 25 years old. Despite receiving many marriage proposals from nobles so far, she hasn't accepted any of them. There was even a viscount who proposed to her, but Emilia declined, using the excuse of being Prince Ethan's knight.

"I don't care that you're a member of a fallen family, and if anyone insults you because of it, I won't hesitate to kill them. As for the age issue, if you want, we can postpone the marriage until I'm older" I said.

Emilia was already a Level 4 Kaizer practitioner, and if nothing goes wrong, her Kaizer level seemed likely to increase even more. So, the age difference between Emilia and me, who will live at least 200 years, would eventually become a minor issue. Also, considering my soul's age, I'm already older than Emilia.

"But still... Please don't misunderstand, Your Excellency. It would be an honor for me to marry you, but you'll already be in danger because of the struggle for the throne, and I don't want to be your weak point" she said hesitantly.

"Then let's postpone this matter until I become king. By then, I'll be an adult. You can think about my proposal until then, but... if there is another man now or in the future, it's not a problem. I'm not a tyrant, and ultimately, your happiness will make me happy."

"There's no such man! Your Excellency..."

"Then do you accept what I said?"

"Y-Yes! Y-Your Excellency," she said, blushing even more.

Her hands continued to sweat despite wiping them on her legs repeatedly. I had never seen Emilia so flustered before, and if I wasn't her master, she would have definitely run out of the room by now. I didn't want to put her in a more difficult or frightening situation.

"You may go, Emilia. It's already evening... Good night" I said, and Emilia stood up.

She walked toward the door in the corner of the room. This second door directly connected to Emilia's room. After an assassination attempt when I was six years old, my mother insisted on having a door directly connecting to Emilia's room, and I didn't refuse.

"Good night, Your Excellency," she said and quickly retreated to her room.

After she left, I quickly got into my bed, closed my eyes, and tried to fall into a deep sleep. Tomorrow, I had to persuade my mother, and I needed to start thinking about how to do that.

•••

I woke up with the first light of dawn. Today would be an important day. I had to convince my mother of my decision to go and quell the Blackswamp rebellion. I got up quickly and performed my daily exercises. These practices I knew from my previous life helped me maintain a splendid physique. I even made weights for myself and regularly did these exercises every day, keeping me fit.

After practicing body routines, I quickly went to the bathroom for a cold shower, then dressed and headed to the dining room. There, Isabella, my mother, and my six-year-old sister Odette were already seated.

"Welcome back, my son..."

"Welcome back, big brother!"

"Thanks" I replied.

I took my seat and waited for breakfast to be served. The dining room was quiet, everyone lost in their thoughts. My mother had her eyes fixed on me, as if trying to understand my resolve. Isabella, as usual, handled her fork gracefully. Odette was cheerfully wandering around the table. After a few minutes, my mother broke the silence.

"I think we need to talk about the Blackswamp Rebellion, Ethan."

I nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes, mother. I am determined about this. I must go to suppress this rebellion."

My mother furrowed her brow. "Ethan, it's very dangerous there. Your safety is paramount. You could leave this task to others."

Odette, sensing the seriousness of the conversation, quietly sat down and started eating, listening intently.

"I understand, but I want to take responsibility for this task. It's about the safety and future of throne. Besides, I want to gain experience leading troops" I explained.

Isabella raised her head. "Ethan is right, Luci. He's a prince who wants to be king. Such missions will be important experiences for him."

My mother sighed deeply. "I know, but as a mother, I can't help but worry.... Hufh...Alright, I'll allow you to go, but you must be very careful. Promise me you'll take care of yourself and stay close to Emilia..."

"I promise, mother"I said firmly.

After breakfast, I had another brief conversation with my mother. While I couldn't completely alleviate her concerns, I managed to reassure her somewhat. 

She'll worry every moment I'm not at the palace, but she needs to get used to it if I want to become king. She understands this, especially after seeing how much I suffered during the assassination attempt and how Richard protected Fiona that night. Still, I must be careful not to worry about her too much... It pains me to see her upset, and it seems the maternal figure I lacked in my previous life has already taken root in this world.

I promised myself to make this woman happy, especially after I saw how much she suffered that night when I was assassin atack and later that night when Richard protected Fiona, but it looks like I'm going to have to break that promise for a while.

After having breakfast and talking with my mother, I walked through the corridors and saw Althea quickly approaching me.

"Master, my mom instructed me to inform you that the servants from the south are passing through the capital," she whispered.

"Good... I'll attend to that matter after quelling the rebellion" I replied, and Althea nodded, walking behind me.

Just then, I was shocked to see someone in funny attire ahead of me, but then I recognized him. It was Shuto, the court jester.

"I hear the little prince has finally stopped playing dress-up and gone off to war! Oh, he must think fairy tales are a real, poor thing" he said, intermittently playing a role.

"Mind your tongue..." I said calmly.

"Ah, the icy prince! Just like the wicked villain in those silly novels by foolish writers! HERE HE IS!" Shuto continued, clearly enjoying himself.

Since Shuto was directly under the king's authority, I gritted my teeth and decided to ignore him and continue on my way, but suddenly he blocked my path.

"Ah, your excellency, don't be cross with me. I only meant to amuse you, but I fear I may have gone too far. Allow me to give you a piece of advice, if you will'' he said, as if about to impart a great secret, hands forming a barricade around his mouth.

"If you wish to defeat a stronger enemy..." he leaned in, smiling, 

"Tickle them! That's how you'll surely win, but never strike below the belt! It's considered a war crime by the council!"

With that peculiar advice from the jester, I was about to give him a lesson, but before I could do anything, he disappeared with astonishing speed. Interestingly, he was extremely fast... But I continued on my way without paying much attention to what he said.