Guiding the Male Lead out of His Trauma - Chapter 33.1
As the heavy doors opened, the weighty, authoritative atmosphere inside immediately pressed down on those entering.
Military maps and ornamental swords hung on the walls, and in one corner, an unnecessary crowd of decorative objects was gathered, making it hard to find any truly empty space in the room.
I stopped as I stepped across the long wooden table and the luxurious carpet stretched beneath it.
The man left us there to wait, then opened a door at the far end of the room, leading somewhere else.
From beyond, I could faintly hear some muffled conversation.
As the voices drew closer, the man gestured at us with his chin.
“The Second Flame of Valmoth, Master of the Palace of Extinction, His Highness Sibellin Reid Leyderne Valégr approaches. Prepare to pay your respects.”
As we raised our hands in salute, a crowd arrived, their disordered military boots echoing behind them.
‘Oh…’
My first impression of Crown Prince Sibellin was, surprisingly, rather ordinary.
‘He looks exactly the part of a corrupt man of power.’
Unlike Prince Isadore, who seemed to have just barely passed thirty, a man now well into middle age entered.
The murky blond hair, symbol of the royal family.
He wore a coat of dark, lustrous fabric trimmed with reddish-brown beaver fur, and dragged a cane studded with gemstones in his hand.
For someone serving as acting commander-in-chief in the sick king’s place, his presence evoked a priest more than a soldier.
Not a pure, noble cleric, but a fallen priest who had long taken bribes, colluded with the nobility, and committed all sorts of corruption.
‘No, there’s probably a better comparison than that.’
He also seemed a bit like a swindler, or a loan shark.
I spent a long moment contemplating the crown prince’s base character as he silently took the head seat at the table.
“Ah, yes. You’ve come a long way. You may lower your salute now.”
Was he trying to compete with a pair of youngsters in their early twenties?
After a while, killing time with idle chatter, he finally acknowledged our presence.
We were not invited to sit.
It was obvious what was going through those stubborn old heads.
‘Just cadets not yet even enlisted. How dare they expect to sit at the same table as His Highness the Crown Prince?’
Acteon and I stood, side by side, directly across from where the prince sat at the head of the table, simply waiting for him to speak.
The crown prince spent a good while on trivial topics that, to a naive cadet, might have sounded serious and solemn.
Only after several minutes did he glance our way, as if just remembering us.
“My apologies. I seem to have let my mind wander. There’s so much to be concerned about lately with the Lomdina conscription.”
Just from his way of starting with a threat before getting to the point, I could tell things wouldn’t end smoothly.
“It’s no trouble at all, Your Highness. All of us at Estra are well aware of your tireless efforts, day and night, to achieve victory. It’s an honor and a joy just to be granted an audience with Your Highness.”
If I don’t give him the answer he wants, he’ll make sure to drag me into that conscription matter—such was the implication.
Even with such underhanded threats, I smiled politely.
At the flood of smooth, unhesitating praise, Acteon’s eyebrow twitched at a subtle angle.
Hadn’t I shown at least this level of response with the duke as well?
No point in acting like it was anything new now. I ignored it.
“You’re quite skilled with words, Cadet. I’m pleased you understand my intentions so well.”
“I was simply being sincere, but as long as Your Highness is not offended by my words, I’m relieved.”
“Haha! You care for me that much? Then I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the offer I’m about to make.”
“Forgive me for asking, but I was wondering why Your Highness saw fit to summon an unremarkable cadet like myself.”
I’d rather he stop dragging this out and get to the point I already knew was coming.
Hoping to hurry this troublesome proposal along, I dangled the bait, and the crown prince took it immediately.
He was the type to be careful and devious, but not all that difficult to please.
No doubt his close aides handled him this way as well.
He seemed genuinely interested in me.
“Cadet Ortis, it seems you’re still unused to your newfound value. You should be a bit prouder.”
“Thank you for the praise. Compared to Your Highness, the light of victory and the future of Valmoth, I am nothing but an ordinary Manifester.”
“Too much humility can offend your superiors, you know. It’s better to accept some praise when it’s given.”
If you say so.
But from the moment I faced the crown prince, my mood—which was already sinking—hit rock bottom with his next words.
“I hear your blood relative is under the protection of Brondearn?”
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