Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 90

90. Beggar Siblings - Names

- Step. Step.

Bart's heavy footsteps echoed through the dark alley.

He made sure to make some noise when he felt he had walked far enough, causing his friend ahead to turn and greet him warmly.

"Bart! I didn't get a chance to congratulate you earlier in the commotion. Congratulations! Your loyalty has finally been rewarded after all these years."

Feeling his chest ache, Bart silently closed the distance.

"Not only the prince but also the princess are alive! It's truly a blessing."

This friend, 'Alvin,' a knight of the Second Order and now well into middle age, had always gotten along well with Bart since their youth. He was not extravagant, dignified, and deeply affectionate.

They were friends from the same region and had once synchronized their leave to visit their hometown together... Bart buried the memory in his heart and drew his sword.

He aimed his sword at Alvin, waiting for his friend to draw his weapon.

At least, he would give him the time to draw his sword.

Under Bart's pressure, Alvin awkwardly drew his sword. Still, he said, "Bart? Why are you doing this? Do you think I would betray the prince? I have no such intention. Come on! Put your sword away!"

Despite Alvin's earnest words, Bart did not lower his sword. He exuded killing intent to awaken his friend's awareness.

The prince had ordered him to kill Alvin.

"Bart, the man you brought earlier... swore false loyalty to me."

"What? How did you know that, Your Highness?"

"...I pride myself on being a good judge of character. Unfortunately, he lied. Therefore... he must be killed. I'm sorry. This isn't something I should ask of you, so I'll send another knight."

"...No, I will go."

Bart gripped his sword hilt tightly.

He didn't know how the prince had discerned Alvin's false loyalty. Although Alvin had seemed a bit hesitant when swearing loyalty, it wasn't particularly unusual.

Yet, the prince was sure he wouldn't be loyal, and I... had to follow the order.

But his sword wouldn't move.

Alvin was the friend who had chased after him, grabbing his sleeve and apologizing when he had stormed out of the tavern in anger years ago.

Back then, Bart had thought Alvin a coward for refusing to help him with his revenge, harshly pushing his hand away. But now, after many years, Bart understood.

Alvin had a family.

Bart's breathing felt stifled. The cold autumn wind did nothing to refresh him.

"Bart! Don't do this."

Bart prepared to draw. He steeled his heart, but his hesitation was evident in his sword.

'Please...'

Sensing his hesitation, Alvin lowered his head. Guessing why his friend was acting this way, he angled his sword downward and confessed.

"...I'm sorry. The truth is, my oath to the prince earlier was a lie. As you know, I have a wife and children, so I don't have the courage to get involved in the princes' disputes. I was going to tell you later..."

"Hah!"

Bart let out a rough sigh of relief, lowering his sword as he relaxed.

Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.

"Thank you for being honest. Actually, I was testing you."

The prince had ordered Bart to kill Alvin but had softened and added a condition.

If he admitted to lying when questioned, he should be spared.

Bart, wiping his sweat-drenched hands on his pants, spoke.

"The prince knew you lied. I came to confirm it. Given your situation, it's fine. I'm sorry for drawing my sword."

"No, it's me who should apologize. You've given me two chances, and yet I'm backing out again... I'm ashamed."

Alvin repeatedly apologized and left.

Bart watched his friend's back before tightly closing his eyes.

'I made a big mistake...'

The prince had asked for the most trustworthy person, so Bart had brought Alvin first. But things had turned out like this.

He wandered the alley in agitation. The relief of not having to kill his friend quickly disappeared.

Before starting a major move, having more people know about the prince's return this way was dangerous. If this got out, Eric Prince might raise an army to harm his lord.

'Should I kill him now?'

Bart's mind wavered like a reed. His thoughts shifted each time he walked left or right in the alley.

The days of enjoying swordplay with Alvin and his loyalty to the prince weighed back and forth like a seesaw. This back-and-forth stopped suddenly with his steps.

To the right.

The prince would be recorded as a great king in history.

He had not only discerned the lie at a glance but also considered his subordinate's heart. He could have just ordered the death, but he gave a condition to spare his friend out of pity.

He had taken a risk upon himself. The prince would undoubtedly become a wise and great king.

Respect and guilt pierced Bart's heart.

'...'

This wouldn't do.

He harbored a murderous intent and kicked off the ground.

No possibility could be left. Although the prince had said to spare him if he was honest, killing him was the right thing to do. For the birth of a great and wise king, personal feelings didn't matter.

Bart hurriedly chased after Alvin.

However, his resolve seemed pointless when he caught up to his friend and had to stop.

Alvin's two sons had come out to greet their father.

The boys, who had grown significantly, asked why he was so late, taking his sword from him. Bart heard Alvin's voice making an excuse about prolonged training.

The murderous intent Bart had forcibly kindled weakened and faded.

He could kill them all, but...

That friend had proudly boasted about his children. One was to join the knight order, and the other to become a royal guard, oblivious to the rule that a family couldn't produce both simultaneously.

'They've grown a lot...'

Bart sighed. He could do nothing but sigh, overwhelmed by the elongated shadows of the three father and sons.

Thoughts of his beloved, or rather, once beloved wife and children surfaced...

Unlike that friend, I abandoned my spouse and children. Blinded by revenge, I did not search for her, and when I returned here with the prince, ten years had passed, and all traces of her were cleanly erased.

Where could she have gone?

Is she living well?

What about my children... How did they grow up? They must resent their indifferent father...

Bart couldn't harm Alvin. He couldn't muster the courage to strike at the life of a friend who was loyal to his family.

He lingered in front of his friend's house, but eventually turned away. When he returned to the hideout disguised as a family house, the prince was carefully closing the door, having just put the princess to bed.

"Your Highness, I am sorry."

Bart confessed his true feelings.

He admitted that he had sent Alvin back after discovering his false loyalty but then felt it was too dangerous and tried to kill him again but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I have committed a grave sin. Please send another knight. Alvin's house..."

The prince's gesture silenced him.

Although the knight, who was a useful tool and weapon, wavered, the prince did not frown even once.

He seemed a bit concerned as he glanced at the princess's room, but he spoke calmly.

"No, Sir Bart, it is my fault for pushing you. I was too focused on gathering knights and didn't consider your feelings. I will be more careful about gathering knights in the future."

He placed a comforting hand on Bart's shoulder.

"Your judgment was correct, Sir Bart. Since this Alvin seems to value his family, he will not betray us. You have suffered because of my shortcomings... Please accept my apology and have a drink with me."

"Oh, no, Your Highness. It is absolutely unreasonable to say that you are at fault. And how can I accept a drink from you? It is unthinkable."

Although he hurriedly refused, that night, Bart quietly shivered as he shared a few drinks with the prince. He thought that the ten years he had dedicated to this man were not wasted at all.

In his drunken stupor, his gaze remained fixed outside the window.

"Oh, thank you. I'll come back if I hear any more news."

A thug grinned slyly and stuffed the coin he received into his waistband. The man who handed over the coin watched the thug leave happily before entering the family house.

"Did you handle it well?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Leo's family was under pressure from other families. Worried that their territory might be encroached upon, they sent thugs to scout the area.

Although Leo could easily wipe out such a family with a few knights, it was not a welcome situation for someone who needed to remain hidden. Hence, he declared his intention to operate as an informant. This decision was made because informants had fewer conflicts with other families.

Leo set up a counter in front of the family house and carved a lip symbol, representing an informant, in alleys.

Of course, he had no intention of selling information, so the drawn symbol had no tongue.

After declaring his position, the thugs' scouting noticeably decreased, but petty thieves still visited often. The rumor of him running an informant service led to more frequent visits from those aimless thugs who already wandered the alleys.

"What did they say?"

"Nothing particularly useful. It was a bit more normal than usual. They mentioned that the 'Grania Orphanage' plans to reduce the number of children they take in from next year due to financial difficulties..."

The knight shrugged, indicating it wasn't a big deal, and Leo didn't pay much attention either.

The information brought by the thugs was usually useless.

For example, it was like hearing that someone from a certain trade company had brought a beauty device from the Bellita Kingdom that was a scam. Such information was typically irrelevant.

Sometimes, they brought news about the movements of large families occupying Lutetia, but that was also not Leo's concern.

"Is Jenia Zachary here yet?"

"She will arrive soon. She is a bit late."

"Let her into my room when she arrives."

Leo climbed the stairs and left the lobby. He stopped by his sister's room and gave Lena, who was reading a book, a playful tug on the cheek ("Eek! Why do you keep pinching my face! You're really getting into a bad habit!"), and then entered his room. His room was sparsely furnished, hardly befitting a prince.

Whose habit was it to pinch faces? Was it the massive Leo Dexter? The taciturn Leo of Demos Village? Or Minseo?

It was unclear.

Leo de Yriel chuckled, sat down, and moved on to other thoughts.

He was currently gathering information about nobles.

When he became an unofficial adopted son of the Tatian family in the previous beggar siblings' scenario, he had gathered some understanding of the political landscape of the Conrad Kingdom.

However, the information gathered abroad only gave a general picture. Even that was mostly due to Marquis Benar Tatian's enjoyment of collecting information, as most families were indifferent to foreign politics.

They might be interested if their territory was very close to another kingdom, if the information was profitable, or if it was gossip-worthy.

Thus, Leo began collecting information on the nobles, hoping it might be useful.

The source of this information was the knights.

[ Achievement: Master-Servant Relationship - '88', As long as their loyalty remains unwavering, those who swear allegiance to Leo trust and follow him. ]

The number of knights swearing allegiance to Leo was rapidly increasing.

Even after Bart returned without being able to kill the knight he had brought, despite being ordered to be particularly cautious in bringing in comrades, the number of people increased, gaining momentum.

Fortunately, there were not many knights like Alvin who swore false loyalty.

They rejoiced at the return of the rightful prince who had been exiled ten years ago, and they longed for the adventure of reinstating the unjustly ousted prince, which any knight would dream of.

Unless a major event like a war occurred, knights had no opportunity to achieve honor, as they were only engaged in daily grueling training. Thus, it was not surprising.

However, they could recruit only a few royal guards who protected the royal family.

Although they would be pleased with the return of the prince like other knights, royal guards had their positions to consider.

Royal guards, tasked with protecting the royal family, couldn't blindly support one prince. Moreover, since Prince Eric de Yriel's influence was deeply entrenched, they had to be extremely cautious in recruiting them as comrades.

Regardless, whenever a new knight pledged loyalty to Leo, he would sit them down and ask various questions.

He hoped to gather useful information related to the nobles...

Unfortunately, there wasn't much valuable information.

The knights, who reeked of being widowers, mostly knew information related to beautiful noble ladies.

For example, it was like hearing that a lady from the 'Willend Count' family had a scandal with her escort knight, which led to the count getting angry and the two eloping.

Feeling sorry for the knight who was excitedly sharing such stories, Leo sank deeper into his chair and thought to himself.

'Who will I marry?'

After reclaiming his title as prince, it would be typical to marry a noble lady or a princess from another kingdom.

However, since he had to clear all three scenarios, he might have to marry his childhood friend, Lena. As a prince, marrying Lena would make her a princess.

'Even though I don't have anyone in mind, I don't want that...'

Knowing the childhood friend scenario's Leo better than anyone, he found the idea unappealing.

That Leo liked Lena.

He respected Lena's wish to become a priestess and stepped back, but his true feelings were entirely different.

Lost in these thoughts, Leo de Yriel clicked his tongue and ended his musings. He wasn't even a prince yet, so it was too early to think about it.

- Knock, knock.

"Your Highness, Jenia has arrived."

"Let her in."

At his call, a tanned female knight entered and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Leo also politely greeted her and invited her to sit.

As usual, he asked the newly recruited knight if she had any useful information related to the nobles.

He didn't have high expectations, but there was always a chance. With little else to do while hiding in the family house, he kept asking.

As expected, her stories were mostly trivial gossip...

Leo was startled and asked again.

"What did you say? Gustav Monarch?"

"Yes. It is almost certain that Gustav Monarch is the son of Cardinal Berg."

A surprising name came up.

Gustave.

It was a name Leo knew very well. It wasn't a common name.

It was the same name as Count Gustav Peter, the noble who recognized Leo's identity in the Bellita Kingdom and a close friend of Marquis Benar Tatian.