CH 1

Chapter 1/77│Read translated stories and daily updates at: Awebstories.com

“… What are you doing?”

It’s most likely a noble girl.

She is praying with her hands clasped in front of a fountain in the royal palace.

I should have left her alone, but the scene was so out of place and strange that I couldn’t help but notice her.

Then…

“… Okasama (mother) is sick in bed… If I offered a gold coin and a prayer to the palace fountain, Goddess Dahlia-sama would help her… “

With tears in her eyes, the girl continues to pray desperately.

But I’ve never heard of such a legend surrounding this fountain.

Maybe someone in the girl’s family said that to make her feel better… I’m sorry she traveled all the way here.

And,

“Ah…”

“…Two will be better than one.”

I tore a gold button from my shirt, tossed it into the fountain, and clasped my hands together in prayer.

I’m not sure why I did this. Perhaps it was just a whim.

I tried to leave without saying anything to the girl after praying for less than a minute.

“Sir! U-Um, please tell me your name!”

She stopped me and asked for my name.

“…It’s Dietrich.”

I quickly left the location without telling her my surname.

“Dietrich… sama…”

Behind me, I could hear the girl muttering.

—○█○—

I was born as the eldest son of “Jurgen Tu Estline,” the king of the “Estline Kingdom,” one of the Radia Continent’s more recent countries.

My mother, Teresa Tu Estline, was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wallenstein and the first Queen of the Kingdom—in other words, I was born as the Kingdom’s first prince.

Everyone in the Kingdom of Estline, of course, had high hopes for me, and there was no doubt about my bright future.

But… these expectations had a suffocating effect on me.

From a young age, I was educated to be a king, in languages, mathematics, imperialism, history, geography, politics, economics, swordsmanship, etiquette, and the list goes on…

As a result, I have nothing to call freedom other than the desire to continue to improve myself.

My half-brother “Oscar” and his sister “Josephine,” the children of Count Cornelius’s second daughter, “Ernesta zu Estline,” on the other hand, had more freedom.

While I envy such a younger brother or sister for taking such liberties for granted, there is nothing I can do.

Above all, my mother, the first queen, used to say to me,

[You’re going to be king, and you’re going to let Ernesta know her place.]

with an evil grin on her face, as if she’s cursing.

It is said that the second queen was appointed because my father, His Majesty the King, and the first queen were unable to bear children. However, fortunately or unfortunately, both the first and second queens had their children around the same time.

Then it came down to which of the queens would give birth as the firstborn. The first queen even resorted to a drug for premature birth and was forced to give birth to me early halfway through.

But… I can understand why the First Queen is so particular about it.

This is what my nanny told me privately, but it appears that the second queen received all of His Majesty the King’s favor.

My mother, I suppose, wanted to win, at least in areas other than the king’s favor.

As a result, I was always expected to outperform Oscar, the second prince, in everything, and to be chosen as crown prince.

As a form of discipline, my mother would occasionally whip me on the back.

How could I, who had been taught and demanded such things since childhood, communicate with the hearts of others?

I realized I had devolved into a mere puppet, never saying a word but only doing what I was told.

I had no choice but to accept myself as I was until I turned thirteen.

“Your fiancée, Dietrich.”

“My name is Marguerite Friedenreich, the eldest daughter of the Marquises of Friedenreich, and I greet His Highness Dietrich, the star of the Kingdom.”

The girl in front of me, introduced by His Majesty the King and bowing reverently, appears to be my fiancée.

She has silver hair that shines, amber eyes, a fine nose, and red lips that pop against her translucent white skin.

Indeed, Marguerite seems quite a beautiful girl.

But… She was nothing more than a woman chosen for a political marriage, devoid of any form of love… That was all I had to say about her.

Such a person would never be able to touch my frozen heart.

“…It’s Dietrich.”

and quickly averted my gaze.

This was my first meeting with my fiancee, Marguerite.

—○█○—

Marguerite moved to the royal palace soon after my engagement to her.

Of course, to get an education fit for a queen.

On the other hand, I

In my opinion, it remained the same as before, a doll…

…No, I already had another name at the time.

I was mocked as a “Cold-Blooded Prince,” which means that I am a cold prince who does not understand the hearts of people.

As a result, no one approaches me unless he/she has something very important to say, whether it is His Majesty the King and the First Queen, my mother, my brother, my sister, the nobles and the servants.

Nonetheless,

“How did your swordplay training go, Your Highness Dietrich?”

“Are you ready for history class, Your Highness Dietrich? The teacher was looking for you.”

“Your Highness Dietrich, please change your clothes because the buttons are a little loose.”

Marguerite, who isn’t smiling, angry, or sad, but instead has a blank expression on her face and calls out to me whenever something happens.

Regardless of how much I lose my heart, I can sense her concern for me through her voice and gestures.

She is, in fact, a clumsy woman.

That was my assessment of her.

But I’m also a cold-blooded prince who lost his heart, so maybe we’ll be a good match….

—○█○—

On my fifteenth birthday, Marguerite and I joined the National Academy, along with my brother Oscar.

Of course, no one ever approached me, the “Cold-Blooded Prince,” and many people gathered around Oscar, who was friendly, smiling, and calm.

“…Marguerite, you’re not required to stay by my side either.”

As if to avoid her, I said to Marguerite.

Nonetheless…

“I refuse… My place is next to His Highness Dietrich, my fiancée.”

“…You’re a strange one.”

I mutter and turn my head away.

But the truth is that I’m happy.

She is the only person who has remained by my side.

Marguerite is always there for me, even when the rest of the world despises me.

And when we turned seventeen, after two years of school…

Jurgen to Estline, the Kingdom of Estline’s current ruler, passed away.