The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 61: The Abandoned Prince Says Something Outrageous

Chapter 61: The Abandoned Prince Says Something Outrageous

“Hecton. You are never to show yourself before me or Lord Reyshel again.”

“…”

The borders of Agardramoon had retreated significantly.

There stood my younger brother, Hecton—alongside his mother, Olivia.

I watched them quietly from inside a carriage parked a short distance away.

That day, Olivia came to me with a request.

She asked if I could spare Hecton by having him exiled instead of executed.

Honestly, I was still reeling from the fact that Hecton had turned into a beautiful girl…

But even so, I didn’t want to see my own brother be put to death.

So I agreed to Olivia’s request and went straight to Alcarion to ask for her help.

Her answer was—

“If that’s what you want, I won’t object. However, to make sure he never acts against you or the country again, I’ll assign a secret surveillance unit.”

Olivia stood tall and looked down at Hecton with a cold, composed expression.

She spoke calmly, without a trace of hesitation.

Hecton stayed silent, listening to every word.

“This is the last bit of mercy you’ll receive from me as your mother. If you ever stand before Lord Reyshel again with any hostile intent… I will show no mercy.”

“…!!”

Hecton turned away and walked off, like he was holding something back.

Olivia returned to the carriage.

I didn’t know what to say.

So instead, I just sat there, silently watching her profile as she gazed out the window.

Wasn’t there a better way we could’ve handled this?

But in the end…

The one who caused the rift between Hecton and Olivia… was probably me.

According to the guard who oversaw Hecton’s interrogation,

He had apparently seen me and Olivia… in an intimate moment.

Back when I stormed Agarham Castle.

His mother had been on the brink of death from a curse, but when she came to, Hecton found her moaning under the man he hated most—his half-brother.

That had to be traumatizing.

If only I’d been able to hold back, even a little…

Maybe their relationship as mother and son wouldn’t have fallen apart like this.

“…Lord Reyshel.”

“Eh—ah, y-yeah?”

Suddenly, Olivia spoke my name.

“Lord Reyshel. I have no regrets about the choice I made. Choosing to be your woman instead of being that child’s mother… I will never regret it.”

“…Okay.”

“But still… right now, I can’t help but feel sad. Lonely. That I drove him to this point… that I didn’t look after him the way I should have.”

“…I see.”

Olivia never let her composure slip in front of Hecton.

But now… she was quietly crying.

I sat beside her and gently held her hand for a while.

◆

A few days passed since the whole incident with Olivia and Hecton.

“We’ve finally got a moment to breathe, Mother.”

“Only because my darling came home. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to get through my work while recharging my Reyshel levels.”

“W-Well, I’m glad I could help.”

For the past several days, I’d basically been glued to Alcarion.

She held me while I ate, while I slept—she even followed me to the bath and the toilet.

But in return, her paperwork speed had reached ridiculous levels.

Her hands were literally leaving afterimages.

And on top of that, she’d even managed to secure ceasefire agreements with the breakaway nations.

Though it seemed the credit for that went to the Prime Minister Olga.

Of course, a ceasefire didn’t mean peace. It was more like a cold war—tense and unpredictable.

Still, considering we were surrounded by enemies, it was a huge accomplishment.

“That said, we don’t have time to relax just yet, Mother.”

While Alcarion and I were getting all lovey-dovey, Rosemary cleared her throat and cut in.

Alcarion kept my head buried in her chest while casually starting a serious conversation with Rosemary.

“I understand, Rosemary. While this cold war continues, we’ll focus on food production and weapons development. Thankfully, during the recent rebellion, we were quick to suppress the regions with the most fertile land. So we don’t have to worry about food shortages.”

“The real issue is with the weapons. We couldn’t reclaim the key mining sites during the war, and that’s a serious setback. More than anything, securing the magic stones needed to power the weapons is proving difficult.”

“If it comes down to it, I can power every weapon in the country with my own magic. It’s not a big problem. Plus, we have those dark elves that Ailynn brought back.”

Alcarion was likely referring to how Ailynn had supplied magic to the ship when we returned from the teleportation site.

If it were Alcarion doing it, she could manage something like that on a national scale.

Seriously—every time I think about it, I’m reminded how insane my wife really is.

But Rosemary shook her head.

“Even for you, Mother, it would be impossible to power the entire country’s weapons for years—or even decades—on your own.”

“If I try hard enough, I can.”

“Try hard…? Well, I mean… you already have so many responsibilities, Mother. It just wouldn’t work.”

“…How troublesome.”

“Exactly. I really wish we had a more defensible terrain for national security.”

Right now, Agardramoon was bordered by the sea to the west, with open plains and basins stretching out in every other direction.

If we’d been surrounded by mountains, defending the country would’ve been a lot easier—but there’s no point wishing for what we don’t have.

Unable to handle the heavy mood between the two of them, I decided to throw out a little joke.

“If only we could just move the entire country somewhere safe. Like how I got teleported.”

“…”

“…”

“Huh? What? Why’d you both go quiet all of a sudden?”

Rosemary and Alcarion both fell silent in response to my joke.

“Rosemary, could you fetch Yelona for me? There’s something I need to discuss with her—urgently.”

“Big Sis’s working on the rail cannon maintenance. I’ll get her right away.”

Rosemary hurriedly rushed out of Alcarion’s office.

Now it was just me and Alcarion.

She gently patted my head, still expressionless, and said:

“As expected of my husband. That idea never even crossed our minds.”

“Wait—what? That was a joke, okay? There’s no way that’s possible… right? We can’t actually do that, can we?”

“As expected of my husband.”

“W-Wait, Alcarion!?”

…Looks like I might’ve said something really dangerous without realizing it.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “If Hecton’s gone, just make a new kid—was my first thought. I might not have a heart.”

R: “Yikes… That’s messed up.”

Author: “Also, I’ve posted ‘I Prayed at a Shrine for My Bully and Cheating Fiancée to Suffer, and a Fox Spirit Became My Wife.’ Feel free to check it out if you have time!”

If you thought, “Glad Olivia didn’t say anything about holding her son like that,” “Nation relocation, seriously!?” or “Yeah, the author really might be heartless…” —Please leave a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, or review!