The Encounter Between the Forsaken Healing Magic’s Beloved Child and the Betrayed Black Dragon Princess of Calamity - 2

Chapter 2: Today, My Father Abandoned Me

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“U-Umm…”

For some reason, the guards pulled me and brought me into a luxurious room filled with people. 

“Prince Gilbert,  please kneel beside Prince Joachim in the same manner as him.”

The guard, who liked to kick my feet whenever he passed by, gave me that order with an extremely tense expression on his face. He looked somewhat obsequious and seeing him acting like that made me feel really confused. Upon closer inspection, it seemed the other guards were acting in the same way as well. Madam Polke too. She was standing at the corner of the room, as if she was trying to hide herself. She was drenched in sweat and she looked like she was about to face the end of the world judging from how pale she was. 

“W-what is this about…?”

“Your Highness, please, kneel.”

The guard said softly, but there was a slight sharpness in his tone. Though I couldn’t understand what was going on, I decided to do as I was told. I knelt down and looked to the side.

“…”

There, I saw a boy a little older than me, with beautiful golden hair and eyes that sparkled like jewels in a vivid green hue. He looked incredibly handsome in that stunning outfit. He looked just like a prince straight out of a storybook. Earlier, the guards had referred to him as “Prince Joachim,” so he must be real… Prince. 

Does that mean the other people kneeling over there are also princes, just like him?

Just like Prince Joachim, the other people kneeling over there also had golden hair and green eyes. That alone made me realize they were brothers. As for me, I looked completely different from the five of them. My hair was a messy brown. My eyes were the color of a dull gray and I was dressed in shabby clothes. It was enough to make me painfully aware that I was not a real prince, unlike them. 

“The Emperor has arrived!”

A rigid-looking man with a beard made the announcement and the guards swung open the big door. A man wearing the most extravagant clothes I had ever seen slowly entered the room. He was protected by imposing knights fully clad in armor. He had a crown on his head while holding a staff adorned with a green gemstone the size of an adult’s fish. Everyone lowered their heads at once and all the princes, including Prince Joachim beside me, bowed even deeper. Seeing this, I hurriedly did the same. I figured it was wrong to continue looking at the man like that. 

“Raise your heads.”

The man commanded, his voice was low and intimidating. I cautiously lifted my head. There, I saw a man with golden hair and green eyes sitting on a magnificent chair adorned with gold and jewels.

So this man is my father…

For the first time in my life, I finally saw my father. My vision turned blurry and something wet ran down my cheek. 

“I did not summon all of you here for nothing. In order to expand the empire’s borders even further, I will send you, my children, as commanders to the border.”

As soon as the Emperor made this declaration, a murmur spread throughout the room. Especially the five princes. All of them wore heavy and somber expressions, except for me. 

“Let me make it clear. This mission also serves as a trial to determine who will be my successor. I believe you all understand what you need to do now, right?”

It seemed this was a test to choose the next emperor. The prince with the best results would most likely be chosen as the crown prince. 

This reminds me of a story I read…

It was a tale about princes. They fought each other to become the next king, only for none to remain, leading to the kingdom’s downfall. It had a somewhat disheartening ending, so I hoped nothing like that would happen here. 

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“You shall go west. Carve out a piece of that unnecessarily vast land of the Francois Kingdom. They are always itching to obstruct my path to dominion.”

“Understood. I will ensure that I meet Your Majesty’s expectations.”

The oldest-looking prince, who was kneeling furthest from me, immediately stood up and struck his chest with confidence. 

“Gunther, you will take the north and Albert will go to the south. Don’t let Reinhardt outshine you two.”

“Most certainly! I will bring the greatest achievement hope and offer it to Your Majesty!”

“The southern lands have a pleasant climate and are comfortable to live in. It would make an ideal retreat for Your Majesty.”

“Hahaha~ I’m looking forward to it.”

The most muscular prince, Prince Gunther, stood and struck his chest confidently while the golden haired Prince Albert let his long hair flow and smiled coolly. The Emperor laughed, seemingly satisfied at the princes’ response. Meanwhile, Prince Reinhardt, who was standing at the far end, cast a cold glance at the two. The two kneeling princes showed tense expressions, seemingly wondering when they would be addressed. 

“As for Gustav and Joachim. It’s still too early for you two to engage in battle. Prepare yourselves for the future and don’t ever neglect your daily training.”

“Yes…”

“Y-Yes…”

Prince Gustav, the fourth prince, looked somewhat disappointed by that while Prince Joachim looked deeply relieved. It seemed that these two would be staying behind at the palace since they were still too young.

“Well then. Everyone, do your best.”

With those parting words, the Emperor rose to his feet. 

I see… So I guess I will just need to carry on like usual… Right?

But at that moment…

“…Your Majesty, Prince Gilbert has yet to be addressed.”

“Gilbert…?”

A man standing by the wall spoke in a grave tone and the Emperor’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. 

“Nine years ago, a child was born between Your Majesty and the servant, Lotte.”

“Lotte? I’ve never heard of her…”

Urged by the man, the Emperor—my father—glanced at me. But those green eyes of his held no affectionate emotion whatsoever. He was looking at me like he was staring at a pebble on the side of the road.

“Well, if Chancellor Hertling says so, then I suppose it must be true. In that case, I will grant him the ‘Dark Forest’ to the west.”

“-?!”

The man standing by the wall—Chancellor Hertling—looked utterly shocked at that. Meanwhile, the five princes beside me, along with everyone else in the room, were grinning in a leery way.

“Yo-Your Majesty! Ple-Please wait! That is too cruel for-“

“Since his presence might cause an unnecessary hindrance, discarding him… Is the most reasonable course of action. Isn’t that right, Chancellor Hertling?”

“B-but…!”

The Emperor’s curt words caused Chancellor Hertling to grimace in anguish. 

Just now… Did the Emperor say I was something to be ‘discarded’…?

“W-wait, please! I… Have I… Done something wrong?”

Before I realized it, I was already standing up and shouting that question to the Emperor. After all… This didn’t make any sense. I thought… I thought my father was protecting me? Didn’t he tell everyone in the imperial palace that I belonged here and told them that I could stay…? Wasn’t that what he had said?

“Haaa… What a complete fool you are. I can hardly believe you are my child. Very well, I shall tell you myself.”

The Emperor sighed deeply. Then, his eyes were fixed on me. However, there was no sign of warmth reflected in his eyes. 

“Someone like you, who carries my blood, is nothing but a liability to the Empire. Be grateful that I’ve granted you the Dark Forest since that is the only act of mercy I could offer to you.”

The Emperor then quickly turned around and left the room, as if spending another second to talk to me was a waste of time. The imposing knights quickly followed suit. I was left behind and the only thing I could do was…

“A… Ahaha…”

I realized that everything I had believed, the one and only string of hope that I clung to was nothing more than my own arrogance. A bitter laugh escaped my mouth. Here I thought I was allowed to live in the imperial palace, but the truth was… Ah, what a fool I was. I had misunderstood everything, thinking I was being protected, thinking that I could stay here forever. My father didn’t even know I existed. I was not his child. 

“Fuh… Hic… Ugh…”

The tears I had been trying to hold back overflowed from my eyes without end. I had nothing from the very beginning, just an empty carcass. This was my first meeting with my father, someone I had longed to meet, and this was also… My last farewell.

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