Episode 89: Marquis Puridi “The end of the line is over here!”
Those deep blue eyes, the same as Lucretia’s, conveyed a firm will. Prince Lucas’s eyes were wide open as he escorted Lecty, who seemed uncomfortable in her dress, down the stairs. It was a feat that would have been impossible if he couldn’t see.
At this night soiree, where many nobles had gathered regardless of their faction, he played that card. It wasn’t for Lecty’s sake, he probably intended to do it from the start. I have to say, he’s impressive.
The effect was remarkable, and even after Prince Lucas and Lecty were seated, the nobles’ murmuring didn’t stop.
“Could it be that Lecty healed Prince Lucas’s eyes…?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Rouge must have known about Prince Lucas’s Skill. Prince Lucas’s eyes had already regained their sight through his Skill. Lecty shouldn’t have done anything.
But, like Lily thought, it looks like her sight was restored by Lecty’s Holy Maiden Skill.
…That’s probably what he was aiming for. By making it look like only his sight was restored, he can hide the existence of his Skill.
“Silence.”
A dignified voice echoed through the hall, and the nobles immediately fell silent. His Majesty the King had risen from his throne and spoken.
“Thank you all for gathering here today. Although it is under the guise of celebrating my recovery, it is a long-awaited night soiree. I hope you all enjoy it to the end.”
His Majesty the King received a glass from Prime Marquis, the Prime Minister, and held it up for all to see.
“As you all know, I have suffered from illness for many years. At one point, I was on the verge of death. But as you can see, I am now free from illness and able to stand here. This is solely due to the dedication of the two Holy Maidens here.”
Rosalie and Lecty, who had been seated behind the throne, stood up and walked forward. While Rosalie walked confidently, Lecty was stiff with nervousness. I was worried she might fall, but she managed to stand next to His Majesty the King without incident.
“Rosalie Saint, the Holy Maiden of the Divine Blessing Church. And Lecty, the maiden who has been granted the Holy Maiden Skill. To the two Holy Maidens who saved my life and the crisis of this country, and to the bright future of this country—Cheers!”
At His Majesty the King’s signal for a toast, the nobles raised their glasses and took a sip. Just to be safe, I only pretended to drink, and at the same time, I grabbed Rouge’s hand to prevent her from drinking her juice, while observing the surroundings.
It doesn’t seem like any of the participants are suddenly suffering or turning into Monsters.
“I guess you’d still hesitate, wouldn’t you?”
Lily, who was observing the surroundings just like me, gave a wry smile. Well, after seeing Lecheery turn into a Monster, it’s hard not to…
“Hugh, can I drink now?”
“Yeah, sorry for the sudden stop.”
Rouge tilted her head in confusion, but when I let go of her hand, she put the glass to her lips and gulped down the apple juice in one breath, letting out a “Phew.” If you drink that fast, don’t blame me if you need to go to the bathroom…
With His Majesty the King’s toast finished, the night soiree transitioned into a time for socializing, and the nobles began to move all at once. Some nobles headed to greet His Majesty the King on the stage, while others moved busily towards Prince Slay and Rosalie, who had come down from the stage, and Prince Lucas and Lecty.
The orchestra was playing slow, elegant music, but the scene was like a war. Marquis Puridi, too, was fired up, saying, “This is going to be busy…!” and charged into the crowd.
Looking at the flow of people from a corner of the hall, about 30% of the nobles were heading towards His Majesty the King, and 50% were heading towards Prince Lucas and Lecty. It was clear that Prince Lucas was the center of attention at this event. After all, the impact of showing his eyes was huge.
Originally, it was said that he was the frontrunner for the next king if he had his sight. Many nobles who felt his potential but were concerned about his vision probably didn’t support Prince Lucas. Now that that problem has been cleared, his support is rapidly expanding.
On the other hand, not many nobles gathered around Prince Slay and Rosalie. Most of them were probably nobles who originally belonged to Prince Slay’s faction. Even that number seems small for Prince Slay’s faction, which was supposed to have gathered support mainly from the nobles.
Although some of them probably went to greet His Majesty the King…
“Since Father is gone, they haven’t been able to tighten up their faction. That was Father’s specialty.”
“Or, could it be that Marquis Puridi was so busy because…”
“Fufufu.”
Lily, who probably knew the situation, didn’t say much and just smiled with amusement. There’s no way Marquis Puridi would forgive Prince Slay, who had conspired with Lecheery…
Thinking about it now, the reason Marquis Puridi helped Prince Slay at the previous night soiree was probably to prevent the faction from collapsing and the power balance from being disrupted by Prince Slay being implicated in the crime.
With His Majesty the King’s health recovered and the situation stabilized, that concern has been somewhat removed. In other words, there’s no need to hold back anymore.
Marquis Puridi is skillfully guiding the nobles who are gathering around Prince Lucas, forming a line. It’s like a handshake event…
Prince Lucas had a gentle smile on his face, exchanging words with each person. Next to him, Lecty’s expression was tense. It seemed like the nobles were talking to her, but she wasn’t responding much. Prince Lucas was skillfully following up on that.
“It seems like she’s managing somehow thanks to Prince Lucas.”
Lily sighed in relief and smiled. So far, no idiots have appeared to suddenly propose to Lecty. It’s thanks to Prince Lucas taking all the attention.
Thinking that, I looked at Prince Lucas again and noticed something.
“Sorry, Lily. Can you take care of Rouge? I need to talk to Prince Lucas.”
“Huh? What’s wrong all of a sudde—Hey, Hugh!?”
I handed my glass to Lily and headed towards Prince Lucas. It would be fine if it was just a needless worry. But if it wasn’t…
“Prince Lucas!”
I cut through the nobles lined up and knelt on one knee in front of Prince Lucas.
“I am Hugh, the son of Mike Pnosis, the lord of the Pnosis Territory! I have a matter to discuss with you regarding the management of my territory! Would you please spare me some time!”
What I heard in my ears, as I lowered my head, were the voices of criticism from the nobles who were dutifully lined up.
“Who is this young upstart!”
“Pnosis Territory? I’ve never heard of it.”
“He’s a frontier noble from the northeast. Hey, know your place, you country bumpkin!”
It was a barrage of criticism. Insults were thrown at me. Lecty looked upset and was about to stand up, and Marquis Puridi was also approaching me, probably to protect me. Before that, Prince Lucas spoke.
“Very well. The Pnosis Territory is the farthest frontier from the Royal Capital. They must be facing difficulties and worries that we who live in the Royal Capital cannot imagine. That is why I, who aim to be the next king, need to know about it. …I’m sorry, but I’ll leave the rest to you, Marquis Puridi.”
“Yes! Please leave it to me, Your Highness.”
“You are Hugh Pnosis, right? Let’s talk in a separate room for a bit. Please follow me.”
“Yes!”
Urged by Prince Lucas, who had responded to my impromptu act, I followed him out of the Great Hall.
We walked through the corridors of the castle for a while, and eventually, we reached a place where there was no one around.
“Ugh…”
Prince Lucas pressed his hand to his head and collapsed on the spot.