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How boring. I came to the Empire to escape this monotony, but it seemed the New Year had a way of pulling even a prince back home.

Honestly, as just the 3rd prince—not even the crown prince—it wouldn’t have mattered if I attended the New Year events or not. But what could I do? The thing about royalty was that my absence would surely be noticed even if I wouldn’t particularly stand out when I was there. Had I skipped this event, my father would have probably drafted my resignation from the academy himself.

I have no excuse for not attending.

The importance of the New Year was universal across the continent. It would’ve looked strange if I had stayed in the Empire during the New Year People would’ve wondered, ‘Why is he spending New Year in a foreign land?’

Besides, the start of the year, according to Enen’s teachings, was a time for communities to come together. Families gathered, and on a larger scale, so did the leaders of nations. For a king who must keep the nobles in check, it was impossible to neglect such an event.

To make things worse, Armein’s founding day coincided almost exactly with the New Year, which only added to the pressure. Even as royalty, skipping this would definitely raise some eyebrows.

I wish I could just spend New Year and go right back.

But that was a foolish dream. Maybe it would be different if I hadn’t returned home at all. But now that I was back, there was no way I could head back to the Empire so soon. My father would never allow it.

“How am I going to survive until March?”

I muttered under my breath, feeling frustrated. The academy would reopen in early March, which meant that I had to endure two whole months stuck in this boring palace.

It was a sad reality. What was I supposed to do for two months? If Lather were here, we’d be experimenting with the new Four-Bishop strategy he came up with. If Erich were around, then we’d be practicing his incredible serve. However, no one was. Humans are social creatures, and this isolation felt unbearable.

Maybe I should’ve officially invited them.

The thought crossed my mind. If I had to return to my homeland, then perhaps I should have formally invited my friends to join me in the royal palace.

But I quickly dismissed the idea. They, too, should be with their own families for the New Year. If I couldn’t avoid it, then neither could they. The New Year held too much significance across the continent.

I sighed quietly, leaning against the balcony railing. At least the night breeze cleared my head a little while I was alone out here. If the other nobles were crowding around me right now, it’d be even more of a headache.

“I feel secure with Sir Villar by my side.”

“You honor me, Your Highness.”

I glanced over at Sir Villar and offered my thanks.

I felt truly grateful that Sir Villar was here. He was one of the top five knights in the royal guard, after all. With Sir Villar standing stoically by the side of a prince who’d just returned from studying abroad, the other nobles were keeping their distance, thinking we were engaged in some important conversation.

That’s one way to look at it.

Of course, there was no important conversation happening whatsoever. Sir Villar’s serious expression was just how he always looked. Though maybe it was because I was keeping him here by my side.

I think it’s safe to let him go now.

I shifted my gaze from Sir Villar to the interior of the banquet hall. After spending hours out here on the balcony and signaling my desire to be alone, there was no way any noble would approach me now. Occasionally, some people still might come over, but only if they had a very good reason to do so.

But honestly, there’d be no noble who had a pressing need to approach me. The line of succession was solid with my elder brother, the Crown Prince, at the center, so there was no reason for anyone to cozy up to other potential heirs. And who would need to form ties with a prince who left for a foreign academy right after coming of age? Besides, I was closer to the knights than to anyone in politics or the administration.

“Sir Villar, I heard that Dame Perosa has joined as part of the security team.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me.”

When I mentioned Dame Perosa, Sir Villar’s expression softened slightly.

In a gathering where not only the royal family but also the kingdom’s top nobles were present, being part of the security team was a recognition of Dame Perosa’s abilities. How could he not be proud as her father?

This was the perfect opportunity to let Sir Villar take a break after all the hard work he had done by my side.

“It’s not excessive praise; it’s only right to assign roles that match one’s abilities. But experience is something that even talent can’t replace…”

Sir Villar’s eyes widened slightly as I trailed off as if he sensed where I was going with this.

“As a senior, perhaps you could offer some advice to your junior?”

In other words, I was telling him to go talk to his daughter, who was probably tired from her duties. After a brief hesitation, Sir Villar bowed his head.

“Yes, Your Highness. I shall do so.”

It was a quick answer after a very short moment of indecision. Given how strict and stoic Sir Villar usually was, it might seem unexpected. But knowing the circumstances, it made sense. He hadn’t been back in the kingdom for almost a year. With only two more months until we had to return to the Empire, of course he would want to spend as much time as possible with his family.

Sure, Dame Perosa would be returning to the Empire as well, but the feeling of being with family at home was different from being abroad.

I leaned back against the railing while watching Sir Villar walk away quickly. Now, I could enjoy the breeze alone a little longer and then head back inside when the time felt right.

***I had forgotten that there were people far from the norm in Armein.

“Your Highness’s chivalry is an inspiration across the continent. No knight can surpass you.”

“That’s a humbling thing to say.”

“Haha, and you’re so modest as well.”

It seems I had briefly forgotten about the likes of the 5th Empire—a faction known for ignoring subtle cues, trying to expand their influence by aligning with anyone they could, and for being, in more ways than one, the political outliers, even considered monsters in the kingdom’s court.

Not long after Sir Villar left, Count Gadero approached me. If I remember correctly, he was one of the leading figures of the 5th Empire, often acting as their spearhead. Even among the rowdy members of that group, he stood out with his constant activity.

Of all the people to approach me now… my luck today couldn’t be worse.

“Even in Kefellofen, there isn’t a knight who could rival Your Highness.”

I nearly laughed at that. This was coming from people who claimed that the Empire wasn’t fit to bear the title and that Armein should be the true empire, yet they held Kefellofen in such high regard. I guess they did acknowledge Kefellofen’s strength deep down.

If only they would just leave things alone. Kefellofen hadn’t fallen from grace like Apels in the past. Sure, it has faced challenges and crises, but they overcame them. There was no reason nor any real advantage in fighting a nation like Kefellofen over the mandate of heaven. It was just a one-sided obsession of those blinded by the title of an empire.

So annoying.

Even dealing with this person’s constant stream of words was exhausting. While the 5th Empire faction might be dismissed as an irrelevant minority in politics and everyone knew how out of touch they were, they were still nobles of the kingdom. Treating them too dismissively could cast doubts on the royal family’s generosity and sense of duty.

Sure, the other nobles knew how much of a nuisance the 5th Empire was, but bad gossip didn’t care about the details. For the nobles to exclude the 5th Empire from political games was just factional rivalry, but it would be seen as oppression if the royal family were to actively ignore them. That subtle distinction mattered.

So I kept my composure, reminding myself that causing a scene here might just lead to my resignation letter to the academy being drafted.

“A strong leader must guide the people down the right path, wouldn’t you agree?”

The conversation was starting to cross a line.

The count continued speaking as I maintained a polite smile. His words were layered with flowery expressions and indirect phrasing, but the underlying message couldn’t have been clearer.

He was suggesting that Armein should make its move before the Empire fully recovered from its wars with the nomads and its internal purges. And, according to him, I—not my moderate father or elder brother—should be at the forefront of this action.

How clueless.

I was irritated by the sheer arrogance. His ignorance of the Empire’s strength and his audacity to think he could use a royal like me as a mere pawn in his political game was infuriating.

On the surface, he made it sound like my deep knowledge of the Empire’s situation made me the best candidate to persuade the other nobles. But in reality, it seemed like he just wanted to use me as a shield to push his own agenda. If things went well, they’d probably try to oust my moderate brother and position me as the crown prince.

Perhaps it’s time to clean the house.

I considered this quietly. The reason other nobles recognized the 5th Empire as a legitimate faction and why the royal family tolerated them wasn’t just to maintain appearances. It was because they served a purpose.

All kinds of factions existed in politics, and among them were the extremists. The 5th Empire was a band of radicals, but they also acted as a containment zone for others like them.

Without the 5th Empire, these rabid dogs would scatter and cause chaos everywhere. But give them a cozy-looking cradle where their kind gather, and they’d come together on their own without much encouragement.

If only they’d stayed locked up in there forever.

In a way, the 5th Empire functioned as a kennel for rabid dogs—or a trash bin. But it was time to take action when a rabid dog escaped and started biting people, or when the trash overflowed and started stinking up the place. Father had already told me to immediately report it if the 5th Empire started showing signs of trouble. He’d be more than willing to step in.

Now, what reason should I use? They had openly attempted to push the kingdom into an unnecessary war and subtly tried to interfere with the royal line of succession…

***“Inciting the masses, insulting the royal family, denying the divine mandate… they threw every charge they could at them. While the nobles were distracted by the New Year’s festivities, the 3rd prince struck swiftly.”

“…I see.”

Just one of those charges would be enough to get someone’s head separated from their shoulders. If all of them were piled together, it meant that the 3rd prince had decisively struck while fully intending to wipe them out.

Impressive. What on earth happened…?

He really was royalty, after all.

What surprised me most was that it was Rutis who spearheaded such a sudden purge.

In Armein, the Crown Prince’s position was secure and the royal family was known to get along well, so there had never been much internal competition among the princes. However, I never would’ve thought that the 3rd prince had the authority to cut down nobles.

Sure, he must have had the king’s permission, but the fact that such permission was granted in the first place spoke volumes about Rutis’ capabilities.

Capabilities?

I instinctively thought of Rutis from the academy. His reckless mouth and his complete lack of tact compared to his sharp tongue…

What was this? Could it be that the Rutis at the academy and the Rutis there in Armein were two entirely different people? Did he perhaps have a twin brother I didn’t know about?

…Who cares?

I brushed away those meaningless thoughts and decided to focus on the positive.

Whether Rutis had a twin, split personalities, or had been hiding his true strength didn’t matter. What was important was that he dealt with something I would’ve had to handle.

Thanks, Rutis… even a broken clock would read right twice a day, and it seemed that even a troublemaker could be useful once a year…