Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 60

“I greet the Sun of the Genos Kingdom,” Cedric said respectfully as he bowed to the king seated on the throne.

The king, his face flushed, set down his goblet and leaned back in his throne.

Then, as if he had forgotten something, he muttered, “Ah, yes. I summoned you here. Are you the one currently ruling Baluasten?”

“That’s correct.”

The king glanced at the band, which had stopped playing, and at the dancers, who were cautiously ducking.

’I did not command them to stop.’

“Raise your heads.”

Cedric did as he was commanded.

Observing Cedric, who wore the mask of a demon, the king seemed to recall something and mumbled.

“Didn’t they say that if a knight from the North commits murder while wearing a mask, immediate execution is possible?”

The tone was odd for a mere recitation of facts.

The king’s mouth curved into a smile, like a child dissecting an insect in his hands with cruel curiosity and innocence.

“Haha, maybe it’s my drunkenness, but it looks like your eyes are red.”

“…….”

Cedric remained silent.

He simply gazed up at the king with shaded eyes.

The intensity of that gaze seemed to ignite a fire within him, as if the gaze itself was accusing him.

The king dismissed one acrobat standing nearby with a wave of his hand.

With a shattering scream, he was pushed towards Cedric.

Ignoring the chilling atmosphere, the king rose from his seat and looked down at Cedric with a cheerful command.

“Try your hand at murder, Knight.”

“Your… Your Majesty…”

The acrobat, pushed forward by Cedric’s imposing presence, turned contemplative as he gazed up at the king. However, he kept his gaze fixed solely on the duke and responded.

“I grant you the authority to execute him if that pitiful thing has offended you. Isn’t that also loyalty?”

“If this man has shown disrespect to Your Majesty, I shall follow through.”

Unmoved by Cedric’s resolute reply, the king shifted to another topic.

“If this country of mine is bound by the Five Nations Council and cannot even increase its military as it pleases, aren’t the soldiers of your territory increasing like piglets sucking on a sow?”

“It is a matter of sovereignty, Your Majesty. My domain is your land, and my subjects are your people.”

“Haha, how delightful to hear you say that.”

Penadel felt relieved that he was wearing a mask. Otherwise, his expression would have surely betrayed his feelings in response to the king’s words that followed.

“Then it’s fine to integrate your soldiers into the Royal Army.”

“Please consider your request. Our military strength is woefully inadequate to defend the borders.”

“And again, this damned border, the border! Is protecting that damn border more important than my orders!”

The enraged king grabbed a nearby bottle and hurled it at Cedric.

The room erupted with screams as the bottle collided with Cedric’s shoulder, rolling to the ground.

Penadel’s fist clenched as he watched.

“Oh, dear. My apologies, Knight. My emotions got the better of me. Consider that command retracted as an apology.”

The king, looking exhausted, settled back onto his throne.

As if the previous outburst had been a falsehood, the king’s complexion cleared as he massaged his temples.

“They say you’re engaged now. Congratulations, Knight. It seems you have finally put an end to the feasting with those beastly creatures in the North.”

To prevent royal oversight, Baluasten had forged alliances with neutral or Northern noble houses for generations.

Despite his last jab, delivered with a mocking tone, Cedric showed no reaction.

“May this sacred marriage not end up soaked in rebellion and betrayal like those before it.”

With a final spiteful remark, the king gestured dismissively.

“Now, withdraw. And why has the music stopped? Resume the performance.”

Cedric and Penadel left, leaving behind the lively melodies they had entered the audience chamber with.

Thud.

As the grand doors of the audience chamber closed, Penadel exhaled deeply, as if releasing the breath he had been holding.

“He seems to be in worse shape than when we met a few years ago. It seems he has indeed been drowning in alcohol without attending to state affairs.”

“He must have been deeply affected by the loss of the queen.”

Once diligent in state affairs despite his fragile nature, the king’s change was marked by the sudden death of the queen.

“However, he has deteriorated significantly since we last met.”

Penadel looked at his master as if expressing concern.

“When the king was talking about the holy union. It must be quite amusing to see how he would react if he knew you were going to divorce her in a year.”

Cedric stopped in his tracks as if he had heard something very unexpected.

“Your Grace?”

“It’s nothing. Hurry up. I must return to Lady Blanche’s side.”

During his confrontation with the king, Cedric had completely forgotten about the fact that they would be divorced a year later.

Unbelievably.

They were just leaving the king’s palace.

A servant quietly approached and stopped Cedric.

“Your Grace, the Crown Prince wishes to see you at once.”

Though Penadel felt uneasy, he followed Cedric with the guidance of the attendant towards the prince’s quarters.

But as they reached the entrance, they were obstructed by the spears of the guards.

“Only those invited by the Crown Prince may enter beyond this point.”

Penadel, seizing the moment, rebuked them with frustration, but it was to no avail.

“Your Grace, this is the king’s son. If he’s up to something…….”

“Penadel… guard the door.”

Cedric followed behind the attendants without hesitation.

They passed through numerous doors and winding corridors until they arrived at the deepest and most secluded chamber, where the attendant finally stopped.

Standing before the smallest and most humble door he had ever seen, the attendant spoke.

“His Highness is inside. Please, enter.”

Cedric entered.

Compared to the ostentatious palace, the interior of the room was modest.

Although even a small tray would be considered valuable enough to pass through the palace gates, there was something different about this place.

It felt like a carefully tended greenhouse.

Between the trees that reached eye level, Cedric spotted a golden-haired figure glistening in the sunlight.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

The man, who was tending to the plants with dirt-covered gloves, turned around.

At first glance, he seemed like a man as lush as a magnolia tree.

Being of royal blood, it’s no wonder he was raised in such a way, but there was something else about the crown prince, something like the gentleness of a tree that spreads its shade far and wide.

“Oh, my apologies. I lost track of time. Please, have a seat. I’ll prepare some tea in a moment. This is my private space, so there’s no need for formalities.”

With these words, the Crown Prince washed his hands and poured the tea himself.

With practiced movements, he set up a simple refreshment table and finally sat down across from Cedric with a smile.

“The journey here must have been complicated. My mother worries too much. The palace has become more labyrinth-like than ever.”

Since the death of the queen—or rather, since her assassination—many things have changed.

The constant labyrinthine restructuring of the palace was one of them.

The Crown Prince pushed a cup of tea towards Cedric, his demeanor warm and friendly as if greeting an old friend.

“It’s your first time in the capital, isn’t it? How do you find the capital?”

Despite the warm atmosphere and tone, Cedric found it difficult to speak.

Unlike his father, who had been consumed by grief over the loss of the queen, the Crown Prince, born from her womb, had grown into an exemplary figure worthy of all praise.

Even while performing state duties in place of the king, he did not neglect the welfare of the people, sponsoring numerous orphanages and fulfilling all the roles the queen would have undertaken.

It was not an exaggeration to say that the kingdom had not collapsed under the weight of the king’s indulgence in alcohol and parties due to the Crown Prince’s efforts.

While the king openly attempted to control him and test his loyalty, the Crown Prince subtly probed Cedric’s thoughts with his questions.

One wrong word could lead to consequences that might affect his territory adversely.

Cedric chose his words carefully.

“It’s very peaceful.”

“Yes, compared to the North, anywhere would seem peaceful.”

The light-hearted gaze of the crown prince turned towards Cedric’s left shoulder, which was wet.

It wasn’t difficult to imagine what had transpired in the audience chamber.

To be subjected to such unreasonable behavior and then to say he was at peace.

Either he possessed an extraordinary amount of patience or was exceptionally skilled in politics.

“I summoned you to discuss a matter regarding the approval of your engagement with Belinda Blanche, which has been requested through official correspondence received at the royal court.”