Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 60

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 60

“I greet the sun of Jenos Kingdom.”

Cesar prostrated himself before the king seated on the throne and spoke briefly.

The king, his face flushed red, set down his wine cup and leaned back against the throne.

Then he muttered as if he had forgotten.

“Ah, yes. I summoned you. Are you the one currently ruling Baluashten?”

“That is correct.”

The king looked displeasedly at the orchestra that had stopped playing and the dancers who had cautiously stepped back.

‘I did not command them to stop.’

“Raise your head.”

Following the royal command, Cesar raised his head.

The king, who had been observing Cesar wearing the demon mask intently, muttered as if recalling something.

“Didn’t they say that northern knights who commit murder while wearing masks can be executed on the spot?”

His tone was strange for simply stating a fact.

A smile appeared on the king’s lips like that of a child dissecting an insect in their hand with cruel curiosity and innocence.

“Hmm, perhaps I’m drunk. Your eyes seem to appear red.”

“….”

Even at the words mocking the North’s devotion, Cesar gave no response. He merely looked up at the king with shadowed eyes.

That gaze seemed to reproach him, igniting anger within.

The king unconsciously pushed one of the dancers standing nearby down from the platform.

With a piercing scream, the dancer was shoved toward Cesar.

Ignoring the frozen atmosphere, the king rose from his seat and looked down at Cesar, cheerfully commanding.

“Commit murder, Duke.”

“Your, Your Majesty….”

The dancer, who had been slowly backing away from Cesar under pressure from his aura, looked up at the king with a pale face.

However, he continued speaking without taking his gaze off the Grand Duke.

“Kill that pitiful wretch and give me the authority to execute you on the spot. That too would be loyalty, would it not.”

“If this person has committed rudeness toward Your Majesty, I shall comply.”

Seemingly displeased with Cesar’s unwavering response, the king found fault with something else.

“My country is bound by the Council of Five Nations and cannot even freely increase our military. Yet the soldiers of your country multiply like breeding pigs, do they not?”

“To call it my country is inappropriate, Your Majesty. My estate is Your Majesty’s land, and my people are Your Majesty’s subjects.”

“Haha, I’m pleased you say so.”

Penandel thought it fortunate he was wearing a mask. Otherwise, he would have revealed his expression crumpling at the king’s next words.

“Then it would be fine to incorporate your army into the royal forces.”

“Please withdraw that command. Our military strength is woefully insufficient to guard the barrier.”

“Again, again with that damned barrier, barrier! Are you saying that guarding such a barrier is more important than my command!”

The enraged king threw a wine bottle at Cesar that was nearby.

The dancers’ screams rang out, and the wine bottle that struck Cesar’s shoulder rolled across the floor.

Penandel, who had been watching, clenched his fists.

“Ah, my. I apologize, Duke. I haven’t been controlling my emotions well lately. As an apology, I’ll retract that command.”

The king sat back down on the throne as if tired.

With a complexion that had become clear as if his previous rage had been a lie, the king rubbed his temples.

“I hear you’re getting engaged this time. Congratulations, Duke. Have you finally stopped grafting yourself to those naked beast-like creatures of the North?”

To prevent royal interference, House of Baluashten had traditionally formed ties with neutral or northern nobles.

He spoke mockingly as a final blow, but still Cesar showed no reaction.

“I do hope this sacred marriage doesn’t end in bloody rebellion like your predecessor’s.”

The king, who had spat out malicious words until the end, waved his hand dismissively.

“Now withdraw. You there, why did you stop the music? Begin playing again.”

Cesar and Penandel left the place to the cheerful dance music that had been playing when they entered the audience hall.

Thud.

As soon as the grand doors of the audience hall closed behind them, Penandel spoke as if releasing his held breath.

“His condition has worsened compared to when I saw him a few years ago. I heard he doesn’t attend to state affairs and stays drunk all the time, and it was true.”

“He must have been deeply grieved after losing the Queen.”

The king, who had been weak-hearted but did his best to attend to state affairs, changed after the Queen suddenly passed away.

“By the way, he’s become quite vile since we last met.”

Penandel looked at his master as if praising him.

He was the only person who knew the truth about the contract marriage between Belinda and Cesar.

Therefore, when the king was pleased knowing Cesar’s marriage partner was a central noble, he couldn’t help but inwardly sneer.

“When His Majesty was going on about sacred marriage and such. I was quite delighted wondering what reaction he’d show if he knew about the divorce in a year.”

Cesar suddenly stopped walking as if he had heard something completely unexpected.

“Your Grace?”

During his private audience with the king, he had completely forgotten the fact that he would divorce Belinda in a year.

Unbelievably so.

“…It’s nothing. Let’s hurry. We must return to Lady Blanche’s side.”

Deliberately ignoring his unsettled mind, he quickened his pace again. As if he couldn’t delay even a moment.

It was just as they were about to leave the King’s Palace.

A servant who had quietly approached stopped Cesar.

“Your Grace, His Highness the Crown Prince urgently requests to meet with you.”

Though displeased, Penandel followed Cesar as they were guided by the servant toward the Crown Prince’s Palace.

But just before the entrance, the guards’ spears blocked his path.

“From this point on, only those invited by His Highness the Crown Prince may enter.”

Penandel gritted his teeth and protested angrily on behalf of the calm Cesar, but it was useless.

“Your Grace, he is that king’s son. If he’s plotting something….”

“Penandel, guard the door.”

Cesar followed the servant without hesitation.

After passing through numerous doors and winding corridors to reach the deepest and most secluded room, the servant finally stopped.

He stood before the smallest and most modest door he had ever seen and spoke.

“His Highness is inside. Please enter.”

Cesar stepped inside.

Compared to the somewhat excessively ornate palace, the room’s interior was modest.

Of course, even a small ashtray was valuable enough to be worthy of crossing the royal threshold, but somehow this place had a different atmosphere.

It was like a carefully maintained greenhouse.

Cesar spotted golden hair glinting in the sunlight among trees that had grown to eye level.

“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

At that sound, the man who had been personally tending to plants while wearing dirt-stained gloves turned around.

The first impression was that he was like a man as lush as a great tree.

It was natural that he had grown up without want as the legitimate heir to the royal family, but beyond that, the Crown Prince had a gentleness like a tree that spreads wide shade.

“Ah, my. I lost track of time. Duke, sit there for a moment. I’ll prepare tea right away. This is a personal space, so I don’t keep servants here.”

Saying so, the Crown Prince washed his hands and personally brewed tea.

The Crown Prince, who had skillfully moved his hands to prepare a simple tea setting, sat across from Cesar with a smile.

“The path here was complicated. His Majesty has many worries. The palace has been rebuilt so many times it’s become this complex.”

After the Queen’s death, no, after she was poisoned, many things changed. The constant reconstruction of the palace was one of them.

The Crown Prince pushed a teacup filled with properly steeped tea toward Cesar and asked as if welcoming an old friend.

“I understand this is your first time coming down to the Royal Capital. How do you find it, the Royal Capital?”

Though the atmosphere and tone were gentle, Cesar couldn’t easily open his mouth.

Unlike his father who had gone mad with grief over losing the Queen, the Crown Prince born from the Queen’s womb had grown magnificently enough to deserve all praise.

While performing governmental duties in the king’s stead, he also didn’t neglect caring for the people’s welfare, supporting numerous orphanages and fulfilling the role the Queen should have played.

It was no exaggeration to say that this country hadn’t collapsed under a king drowning in alcohol and parties entirely due to the Crown Prince’s efforts.

However, that was precisely why he was difficult to deal with.

While the King openly kept him in check and tried to test his loyalty, the Crown Prince attempted to gauge his true intentions through subtle questions.

One wrong word could lead to some pretext being seized upon, bringing disadvantage to his estate.

He chose his words carefully.

“It’s very peaceful.”

“Indeed, compared to the North, anywhere would be peaceful.”

The Crown Prince’s lightly smiling gaze turned toward Cesar’s wet left shoulder.

It wasn’t difficult to imagine what had happened in the Audience Hall.

To say it’s peaceful after enduring such unreasonable treatment.

Contrary to rumors, he has quite the patience.

Or perhaps he’s an extremely political man.

“The reason I summoned you, Duke, is because an official document requesting approval for the engagement between the Marquess’s Daughter Blanche and yourself has arrived at the Royal Court.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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