Resetting Lady - Chapter 210

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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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The Archbishop lowered his eyes and bowed his head to the young prince. Regardless, beyond the difference in status, he had been friends with the King for over 60 years. He could well imagine the King’s feelings. The behavior of Prince Guiz had reached the Archbishop’s ears as well.

Even if one was a king, children did not always turn out as desired.

“I suppose I should give a gift as well.”

The Archbishop muttered this way. And he sincerely prayed for the prince to grow up quickly.

That day, from the King to the Archbishop, dukes and counts, nannies, and guard knights all deliberately made a fuss and showered him with praise, so Prince Louis spent a happy time feeling very proud like other children his age would.

Even if it was just a writing instrument that was merely a bit expensive, for a five-year-old, that alone was exciting enough. Prince Louis was holding the fountain pen and trying out the pen spinning that Count Fankair used to do.

The Count would rest his chin on his hand and spin his pen with his fingers when bored, which looked quite cool to Prince Louis.

“Hmm…”

But he couldn’t quite succeed. The pen kept rolling and falling from his immature hands. When Louis dropped it for the seventh time, it went over the desk and rolled away. Ah, Louis stood up to pick it up.

The pen rolled and stopped, and Louis bent down to pick it up. But before his hand could reach it, another hand snatched it up first.

“What’s this?”

It was Prince Guiz.

Prince Louis’s father. But Louis couldn’t smile like he had with his grandfather the King. Prince Guiz picked up the fountain pen and examined it. The pen shaft, crafted with gold and diamonds, had the King’s name engraved on it. Guiz narrowed his eyes and read that name.

“This… belongs to His Majesty.”

“His Majesty bestowed it to congratulate Prince Louis on learning to write.”

The nanny knelt down, bowed her head, and quickly answered Prince Guiz. Louis couldn’t get up and grasped the nanny’s hand. The nanny’s hand was trembling.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Prince Guiz fingered the golden fountain pen while making eye contact with Louis. Louis felt his cheeks redden slightly as he watched. He felt somewhat strange.

“His Majesty gave this to you as a gift.”

Louis waited for Prince Guiz to also tell him he had done well, to continue working hard, and such words. Or he waited for Prince Guiz to kick him and curse at him.

Strangely, Prince Guiz was looking at him with eyes that seemed like he might do either. But Prince Guiz handed the fountain pen to Louis with an expressionless face.

“What a fuss over nothing.”

That was Prince Louis’s first memory.

It wasn’t particularly sad or angering. But it was something that remained particularly memorable in Louis’s short life.

The nanny, the knights, and even his playmates would encourage and cheer him on when Louis read, wrote, or learned, but Prince Guiz, who was actually Prince Louis’s father, didn’t like such things at all.

It was years later, when he began studying royal politics, that he realized that among royalty, competitive relationships took precedence over blood ties.

As he began learning history and politics, Prince Louis realized that it was somewhat strange that his grandfather the King, despite his advanced age, was not passing the throne to his son.

And he also realized from numerous histories that fathers and sons also competed for the throne. His relationship with Prince Guiz was similar to that as well.

“No. Prince Guiz… loves Prince Louis deeply in his heart.”

Count Fankair said this, but even he seemed uncertain. Louis just smiled bitterly at the Count, who was his godfather and would become his subject in the future.

“It’s fine.”

Such relationships simply existed. A father might not love his child, might be in competition with them, or might even wish for their death. There could be fathers who disliked their children growing taller and felt upset about them learning to read.

“It’s fine, so go and do your work.”

“Your Highness.”

He didn’t need to know what ordinary families were like. He had known since birth, since he was crawling, that his environment was different from other people.

The fact that Prince Guiz looked at him with cold eyes was something he had naturally learned, so there was nothing particularly sad about it now. There were many other people who loved him besides his father.

“This is Lord Raymond. He will be Your Highness’s shooting instructor from now on. How do you find him?”

“Please treat me well, Your Highness.”

He was a tall, handsome man with gentle eyes. Prince Louis extended his hand. The hand that grasped his was relaxed and warm. Though he was a young man whose sharp jaw and eyes seemed to resemble Prince Guiz, he was a person overflowing with goodwill.

“Please treat me well, Lord Raymond.”

Louis thought he was certainly loved. But the fact that the person who loved Louis most was the King of this country and his grandfather also brought great burden.

“You work so diligently. Well done, Louis.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

By royal command, teachers were assigned to educate the young boy who had just begun learning letters. But it was difficult to keep up with the King’s expectations.

The King’s praise was initially a good thing. The King gave gifts to Louis and rewarded those in charge of caring for the prince. But the next week, the week after, the next month… The King continuously wanted to check on his grandson’s progress. He wanted to praise him every time.

“This time there’s not much difference from last time. You must work harder.”

“Yes… I will try harder.”

“Yes, you are this country’s hope.”

Though he didn’t get greatly angry, even a slight sigh or frown became a big problem for the people around Louis. When the King showed even a slightly displeased expression, the people below could lose their jobs.

Unlike Prince Guiz, the current King had very high expectations for Prince Louis, who showed great enthusiasm for learning. Prince Guiz had quickly lost interest in studies as a child and focused on hunting and debauchery. The thought that the prince must be properly raised while still young possessed the King.

‘Louis must not become like Guiz.’

But the King was already old and wanted to see Prince Louis’s growth as quickly as possible. His daily urging for growth was like constantly watering a tree.

The tree was rotting from holding too much water in its roots. Louis gradually began suffering from chronic fatigue. He was only eight years old now.

“His Majesty said that Prince Louis’s lessons might be insufficient.”

“His Highness’s progress is already sufficiently faster than his noble peers…”

“But he said there was no progress compared to last month… Perhaps we should try changing the teaching method?”

“His Majesty will summon us again next month.”

“I’m sleepy… My hand hurts.”

Louis showed his hand, which had begun developing calluses from constantly holding a pen. Eventually the teacher wrote manuscripts for him to memorize instead. Even that was overwhelming for Louis, who had just turned eight, but it was better than trying to understand everything.

“Your opinion is what Ailes Lindberg published. But that was already evaluated as unrealistic in the recent Teichum incident.”

“I see…”

The prince was speechless when information he didn’t know came up. Seeing Louis’s face, the King asked again.

“What do you think about the Teichum incident?”

“…”

“What about the welfare expansion plan from Lindberg’s first publication?”

“…I’m sorry. I’m lacking and don’t know well.”

“The welfare expansion plan is the most important part of Lindberg’s theory.”

Louis had no choice but to confess in the end. The King was disappointed, but he didn’t get angry at the prince. Louis was naturally his one and only, legitimate and normal child. Louis had done nothing wrong.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“It’s fine, Louis. You did nothing wrong. Kings don’t make mistakes. So… let’s change all the teachers.”

“Your Majesty!”

“You need the best education… as quickly as possible.”

By the King’s command, all of the prince’s tutors were replaced. They were the finest scholars the King knew, renowned academics. Many were involved in politics. They were battle-hardened veterans who had just retired from the front lines.

“This is Prince Louis.”

“…I know that…”

“I saw him before… So… 10 years ago?”

“He’s still only eight years old.”

“Heh, he was born not long ago. I saw him when he was born. And then… about 5 years ago.”

As soon as the scholars met the prince, they exchanged glances and laughed awkwardly among themselves.

“I’m good at watching grandchildren’s antics, but.”

“How, how impudent, Count!”

The chamberlain was flustered and angry at the indifferent reaction of the elderly scholars, but the old men didn’t bat an eye. Most were old men unsuitable for teaching young children.

The honor of becoming the King’s tutor held no particular merit for them. The King had gathered the greatest scholars and officials he knew, but their ages were at least over seventy.

Louis’s ascension to the throne would clearly be decades away, perhaps even 50 years later. Even though Louis was royalty, he was so young he was practically just a baby. It was clear that even if the elderly scholars made efforts with Louis, they would receive no benefits as the King’s tutors.

“We’ll start since it’s His Majesty’s command, but… making us old men watch over a child, His Majesty is really too much.”

This was the common opinion of the elderly ministers.

Louis knew that getting angry here would only earn him ridicule. If he tearfully begged the King to change his teachers, the King would comfort him but would be greatly disappointed.

“…Please treat me well. I’ll work hard.”

That was all Louis could say to the old men.

And Louis truly worked hard.

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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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