Chapter 25: A Solemn Prince is Cared For

The ballroom saw nobles emptying out of it in small groups with bright smiles and excited voices.

"A battle between the four princes!"

"Now this is proper entertainment!"

"One month! I must commission new attire for the occasion!"

They smiled as they left. They chatted excitedly about seating arrangements and betting pools. No one looked back at the Fifth Prince still standing in the center of the ballroom.

Adonis hadn’t moved.

His eyes were fixed on the ground.

The servants extinguished candles one by one and as the hall got darker, so did the thoughts in his mind.

Leander crossed the emptying room toward him.

"Get strong. Blood and sweat, Adonis. Because I promise you — you’re not walking out of that arena."

He viciously shoved Adonis’s shoulder, hard enough to rock him back a step.

"You think you’re so clever. But the joke’s on you. Same as always, they’ll laugh at the pretty, useless prince and cheer for the one who’s actually going to be king."

He tapped his own chest.

"That’s me."

"..."

Adonis said nothing. He didn’t even lift his eyes. There was no anger in them, no hurt... just an emptiness that made Leander’s smirk grow uncomfortable for half a second before he clicked his tongue and walked away.

---

A few minutes later, Old Hershant finished his quiet exchange with the King and made his way toward the doors, walking past Adonis without a glance.

"...Hey..."

Hershant stopped to acknowledge the young lad. Adonis was still staring at the floor, but the old chamberlain could read a man who needed to say something before it ate him alive.

He smiled, gentle as ever.

"What’s the matter, my prince?"

Adonis finally looked up and spoke with a flat voice.

"I told you Queen Lucelia was furious no gala had been thrown for Mariella. That was a lie. I said it to goad you into planning the biggest gala this palace has ever seen. It didn’t occur to me that you never told Leander. Or Queen Lucelia. The two people the entire outcome depended on."

Hershant tilted his head with an unwavering smile.

"I’m afraid I’m a little lost, my prince."

"Don’t give me that crap."

Adonis’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You could remember the birthday of every noble’s third cousin. You once had a maid rearrange an entire dessert table because one strawberry sat two degrees off-center. There’s no version of you that forgets to mention a groom’s own fiancée is arriving at his engagement gala."

He laughed humorlessly at himself.

"I was so proud. I thought I’d orchestrated it all perfectly, like some kind of god pulling strings. I never once stopped to ask why the oversight that made my plan work so perfectly came from one man in this palace who is constitutionally incapable of making it."

He stepped closer, grabbing a fistful of Hershant’s collar.

"You let me think it was my idea. Why?"

Hershant peeled Adonis’s fingers off with the same unbothered gentleness he did everything.

"I thought you were a smart one. Well, I thought it was fitting to put you in a situation where you’ll never be king. No one in this kingdom will ever acknowledge you. So perhaps you should spend your last days here hating them. Goodbye."

He walked away.

Adonis’s hand trembled at his side.

He used [Eye of the Critic].

[Target: Tolen Hershant]

[Role: ???]

[Fate: ???]

[Death Probability: ???]

[Host, this individual does not appear to possess a recorded narrative function.]

Adonis blinked.

’No function? That doesn’t even make sense. He’s the Grand Chamberlain. He runs half the palace. He’s the King’s own confidant... he should have a major role.’

[Correct. However, Eye of the Critic cannot read beyond a hidden narrative threshold. This character’s true nature has not yet been authored to be revealed. He is unindexed.]

Adonis glared at the old man’s back.

’Then if you had to guess. What’s his role?’

[Role: Major Antagonist]

Adonis’s fists curled so tight his nails drilled into his palms.

---

Some days passed.

The princes threw themselves into preparation.

Prince Leander traveled beyond Gilishon City. He sought ancient training grounds. Monster-infested mountains. Anything that would sharpen his blade and harden his body. At his current level, he knew he could defeat Adonis. That wasn’t the goal. He wanted to humiliate him so badly he wouldn’t be able to show his face in public ever again.

Prince Godfrey wasn’t fond of fighting. He spent his days in the royal library, turning pages by candlelight. When he wasn’t reading, he visited the Melcian Church to pray and reflect. He did everything except train.

Bradley drilled his magic beasts relentlessly, refining his bond with them and stitching together combo attacks between the different creatures he tamed.

And Adonis hadn’t left his room once.

He sat in the same chair, day after day, barely eating, barely sleeping. Dark circles carved themselves under his eyes; his cheeks hollowed out. He was still beautiful, that hadn’t left him entirely, but the charm, the radiance that used to come from his confidence, had drained out of him like a squeezed sponge.

Every day was the same. He’d stare out the window with eyes that didn’t track the days slipping by, then sink back into the chair wearing the most hopeless expression Prussia had ever seen on a person.

It was starting to genuinely frustrate her.

Adonis buried his emaciated face in his palms.

’I worked so hard. So hard. Harder than I ever worked at pretty much anything in my past life... probably why I got fired from every job my parents lined up for me. I’m no better than some animal that only moves when its life’s on the line. Why does it have to be like this?’

His lower lips trembled agitatedly.

’It’s obvious now. No matter what I do, the story bends for the protagonists. Why did I ever think some worthless extra had a real shot at the throne? The fact I’ve survived this long is a miracle. Protagonists succeed no matter what stands in their way, so I’m just an obstacle. Destiny’s pauper. A nobody.’

He pressed his palms harder against his face.

’If I fight in that duel, I lose. Any reputation I could’ve built would be meaningless. Damn it, I bet everything on this.’

If Prussia hadn’t been standing right there, he might have let himself cry until his eyes went red and puffy. But even alone with his misery, some part of him recoiled at the thought, someone as shallow as her would only think less of him for it, maybe call him soft or feminine. And if he lost the throne too, he couldn’t afford to lose the heroines as well.

’They’re the only thing keeping me going...’

Prussia said nothing.

She turned and went back to walking her watch.

---

Over the following days, Prussia saw some of the strangest things she’d seen in her time as his guard. The corridor outside Adonis’s quarters started seeing regular traffic of... women.

Not two or three ladies. A LOT.

A crowd of devoted maids arrived one morning. They carried a large platter of food... roasted meats, fresh bread, delicate pastries arranged with care.

"We’d like to see the Fifth Prince!"

"We want to feed him.

They all sounded so soft and submissive which was strange to someone like Prussia who was used to Marsofian women that were more bold and stern. Still it makes sense. Falsbane men are feminine, so the women must be more feminine? Yes.

"Uhm, Lady Prussia, if he’s still angry about being denied by the King, we’ll relinquish our bodies to him. On the bed. So he may carry out his anger on us."

All the maids nodded with big, earnest eyes.

Prussia sighed and folded her muscular arms.

"No. You should all leave."

They looked disappointed as they left.

The next day, the beautiful daughter of a viscount arrived.

She carried tea and biscuits on a silver tray.

"I’m quite worried about the Fifth Prince. I’m not trying to steal him. I know you’re his fiancée."

She clutched the tray nervously.

"It’s just... the Fifth Prince... he’s... I just want to see how he’s doing. If he’d like something to eat at lea—"

"He’s not in the mood."

The viscount’s daughter bowed and retreated.

More came.

Noblewomen Prussia didn’t even think cared about Adonis were suddenly eager to check on him.

Was he that popular? Prussia frowned.

’It’s hard to appreciate his beauty since he looks more like a woman than a man to me. But watching these ladies... their care and concerns seem genuine. Their willingness to debase themselves just for a glimpse of him.’

She lowered her head solemnly.

"Only a real man would be loved so universally by women."

She bit her lower lip in frustration.

’Is it because of his looks? Or is the Fifth Prince genuinely a respectable person?’

---

That evening, two maids were having a talk.

"I saw his face through the window yesterday."

"Sigh~ it’s really bad. He’s lost so much weight. I don’t think he’s eating. Or sleeping."

"He’s always been kind to us, though. Remember those nice flowers he got us? Or the fabric for our families? He never once tried anything with any of us."

"Not like His Majesty."

They both knew exactly what that comparison meant.

"It’s unfortunate. I just wish there was something we could actually do for him. Besides..."

She held her hands over her breasts. It’s not that these maids felt like he’d reject their advances, but they were scared they’d offer their body to him and it wouldn’t be good enough to snap him out of that depressed state.

"In a way, I guess we’re not good enough. Sigh~"

Behind a tree a short distance away, Queen Minerva watched them in silence. Her usually composed eyes softened with sadness and worry as she listened to the maids.

"Adonis..."