TBCPA 11

Chapter 11

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince! Please correct His Majesty’s misunderstanding!”

Count Duval, frantically searching for a lifeline with trembling eyes, shouted toward Kadelos.

He looked as if he was certain Kadelos would definitely save him.

‘Wait. What if he actually does?’

The verbal abuse Duval had directed at Kadelos was beyond what could be considered normal.

If Kadelos had been enduring it, wasn’t it possible he actually had some kind of attachment to Duval?

Of course, his expression never really suggested that… but there must have been some reason.

Then he might truly ask the Emperor to spare Duval.

And since the Emperor seemed to care about his son, he might actually grant the request!

“What misunderstanding are you referring to?”

But contrary to my worry, Kadelos asked in a flat voice.

It was the coldest expression I had ever seen from him.

“…Pardon?”

“Isn’t it true that my teacher threatened Lady Ferdinand and has always looked down on me?”

“Y-Your Highness!”

Duval called out to him with a betrayed expression.

But Kadelos turned his head away. With the Emperor’s approval now effectively gone, there was nothing left but for him to thoroughly deal with Duval.

“Kadelos, this may not be suitable for a young lady to witness… no, it would be better if I move.”

The Emperor seemed intent on interrogating Duval elsewhere, rather than in front of me and Kadelos.

Strangely, I felt a bit dazed by that consideration.

‘…Not suitable for a young child to see?’

No one had ever said something like that to me before.

People had yelled at me and used me, but no one had ever treated me as a child who needed protecting.

I watched the Emperor’s back as he dragged Duval away, feeling something strange and faintly warm.

“What exactly were you trying to accomplish with this?”

While I was staring blankly, Kadelos suddenly spoke.

His voice was low and heavy.

I quickly turned my head. His atmosphere felt dangerous.

‘W-what is this?’

I had expected he might not welcome what I did, given his blunt personality, but I didn’t expect him to be this displeased.

I couldn’t tell if it was because of me, but he definitely didn’t look happy.

‘Does he actually see Duval as his teacher?’

I had considered how the Emperor felt about Duval, but I had never seriously considered Kadelos’s feelings.

Because of what Duval had said, I just assumed he would hate him!

“W-what do you mean?”

I instinctively looked up at him nervously.

Kadelos gestured, and I stood in front of him as he indicated.

He pointed at his palm.

‘His palm?’

Confused, I looked at it—and then tilted my head. He sighed as if frustrated.

“Your hand. Your hand.”

When I looked down, I saw small cuts on my palm.

It seemed I had really been injured when I fell with the desk earlier.

But it was nothing serious. Honestly, it was the kind of scratch that would heal quickly if I just left it alone.

“What about it?”

I rubbed it casually, and a slight sting spread as a small bead of blood welled up.

“Wait! Don’t do that!”

Kadelos suddenly grabbed my wrist, his face darkening.

“O-okay…”

I blinked in surprise and answered meekly.

Then he let go of my wrist with a small sigh.

“But… what do you mean by this?”

“That. You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

“…Huh? Y-you noticed?”

I blurted it out without thinking, then immediately shut my mouth.

Kadelos let out a disbelieving laugh.

“You even brought His Majesty on purpose, didn’t you? You wanted it to look like the teacher was bullying you.”

So he really saw through everything.

I bit my lip and looked at him awkwardly.

At the same time, it felt strange hearing him refer to his father as “His Majesty the Emperor.”

Their relationship really didn’t seem good.

“You wanted to get rid of your teacher, right? Was it worth injuring yourself like that?”

His tone made it sound like harming myself was the problem, not the plan itself.

If it worked, what did a little injury matter? I just wanted Duval out of the palace.

A scratch like this was nothing.

“Is this really what you call injuring yourself?”

I tilted my head and tried to smile normally.

“More importantly… wouldn’t it be better for Your Highness to get a much better teacher? Isn’t it a good thing that this happened?”

Instead of worrying about me, he should be thinking about how awful Duval was.

“A teacher who insults and oppresses me?”

“…You already knew that, so why did you tolerate it?”

I had wondered if it was attachment, but Kadelos didn’t seem to have any affection for Duval at all.

Then why was he upset?

Was it really because I got hurt?

“Was it worth it for you to go this far? Changing teachers isn’t that important.”

“It is important! He insulted and oppressed you!”

“If he’s removed, who’s going to teach me next? And even if his intentions were impure, he wasn’t wrong about everything. I really am a burden to His Majesty.”

There was deep self-loathing in his eyes.

I fell silent, staring at him.

What do you even say to someone who truly believes their existence is wrong?

The curse of the Black Dragon was not his fault.

Nor was it his choice to be named Crown Prince.

‘I’m angry.’

I bit my lip.

I had lived through endless insults myself, but I still didn’t want to die. None of it was my fault either.

Kadelos shouldn’t think like this.

The problem wasn’t us—it was the adults around us.

“Anything said to hurt someone is wrong, no matter what!”

“But—”

“Have you ever asked His Majesty directly whether you are truly a burden to him?”

I puffed out my cheeks.

Of course he hadn’t. The Emperor I had seen would never call his son a burden.

“Your Highness is the only legitimate heir of the Emperor and Empress! If you are not suitable, then who else could possibly take the throne?”

I stomped my foot in frustration.

Kadelos looked slightly flustered.

He cared when I got a tiny injury, but thought nothing of hating himself?

How ridiculous was that?

“Then I’ll just find you a new teacher myself!”

I shouted impulsively.

Kadelos narrowed his eyes.

“No one would come.”

“There will be someone!”

“Why are you so careless with your own body, but so worried about me? You should take better care of yourself.”

He looked genuinely confused.

‘My body? I’ve been hurt and beaten so many times it’s nothing!’

I was the one who should be worried about him listening to nonsense all day.

“I’m leaving! I’ll come back with a new teacher!”

I turned away angrily and walked off first.

It was the first time I had ever done that since meeting Kadelos.

I was still fuming all the way home.

Even when Laura helped me change and took me to a warm bath, I was still sulking.

“Lady, why are you so angry? Laura, did something happen earlier?”

Lindar entered holding a soft towel and asked.

Laura shook her head nervously.

“No… she was already angry from the palace.”

I felt slightly embarrassed at how obvious I had been.

Was I really that easy to read?

My face in the mirror was bright red with anger.

“Oh my, what happened?”

Lindar carefully helped me into the bath.

As soon as I sank into the warm water, my palm stung again.

“Ah!”

Lindar immediately looked at my hand.

“Lady, your hand is injured…! Laura, what happened?”

“It’s not Laura’s fault. I got hurt at the palace.”

“How could something happen that would injure the Lady?”

Lindar looked even more upset than I was.

More worried than angry.

‘Getting this worked up over something like this…’

I awkwardly dipped my hand back into the water.

“It’s nothing serious.”

“Nothing serious? You got hurt!”

“It’ll heal if I just spit on it.”

At my words, Lindar looked horrified.

“Spit…?”

I nodded, confused.

Lindar asked cautiously:

“Have you been injured often?”

“Yeah. That’s what works on kids who don’t listen.”

“W-who would do such a thing… Lord Gregory? Lady Amanda?”

She named my uncle and aunt.

I nodded vaguely.

It wasn’t just them—everyone who had taken care of me before had treated me badly—but explaining that would probably make her explode.

“You never received medicine?”

“Medicine is expensive. It’s not something you use for small things like this.”

As I splashed my hands in the water, both Lindar and Laura suddenly burst into tears.

“Laura, Laura, quickly—!”

“I’ll bring medicine right away!”

…It really wasn’t that big a deal.

I was genuinely confused by their reaction.