Chapter 5
Ulysian Kleinheitz.
The ruler of the great southern city of Kleins and a Grand Duke of the Melvern Empire.
Though he had been born the Empire’s fourth prince, he was granted the title of Grand Duke at the age of fifteen and sent south.
After becoming a Grand Duke, he rarely set foot in the capital.
As a result, it had been a very long time since he had last faced his father.
The problem was that their reunion happened in a courtroom—with Ulysian wearing handcuffs.
“Ulysian, is it true that you attacked Prince Kildian’s soldiers?”
Small and large battles frequently occurred along Melvern’s border regions.
Kildian often dispatched troops in order to earn military achievements. When that wasn’t enough, he even hired mercenaries.
And Ulysian had attacked allied forces stationed in the conflict zone.
More precisely, he had attacked the mercenaries hired by Kildian.
If found guilty, Ulysian would be beheaded.
The courtroom stirred.
Though he had gone south, he remained one of the strongest candidates for the position of Crown Prince.
If he were executed, the political balance of the imperial capital would change.
As everyone watched him closely, Ulysian lifted his head.
“It is true.”
There was no fear on his face as he admitted it.
Golden flecks glittered like scattered stars within his green eyes.
His thoughts drifted to the border between Melvern and Sproxen.
Children’s screams.
Burning homes.
Brutal hands grabbing fleeing civilians by the hair.
After small-scale battles ended, the foreign mercenaries hired by Kildian routinely committed atrocities against Melvern’s people.
“They kidnapped civilians, set fire to homes, and looted food supplies.”
Kildian’s expression twisted immediately.
“Your Majesty, such things happen regularly during war. To attack allied forces over matters like that and lower morale is unacceptable.”
Several nobles supporting Kildian voiced their agreement.
“Furthermore, that territory wasn’t even the Grand Duke’s domain!”
Ulysian sneered.
“No matter whose territory it is, anyone belonging to Melvern is one of His Majesty’s subjects. Is it a crime for a member of the imperial family, entrusted with noble duties, to protect the people?”
The noble who had spoken fell silent beneath his imposing presence.
Ulysian turned back toward the Emperor.
“I am both Your Majesty’s son and your servant. Having sworn loyalty to Melvern, was I supposed to stand by and watch our citizens suffer?”
“Hmm…”
“It is true that I raised my sword against allied forces. If Your Majesty chooses to dismiss me from command, I will accept it willingly. But I do not regret my actions.”
Broad shoulders.
A straight back.
A raised chin.
Golden hair shining like a halo beneath the sunlight.
Though kneeling in handcuffs, there was not the slightest trace of humiliation about him.
The nobles who had gathered to witness the trial found their eyes drawn to him.
The Emperor remained silent for a moment.
After studying his son, he finally delivered his verdict.
“The crimes committed by those mercenaries are clear. Therefore, Ulysian Kleinheitz shall bear no guilt.”
Kildian immediately erupted.
“Your Majesty! To let him escape punishment after attacking allied forces is absurd!”
“If an imperial knight preyed upon our own citizens, I would execute him on the spot. These were mercenaries!”
Faced with the Emperor’s unwavering stance, Kildian bit down on his lip.
“They are also the men who have delivered countless victories to Your Majesty.”
“Indeed. Which is why I will not execute them. However, all rewards and honors previously granted to them shall be revoked.”
Kildian’s supporters protested loudly.
But the Emperor remained firm.
Raising one hand, he silenced the commotion and departed.
The moment the Emperor left, the courtroom became noisy once more.
Kildian gripped the armrest of his seat tightly.
The blood drained from his knuckles until they turned white.
For a long moment, he stared at Ulysian with murderous eyes.
Then he suddenly rose to his feet.
Anger filled every step as he strode toward his younger brother.
Stopping before Ulysian, Kildian looked down at him with eyes overflowing with hatred and arrogance.
“You interfere in my affairs at every turn, Ulysian.”
“If you continue pursuing pointless battles, I intend to keep interfering.”
“What?”
“It means you should stop sacrificing innocent civilians and soldiers to satisfy your ambitions.”
Grinding his teeth, Kildian twisted his thin lips into a smile.
“If you truly want that, then give up your claim to the Crown Prince’s position.”
“I never wanted it in the first place.”
Despite the sincerity in Ulysian’s voice, Kildian merely scoffed.
It had always been this way.
Kildian constantly viewed Ulysian with suspicion because of his reputation as a noble and virtuous prince.
That suspicion eventually became hostility.
Kildian had attempted to assassinate him countless times.
In contrast, Ulysian had little interest in power.
Whether it was the position of Crown Prince or Emperor, he had no desire to see brothers shed each other’s blood over something so meaningless.
That was why he had willingly gone south.
Yet even that failed to ease Kildian’s hostility.
The prince insisted Ulysian had ulterior motives.
“So you’re still pretending to be righteous. You’re disgusting.”
“When you resort to insults because you’ve run out of arguments, it reassures me that you’re still the same as ever, Brother.”
Having his own words thrown back at him twisted Kildian’s face with rage.
“We’ll see how long that arrogant expression lasts.”
“My, then you’ll have to live a very long time.”
A gentle smile appeared on Ulysian’s lips.
Seeing that smile made Kildian want to spit in his face.
If there had been no witnesses present, he might have strangled him on the spot.
“Fine. Enjoy your arrogance while you can. I’ve prepared something very interesting for you.”
Leaving behind those ominous words, Kildian turned and walked away.
Only then did several knights approach and respectfully remove Ulysian’s handcuffs.
Rotating his sore wrists, Ulysian glanced around at the nobles still lingering in the courtroom.
They whispered among themselves while staring at him.
They were obviously discussing him.
But Ulysian simply turned away without concern.
Papillion, his aide, who had been waiting in the gallery, immediately hurried after him.
“For someone who hasn’t lived that long, Your Highness certainly experiences all sorts of things. I never thought I’d see the day you wore handcuffs.”
Though grumbling, Papillion draped a cloak over Ulysian’s shoulders.
“Which is why I told you not to get personally involved. At least think about your dignity.”
“If maintaining dignity means ignoring something like that, then such dignity isn’t worth preserving.”
“It is worth preserving!”
The subordinate thumped his chest dramatically.
Watching him, Ulysian smiled.
Papillion’s face became serious as he pulled a resignation letter halfway out of his coat.
“If you don’t want to receive this, then please start behaving properly.”
“How terrifying.”
His tone suggested the exact opposite.
The two exited the courthouse and mounted their horses.
“The rain seems likely to grow heavier,” Papillion said. “We should hurry.”
He assumed they would now head south.
Instead, Ulysian directed his horse toward a forest on the outskirts of the capital.
In fact, he was riding toward the city center.
Papillion frowned and moved alongside him.
“Your Highness, you’ve taken the wrong road.”
“No. I’m going the right way.”
“Kleins is in the opposite direction.”
“Correct. This road leads to the Grand Temple.”
“The Grand Temple?”
“Yes. My elder brother has been steadily moving military supplies toward the border. And the mercenaries’ atrocities are already being blamed on the enemy nation.”
Papillion’s eyes widened.
“Then he’s trying to stir hatred between the two nations and start a war?”
“Most likely.”
He intended to lead a war, earn military achievements, ease public resentment, and gain popular support.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how many people would die because of his lust for power.
“I plan to ask His Holiness the Pope to mediate regarding the border conflicts and the atrocities taking place there.”
Papillion’s jaw slowly dropped.
Kildian constantly monitored Ulysian’s movements.
If Ulysian had come to the capital of his own accord, Kildian would have discovered his objective and made preparations with the Holy See beforehand.
But Ulysian had been brought to the capital under arrest.
“…Don’t tell me you got yourself arrested on purpose?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“You call this in a manner of speaking? What if you’d been sentenced to death? Don’t tell me you even knew you’d be acquitted!”
“I was prepared to spend a few days in the underground prison. The acquittal was unexpected.”
“Have you perhaps… lost your mind?”
Ulysian merely laughed.
Papillion grabbed the back of his neck as his blood pressure rose.
