ATPL 22

Brosuhart, the Imperial Capital.

Spring was in full bloom in the capital that bore the Empire’s name. As flower buds flourished under the increasingly warm weather, something else was truly blossoming.

It was the story of Crown Prince Abelard.

Though well past marriageable age, Crown Prince Abelard remained unmarried.

This was understandable, considering the long and tumultuous nature of his romantic troubles over the past five years.

The most infamous of these was the scandal surrounding his first love.

When four blonde women appeared, each claiming, “I am Prince Abelard’s first love!”, the news spread across the continent before anyone could intervene.

Although it was later revealed that these women were possessed and subsequently dealt with by the Dragon Lord, the damage had already been done.

The mere existence of Abelard’s first love ignited the public’s curiosity, and rumors quickly spread, suggesting he had a blonde fetish or other peculiar tastes.

As a result, Abelard, who had once been admired for his good looks and status as the Empire’s sole heir, found himself shrouded in scandal…

“To think he’d be called a philanderer… I can hardly show my face.”

The Empress sighed, fanning herself during the hunting party in the forest near the Imperial Palace.

The Empire, situated along the Winheid River, which flowed from the Vidna Mountains, was rich in resources, including vast forests.

These abundant resources attracted noble families across the continent, contributing to the Empire’s prosperity.

The massive gathering of nobility was possible thanks to the Dragon Lord’s gates, which were distributed throughout the Empire.

Without these gates, no matter how wealthy or pleasant Brosuhart might have been, the Empire would have fractured within a century.

As a result, the Imperial family made generous use of these resources.

Today was no exception. A light hunting party had been organized in the forest near the Imperial Palace.

Though it was called a hunt, the forest was small, home only to rabbits and deer. The true purpose of the event was to gather the central nobility.

Naturally, such gatherings required a scapegoat to pick apart. Gossip was the easiest way to bond people together.

At other times, the subject of such gossip might have been some family’s unmarried daughter or a flawed young master.

But today, the scapegoat was the Crown Prince himself.

In fact, for the past three years, Abelard had been the constant subject of gossip at every social gathering across the Empire. The reason?

“How could he bewitch every eligible young lady in the Empire? What in the world is going on?”

Indeed. After enduring countless scandals, Crown Prince Abelard became known as the Empire’s greatest playboy.

Though this might have seemed strange at first glance, there was a reason behind it.

When only one unusual woman appeared, people sympathized with Abelard, believing he was unfortunate to be caught up in a scandal involving a strange woman.

Some speculated that a life of admiration naturally attracted such flies.

But when the strange woman became two, then three, then four, people’s opinions began to change.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. From the moment four women simultaneously claimed to be the Crown Prince’s first love people started to view Abelard with suspicion.

Could the Crown Prince have been secretly hiding his philandering tendencies all along?

Of course, the Crown Prince felt wronged. Though suspicions briefly subsided after the women were revealed to be possessed, doubt is always harder to dispel than to raise.

Soon, strange rumors began to circulate.

Whenever Abelard so much as glanced at a woman, whispers would spread about his ‘philandering habits resurfacing’.

Abelard, driven nearly mad with frustration, changed his approach about three years ago.

It started with a count’s daughter. She accepted Abelard’s open courtship, and they became lovers.

Then, within a few months, Abelard moved on to a noblewoman from abroad.

A few months was nothing. When that woman returned to her home country, Abelard began yet another romance.

Of course, the third lover didn’t last longer than two months. Then came the fourth, the fifth…

His partners were diverse—noble ladies, opera singers, even palace laundry maids were among his conquests.

What was unique was the variety of hair colors among his lovers. Indeed, he dated everyone except blondes. Seemingly conscious of the blonde fetish scandal.

By the time the Crown Prince’s list of lovers surpassed ten, what had originally seemed like an effort to counter scandals had led to a shift in women’s attitudes.

Women who had once condemned Abelard began to see him as an intriguing prospect.

The Crown Prince had always been famous for his handsome looks, and being his lover wasn’t such a bad thing.

After all, the Imperial family was wealthy, and Abelard was generous with gifts to his lovers.

Not only that, Abelard willingly played the role of a trophy for these women.

Evidence of this could be found in his words when courting a lady, who had been labeled a spinster in social circles for remaining unmarried into her late twenties.

‘When word spreads that I spent nights reciting poetry beneath your window, pining for you, suitors will line up.’

That woman, who had used Abelard as her trophy, did indeed find an excellent match and married, just as he had predicted.

By this point, young ladies were competing to become Abelard’s lover.

Of course, not all these ladies were fortunate enough to have an amicable parting with Abelard.

Some women grumbled about being insulted by him. Others, who placed high value on their chastity, came to despise him.

Meanwhile, there were even women who made money by falsely claiming to have been his lover for a night, despite never having been with him—a truly flawless record for a playboy.

It was natural for the Empress to be troubled by all of this. Others tried to find different targets for gossip out of consideration for her presence.

But the Empress paid no mind. Finally, the ladies seated around her cleared their throats and attempted to comfort her.

“Well, His Highness the Crown Prince must have his own pain…”

“Still, it would have been better if he had been a bit gentler with Miss Bella of the Stega family.”

“Younger men are all like that at that age. It’s rare to find a man who naturally understands and soothes a woman’s heart.”

“But Your Majesty, looking on the bright side, doesn’t this show that the Crown Prince is healthy? Even now, he’s galloped away first on horseback…”

To hell with healthy

The Empress frowned as she snapped her fan shut. The lady who had mentioned health flinched and fell silent.

“You call that healthy? He’s running away.”

Indeed, he was. As soon as Abelard arrived at the gathering, he galloped into the forest, declaring, “I’ll bring back the largest deer!”

Bringing back the largest deer was just an excuse—he had fled because three of his former lovers were present at the gathering.

“I’m truly mortified! And I told him an honored guest would be coming today.”

The honored guest. The guest was well known to all. All eyes turned to him. The Empress pressed her forehead in exasperation.

“I arranged this meeting so he could learn from him, but he just ran away. If only Abelard could be half as much like him, I’d want for nothing more.”

Oh my, wasn’t that the feeling of every parent with a son?

Several ladies agreed with the Empress’s words and smiled gently at the guest.

The guest Elliot Resaloniki, bowed his head with practiced ease.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The subject of gossip, Abelard was walking through the forest, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“I definitely saw a deer earlier.”

The forest was small enough that it didn’t even require beaters. Though it extended to the Vidna Mountains, it was an unusually peaceful place—perfect for Imperial family gatherings.

“How boring…”

But for Abelard, it was a rather dull place. The Crown Prince’s five intelligent hunting dogs were excellent at tracking beasts, and Abelard had already hunted giant bears and basilisks.

Nevertheless, the real reason he fled into the forest was obvious. The gathering had been extremely uncomfortable.

“It’s not easy being a playboy, you know.”

Abelard swept back his fine silver hair, clearly agitated.

He had expected to run into one or two of his former lovers at the Empress’s banquet. He hadn’t anticipated there would be three.

Of course, he could have managed even three if they had been ordinary ladies. But the problem was that Mia Zelen was among them.

Mia was a beautiful woman who had approached Abelard of her own accord, wanting to become his lover when he broke up with either his twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth lover.

Her intense red eyes had captivated him, and he had spent time with her. But soon, Abelard grew weary of Mia’s obsession.

Mia, who had long coveted a position by Abelard’s side, became fixated on his every move, growing increasingly jealous of the women who came before her. This only worsened after she became his lover.

When Abelard, exhausted by it all, pushed Mia away, she didn’t hesitate to harm his new lovers.

“Things have gotten properly complicated.”

If Abelard made even the slightest mistake, it was clear Mia would cause another scene.

At an ordinary banquet, he could have subdued the situation. But since today’s gathering was hosted by the Empress, Abelard wanted to avoid any troublesome incidents.

Of course, he knew he was in the wrong.

But he had clearly warned Mia that their relationship would last a month at most.

It was beyond his expectations that she would change her attitude after initially agreeing to that term.

That’s when it happened.

Rustle.

The sound broke through the air. It came from beyond the bushes—quite far away.

Abelard furrowed his brows. The hunting dogs, walking silently beside him, tensed and lowered their bodies.