Chapter 5
Pearl Palace (2)
As Seongjin gradually adjusted to his new life while exercising alone in his room, rumors began spreading throughout the Imperial Palace that the troublemaking Third Prince had become… strange.
The Pearl Palace, which had once echoed every other day with shouting, curses, and the sound of furniture breaking, had remained as calm as a windless lake for several days.
At first, people assumed the prince simply lacked the strength to cause trouble after his illness.
But little by little, everyone began noticing the changes.
“They say he doesn’t complain about his food anymore. Before, it was rare for him to finish a meal without flipping the table.”
“He used to demand snacks every few hours. Now he doesn’t ask for them at all. They even say he’s eating much less.”
The palace staff gradually became restless.
Until now, everyone had watched their tongues because the First Imperial Consort kept a close eye on anyone who spread rumors. But as peaceful days continued, the servants slowly began gossiping whenever they thought they were out of sight.
“Why is he so quiet? It almost makes me nervous. Feels like something bigger is about to happen.”
“They say his memory still hasn’t fully returned, right? People don’t change that easily. Once he’s completely recovered, he’ll probably go right back to being the same tyrant.”
“I don’t know. They say he’s become a completely different person. After such a terrible fever, maybe something happened to his head.”
“Shh! Don’t say things like that! What if someone hears you?”
And every single one of those rumors was faithfully reported to the Chief Chamberlain through the countless eyes and ears spread throughout the Imperial Palace.
“…How very peculiar.”
After listening to the servants’ reports, Chief Chamberlain Louis rested his chin on one hand and fell into thought.
“It isn’t unheard of for someone’s personality to change completely after suffering a severe fever or serious injury.”
Even after his attendant added that explanation, Louis slowly shook his head.
Prince Mores’s transformation was certainly surprising—and welcome.
Yet what concerned the Chief Chamberlain even more than the prince’s change was the Holy Emperor’s attitude toward it.
Ever since the young emperor had ascended the throne, Louis had served at his side every single day.
Because of that, he knew better than anyone how carefully the emperor managed everything related to Pearl Palace.
He personally selected its servants.
He strictly limited visitors.
He kept its financial records separate.
Even the knights assigned to guard it were personally chosen after the emperor reviewed every application himself.
Which made it all the stranger that despite Prince Mores’s sudden transformation, the Holy Emperor had remained completely silent, merely observing from afar.
The cause of the change was clearly the unexpected fever.
But would it be going too far to suspect that even this was somehow still within his master’s calculations?
“It just so happens that Prince Mores’s audience is coming up.”
Before then…
I should visit His Highness myself and observe him carefully.
As he stroked his neatly shaven chin, the Chief Chamberlain made up his mind.
“Did Your Highness sleep well?”
“I managed.”
If there was anyone Seongjin saw almost as often as Edith, it was the resident physician of Pearl Palace.
The elderly doctor, whose name was Ninnias, looked far too shabby to belong to the Imperial Palace.
Every time he opened his mouth, he reeked of alcohol.
His nose was permanently red, making him look suspiciously like an alcoholic.
Yet this pitiful old man examined Seongjin twice every day—once in the morning and once in the evening—and everything about him inspired very little confidence.
Whether because of old age or because he still wasn’t sober, he merely glanced at Seongjin’s complexion with unfocused eyes before nodding.
Seongjin seriously doubted he was seeing anything at all.
Then the doctor felt his pulse with trembling hands.
In fact, his shaking fingers barely touched Seongjin’s wrist.
“Excellent. Very good.”
“…What’s good?”
Can this man really be trusted as a doctor?
Completely bewildered, Seongjin looked toward Edith.
She sighed.
“Actually, Sir Ninnias mainly treats the knights stationed at Pearl Palace. Your Highness originally had a personal physician…”
According to Edith, until recently several distinguished imperial physicians had been assigned exclusively to Prince Mores.
They all belonged to the highly respected Raiora School, one of the most prestigious medical schools in the capital.
However, after they failed to cure the prince’s mysterious fever, they fell out of the Holy Emperor’s favor and were all reassigned to insignificant posts.
Apparently they were now treating plague patients in the slums.
…Wait.
Then shouldn’t they have sent a new personal physician immediately?
This was the prince who had nearly died.
Why was he being treated like this?
“Heh heh heh…”
While quietly listening to Edith, Ninnias suddenly chuckled.
“Serves those fellows right. That Raiora School is always bragging about how they’re the ones standing on the front lines against epidemics.”
His sudden sarcasm made both Seongjin and Edith stare at him with wide eyes.
Realizing what he had just blurted out, the old physician flinched before hurriedly trying to cover his mistake.
“O-Of course! I deeply respect the teachings of the venerable Raiora School, the only medical school officially recognized by the Delcross Holy Church! Naturally!”
[He’s lying through his teeth.]
The Demon King immediately commented inside Seongjin’s head.
[That old man just thought, ‘Serves those Raiora quacks right…’]
Honestly, the Demon King didn’t even need to point it out.
The old physician’s expression alone made it obvious that all that talk about respect was complete nonsense.
It didn’t seem like he hated those particular doctors.
He seemed to have something against the Raiora School itself.
Naturally, Seongjin asked,
“Then, Doctor Ninnias… which school do you belong to?”
The physician stared blankly at Seongjin for a moment.
For the first time, Seongjin felt like the old man was truly looking at him instead of absentmindedly glancing his way.
After a brief silence, Ninnias slowly shook his head.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I am merely an ignorant herbalist who picked up knowledge here and there.”
“…”
“I was fortunate enough to catch His Majesty’s attention and secure stable employment in my old age, but I have never belonged to any proper medical school.”
[Another lie.]
Even before the Demon King whispered it, Seongjin had already seen through him.
The old man’s face was simply too honest.
“In any case, Your Highness, I don’t believe daily examinations will be necessary anymore. You’ve completely recovered from the fever.”
The physician quickly packed away his instruments and stood.
“From now on, please eat plenty, exercise outdoors freely, and focus on rebuilding your strength.”
Then he added,
“And…”
“And?”
“Compared to ordinary people, your body’s Aura activity seems somewhat weak. If you devoted yourself to Aura training, I believe your recovery would be even faster.”
Since the old man had only recently begun treating Mores, he clearly didn’t know much about the infamous Third Prince.
If he had been Mores’s original physician…
He never would have brought up Aura.
The moment the word “Aura” left his mouth, Edith’s eyes suddenly sparkled as she looked at Seongjin.
“…?”
Was she…
expecting him to throw something?
When Seongjin stared blankly back at her, she muttered sadly,
“…My only source of entertainment…”
Edith.
You’re not a puppy chasing flying plates.
Why would that be the highlight of your life?
Anyway, regardless of the doctor’s advice, Seongjin had already been planning to properly manage his diet and begin exercising outdoors.
“Edith.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Tell the kitchen to use less seasoning from now on. I’d also like plenty of salad without any dressing. And don’t bother bringing foods I never touch anymore.”
There probably wasn’t anyone in this world who would understand the phrase low sodium, low carb, high protein, so he’d have to make do.
Judging by everything he’d seen, this world seemed to be somewhere between Earth’s medieval and early modern periods.
How much did people here even know about nutrition?
Edith couldn’t hide her puzzled expression at such an unusual request.
Meanwhile, Seongjin stretched his shoulders and added,
“Oh, and I’d like to visit the training grounds. Could you show me the way?”
The training grounds of Pearl Palace had originally been built for Prince Mores’s personal swordsmanship lessons.
Naturally, after he quit practicing the sword years ago, the place had gone largely unused.
Still, the palace administrator, mindful of the First Imperial Consort’s expectations, had kept it perfectly maintained.
Eventually, the knights stationed at Pearl Palace had begun using it for their own private training instead of traveling all the way to the main Knights’ training grounds.
But today…
Every knight had stopped training.
Instead, they stood gathered in one corner, glaring.
Because the fat Third Prince had suddenly appeared and taken over the entire training field.
The prince wasn’t exactly walking.
Nor was he running.
He was moving around the training grounds at an awkward speed somewhere between the two.
What’s gotten into that troublesome brat?
The knights looked anything but pleased as they watched the enormous prince wheezing his way around the field.
Unlike the maids, whose discipline was kept extremely strict, the knights were far less affected by the First Imperial Consort’s authority.
Many of them openly treated the prince with disrespect.
Even now, several stared at him with obvious contempt.
But Seongjin, whose only goals were improving his stamina and eventually learning Aura, paid their hostile gazes no attention whatsoever.
After laboriously making several laps around the grounds, he wiped away his sweat with his sleeve…
Then walked straight back into Pearl Palace without so much as looking at the knights.
“…”
What…
had just happened?
The knights looked at one another in confusion.
Normally, this would have been the perfect opportunity for the prince to explode over their failure to greet him properly.
Instead, he’d quietly exercised and left while completely ignoring them.
After blinking in bewilderment for a while, they eventually resumed training.
You really do see everything if you live long enough…
Everyone assumed it was just another one of the prince’s passing whims.
But the next day…
And the day after that…
Prince Mores appeared again at almost the exact same time, circling the training grounds.
“Huff…! Haa…! Cough…! Haaah!”
[Hey, hey. You’re about to collapse. How many laps have you done? You’re already dying?]
What pathetic stamina…
Seongjin grimaced while gasping for breath.
Originally, he’d planned to spend several days lightly exercising to build enough muscle to support his skeleton.
Then, after losing some weight, he would begin serious cardio training.
But…
…Isn’t this already maximum-intensity cardio?
He’d only briskly walked around the training grounds a few times.
Yet it felt as though his lungs were about to burst.
His heart pounded like crazy.
His entire body was soaked with sweat as though he’d been caught in heavy rain.
At this rate…
How long would it take to build stamina?
And when would he ever start learning Aura?
Irritation slowly rose inside him.
The knights whispering unhappily from the sidelines annoyed him.
Sweat streamed into his eyes, making them sting.
As he rubbed them impatiently…
A dry towel suddenly appeared in front of him.
Startled, Seongjin accepted it and looked up.
An elderly gentleman stood before him with a warm smile.
Who… is this?
The old man was accompanied by several attendants.
His hair was completely white, showing his age.
Yet his posture was perfectly straight, and not a single button on his immaculate uniform was out of place.
When their eyes met, the elderly man stepped back, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed respectfully.
“It is an honor to meet Your Highness.”
His movement was so graceful it looked like something from a painting.
The attendants behind him bowed as well.
Unsure how to respond, Seongjin simply stared blankly.
The old man looked slightly embarrassed.
“My apologies… I heard your memories were affected after the fever, but I failed to consider that.”
Despite addressing a fifteen-year-old prince, the man’s courtesy never wavered.
Respect seemed woven into his very nature.
Secretly impressed, Seongjin wiped the sweat from his face.
Watching him, the old man smiled once more.
“I am Louis Peltre, Chief Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace. I serve directly beside His Majesty, the Holy Emperor.”
“…!”
The right-hand man of the final boss had suddenly appeared.
Seongjin’s expression stiffened instantly.
Completely unaware of it, Louis accepted the damp towel and continued cheerfully,
“You have only recently recovered from your illness, yet you are already training so vigorously.”
“Oh… just getting some exercise.”
“A young prince displaying such diligence will surely inspire the knights of Pearl Palace to work even harder. Truly, this is a blessing upon the Imperial Family and a great fortune for all Delcross.”
Seongjin looked around in disbelief.
Sir… maybe read the room before flattering me.
Those knights look like they’re about to shoot lasers out of their eyes.
The Demon King clicked his tongue.
[Wow… he’s completely sincere. He’s looking at you through the world’s thickest pair of rose-colored glasses.]
Indeed.
The Chief Chamberlain looked at Seongjin with the fond smile of a grandfather admiring his precious grandson.
Avoiding his gaze, Seongjin coughed awkwardly.
“Ahem… Louis. So… what brings you here?”
Calling such an elderly man by name without honorifics still felt incredibly unnatural to Seongjin.
Fortunately, Louis didn’t seem bothered.
“After Your Highness collapsed from the fever, His Majesty’s concern was beyond words.”
“He even postponed affairs of state to personally visit Pearl Palace.”
“In the end, he refused to leave your treatment solely to the healing priests and instead released his own immense divine power, personally suppressing your terrible fever.”
“So… I’ve heard.”
Whether that was actually true or not, Seongjin simply accepted it.
“Although Your Highness has thankfully recovered, His Majesty has still not put his mind at ease.”
“Before granting you an audience, he ordered this servant to personally examine your condition first.”
“I… see. That’s very thoughtful of him.”
“Therefore, if Your Highness so wishes, His Majesty is prepared to come to Pearl Palace himself for this week’s tea gathering.”
“…What?”
Come here?
Seeing Seongjin’s confusion, Louis immediately explained.
“Ah… It seems you’ve forgotten your regular audiences as well.”
“For many years, His Majesty has held a tea gathering with each prince and princess at least once every week.”
“…!”
A ruler of an empire actually has time for that?
For Seongjin, who wanted nothing more than to avoid meeting the Holy Emperor…
This was terrible news.
“As you know, His Majesty is exceptionally devoted to his children.”
“Unless there was a major imperial event or an unavoidable scheduling conflict, these meetings were never postponed.”
“In Prince Mores’s case, however…”
“…However?”
“The appointment was often canceled on the very day.”
“It became quite common for word to arrive just before the audience that Your Highness had suddenly fallen ill.”
“…”
“So recently, His Majesty has usually asked in advance whether Your Highness preferred that he simply visit Pearl Palace instead.”
“This time, he instructed me to ask for your wishes as well.”
Mores, you lunatic…
You regularly skipped appointments with the Holy Emperor?
Was this idiot completely out of his mind?
A cold sweat slowly ran down Seongjin’s back.
