𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟏
“Kyle? What’s wrong?
Could it be that you’re not feeling well? Do you have a stomach ache?”
ㅤ
“No. . . I was thinking about the princess’ story. . .
I thought it must be about the consort.
Chris decided to become the consort, didn’t he?”
ㅤ
“Yes. I was thinking about discussing that with you.
I want Kyle to become the consort too.
. . .Was it so troubling that you lost your appetite?”
ㅤ
Seeing Kyle’s gloomy expression, I felt that he was unhappy.
His face seemed as serious as when Chris was going to refuse the position of consort.
ㅤ
“. . .Remember what the princess said when we met?
When you become mature enough to understand my circumstances, then I’ll tell you.
Does the fact that the time has come to choose a consort mean that I can consider you to have become an adult?”
ㅤ
“You mean Kyle will tell me about his situation?
I’ll listen if you’ll tell me. I’m not a seven-year-old child anymore.
I think I can accept whatever situation you have.”
ㅤ
“I see.”
ㅤ
A sharp sound rang out as magic snapped.
It felt as if a hard, hard shell had burst.
Kyle’s face was momentarily invisible, and in the next instant, I squinted at the brightness.
The sunlight glittered off his silver hair.
His eyes, peeking through his long bangs. . .were a transparent blue.
ㅤ
“. . .So that’s why you changed the color.”
ㅤ
“Don’t ask why.”
ㅤ
Silver hair and blue eyes. . .the colors of the royal family, like myself and my grandfather.
Originally, the Margrave from the other country, Chernia, didn’t have that color.
The Margrave’s people all have black hair and eyes, so there was no way Kyle’s color would appear.
That alone made me understand how Kyle had been seen.
ㅤ
“I learned why my color was this way from the king after I came to the palace.
The previous Margrave was a woman, the only daughter of the Margrave.”
ㅤ
The previous Margrave, Kyle’s grandmother, was it?
That era was a time of turmoil and frequent wars for every country.
Tyrnia was invaded by other countries, and the royal family of Chernia underestimated the young female ruler who had just taken over as Margrave.
They demanded that all of Margrave’s knights be handed over to the royal family.
ㅤ
The Margrave, who was told to abandon their defenses and protect the capital city, was hesitant, and as a result, sought refuge in our country, the Kingdom of Eugenis.
Tyrnia, engaged in war with other countries, had no luxury to wage war against the Eugenis Kingdom, so the
Margrave’s territory ended up serving the Kingdom of Eugenis.
ㅤ
I knew this much from studying history.
But the Margrave had not engaged in any marriage to incorporate the royal blood.
ㅤ
“The representative of Eugenis who came to Margrave was the king’s younger brother.
A man who was the king’s uncle.
As negotiations for the territory to become part of the Kingdom of Eugenis progressed through multiple discussions,
The Margrave and the king’s younger brother became romantically involved.
The Margrave was nineteen, and the king’s brother was twenty-three.
Neither had fiancées, so there was no problem in marrying.
But the timing was bad.
As soon as the Margrave became part of Eugenis, the war with Kokodia began.
The king’s younger brother had to take command.
They had promised to marry once the war was over, but the king’s younger brother died in battle.
At that time, my father was already in Margrave’s belly.”
ㅤ
“The current Margrave is the king’s brother’s child?
He’s my grandfather’s cousin?”
ㅤ
“It seems so. But because the king’s brother died in battle,
The Margrave married the captain of the Margrave’s knights, who was of a branch family.
Just as the Margrave territory became part of the Kingdom of Eugenis, a war with Kokodia broke out,
It seems there were also many who harbored dissatisfaction towards the female Margrave.
Because of that, the fact that they were romantically involved without being engaged was not known.
To avoid bearing a child out of wedlock, she married the captain, who knew the situation.
That’s why this fact wasn’t made public, and even the current Margrave doesn’t know that he’s of royal lineage.”
ㅤ
That must have been. . .considering what would happen if Kokodia won.
If the king’s brother died, the war situation must have been bad.
If it had been known that the female Margrave’s child was royalty, there would have been a high chance of execution.
The war with Kokodia lasted about ten years.
By the time it ended, they might have thought there was no need to make it public.
ㅤ
“My father and older brothers all had black hair and black eyes.
If I hadn’t been born. . .it might have ended without anyone knowing.”
ㅤ
“But, Kyle was born with the royal color.”
ㅤ
“It seems that my father thought my mother had been unfaithful.
Who among the three princes he thought it was with, I don’t know,
But he accused my mother of infidelity despite her pleas of innocence.
By the time I was born, my grandparents had passed away, and there was no one who knew the truth.
My mother was blamed for being unfaithful, and neither my father nor her family believed her.
She couldn’t eat, and in the end, I heard she went mad and died.”
ㅤ
“. . .Kyle.”
ㅤ
Kyle, who explained with an expressionless face, looked painful.
Kyle, who said there was no place for him in Margrave’s territory.
Neither Kyle’s mother nor Kyle were at fault for anything.
ㅤ
“I couldn’t. . .I couldn’t accept my own color.
I always thought I was a tainted child. . .that I shouldn’t be alive.
When I heard the truth from His Majesty. . .I wondered what all my past suffering was for.
Even so. . .I was afraid to make this fact public, so I hid my color.”
ㅤ
“. . .Even if it’s so hard for Kyle,
You like your father, don’t you?”
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