𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝟕: 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 “𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥”
“Your Majesty. Apologies for the wait.”
“Come near. . . . . .Lewis. My son.”
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In the dimly lit royal chamber during the morning, Lewis had arrived carrying scented oil.
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“What is that?”
“It’s supposed to have a pleasant scent that eases the mood. It was mixed by the apothecary.”
“Scented oil, good. . . . . .come here. Lend me your hand.”
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How long had it been since his father had asked him to come close?
Feeling a faint joy, Lewis leans over from the bedside and clasps his father’s hand. Seeing his father’s hand, which had become earthy and weak after bed confinement, Lewis’s heart aches.
While squeezing back Lewis’s hand, his father murmured, as if biting on his words.
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“You’re 21 this year. . . . . .three years have passed since you came of age.”
“Your Majesty. . . . . .”
“What have you been doing all this time?”
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The king mutters with a raspy voice. With a strength that didn’t match his bony hand, the king squeezed Lewis’s hand. Lewis felt as if he was being shoved down.
The king propped himself up halfway. Then, bringing his face close to his son’s, he said with bloodshot eyes.
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“The second prince will be returning soon. Before the second prince meets the daughter of Horsewood, get her under your thumb.”
“Under. . . . . .my thumb, you say?”
“As far as I’m concerned, I cannot allow the second prince to be matched with a girl who was born to a concubine and is not sure whose child she will bear, let alone a fool who tries to play the part of a matchmaker. That woman should be taken care of by you.”
“But. . . . . .”
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Lewis was taken aback.
Putting aside the fact that she was a daughter of a concubine, [a girl who isn’t sure whose child she will bear]? [Playing the role of a matchmaker from Asenf]? Lewis was bewildered by words he didn’t understand. Seeing this, his father looked at him with a scornful gaze.
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“Well, it’s fine. There is a way you can manage it somehow.”
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Without making a sound, the personal doctor came in and held out a tray to Lewis. On it was a small glass bottle that could fit in the palm of one’s hand.
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“What is this. . . . . .”
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Into Lewis’s ear, the doctor whispered softly.
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“It’s an aphrodisiac. Lock yourselves in a private room, drink this together, and it should be easy.”
“But. . . . . .”
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Lewis was at a loss for words and dropped the medicine. The well-capped bottle didn’t spill and rolled around at his feet before stopping. His father declared.
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“I command you as king. Force Lulumia into marriage. Do you understand what I mean?”
“. . . . . .To cross the line with Lulumia and hasten the marriage, is that it?”
“That’s not all. Get her pregnant.”
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In disbelief, Lewis looked at his father’s face. His robust and strong father had now become earthy, with sunken eyes. His white hair seemed to have increased. With every breath, there was a wheezing sound from the back of his throat.
Lewis held his breath, confused. So he pleaded to his father with his own words that he wouldn’t usually say.
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“But doing such a thing would not be accepted by the House of Lords or the church. Not to mention the leading saint. . . . . .getting married is unprecedented. Would God allow it?”
“God is a tool for rulers. Nothing more, nothing less.”
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With bloodshot eyes, the king shot a piercing gaze at Lewis.
With an unimaginable strength for someone sick, he grabbed Lewis’s shoulder and squeezed it as if to crush it.
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“Ah. . . . . .!”
“Show me your manhood, Lewis.”
“Your Majesty. . . . . .that. . . . . .and this. . . . . .are. . . . . .”
“Make the Horsewood’s little girl fall for you. Your mother’s face is your only value. In any case, the one who will receive the blame for the affair will either be you and that girl, or just the girl. Isn’t she rumored to be promiscuous? If you play your cards right, all the responsibility can be placed on the Horsewood’s little girl. It’s okay to even extort her for the affair. I thought it would be good to leave her as your fiancée. . . . . .heh. . . . . .Anyway, make sure Keizen and that girl don’t get close.”
“But. . . . . .I. . . . . .”
“Don’t whine. Even if there is no child, that’s fine. Just impregnate her with a legitimate child after the wedding ceremony is over.”
“. . . . . . “
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Lewis didn’t hear anything that his father said afterwards.
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[You can pretend you don’t have any children]
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To his father, he, who was delicate like his mother and weak-spirited, was nothing more than a provisional crown prince.
All the expectations, love, and glory of being a king’s son belonged to the second prince.
He was nothing more than a front, and the Lulumia that was assigned to him, the children that would eventually be born, would probably be the same as him.
Children that are treated as if they don’t exist. Proper children.
He saw himself in his own child, who was left cold by the side of a newborn crying out in applause and blessings.
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“U. . . . . .”
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As soon as Lewis returned to his room, he burst into tears.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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Lewis woke up exhausted and bathed in the morning sun.
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“Let’s pray to God.”
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The only thing left for Lewis to cling to was God.
At the foot of a small hill next to the royal palace is the main temple of the church. The cathedral of the Land God Kai is at the top of the hill, and the dormitory for the saint with special abilities gathered from all over the country is also built nearby.
When he prayed in the cathedral, he felt like he could become empty-minded.
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(His Majesty—my father, has been saying more terrible things since he fell ill. I understand that he must do something during his reign. . . . . .God, what should I do?)
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Pray to God. God does not respond.
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(What will happen to this country as it is. . . . . .I. . . . . .Must I continue to be a puppet. . . . . .)
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Here, disrespectful people blaspheme that “God is no longer here.” In the face of recent turmoil, it is only natural that such rumors would arise. It is hard to believe that a country that killed the saint, the wife of God, would be forgiven. While praying, Lewis deepened his despair. He was shattered by the futility of his humble bowing.
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After finishing his empty worship and going outside, Lewis noticed people gathering at a building near the cathedral. Young women dressed in matching black clothes—it was the saints.
The saints were packing baked bread and seemed to be handing it to the priests. Despite the recent dark atmosphere, the saints were working lively.
Capturing a priest who caught his eye, Lewis asked, “What are they doing?”
The elderly priest lit up with a bright face.
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“Since it’s become difficult to do comfort activities as before, instead we’re delivering bread that the saints and priests baked to various facilities. The bread contains herbs grown in the dormitory by the saints, so it’s reputed to be nutritious.”
“I see. . . . . .”
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Although not in so many words, it must be an activity that inherited Charlene’s intentions. He was touched by their hearts that would not cease service activities despite the exhaustion caused by the upper echelon’s turmoil.
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“. . . . . .God is here, after all.”
“Your Highness. . . . . .?”
“Rumors may say that God has disappeared. . . . . .But He didn’t disappear. He certainly lives in your hearts.”
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The priest must have felt something pressing against his chest in response to the words of the crown prince.
The priest’s eyes reddened quickly, and he wiped the corners of his eyes with regret. Lewis whispered to him secretly.
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“I also have a territory granted by my father. I’ll send help from there. . . . . .If you have any troubles, you can use my territory as a refuge. I’ll take care of you as much as I can. Don’t tell this to the upper echelon, they’ll grab everything.”
“. . . . . .Huh! We appreciate your kind words.”
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The crown prince returned a smile to the bowing priest and left.
He came to the church to offer prayers with a clear mind, and the prince certainly felt the presence of God there. And then.
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“. . . . . .Charlene. . . . . .”
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He felt a tightening in his chest at the traces that Charlene certainly left behind.
She was a false holy woman, fabricated with lies, but her work as a holy woman was not false. She properly carried out the job she was supposed to do.
Even just hearing the reports, she served the country tirelessly, flying around the country without rest. Many say her reforms bore fruit. It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t all due to the special wisdom of someone born in another world.
What he can do now while he is alive is to protect the results she left behind as much as possible.
That is—a role that can be performed precisely because he is the crown prince.
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Lewis stopped the departing priest.
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“I’m sorry for bothering you again when you’re busy. . . . . .There’s something I want to ask about the Saint.”
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The priest’s face, which had been calm until then, quickly darkened at Lewis’s words.
Holding his arm so as not to let him escape, Lewis peered into the priest’s face and appealed in a low voice.
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“. . . . . .Please. Tell me. What kind of Saint is my fiancée, Lulumia Horsewood?”
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Realizing he couldn’t escape, the priest shook his head and looked at Lewis with a clear face. His eyes were those of a person who had made up his mind for his judgment.
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“Understood. Probably, I’m the only one who can tell you. . . . . .Out of loyalty to the Crown Prince, I will tell you the truth.”
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He followed him. With each step forward, he felt as if the strings attached to his arms and legs, like a puppet, were breaking one by one.
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(. . . . . .I’m not a puppet. I will think and act for myself. . . . . .Charlene)
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