In the luxurious and historically rich King’s bed-chamber, the flickering firelight from the fireplace cast shadows on the faces of the two brothers, making their expressions alternately clear and obscure.
“An answer?”
Hearing the response from his brother, Glus was stunned.
“Yes, an answer.”
Ilya leaned back in the sofa, holding a wine glass, staring blankly at the amber liquid within.
“When we were very young, I realized that Father favored you more.”
“No matter how hard I tried, how well I performed, I could never earn a single word of praise from Father with a smile. But you, even when you made mistakes, Father would just pat your head and say it was okay.”
“Brother, I…”
Glus opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Ilya’s raised hand.
Ilya continued.
“I used to think I wasn’t good enough. I believed that if I were excellent enough, excellent enough to help Father, I would receive the praise I craved.”
“So, I spent my nights studying the kingdom’s history, learning etiquette and languages, sacrificing my sleep. I endured physical pain to train in swordsmanship and build my strength with the guards.”
“Finally, at the age of 15, with my excellent oratory skills, I secured a trade deal with the Kingdom of Rubeiro, bringing immense wealth to the Prince royal family.”
Ilya’s gaze shifted from the ceiling mural to Glus’s face.
“During that time, I saw the radiant smiles on the faces of the royal family. I was praised by everyone, called the Star of the Prince Kingdom by the nobles.”
“Full of pride, I entered this bedchamber to see Father, expecting a word of praise. But to my surprise, I was greeted with a loud slap.”
Ilya’s face showed a mix of amusement and bitterness as he downed the wine in his glass and poured himself another half cup.
Glus’s face filled with deep regret. “Brother, I’m sorry. Father…”
“Father scolded me as a scheming bastard, saying that all I did was to win the support of the people and the nobles, to usurp you, the rightful heir to the throne.”
“He said my schemes would never succeed because the throne of the Prince Kingdom would never go to a bastard born to a lowly maid.”
Ilya laughed softly. “It’s funny. I never intended to take the throne from you. All I wanted was a word of praise from Father, a smile, a look of approval.”
“Even when my mother, who bore the noble first prince, died still working as a maid, I continued to seek Father’s approval.”
“Even on Father’s deathbed, when he said he would pass the throne to you, I felt no anger.”
Ilya stood up, hands behind his back, and walked to the large window, overlooking the entire Prince Kingdom. In the distance, he saw columns of smoke rising.
“I ignored the guards’ protests, rushed to his bedside, and poured out all my efforts and struggles over the years, humbly begging for a word of recognition.”
“Father said nothing, but I saw the answer in his eyes.”
Ilya turned around, hands still behind his back. “His answer was bloodline.”
He spread his arms wide. “To Father, the most important thing in this world is the royal bloodline. Only those with the pure royal bloodline can inherit the throne. It’s not about how much you resemble him.”
“It’s simply because your mother was the acknowledged queen, while my mother was a lowly maid.”
“But what he didn’t know was that even five, ten years ago, I could have easily overthrown his so-called bloodline rule and taken control of this country!”
“But I didn’t do it. I wanted to know what truly guides this world.”
“Is it the hereditary succession Father adhered to?”
“Is it the wisdom to persuade others easily?”
“Is it the power to suppress all dissent?”
“Or is it the fate that is destined from birth?”
“Glus!”
Ilya’s typically gentle face now bore an inscrutable smile as he strode towards his brother, kneeling and embracing him.
“Very soon, I will find the answer I seek. Let’s witness it together.”
Crack!
A black whip suddenly lashed towards Ilya’s face.
Ilya’s smile grew. “Justice will always triumph over evil. Haha, the Marines, representing ‘fate,’ have arrived.”
With a roll, he sprang away from Glus, planting a hand on the floor, and leaped to the window ledge.
Peacock appeared beside Glus, watching Ilya warily as she retrieved a key from a black leather pouch tied to her leg.
“How do you have the key to the cuffs?” Glus asked in surprise.
“Except for special Sea-Prism Stone cuffs, most use the same key,” Peacock explained quickly, unlocking Glus’s cuffs while Ilya remained motionless.
Sea-Prism Stone is a special material in this world, like seawater, it suppresses Devil Fruit users, rendering them powerless when in contact with it. The higher the purity of the Sea-Prism Stone, the stronger the suppression.
Due to its importance, Sea-Prism Stone is considered a critical strategic resource worldwide. But its hardness, comparable to diamonds, makes it difficult to work with. Hence, most Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs on the market are of low purity and use standard keys.
With the cuffs removed, Glus sighed in relief and quickly warned, “Be careful. There are some mysterious and powerful individuals hidden in this hall, my brother’s allies.”
After warning Peacock, he anxiously looked towards Ilya, who had already vanished from the windowsill without a sound, unnoticed even by Peacock.
This realization sent a shiver through Peacock.
“It seems this Prince Ilya is no weakling either. Never mind, our mission target is rescued. We just need to get him out of the city and contact the branch for reinforcements to deal with the pirates.”
Just as she thought this, the entire hall began to tremble.
Boom!
The fireplace exploded, and a sticky white substance shot out like a chameleon’s tongue, aiming for Peacock and Glus.
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