I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Luiden recalled what happened last night. After stopping by Charter’s tent and stepping back in surprise, he was walking through the camp alone, distraught for some reason. He walked absent-mindedly and then found that person.

Older Brother. The crown prince was wandering around the camp alone for some reason. Their eyes met. Embarrassingly, the crown prince averted his gaze and tried to pass by him.

“Older Brother, wait a minute.”

The crown prince stopped at the call of Luiden.

“May I ask for a conversation? Brother Mozar…”

For the first time, the crown prince turned to Luiden, who called his name. Seeing his pathetically drooping eyebrows, Luiden became troubled again.

When the crown prince and second prince appeared together, some sensible soldiers gave up their seats and disappeared. Mozar and Luiden sat side by side in front of the bonfire and were silent for a while. After the long silence, Luiden opened his mouth first.

“Emily… Why did you do that to Emily?”

At Luiden’s question, Mozar turned his head to look at him. Facing Mozar’s eyes, Luiden couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“Emily? Who is that?”

Sigh. Luiden sighed. Could it be that he can’t even remember that name? The pet that I regard as my life. And the name of my poor and precious mother.

In fact, Mozar didn’t know the name of Queen Emily, Luiden’s biological mother. Nor did the empress and Duke Krow ever call her by that name. It was because they always referred to her as ‘that bitch’ or ‘she’ when they talked about her. However, there was no way Luiden knew about this.

“My pet, Emily.”

Luiden didn’t mention the fact that it was also his mother’s name. Because he felt miserable without knowing why.

Mozar tilted his head and said as if he remembered, “Ah. That animal from the hunting competition.”

Luiden gritted his teeth with the feeling that a large ball of fire was about to burst out from his mouth.

“Why… Why did you release Emily to the hunting ground?”

Why… Did you hate me that much? I didn’t think you would have fallen that far.

At Luiden’s suppressed voice, Mozar turned his gaze to the bonfire and said, “Just… I thought that doing so would make you suffer… I didn’t know that ‘Emily’ is your pet, but they said it would get you in trouble. That’s why I did it.”

At the words of Mozar, Luiden felt strange again. The subtle feeling that he had felt before touched him without fail.

“Are you saying you didn’t plan it by yourself?”

Mozar picked up a branch at his feet and tossed it into the bonfire. “Those women did it. Really, they won’t leave me alone for a moment. They torment me day and night if I don’t do what they want me to do.”

“Those women?”

Luiden was dazed, as if he had been hit in the head. The beings Mozar would call those women were the five women known as his concubines. It was an open secret in the empire that the crown prince fell for promiscuity and ended up taking five concubines. In fact, it couldn’t even be called a secret. It was a fact that even a five-year-old kid on the street knew.

“How dare the concubines harass the crown prince of the empire?”

He gave an answer to Luiden’s question. “I don’t know. One day, they suddenly entered my bedroom and tried to tie me up to teach me.”

Luiden felt like he had been hit hard in the head once again. He was saying now that his concubines were acting against his will.

“Those women, are you saying you didn’t take them to become your concubines?”

“That’s right. I’ve never had a concubine, nor have I ever wanted to.”

“If so, why?”

Without answering, Mozar merely scribbled the ground with a branch.

Luiden’s head cooled down. Only one person dared to let women enter the crown prince’s bed and make them wield the crown prince.

“Duke Krow.”

Luiden gritted his teeth. Mozar’s hand stopped at Luiden’s words.

Brother… How have you been living this whole time? From what Luiden had seen over the last few days they’d been together, Mozar wasn’t the normal heir to the throne. On the contrary, he was inferior even to the second sons of ordinary noble families. Is it because he’s stupid?

Although he may look fierce, the remarks he uttered from time to time unexpectedly reveal traces of his deep thought. When discussing matters and countermeasures for the war with Arianne, he tried to listen and learn with his eyes glistening. He even asked what he didn’t understand. Considering that it wasn’t so easy to admit his ignorance and ask for learning, Luiden couldn’t help but feel that Mozar didn’t know because he couldn’t learn.

The crown prince of the most powerful empire on the continent couldn’t learn? Nonsense! Is it true such a foolish person was raised as the next emperor? Why did the emperor… no, Father, let him grow up like this? And what was the cold and arrogant expression he had been showing all this time? Did he do that because those women told him to do so?

The truth Luiden encountered suddenly made him confused. Could it be that everything he believed in was actually full of misunderstandings and lies? The fact that the person he had believed to be his enemy was actually nothing more than a scarecrow gave him a sense of emptiness. His heart sank when he looked down at Mozar, who was just staring at the ground.

“Older Brother…”

At the call of Luiden, Mozar turned his head and faced his eyes. Unlike in the past, his eyes were sorrowful, perhaps even slightly sad, which made him not feel the slightest bit of hatred or contempt, completely erasing the 20-year-old sediment.

Luiden lost his hostility to him. Desperate, he lifted his head and looked at the night sky. “There are so many stars today.”

Mozar also looked up at the sky after him. Countless stars were shining over them, sitting side by side.

“Your Highness.”

Luiden’s flashback ended with Charter’s voice calling him again.

“Ah, I’m sorry. It thought of something else for a moment.”

Charter indifferently took his gaze away from him. “First of all, we don’t know when Duke Krow’s men will move, so we’ll have to keep an eye on them. Let’s alert each of our knights. I will instruct the soldiers to report any unusual movements as well.”

“Yes. If they knew we’re watching, they wouldn’t be able to act recklessly.”

Luiden nodded to Marquis Hood’s words. “I will move more stealthily.”

Marquis Hood’s face hardened. The upright Marquis Hood, who values honor, never favored such a backhanded operation.

Luiden glanced silently at Mozar, who was listening. Now he was invited to attend this conversation, thinking that he should also know the true nature of Duke Krow. Seeing him listen quietly with his eyes down, Luiden thought that maybe he already knew.

* * *

At that time, there was a commotion in the mansion of Duke Krow.

“What the hell are you doing right! How many times do you mess things up? Even if your head is cut off right now, you won’t have anything to say!”

Duke Krow shouted, throwing all sorts of things at the man who knelt before him. The man was bleeding from his head and silently accepting his anger away.

“Yes. Talk about why you failed again this time. Neither you nor your family will see the sun tomorrow unless you give a good reason.”

Only then did the man speak at the words of Duke Krow.

“We were almost successful, but that woman appeared.”

Duke Krow frowned and asked. “That woman?”

The man answered. “Baroness Devit appeared and shot… killed all of our people.”

“Hu.”

Duke Krow let out a whimpering sound as if he was dumbfounded.

“Are you calling that excuse now?” Duke Krow asked, glaring at the man. The man still answered.

“I don’t make excuses. Obviously, as soon as the woman appeared, things went wrong instantly.”

“What the hell!! Where does that woman come from and get on my nerves with everything!”

The angry Duke Krow gnashed his teeth as he repeated Arianne’s name. Baroness Arianne Devit. No, Arianne Bornes… Bornes? He remembered Count Bornes’s rough promise to him in the past, taking a bribe from him.

“Surely, he said he would send his daughter to become the Crown Prince’s concubine?”

How did such a woman suddenly become Duke Kaien’s fiancée and even get married?

A man like Count Bornes was good to use but too bad to be close to, so he had only received what he deserved and chased him away, long forgotten the promise.

“Huh. I must have made a big mistake.”

Duke Krow recalled the image of Arianne, who was armed. She didn’t feel intimidated at all and was confident even in the noble meeting room where only her enemies were present. She would have been a useful tool to him if he had been on his side early. He licked his lips in regret.

“The Duke and Duchess Kaien are truly coveted talents. It’s a shame, but if they don’t cooperate, I’ll have to get rid of them.”

Sitting at his desk, he scribbled something on a piece of paper and said to the man on his knees. “Send it using the pigeon. No matter what, we have to make a big deal of it.”

The man, who had received a note from Duke Krow, bowed his head and left the study.

“If you make troublesome things that should have been easy, your losses will increase…”

However, for his purpose, he had to accept his loss. His goal was achieved anyway, so losing wouldn’t be a problem.

Looking out the window, Duke Krow found his young son playing in the garden. A very precious son.  

“The next emperor…”