“Grandfather!”
“Your Majesty!”
I stared at the crumbling building in disbelief.
The Emperor had not escaped. Brantley was still inside.
Professor Munich, Maxim, and the guards rushed to our side. They had been waiting outside, but the building collapsed so quickly that they were unable to react.
“Father…”, Dad muttered as he stared at the collapsed building in a daze.
He suddenly stood up and ran towards the building.
Maxim, seeing my dad in an unusual state, blocked his way.
“Step aside! His Majesty is still inside!”
“We will rescue him, Your Highness. You are not stable right now.”
“Can’t you hear me telling you to move away?”
Just then, the debris near the exit stirred, and a small hand suddenly popped out. Even just by seeing the hand, I knew who it was.
“Brantley!”
I scrambled to my feet and grunted as I cleared the rocks away. Others came running to help me.
Soon Brantley emerged, covered in dust, miraculously supporting the Emperor.
“Your Majesty!”
The Emperor, covered in dust and barely able to open his eyes, said, “Is my son… Hart safe?”
“Father!”
Dad pulled the Emperor into a crushing hug. The Emperor leaned heavily against Dad, looking exhausted and relieved.
I also embraced Brantley, who was in a mess. Brantley who was surprised, pushed me away.
“I’m covered in dust. You’ll get all dusty.”
“Is that the problem right now? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Just a few scratches. Luckily, there was an opening under the collapsed building. So I crawled out with His Majesty to the exit.”
“T-Thank goodness…”
I bit my lip to keep from crying.
Seeing my distorted face, even Brantley, who had been so calm, seemed to break down.
That’s when Dad suddenly became loud and angry.
“Your Majesty, have you lost your mind! Why did you do something so dangerous?”
The Emperor, who was wiping his face with a towel brought by a guard, looked dumbfounded.
“I saved your life. Why are you so angry at me? Both you and my granddaughter were about to die. As the person who lived the longest, I should make the sacrifice.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you want me to live with guilt for the rest of my life? You could have just thrown me away like you did when I was a hostage!”
The Emperor’s face turned cold at those words.
“To me, as the Emperor, the people come first. That’s why I couldn’t save you back then, but this time, you and Hanelope were the only ones I had to save.”
“So you gave up your own life to save ours?”
“Of course. What father would choose to let his child die? I would do the same if this were to happen again. I would save you and let myself die.”
The Emperor spoke firmly.
Dad sighed in disbelief, “Truly, Father, you always do as you please. You don’t care about my feelings at all…”
“I don’t think I did anything wrong. Didn’t end up living to hear that nasty nagging from you again?”
The Emperor looked at the dad with a proud look on his face.
Then he suddenly hugged him and said, “I’m glad you’re alive, my son.”
“Father…”
The Emperor patted Hart affectionately. Dad relaxed and buried his face in the Emperor’s shoulder.
I clasped my hands together and looked at Dad, the Emperor, and Grandfather with teary eyes.
‘Dad, Grandfather..’.
They loved each other so much. Why express it now like fools!
I felt like crying with joy. But I was too embarrassed to cry, so I just bit my lip. Everyone else was just as moved as I was. Especially Professor Munich.
“T-Thank goodness both of you are safe, and to see such a family bond! H-huuu!”
He broke down in tears. People kept staring at his unusual appearance.
Even Dad and Grandfather looked at him blankly.
“Sob… How sad I was when the two of you were estranged. Thanks to Princess Hanelope’s efforts, you two are finally reconciled. I’m so happy it turned out like this again, hiikk!”
I held out my handkerchief to Professor Munich with a pensive heart. He took it, wiped his tears, and blew his runny nose.
‘My handkerchief died that day….’
Even so, since Dad and Grandfather had confirmed each other’s feelings, sacrificing a handkerchief or even a hundred of them was worth it.
As I was thinking about it, I spotted a boy rubbing his reddened eyes among the guards.
It was the young knight I was looking for.
I rushed over and grabbed him by the wrist.
“Come here and help me!”, I said.
“What?”
“To tell grandfather the story of the illegal auction house.”
At my words, the boy nodded in understanding and stepped forward. Grandfather looked puzzled seeing the young knight I suddenly brought.
“Why did you bring him here?”
“Is everything going well in the knight order?”, Dad said, seemingly recognizing the boy.
The boy, greeting Grandfather and Dad respectfully, replied with a pleased expression, “Yes, sir. Thanks to your help, I’m in a good place.”
“It’s because of your outstanding abilities. Not everyone can enter the palace guards.”
“No, if Prince Hart hadn’t rescued me from the illegal auction, and if he hadn’t raided the auction with the Capital Guard, I might have died by now. I owe my life entirely to Prince Hart and Princess,” the boy said.
Grandfather looked back and forth with a shocked expression.
“What are you talking about? This boy is the youngest person ever to be admitted to the Order of the Guard through a knightly contest. But from a slave auction?”
The boy answered the Emperor’s question.
“I was destined to be sold as a slave in an illegal auction house in Tarov, but His Highness Prince Hart, who had infiltrated the place, saved me. Together with the Capital Guard, they cleared out the auction house.”
“What?”
The Emperor looked at dad, “Why didn’t you tell me about what happened?”
“His Majesty wouldn’t listen.”
“…….”
Dad said with a straight face.
Grandfather shut his mouth in shame.
Maxim, who had been listening, spoke up, “Actually, His Highness was out with the Capital Guard raiding an illegal auction house. We kept it all a secret because if word got out, they would hide even more cunningly.”
“So the rumours about Hart buying slaves at the illegal auction house and bribing the captain of the guard are were..”
“It’s all untrue. His Highness only pretended to buy to rescue the slaves. The captain of the guard only went with you to raid the illegal auction house, and also…”
Maxim paused and looked at me.
‘Relax and say what I taught you!’
When I nodded, Maxim discarded any trace of conscience and spoke boldly, “All the bad rumors that spread about Prince Hart during that time were misunderstandings caused by His Highness’s secret operations.”
Dad was taken aback by Maxim’s brazen lie.
“His Majesty, I…”
As Dad tried to become unnecessarily truthful, I tightly held his fingers. When he looked at me, I pressed my lips together and shook my head. Dad was stunned, but he didn’t say another word.
‘I know you didn’t do any secret operation, but you were framed anyway!’
God! Please forgive me for being a ‘slightly’ bad child!
This was my plan to save Dad’s honour, which was in shambles because of Asta. Luckily, Maxim was shamelessly carrying out the plan. I secretly gave Maxim a thumbs-up. Maxim also gave me a thumbs up with a proud look on his face.
My dad had a look of utter disbelief on his face. And the young knight pretended he hadn’t seen anything.
“Since my rescue, I’ve been under the care of His Highness Prince Hart and Princess Hanelope. With their help, I was able to compete in the Knight’s Tournament.”
Grandfather closed his eyes tightly and sighed deeply. For the first time in a while, he spoke softly, “Hart, I’ve always known you had a strong sense of justice, that’s why I thought it was strange that you changed a few years ago. But to secretly conduct an infiltration operation… I never thought of that. If I had given me a hint, I would have helped you.”
“His Majesty didn’t even want to see me then.”
“That’s because… you were uncomfortable and hated me!”
The old man raised his voice.
“I avoided you as I couldn’t face you. Because I was a pitiful father who abandoned his son when he became a hostage! I’m a coward. That’s why-”
He dropped his head, staring into his father’s face.
“That’s why- I’m sorry.”
“!”
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, and I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Hart.”
The voice of the Emperor who commanded the continent was deeply regretful. His face was etched with deep regret and the weight of an Emperor that he couldn’t put down.
Dad took Grandfather’s hand affectionately.
When Grandfather looked up in surprise, Dad relaxed and said, “Thank you for saying that, Father.”
“…….”
“I’m all right now.”
“Hart.”
The two hugged each other deeply once more.
My wet eyes couldn’t bear it any longer, and tears of emotion flowed down. Of course, my tears were once again buried in Professor Munich’s loud crying. But even that sound of wailing felt so good to me now.
“I’m so glad. They are no more…”
I mumbled, and suddenly, I staggered.
“Hanelope, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
Though Brantley held me and prevented me from falling, I couldn’t stand on my own anymore. Suddenly, all strength left my body, and I felt dizzy.
“Hanelope? Your lips…”
Dad, who was looking at me with concern, turned pale. Grandfather also looked at me with worry.
I wanted to say I was fine, but I wasn’t.
“Brantley, I feel dizzy…”
I lost consciousness.
“Grandfather!”
“Your Majesty!”
I stared at the crumbling building in disbelief.
The Emperor had not escaped. Brantley was still inside.
Professor Munich, Maxim, and the guards rushed to our side. They had been waiting outside, but the building collapsed so quickly that they were unable to react.
“Father…”, Dad muttered as he stared at the collapsed building in a daze.
He suddenly stood up and ran towards the building.
Maxim, seeing my dad in an unusual state, blocked his way.
“Step aside! His Majesty is still inside!”
“We will rescue him, Your Highness. You are not stable right now.”
“Can’t you hear me telling you to move away?”
Just then, the debris near the exit stirred, and a small hand suddenly popped out. Even just by seeing the hand, I knew who it was.
“Brantley!”
I scrambled to my feet and grunted as I cleared the rocks away. Others came running to help me.
Soon Brantley emerged, covered in dust, miraculously supporting the Emperor.
“Your Majesty!”
The Emperor, covered in dust and barely able to open his eyes, said, “Is my son… Hart safe?”
“Father!”
Dad pulled the Emperor into a crushing hug. The Emperor leaned heavily against Dad, looking exhausted and relieved.
I also embraced Brantley, who was in a mess. Brantley who was surprised, pushed me away.
“I’m covered in dust. You’ll get all dusty.”
“Is that the problem right now? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Just a few scratches. Luckily, there was an opening under the collapsed building. So I crawled out with His Majesty to the exit.”
“T-Thank goodness…”
I bit my lip to keep from crying.
Seeing my distorted face, even Brantley, who had been so calm, seemed to break down.
That’s when Dad suddenly became loud and angry.
“Your Majesty, have you lost your mind! Why did you do something so dangerous?”
The Emperor, who was wiping his face with a towel brought by a guard, looked dumbfounded.
“I saved your life. Why are you so angry at me? Both you and my granddaughter were about to die. As the person who lived the longest, I should make the sacrifice.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you want me to live with guilt for the rest of my life? You could have just thrown me away like you did when I was a hostage!”
The Emperor’s face turned cold at those words.
“To me, as the Emperor, the people come first. That’s why I couldn’t save you back then, but this time, you and Hanelope were the only ones I had to save.”
“So you gave up your own life to save ours?”
“Of course. What father would choose to let his child die? I would do the same if this were to happen again. I would save you and let myself die.”
The Emperor spoke firmly.
Dad sighed in disbelief, “Truly, Father, you always do as you please. You don’t care about my feelings at all…”
“I don’t think I did anything wrong. Didn’t end up living to hear that nasty nagging from you again?”
The Emperor looked at the dad with a proud look on his face.
Then he suddenly hugged him and said, “I’m glad you’re alive, my son.”
“Father…”
The Emperor patted Hart affectionately. Dad relaxed and buried his face in the Emperor’s shoulder.
I clasped my hands together and looked at Dad, the Emperor, and Grandfather with teary eyes.
‘Dad, Grandfather..’.
They loved each other so much. Why express it now like fools!
I felt like crying with joy. But I was too embarrassed to cry, so I just bit my lip. Everyone else was just as moved as I was. Especially Professor Munich.
“T-Thank goodness both of you are safe, and to see such a family bond! H-huuu!”
He broke down in tears. People kept staring at his unusual appearance.
Even Dad and Grandfather looked at him blankly.
“Sob… How sad I was when the two of you were estranged. Thanks to Princess Hanelope’s efforts, you two are finally reconciled. I’m so happy it turned out like this again, hiikk!”
I held out my handkerchief to Professor Munich with a pensive heart. He took it, wiped his tears, and blew his runny nose.
‘My handkerchief died that day….’
Even so, since Dad and Grandfather had confirmed each other’s feelings, sacrificing a handkerchief or even a hundred of them was worth it.
As I was thinking about it, I spotted a boy rubbing his reddened eyes among the guards.
It was the young knight I was looking for.
I rushed over and grabbed him by the wrist.
“Come here and help me!”, I said.
“What?”
“To tell grandfather the story of the illegal auction house.”
At my words, the boy nodded in understanding and stepped forward. Grandfather looked puzzled seeing the young knight I suddenly brought.
“Why did you bring him here?”
“Is everything going well in the knight order?”, Dad said, seemingly recognizing the boy.
The boy, greeting Grandfather and Dad respectfully, replied with a pleased expression, “Yes, sir. Thanks to your help, I’m in a good place.”
“It’s because of your outstanding abilities. Not everyone can enter the palace guards.”
“No, if Prince Hart hadn’t rescued me from the illegal auction, and if he hadn’t raided the auction with the Capital Guard, I might have died by now. I owe my life entirely to Prince Hart and Princess,” the boy said.
Grandfather looked back and forth with a shocked expression.
“What are you talking about? This boy is the youngest person ever to be admitted to the Order of the Guard through a knightly contest. But from a slave auction?”
The boy answered the Emperor’s question.
“I was destined to be sold as a slave in an illegal auction house in Tarov, but His Highness Prince Hart, who had infiltrated the place, saved me. Together with the Capital Guard, they cleared out the auction house.”
“What?”
The Emperor looked at dad, “Why didn’t you tell me about what happened?”
“His Majesty wouldn’t listen.”
“…….”
Dad said with a straight face.
Grandfather shut his mouth in shame.
Maxim, who had been listening, spoke up, “Actually, His Highness was out with the Capital Guard raiding an illegal auction house. We kept it all a secret because if word got out, they would hide even more cunningly.”
“So the rumours about Hart buying slaves at the illegal auction house and bribing the captain of the guard are were..”
“It’s all untrue. His Highness only pretended to buy to rescue the slaves. The captain of the guard only went with you to raid the illegal auction house, and also…”
Maxim paused and looked at me.
‘Relax and say what I taught you!’
When I nodded, Maxim discarded any trace of conscience and spoke boldly, “All the bad rumors that spread about Prince Hart during that time were misunderstandings caused by His Highness’s secret operations.”
Dad was taken aback by Maxim’s brazen lie.
“His Majesty, I…”
As Dad tried to become unnecessarily truthful, I tightly held his fingers. When he looked at me, I pressed my lips together and shook my head. Dad was stunned, but he didn’t say another word.
‘I know you didn’t do any secret operation, but you were framed anyway!’
God! Please forgive me for being a ‘slightly’ bad child!
This was my plan to save Dad’s honour, which was in shambles because of Asta. Luckily, Maxim was shamelessly carrying out the plan. I secretly gave Maxim a thumbs-up. Maxim also gave me a thumbs up with a proud look on his face.
My dad had a look of utter disbelief on his face. And the young knight pretended he hadn’t seen anything.
“Since my rescue, I’ve been under the care of His Highness Prince Hart and Princess Hanelope. With their help, I was able to compete in the Knight’s Tournament.”
Grandfather closed his eyes tightly and sighed deeply. For the first time in a while, he spoke softly, “Hart, I’ve always known you had a strong sense of justice, that’s why I thought it was strange that you changed a few years ago. But to secretly conduct an infiltration operation… I never thought of that. If I had given me a hint, I would have helped you.”
“His Majesty didn’t even want to see me then.”
“That’s because… you were uncomfortable and hated me!”
The old man raised his voice.
“I avoided you as I couldn’t face you. Because I was a pitiful father who abandoned his son when he became a hostage! I’m a coward. That’s why-”
He dropped his head, staring into his father’s face.
“That’s why- I’m sorry.”
“!”
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, and I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Hart.”
The voice of the Emperor who commanded the continent was deeply regretful. His face was etched with deep regret and the weight of an Emperor that he couldn’t put down.
Dad took Grandfather’s hand affectionately.
When Grandfather looked up in surprise, Dad relaxed and said, “Thank you for saying that, Father.”
“…….”
“I’m all right now.”
“Hart.”
The two hugged each other deeply once more.
My wet eyes couldn’t bear it any longer, and tears of emotion flowed down. Of course, my tears were once again buried in Professor Munich’s loud crying. But even that sound of wailing felt so good to me now.
“I’m so glad. They are no more…”
I mumbled, and suddenly, I staggered.
“Hanelope, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
Though Brantley held me and prevented me from falling, I couldn’t stand on my own anymore. Suddenly, all strength left my body, and I felt dizzy.
“Hanelope? Your lips…”
Dad, who was looking at me with concern, turned pale. Grandfather also looked at me with worry.
I wanted to say I was fine, but I wasn’t.
“Brantley, I feel dizzy…”
I lost consciousness.
