Chapter 39
39. The Heirs2022.01.13.
“How’s Mother?”
The Crown Prince brought up Empress Maria first.
“My aunt? She’s the same as always. She doesn’t show it, but she worries about Your Highness a great deal.”
The Crown Prince rubbed the bridge of his nose with an odd expression. Worry…… How was he supposed to explain this? Her worry was what worried Crown Prince Kyle, in a way.
“……Nothing much about Arthur?”
Rembrandt gave a wry smile and furrowed his brow.
“Yeah……. She’s not the type to say anything like that to me.”
A faint sense of relief washed over him. The Crown Prince chuckled dryly as he leaned back against the carriage seat.
“……It’s a dispatch to Julius Territory from the imperial family, after all. I was just wondering if she’d said anything about it.”
Rembrandt hesitated for a moment, wondering if it might be an uncomfortable topic for the Crown Prince, then asked something he hadn’t brought up yesterday.
“……Is it very difficult for you?”
“A little scary.”
The Crown Prince admitted it with a frank laugh.
“He’s my benefactor. My brother. I owe Arthur so much. But to Mother, he’s probably ‘a benefactor for now, but an enemy soon enough’…… So, yeah. It’s complicated.”
After a brief pause, the Crown Prince continued.
“Arthur seems to understand, too. He’s started keeping his distance from me.”
“…….”
Rembrandt’s lips curved up without a trace of humor.
“Are you upset?”
“What right do I have to be? I just feel sorry.”
The Crown Prince fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“I have a favor to ask. I hope Arthur doesn’t get hurt. Even if Mother doesn’t like this situation…….”
The Crown Prince chose his words carefully.
“He’s doing this for me, so I can’t do anything about Mother…….”
“…….”
“If ‘someone’ orders it and he can’t refuse…….”
The Crown Prince smiled awkwardly and wrapped it up simply.
“Tell me. I’ll do what I can.”
The only sound in the carriage was the rumble of wheels on the well-paved road.
“…….”
Rembrandt watched him quietly, then smiled calmly.
“……Sir Arthur has captured Your Highness’s heart.”
The Crown Prince let out a sighing laugh.
“What value does my heart have? It’s just karma because of me. I worry he’ll end up repaying kindness with enmity.”
The Crown Prince muttered hollowly.
“That guy deserves to be happy.”
Rembrandt gazed at him silently.
“……Your Highness will make a fine leader.”
The Crown Prince laughed.
“Already having flatterers around? Guess I’m doomed not to be a sage king.”
“I mean it.”
The Crown Prince laughed and turned the topic to him.
“How about you?”
“Pardon?”
“You still planning to inherit your house?”
Ah……. Rembrandt smiled.
“You remember that one comment from five years ago.”
“How could I forget? It was the same dilemma I was facing.”
I see. Rembrandt looked at the Crown Prince, pressing his fingertips together and apart a few times before bowing his head with a smile.
“……Yes. My thoughts haven’t changed. There’s no one else to take it on, anyway. I’m sorry.”
“What do you have to apologize to me for?”
“I figured you’d say something like, ‘I can’t escape even if I want to, so why don’t you when you could?’”
The Crown Prince let out a small laugh.
“Ah-ha. That’s some poetic reproach.”
“It doesn’t suit Your Highness.”
“Thanks for the high praise. But what am I to do? I’m relieved you’re not alone in this pit. It’s a relief you can’t escape either. You’re sticking with me to the end?”
Rembrandt burst out laughing.
“Hahaha. That suits Your Highness, too.”
The Crown Prince crossed his long legs, rested his head on his folded arms, and leaned back.
“Sigh. Neither of us is destined to be a Ryan Dalton.”
Rembrandt laughed.
“Ryan Dalton isn’t for just anyone.”
Then he changed his tone and tossed it out casually.
“But first, Your Highness, you need to get yourself a fiancée before saying that. You know we can’t even date, let alone marry, because of you?”
The Crown Prince groaned and clutched his forehead.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m really sorry.”
How was he supposed to atone for this karma? It wasn’t one or two people—it was prime marriageable young nobles held back for five whole years with a marriage ban.
“That wasn’t the picture I had in mind. I didn’t know it would turn out like this. When they said it was for the noble sons conscripted to war, it sounded plausible in the moment, so I let it happen. I didn’t expect it to drag on for five years…….”
“I know.”
“Honestly, it was insane. Who came up with that crazy idea? An unmarried Crown Prince goes to war, so a marriage ban? In history books, kids in classrooms will point to my precedent and say, ‘Never do this stupid shit again.’ Better to get that over with.”
Rembrandt laughed.
“You’re already benefiting the world at large before even ascending the throne. Doesn’t that show you’re full of qualities for a sage king?”
The Crown Prince grumbled.
“Stop it, it’s embarrassing.”
He ran a hand through his hair, followed by a deep sigh.
“I should’ve married five years ago. I was pretty popular back then……. Plenty of ladies cried when I left for the front.”
Rembrandt asked.
“Any lady in particular you had in mind?”
“Well……. Mother and Father have their picks, but me? I don’t know if anyone would want to marry me now that my reputation’s in tatters.”
Rembrandt snickered.
“No need to worry. As the golden trophy, you’d be better off preparing to be swarmed by debutante ladies. Get your mind ready.”
They’d be hunters who’d sharpened their blades for five years. The Crown Prince let out a short laugh and gave Rembrandt a look.
“‘Rembrandt Eaton von Klein’ isn’t in a position to worry about others, is he? The young ladies won’t leave you alone.”
He could put it off with personal goals and the marriage ban as excuses until now, but if he’d officially decided to inherit the house, Rembrandt would have no choice but to marry. Rembrandt shot back plainly.
“I plan to hide behind Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes and propped his chin on his hand.
“……We’ll see? Maybe I should hide behind you.”
“……Pardon?”
The Crown Prince nodded toward him.
“If I were a lady, honestly, I’d want to be Duchess of Klein over Crown Princess.”
Less burden, similar honor.
“Even I’d prefer a husband like you over one like me.”
Rembrandt’s expression froze for a moment, at a loss for words.
“……Wow. That’s horrifyingly honorable…….”
The conversation flowed lightly, carried on the wind and the sound of the carriage.
Well, anyone can see you’d make a responsible, good husband. You might beat me to it.
Even cold water has its top and bottom.
No such thing as order in this.
Doesn’t feel like the right phrase for this……
We’ll see who ends up the shield.
……With a golden trophy next to you, why go for a silver one…….
Get a grip. You’re platinum.
……Silver or platinum, it won’t stand out next to gold.
True enough. Dead men walking, both of us. Gold or whatever.
…….
Five years on marriage standby. Competition five times over. It’ll be a real war. Arthur suddenly seemed insanely enviable again. They passed the remaining time with trivial banter. * * * Kay began his report in front of Arthur. Rembrandt Eaton von Klein. Heir to the ‘Klein’ family. Second son of Elector Duke Karl Klein, Empress Maria’s own brother. Hm. Though now he’s practically the eldest son, I suppose. He was originally the second son, but his older brother—the firstborn—died. As the second son, Sir Rembrandt had no obligation to inherit the house originally. But with his brother’s death, the duty fell to him. So now, Sir Rembrandt is the ‘Klein’ family heir. Normally, a second son who inherits the house and title like this is seen as fortunate……. But that wasn’t the case for Sir Rembrandt. It was more like a bolt from the blue. The duty of a house heir is tantamount to clipping the wings of a supremely talented artist. His activities as a painter have been sparse in recent years, but in his age group, he was a peerless artist with no rivals. It was quite the topic in the art world at the time. Sir Rembrandt was a painter with a brilliant future ahead, so many lamented him suddenly being shackled by his eldest brother’s duties. Inheriting the house meant giving up leaving his name in history as an artist. People talked about whether he couldn’t push the heir role onto other siblings somehow. In cases like this, if the second son doesn’t want it, other brothers might step up. But in the end, it seems he decided to take it on himself. There simply weren’t other siblings who could lead the house like Sir Rembrandt could. Not in terms of capability, noble responsibility, stable social skills, or health. Not in terms of protecting the house and shielding the family siblings from other nobles as a family head. No one suitable to replace him. Duke Klein seems to have said something like, ‘If you want to pursue art, you don’t have to inherit the house.’ But Sir Rembrandt appears to have accepted that there was no one else to take it on. Even so, Duke Klein must hope he doesn’t give it up entirely. He’s still allowing him to wander freely without forcing the heir duties on him yet. I suspect this portrait commission is part of that, too. Pretending to be an imperial request for Marquis Julius, but really just sending him off to ‘paint.’ * * *
“…….”
The returned Rembrandt stood before the white canvas on the easel.
「……But Rembrandt. It’s okay to set responsibility aside sometimes.」
The Crown Prince had scratched the bridge of his wrinkled nose with his fingertip and smiled.
「Surprisingly, slacking off a bit doesn’t cause any major issues.」
Rembrandt snickered. He picked up a pencil and drew a meaningless line across the blank canvas.
“…….”
Your Highness. I’m already slacking off.
「Sir Rembrandt, a message from Duke Klein and Her Imperial Majesty the Empress.」
He recalled what Francis had relayed.
「Things seem busy there, and the portrait work is dragging, so come back now.」
Rembrandt stood before the easel, arms half-crossed.
“…….”
Father must have heard about the situation here and judged that staying in Julius was a waste of time. And he wasn’t wrong.
「Shall I inform Marquis Julius and prepare to depart?」
Rembrandt had smiled faintly.
「No. Tell them I’ll stay a bit longer.」
Francis had seemed a little surprised by the answer but smiled soon enough.
「Staying longer?」
「It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so motivated about a job like this.」
「Are you enjoying life here?」
Motivated, huh.
「Well, it’s not so much enjoying life here…….」
A few days ago, he might have said it seemed fun. But now, a tear-streaked face came to mind first.
「I just feel like I need to stay a little longer.」
