đ Chapter 57:
đ§ Elithius POV:
When I was a child, I lived a wonderful lifeâplaying and enjoying myself as much as I wanted. People around me respected me because of my position. But I never expected that this position would turn my life into darkness.
My mother passed away when I was eight, due to a chronic illness. Her death was a shock to my father, who loved to play with us as children. After her passing, he became a completely different person.
She had been dear to all of us. She was the bond that held our family together. With her departure, that bond began to fracture. Even my brother stopped playing with me. The family relationship became purely formal. That change spoiled my personality and made me a spoiled child, despite my awareness of the great responsibility I bore.
Yet, despite all of this, I never cared about being a king. Playing the role of the spoiled child was bad enoughâI hoped it might stir something in my father or brother. But they simply accepted my misbehavior, and that only increased my sense of guilt.
Resignation to reality seemed my only choice. After the previous monarch had fallen years ago due to public protests over extreme poverty, my father discovered something called the Vitalis Crystal. Once the people learned about it, they nominated him to become the first king of our family in this land. From that moment, we became a royal family.
My father had studied politics extensively and was able to handle the situation-truly a genius of his time. The previous king had left behind twins whose whereabouts no one knew.
My brother inherited our father's intelligence. But for some reason, I feel that I inherited the failures of the previous king, even though I have no blood relation to him. Despite my arrogance not changing quickly, I wanted to be more useful to the country.
This desire arose when Prime Minister Orfin informed me of a gang targeting the Vitalis Crystal. He was the closest person to me in the palace, especially since my father and brother had grown cold toward me. For some reason, he preferred me over my brother to be the future king, even though my brother was more suited for the role.
I decided to follow the minister in his plan. We infiltrated the gangâme as Elithiur, and he as Number One. But I couldn't change anything; I only made things worse.
We tried investigating their exploitation of this resource, but whenever I met the gang's Boss, I would forget everything. When I returned here, I would hear new news of the crystal being stolen.
I could no longer bear it. Guilt consumed me, so I fled the kingdom to hide. The gang pursued me because I was considered an important member, and they were willing to do anything to catch me.
When Orfinâwho was Number Oneâfound me, I decided to surrender, to prevent matters from worsening. He told me it was for the good of the kingdom.
I trusted him deeply; he had always stood by me when I was alone, and he was also my father's closest confidant. I didn't want to lose faith in the one person who had always supported me. But I felt that this blind trust was also what was destroying me.
Amid all these thoughts, I opened my eyes to find myself in a private room in the medical ward.
Minutes later, my father, my brother, Dr. Azitram, and the royal entourage were all there, while Ryo and the two fools who had been involved with me were watching from the window.
At first, I didn't understand what was happening. But then I remembered losing consciousness when Ryo and his companions rescued me from the gang. Everyone was happy to see me. My father hugged me tightly, then looked at me with concern:
"My son⊠are you okay? Tell me, how do you feel?"
I had suffered some headaches in the morning from losing consciousness, but now I felt fine.
"I feel⊠okay."
Dr. Azitram asked if I had ever experienced this before during my absence:
"Prince, is this the first time you've fainted like this, or has it happened before?"
"No⊠it hasn't happened before."
I wasn't lying, but I didn't tell the whole truth either. I had been experiencing headaches for quite some time, but this was the first incident that led to fainting.
Even though I told them I was fine, my brother didn't seem convinced. He didn't seem to believe me:
"Elithius, it's not normal for you to lose consciousness like this. Something is wrong. Come on, tell me."
His words made me uneasy. His instincts were strongâI hadn't expected him to doubt me so easily.
I looked at Minister Orfin, who smiled faintly at me. Then my brother's gaze turned toward him, showing annoyance. I didn't understand why, but I felt like every move I made was being scrutinized by my brother.
Since I was brought to the palace, it was clear that everyone had heard about it, though I didn't know if they had heard everything. I didn't know if they had interrogated Number Five. As I remembered, he had been with us when we returned to the palace. But let's assume the worst⊠what could they have learned from him?
My father looked at me with an investigative gaze:
"My son, we heard what happened. We want to understand your connection with the gang. Why would you work with them, and what do they want from you?"
It seemed they had indeed heard that I was part of the gang, not just about my abduction. I didn't know what words to speak. Should I tell them the goal that unites Orfin and meâthe plan to destroy the gang? Or should I invent a lie, claiming it was all my own failure to confront them?
Before I could say anything, Minister Orfin spoke:
"Prince Elithius, no matter what happens, we are here for you. It's no shame to make mistakes. Even if you fail in the future, we will stand with you."
His words seemed reassuring to everyoneâexcept Elnar. But I understood them differently: as if he were saying it was okay to lie and not reveal the truth that binds me to the minister. Only one horrifying lie came to mind:
"The gang captured me days ago and threatened me to get access to the Vitalis Crystal. I managed to escape, but then they caught me again. Ryo rescued me."
It was a terrible lie, but it was all I could think of.
When Elnar heard my words, his eyes widened. He didn't seem convinced and, without a word, left the room.
My father called him, but he didn't respond. I glanced at the windowâRyo and the other two fools had left as well after my last words.
My father then smiled faintly and said:
"Don't worry, my son. We will solve this problem. I will make those who did this to you regret it. Trust me. I know I've been a poor father, but you are still my son, and I will do anything for you."
Hearing these words filled me with happiness, yet deepened my guilt to the point that every part of my body ached.
After my father's last words, everyone left and told me to rest. They said they would prepare food for me:
"You should rest now. They will bring you food."
No⊠I couldn't eat. Guilt burned inside me. This matter would not end so easily. The next events could be far worse.