WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

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◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈

Chapter 26: The Grand Banquet (2)

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Clatter, clatter.

Clatter, clatter.

Clatter, clatter.

A long procession of carriages.

Carriages displaying the prestige of each nation entered the imperial palace.

“An imperial banquet? How long has it been?”

“According to the records, it’s been over fifty years.”

“I don’t even know if this can be called a banquet. Holding a celebration after all that bloodshed is just...”

Unlike the older generation, who remembered the days when the Empire was feared, the princes and princesses knew nothing of its past.

They were dissatisfied with this party they had practically been dragged into.

“My father told me to come, but why do I have to be a mere prop here?”

What did the Empire holding a grand banquet have to do with them being here?

They had to bow their heads before an Empire said to have weakened recently. On top of that, they had to drain their treasuries to prepare gifts.

‘Wasn’t the Empire being feared just something Father’s generation talked about? Times have changed now... How could this be...?’

They had even heard that the host of this banquet was not the Emperor, but the Crown Prince.

It would have been irritating enough if it had been the Emperor’s command, but the Crown Prince? It was utterly ridiculous.

They said he was a good-natured fool, too.

What could he possibly be thinking?

Even as their complaints steadily piled up, the line of carriages entering the imperial palace showed no end.

“Welcome to the heart of the Empire. We hope you enjoy your stay.”

“...”

Those who stepped out of the carriages saw the knights’ menacing presence and immediately erased the words “enjoy your stay” from their minds.

The weaker the kingdom, the more pronounced this reaction became.

On the other hand, someone entered the imperial palace without a care in the world.

“Hmm, so this is the heart of the Velos Empire.”

Valerian, Saint of the Romper Holy Kingdom.

He wanted to meet the Crown Prince as soon as possible.

‘How much has the Crown Prince changed? And why did he eliminate two of my rivals?’

What exactly was his intention?

Amid the flurry of thoughts, the Empire continued receiving carriages from various nations.

It carefully sorted the gifts and escorted the royal guests to their annex palaces in order.

Of course, some of them said,

“Why am I not staying in a palace...?!”

“We apologize. There are simply too many guests. We ask for your understanding.”

There were those dissatisfied with the arrangement, but they immediately backed down when they sensed the knight following behind them.

Swordmasters were rare in ordinary kingdoms, yet the Empire seemed to have them everywhere.

They concluded that making a fuss would likely end badly for them.

Perhaps that was why.

Though distinguished guests from many nations had gathered, not a single disturbance arose.

Then, at last, the day of the banquet arrived.

Guests from every nation began entering the grand ballroom one by one.

“The Rande Kingdom...!”

The entrance order was simple: those of lower status entered first, while those of higher status entered later.

It proceeded according to a strict order of precedence, and naturally, the Empire had set the standards.

“Ha, this is driving me mad. Is this really a banquet, or some grand attempt by the Empire to restore order across the continent?”

‘Why are we entering before them? Is there something we don’t know?’

‘By all appearances, we should be among the first to enter... but we’re going later? Could the Empire know about our kingdom’s hidden strength?’

‘The Empire only recently carved away its own flesh... How does it know things like this...?’

Those invited according to those standards fell into deep confusion.

No matter how much they thought about it, they could not understand the meaning behind the entrance order established by the Empire.

The greatest shock came when,

“The Macelin Kingdom...”

the Macelin Kingdom entered around the middle of the order.

They should have entered second or third from the front.

How could the Crown Princess of the Macelin Kingdom be entering in the middle?

‘How much has changed?’

‘Just how much does the Empire know?’

Those thoughts were brief.

The distinguished guests from each nation entered the grand ballroom one after another.

Finally, last of all.

“The noble blood of the Velos Empire!”

The person everyone had been waiting for.

“His Highness Bedin Velos, Second Imperial Prince, enters!”

Not the Crown Prince, but Bedin, the Second Imperial Prince, appeared in the grand ballroom.

Bedin was known to the public as rash, but he now looked strangely subdued.

He seemed timid, yet somehow carried himself with composure.

Describing him as withdrawn would have suited him perfectly.

“Thank you all for gathering here to celebrate the Empire’s transformation.”

The moment the Second Imperial Prince appeared in the grand ballroom, everyone fell silent.

Amid the instantly settled atmosphere, the Second Imperial Prince walked to the center of the room and raised his glass.

“To the Empire’s endless glory.”

“To the Empire’s endless glory!”

This was followed by the formal declaration opening the banquet.

“I will now begin the Empire’s banquet.”

It was a toast and an official declaration that the banquet had begun.

As soon as the Second Imperial Prince finished speaking, music began to play.

Those who had been standing stiffly began moving about to enjoy the banquet.

Even as they did, though, they kept glancing upward.

‘Why did the Second Imperial Prince step onto the platform?’

‘Then who will sit in that seat above, where they can look down over the ballroom?’

The Second Imperial Prince hosted the banquet from the center of the room instead of sitting on the throne.

‘Does not sitting on the throne mean the Crown Prince will arrive later?’

‘Why didn’t the Crown Prince come right away?’

‘What could be the reason? Is there a reason he’s coming so late?’

Laughter and chatter filled the ballroom.

As the distinguished guests from each nation smiled and talked, their eyes kept shifting and their thoughts continued to race.

Even so,

“Mirne, it’s nice seeing you here like this.”

“Your Highness, is it all right for you to come straight to me?”

“Hehe, what does it matter? A banquet is a place to relax and have fun, isn’t it?”

The moment the Second Imperial Prince saw Mirne, his expression softened completely, and he asked her to dance.

“By the way, do you know why His Highness the Crown Prince isn’t attending?”

Mirne immediately accepted the invitation, then quietly whispered her question to the Second Imperial Prince.

“Ah, my brother... He said he was going to the North, but I think he’s running late because there’s more to deal with there than expected.”

She learned that the Crown Prince was in the North.

Had the Crown Prince gone to fill the void created after he killed the North Grand Duke?

He had left the imperial palace for such a simple reason? Even after holding this banquet?

‘Does that mean he’s impulsive enough to leave his place vacant for that reason?’

What exactly was happening?

Was he really just inviting everyone to eat, drink, and have fun?

Wasn’t that far too anticlimactic a reason to hold a banquet?

Was the purpose of this banquet truly to celebrate the Empire’s transformation and make everyone else serve as props?

‘It’s not entirely impossible.’

The Empire was wavering, so perhaps it was putting other nations on display and flaunting its power to avoid showing weakness.

Still, it was strange to hold such a grand banquet for such a simple reason.

Gathering everyone together meant there was something he wanted to impress upon them.

Yet the very person at the center of it all was absent.

Amid the flow of such thoughts, the banquet went on.

From the music to the food, a feast meant to show that the Empire remained strong was laid before them.

“As expected, it is impressive.”

“His Highness the Second Imperial Prince is so handsome.”

“Do you think he has had ties with the Macelin Kingdom for some time? He went straight to them as soon as the banquet began...”

“This spinning toy recently made by the Macelin Kingdom is remarkably useful...”

As the banquet continued, everyone gradually became acquainted and slowly relaxed amid the comfortable atmosphere.

In the absence of the Crown Prince, the central figure of the occasion, Mirne filled that void.

Beginning with Bedin, the Second Imperial Prince of the Velos Empire, and Valerian, Saint of the Romper Holy Kingdom, people whose connection to Mirne left everyone wondering how they knew each other came forward to speak with her.

It was clear they were desperate for her attention.

What charm did she possibly possess?

As that question arose and the ballroom’s mood began to loosen,

Bang!

The music in the grand ballroom suddenly stopped.

Ahem.

The herald, who had remained in place the entire time, cleared their throat.

“The Sun of the Velos Empire! A noble successor to the will of the Great Prophet! His Highness the Crown Prince enters!”

The words were immediately followed by another bang as the ballroom doors flew open without hesitation.

“Show proper courtesy, everyone!”

The Crown Prince slowly appeared.

“H-Huh...”

Some were immediately terrified at the sight of the Crown Prince.

Thud.

Others lost strength in their legs and collapsed.

“E-Eeeek...!”

Some forgot all etiquette and let their fear spill from their mouths.

Yet no one thought such reactions disgraceful.

If anything, they understood completely.

“...”

This was meant to be a banquet, a place for cheerful eating and drinking.

Yet the Crown Prince appeared covered in blood.

His indifferent gaze contrasted with the ominous pressure surrounding him.

As though he had fought a war by himself, faint heat radiated from the Zweihander in his hand.

Who would come to a banquet looking like that?

No one dared point it out.

Swish.

The Crown Prince slowly walked forward and sheathed his sword.

“I came far too late. My apologies, everyone.”

With those words, he slowly headed for the empty throne.

A seat no one could dare covet.

The Crown Prince calmly sat upon that throne and looked down at everyone.

“Mirne of the Macelin Kingdom.”

In an even voice,

“Would you consider entering into an Engagement with me?”

He dropped a bomb.

The true turmoil had begun.

Footnotes:

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