I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 205



205 – Pride That Could Not Be Protected

There were two people who came running after hearing that Beatria had lost her mind and collapsed.

They were the two children, Prince Robert Helvenier and Princess Chloe Helvenier, who would inherit the royal family in the future.

Chloe, who was quietly lying next to Beatria with her eyes closed, knelt down on the bare floor without a comfortable chair and began to shed tears.

The friendship between the siblings was so strong that Robert patted his sister on the back and then walked up to his father, who was away somewhere.

“Father, what happened?”

There was anger in his voice

It was not only because he left the sick Beatria and left, but also because the anger he had been holding in until now exploded.

Although he was a father who did not like anything from the beginning, he tolerated his mother’s dissuasion just because he was his father.

Still, there must be a reason. I guess it’s because I’m so busy.

However, the scene he witnessed as soon as he arrived was a terrible scene that could not be explained by such trivial reasons.

“Please at least explain why. “Why on earth were you so busy that you left your fallen mother behind and went somewhere else?”

“Oh, brother. Stop. There must have been a situation with my father too…”

“You should be quiet and take care of your mother. “I can’t just ignore today.”

Chloe, whose personality is exactly like Beatria’s, tried to stop her brother from making a fuss as much as she could, but he, with her anger already welling up in her head her her, quickly dismissed her.

He glared at her Bartheus.

“… You may not know this, but the owner of a country has heavy responsibilities. Do you think it is possible to move forward while taking care of all personal matters?”

“… !”

“Oppa!”

She was the wife of Bartheus, but she was also the mother of the two people present.

Robert, who could not resist his actions of dismissing the fact that such a being was lying down as ‘personal’, tried to swing his fist at him, but thanks to Chloe who quickly stopped him, the disaster was prevented.

“Don’t lose your cool over something like this. The owner of the empire has that obligation.”

Bartheus looked as calm as possible as he watched his son’s fist tremble as he stopped in front of him.

I wondered if Robert’s lid would open again, but he withdrew his fist and turned his back, appearing as if he would not see his father.

“… I don’t know what qualities your father has for being the master of the empire. “Is he noble enough to protect the wife he loves and her children by keeping them at a distance?”

“Noble. “After all the training she has put into her, is she still caught up in her dreams?”

There is something that Bartheus said a long time ago to his son who would inherit the position of emperor.

Even if you are the one standing on top, you cannot move forward while embracing everything, and if you are dreaming of such a dream, throw it away quickly.

A dream is just a dream, don’t compare it to reality.

Robert also remembers those words very accurately.

How could you not remember? This was the first advice he gave to his children, as he had never said anything to them in the first place.

However, it was too cold to convey to his young son, and the afterimage of that time still remained in Robert’s mind like a trauma.

“Listen carefully, son. At this point, you are still caught up in a dream. In order for you to truly continue the royal family, you must develop eyes to see reality.”

“…”

Robert felt relieved at the sight of him trying to lead like he was proud even in this desperate situation where his mother was lying in bed for an unknown reason.

‘Why mother?’

Are you saying you married a man like this?

Due to her personality, she would not have been fooled by the idea that she was the owner of the empire.

Or does it mean that he wasn’t this kind of man before? Then why did he change so much?

“… If you are going to preach like that, then go back and fulfill your duty as a worthy emperor. “We will take care of our mother.”

Now Robert draws a line and speaks in a cold tone as if he were someone else.

The line on the floor drawn between him and Bartheus seemed like a barrier that could not be crossed.

“Okay, well, I’ll ask you to do the rest.”

Wow.

Robert’s teeth ground at the sight of him turning his body like a truly careless person, but he barely held back his anger and turned his gaze towards his mother lying on the bed.

Because now is the time to take care of my precious mother instead of taking out my anger on that guy.

“Your Majesty, why are you doing this?”

“… No, eggplant.”

Meanwhile, Bartheus belatedly took a step back after seeing the symbols engraved on the backs of the necks of his son and daughter who had scolded him.

There was someone I had to meet right away.

*

There are several secret places in the imperial palace that outsiders do not know about.

Among them, there were spaces that even members of the imperial palace did not know about, and the place where Bartheus walked was one of those places.

“Are you here?”

“… “Do I really need to see your face when it’s enough to contact me?”

Bartheus clenched his fists, but felt resentful of himself as he could not even retaliate against Albrich in front of him.

In my heart, I wanted to pull out my sword and cut myself up rather than punch, but I had no choice but to hold back because the lives of the Hellvenir family were no different from being held captive by the man in front of me.

“Isn’t this a punishment for you who are a bit sneaky? “I wanted to capture at least the expression of decomposition in the eyes.”

“… “Is it just for that reason that you activated the curse planted on my wife’s body and called me?”

When he frowned and asked with anger in his voice, Albrich lightly shrugged his shoulders and sat down.

“It was just a joke to make us laugh. “It’s okay to relax your face.”

“It seems that even the best wizard in the empire has no talent for joking.”

“That’s an ability that only lowly clowns can cultivate.”

Although it was somewhat of a provocation and Bartheus used belligerent language, Albrich did not even raise an eyebrow.

Bartheus glared at him and sat across from him.

The colorful chair that did not fit into the shabby space somehow seemed to represent his reality.

“I was listening to both of you. From the looks of it, it seemed like he was in quite a difficult situation, so I was thinking of offering help, but… I guess it was a bit excessive.”

“You cast a curse to silence her wife.”

“Yes. I meant it as a joke, but… It’s true that you climbed up without even knowing the latest topic. There was also some intention to set an example.”

The effect was definitely excellent.

Humans basically want freedom, so when they are oppressed, their desire to break freedom from that bondage soars.

However, sometimes, when a force is too strong, the consciousness overcomes the rising unconsciousness and forcibly suppresses it as if telling it to go in, and this was exactly what Bartheus experienced.

Now, two consciousnesses were colliding in his head.

A to quickly take revenge on the man who did that to her consciousness his, and a consciousness to not resist anymore, having seen his power just a moment ago.

Perhaps because of such a scene, the latter consciousness had an overwhelming advantage at the moment.

“I’ve been curious about this for a while… “Can you please answer?”

“What is it?”

“If I had that kind of power, I could have used it in a more positive direction. No, at least it would have been possible to push out the royal bloodline and take that position. Still, what is the reason for using such a cumbersome method?”

Of course, even though he is the best wizard in the empire, he does not have the power to turn everyone into his enemy.

If that were possible, there would be no reason for him to secretly manipulate the imperial family behind the scenes like he does now.

However, it may have been possible for him to take advantage of the royal family and come to the forefront. At least there might not have been a need to hide from others like we do now.

But why is he trying to achieve his goal by putting in so much effort?

Bartheus could not fathom that fact.

“That’s a pretty fundamental question.”

“If it’s something I can’t tell others, I won’t ask.”

Even during this time, Bartheus looked somewhat anxious, wondering if he might have offended him.

Of course, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy because I had seen such a scene a little while ago.

“No. It was just a little surprising. “I thought he would leave right away.”

“You are not foolish enough to not know that it would be disadvantageous for me to offend you now. Well, I’d rather just chat and hear the truth I wanted to know.”

Perhaps there is some unknown revenge in the royal family.

I have never heard of the theory that the Bertus family was ever oppressed by the imperial family, but history is always like the autobiography of the powerful.

Thinking that there might be an inside story that was not known to the public, Bartheus narrowed his eyes and waited for his next words.

“Well. “I’m just asking, just in case, but don’t you think I’m doing this because I have a desire for revenge on the royal family?”

“… You guessed it right. “There was no sign of magic being used.”

“Even if you don’t use magic power, it’s possible. To conclude, that is not the reason at all.”

Bartheus’ eyes widened slightly for a moment, but then returned to their original state.

Because it was somehow unexpected. On the other hand, he thought, ‘Then why?’

“I told you before, all I want is the magical truth. However, just as there is no reason to attack an animal with bare fists, the most suitable tool for me was the Hwangga.”

“Then why don’t you reveal your power? “It would be quite a hassle to hide like now.”

“You are right. But it’s less troublesome than turning everyone into an enemy.”

Even if he were to take the position of emperor for some reason, this country would not believe it.

There is bound to be a check somewhere. For example, if powerful families like the Robeheim family joined forces, it would not be easy to withstand them no matter how much they relied on the power of the imperial family.

That’s why Albrich chose it.

Even considering some inconvenience, I chose the safer option for the greater good.

Anyway, to him, other than the truth about magic, everything else had no meaning at all.

However, strength was needed.

When he makes a choice, the minimum amount of strength that can be used to avoid being caught in the back of it.

It’s just that they were the royal family’s backbenchers, and that’s why they were using them to create a path toward the truth comfortably behind the scenes.

“Furthermore, the fact that the person I met at that time was truly appetizing also played a role. Each human being has something they don’t want to lose. “For you, that would be family.”

It had already been nearly 100 years since Albrich took hold of the imperial family.

It all started with Bartheus’ great-grandfather.

The old man who always talked about immortality through fire, and who had ordered him to make an elixir of immortality, seemed to Albrich to be a vessel of just the right size to hold in his hands.

“Life, power, family… It was really fun to see your families, each of whom had different things they wanted to protect. Thanks to that, it was easy to handle.”

The more people have, the more they are afraid of losing them.

Because I can’t imagine myself when it’s gone.

In that sense, the Helvenir family that had been passed down from generation to generation were puppets that were truly easy to control for Albrich.

“Wow, it’s been a long time since we’ve been talking about old times. “Your family will be very worried, so it would be best for you to return soon.”

“… That’s how it should be. “I was planning to go even if you told me not to go.”

Bartheus clenched his fists and stood up when he realized that the person in front of him was not an evil person with his own agenda, but a pure evil person who just wanted to manipulate people for his own desires.

His father’s words that those with pride will not be defeated by those without pride

Rang through his mind.

That, too, was not the truth of the world. Pride was a trivial thing that could easily be broken by a strong man’s grasp.

When she realized that, her heart sank, and a feeling of helplessness spread throughout her body.

‘Should I not give in to someone like this?’

At the point when he became his strength, Bartheus thought that he should not hope for salvation.

However, if there is one thing I wish for, it would be for at least my family to be saved.

I have never believed in the existence of heroes in my lifetime, but if there really was such a person, I would sacrifice this country and my life, so I wanted to pray that at least my poor wife and children could be pulled out of the abyss.

‘Did you say Edgar Vilhark?’

Bartheus smiled bitterly at the sight of a man’s face and moved his steps helplessly.

In the end, he had to head lonely to his bedroom, unable to return to the room where his wife and children were waiting.