14 Charlotte: Chapter 2 Episode 8
—It was the day after Ethelbert met Charlotte and Juliet in the school library.
Ethelbert was having an audience with Frederick in the drawing room of the royal castle in the Kingdom of Lymore. Brandon was waiting by the door.
“—So, various magic tools are circulating around?”
“Yes. In our empire, the regulation of magic tools is strictly controlled, so it’s not often that we lose track of them. Unfortunately, countries in the Southern area of the continent have inadequate systems, and due to internal conflicts, magic tools are spreading—”
That day, the king and the imperial brother shared information with each other. Most of Ethelbert’s advice came from being a magician of a magical powerhouse.
“—All right, I shall keep that in mind.”
Ethelbert nodded and stared at Frederick, who was thinking about countermeasures.
Golden hair and jade green eyes.
The colors that Charlotte inherited, yet still reminiscent of her.
Everyone had recognized Frederick’s ability when he seized the throne from a tyrant, reformed a bad government, rebuilt a dilapidated country, and improved his country’s relation with other countries. The man himself was also earnestly displaying everything for the sake of his country.
In fact, Ethelbert himself had admired the king’s dedication to his kingdom, or at least he did until three years ago.
“Thank you for allowing my tea party with Princess Charlotte.”
“It is simply part of studying abroad to have exchanges.”
“I brought her an invitation, could you please give it to her?”
“Of course.”
After receiving the invitation, Frederick’s thoughts seemed to have already shifted to other things. It was a very nonchalant attitude, considering his daughter was involved.
“Princess Charlotte appears to have very little free time.”
“That isn’t the case.”
“…Especially when compared to the second princess, King Frederick.”
Actually, even when compared to successors from other countries, Charlotte still had considerably less free time. Ethelbert only mentioned Juliet on purpose.
“It’s only to be expected. Juliet is frail, while Charlotte is the crown princess.”
“From what I recall, the second princess took a leave of absence from her studies only once in the second semester. I also heard that her symptoms were quite mild, and after school, she usually enjoys herself in the castle town. She doesn’t seem to have been given any official duties.”
Of course, a member of the royal family who was still a student and hadn’t yet reached adulthood had to be shown some consideration as well. But in Juliet’s case, it was excessive—abnormal, even, considering that she lacked basic etiquette.
“In our empire, even if a member of the imperial family is born sickly, such wouldn’t be the case once they reached the age of seventeen.”
Not even trying to hide his displeasure, Ethelbert’s husky voice resounded.
“…Certainly, that child’s education is lacking. If that child has been disrespectful to you, the responsibility will be mine. My apologies.”
“So, you’re just going to apologize? Well, seeing that she grew up with less manners than a child, I’d say that you have no intention of actually improving the situation.”
Frederick should be able to register the anger in Ethelbert’s voice and expression.
“You have to wonder if the fact that the two sisters are polars opposite of each other has anything to do with bloodline.”
“—!”
The atmosphere plummeted.
Frederick, resting his arm on the arm rest, gripped it so tightly that his veins were bulging out.
His expression, which was devoid of emotion, shifted. His eyes widened slightly, their glint anything but gentle.
Despite being worshipped as a hero and an ideal king, Frederick was still a human being. His patience also had a limit.
Frederick was older and more experienced, having served as the king of his country for over two decades. When angry, he emanated an aura of supremacy, but Ethelbert was wholly unfazed. He didn’t even feel the slightest hint of fear.
“As a member of a family in a position to lead a nation, I’m offended. After all, there was a similar situation before—during the reign of the previous king of Lymore.”
While his argument might have sounded plausible, in truth, the root of his anger was laid elsewhere.
Charlotte.
Even more than his own disappointment towards the person he admired, his anger at how Charlotte was being mistreated never subsided.
“—You seem to believe a father’s role is solely to pamper his child.”
Frederick’s lack of awareness was also one of the factors that fueled his anger.
Although Frederick was currently referring to the second princess as ‘Juliet,’ Ethelbert had received information that he usually called Juliet by her pet name. That was another aspect where the difference in how he treated Charlotte became evident.
Yet the man himself didn’t seem to be aware of it.
Brandon was eyeing Ethelbert, his gaze seemed to be saying, ‘You’re going too far!’ Yet, Ethelbert mercilessly ignored it.
“A relaxed educational policy doesn’t seem to be the cause either, seeing how Princess Charlotte is constantly sleep-deprived from all her official duties. It makes you wonder why the two are treated so differently even though they’re both your daughters, doesn’t it?”
“What I entrust to the Crown Princess is within her scope of abilities. Any student would be able to do the same. If she is feeling unwell, it may be because she is spending her time doing other things and neglecting her own health.”
“Even when the duties of the second princess are delegated to Princess Charlotte? Isn’t that just unfair?”
“She can handle it with ease. Even if Juliet is lacking in some areas as a princess, it is her role as the older sister to support her younger sister.”
Frederick replied smoothly, without any delay. It was an answer that indulged Juliet, yet encumbered Charlotte.
“—Who would’ve expected such a line from a man who killed his older brother, the former crown prince of this kingdom?”
Frederick was the second son of the previous king and was second in line to the throne at the time. His older brother, the first prince, took after the tyrant and was quickly named as his successor. Just like his father, the first prince ruled through the power of fear.
Frederick led a rebellion and had him executed with the rest of the royal family.
Born as the only member of his family with little arrogance or greed, Frederick must’ve always felt alienated from his family and the aristocrats who indulged in self-interest without regard for the people. All of that must have led to his doubts.
During that time, he must’ve endured constant reminders from the general public.
‘Support your older brother.’
‘Do not steal his glory.’
‘You have to be an excellent pawn for your brother.’
Therefore, imagining that the experience had distorted him somehow wasn’t a difficult leap.
While Frederick doted on Juliet because she resembled the late queen, there was probably more than met the eye, namely the fact that he didn’t grow up in a decent family environment.
The repressive role of the ‘younger brother’ might have resulted in Frederick developing the perspective where ‘the younger shouldn’t be made to sacrifice for the older sibling.’
However, that didn’t justify the way he treated Charlotte.
As for the reason why Frederick reacted so strongly when Ethelbert mentioned their bloodline, it probably had something to do with his experiences up until he usurped the throne.
Frederick was proud for not having raised his children the way his own father did.
Ironically, it led him to doing the exact same thing as the family he so loathed.
Now, the older sister had to sacrifice for the sake of her younger sister.
The only difference was on which side the burden fell, and Frederick couldn’t even see it.
The majestic and glorious king had a flaw in his humanity, one which neither he nor those around him were aware of.
Is he worthy of the title king if he can’t even treat his successors fairly?
The only person in that kingdom who was aware of it was Charlotte, the one who suffered the most from his shortcomings and whose opinions were ruthlessly shut down.
Of course, as a ruler of a country, the ability to govern was essential—but so was the ability to train successors. Not only for the sake of that person himself, but also for the stability of the future and the implementation of national policies. Failure would only hinder progress for the people.
Hence, leaders needed to both cooperate with their vassals and raise successors who’d lead the country to prosperity.
However, Frederick was convinced that Charlotte had inherited all of his talents solely based on the fact that she resembled him.
Everyone made mistake. Some went astray and committed more.
Ethelbert didn’t like how, despite knowing that, Frederick was convinced that he was absolutely right.
“Anyway, I’d like to ask for Princess Charlotte’s time. This exchange will be beneficial for the relationship between our two countries.”
He stood up and looked down at Frederick.
At that moment, he’d made his dislike for Frederick abundantly evident.
“I believe it will take some time, so I’d like for you to transfer some of her projects to someone else. I don’t want her workload to increase because of my selfishness. The son of Marquis Sargent is her secretary, right? Please allow him and some other civil officials bear some of the responsibility.”
At the same time, Ethelbert also made it clear that he wasn’t abandoning his role as the imperial brother because of personal feelings.
“While it is her duty as the crown princess to interact with you, it doesn’t mean that she can neglect her other responsibi—”
“So the second princess can delegate her project to Princess Charlotte, but Princess Charlotte can’t do the same with her subordinates? It can’t be, do you mean to say that the entire system will collapse if the crown princess were to step away even for a brief moment of time? That would explain why nobody can help her with her duties.”
‘You have human resources, but you can’t even allocate them properly.’
Ethelbert’s expression also betrayed that same condemnation.
“Everyone, including you, has it easy because of Princess Charlotte.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You don’t have to see me off. Later, then.”
Along with Brandon, Ethelbert left the room after giving a polite greeting. Frederick didn’t stop him.
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