His Royal Highness's cats are very hairy.

"What do you think of that kid?

Fanias, who was blinding himself to the paperwork at hand, raised his face to the grunting inquiry of his younger master.

"Is it His Highness Rutvias?

"Yeah. From your point of view, how's that kid? I've seen that kid on the road from the border, by his side, and what did you think?

On the sleeping table, there are also a couple of paperwork on hand for Richard sitting on his big pillow to support him. The first prince, who studied in the Empire, 's papers on his return.

Ten years ago, he surrendered, wishing the former king's neck to the Empire as a souvenir. Instead of accepting the surrender and the survival of the rude succeed, the Empire stuck the conditions to the rude succeed. I asked for a hostage. Give me the first prince.

I have often taken a second prince or a third prince hostage, but I have never even heard of the first prince, but also the prince who has no other brothers and is certain to be the king's prince. Never heard of it, but the position of Rude Succeed was weak enough to be demanded of it. Richard drank the terms. I just had to drink.

"Let's drop off His Royal Highness Rutvias' Tachiko."

"... right."

Richard nodded powerlessly at Fanias' suggestion.

The hostage is not the King Prince, but the Prince. That was the only meandering intent, and insurance in case, at which time Rude Saxseed could stretch the Empire through its opponents. In the unlikely event that Rudwias does not return, Rude Thakseed will not do the painful job of losing Prince Wang.

Fanias put the paperwork together on the round table.

"I think you've grown up fine"

Fanias replied frankly to the answer as to what he thought of Rutvias. Hearing that, Richard laughs bitterly.

"Yeah. Right. It looks healthy, and the courtesy and answers to your subordinates are perfect. How's the administration?

"You fully understand your position. There seems to be no problem that the laws and regulations and other knowledge aspects were well learned. You also have the flexibility to listen to me and the secretary. That's not why I can say anything. I received quite a few petitions near the border, but I never peddled the contents of the paperwork or settled the sneeze on the spot with emotion. That's not what you can do with that young man. First, I would like to make a point."

"I didn't think you'd get a point."

Richard rejoiced as he was being praised. Richard is also proud of his son, just as the father of the world is.

"Just..."

"Just?"

From Richard's eyes, the fever of joy grew worse. And that eye pierces the fanias straight through.

Richard knows what Fanias is going to say. I know, and I'm trying to make you dare.

"... it's just that His Highness Rutvias is... mentally immature"

To Fanias' words, Richard smiled bitterly again.

"Fanias. Fine, let me get this straight. That's what you're trying to say Rutvias is childish, isn't it?

………

Affirmations were made, and Fanias remained silent.

Rutvias is childish.

I've been a prodigy since I was a young child, and when I was an adult, I was flattered by my surroundings, but that was only because Rutvias pretended to be an adult.

That's what Rutvias does, just as little kids do well to imitate what grownups do, even now that they're 20 years old and should have grown up with fame.

It's well done, but it's obvious to the person who sees it.

The contents of Rutvias have not grown since he was 10 years old, no maybe since he was younger.

From Fanias' point of view, Rutvias, is too dangerous.

Mature body. Excellent brains. Yet only the mental aspect is too young, morbid, and unstable.

"... will that child have a kingdom..."

Richard put his hands together and put them on his forehead. As I pray.

"... I don't know. But besides Your Highness, no one will inherit this country."

………

Richard sighs quietly and closes his eyes. Fanias stared quietly at the side of it. Richard's chest is painfully clear.

In Rutvias, the country cannot be ruled.

Ruling a person is not something you can do with an imitation. Politics is not that simple. If Rutvias continues to take over the country, sooner or later this country will perish.

"... from that child..."

Richard opens his eyes thinly,

"I can't believe I have to take away from her... healthy growth and adolescence... and let her pay for it herself..."

I'm sure Fanias doesn't even know what Rutvias' life was like in the Empire, Richield.

However, it is certain that Rutvias has been deprived of the opportunity to grow after a relationship with a person or friction about it.

Rutvias was rushed. I was rushed and quickly remembered to fix it anyway rather than grow over time. Like a toddler who is only a good child in front of his parents when his parents get mad at him. - It is adults such as Richard and Fanias who have left Rutvias alone in an environment that we cannot live without.

It's not just about the hostages.

Neither Richard nor Fanias could protect Rutvias. I tried to protect him, but he was running away at the end. I turned away from Rutvias' voiceless screams and turned away from what I didn't want to see, from reality.

If someone should be punished, it's definitely Fanias and Richard. Yet the goddess does not punish Fanias and Richard. All wrinkles go to Rutvias and... Adeline. It is for them to walk their lives.

"... I guess that kid... resents me. No, I've done something to that girl that I can't help but resent... I know... but it worked."

"Sire?"

"That kid behaved like someone else... take care of yourself, and... with a doll-like face... he walked out of me..."

During the day, Richard seemed to be talking about his face to face with Rutvias.

Rutvias, who visited Richard's bedroom to greet him back home, left without a quarter of an hour.

Like affirming the theory of father-son misconduct whispered in the alley, Fanias also, of course, advanced a word to Rutvias, but Rutvias was returned with a refreshing smile of the most plausible words: 'Father must not force you because of your bad additions'. I mean, they got away with it.

Really, just because you're smart doesn't end badly. No, my face is perfect.

"... I used to hang out with Father and Father... and I got annoyed..."

"… Your Majesty. Nonetheless, His Highness is also 20 years old. It doesn't work like it did at a very young age."

Fanias comforted his master, who could not be comforted, but he was well aware that his own words were unfortunately not comforting.

Before I went hostage, no, before the war started... no, Fanias doesn't know when it really started. Rutvias had somehow become the 'now' rutvias. The boy, who innocently wrapped his shoulder around Richard, disappeared at some point.

In the form of being swayed by adults, Rutvias lost his original self.

"... with Miss Adeline..."

Richard raised his face.

"In a report... I heard that Rutvias has been close to Miss Adeline for a long time... is that true?

Richard's expression is disturbing. Now totally he wasn't an exchanger, he was just one father

"Do you know what Ruto means? Fanias, if you're thinking about being close to Miss Adeline..."

Richard is worried that his son will hurt Fanias' daughter again.

Fanias was a little funny how Richard looked like that.

Fanias has a past where he served as a tutor for a young Richard. I didn't know that little prince, who was serious and a little weak, was now worried about his own son.

"... I actually thought so initially, too"

Fanias cut the words once. Build what you want to say and what you need to say in your head.

"It's just... I thought it would be good if you could treat your daughter politely, even if you wanted to."

"You do that again… you must be such a cute little girl that it doesn't hurt to see you"

Fanias smiles back bitterly at Richard, who frowns. My daughter is cute. But Fanias' position is not light enough because she is cute and to give her daughter the ideal marriage she loves and loves.

Even if he couldn't love it, Fanias hoped that Rutvias would at least protect his daughter's intricate and somewhat cumbersome form of possession. However, the wind direction is changing in an unexpected direction.

"Because of the example... what is Ruto going to do... even if I can't help but be hypersensitive because Leena died that way..."

"Your Majesty, the matter is confidential to my daughter."

"I know... but if anything happens to Ruto, it's Miss Adeline who's gonna be hurt. Does she know that..."

"... unfortunately, Your Highness will not understand. But, Your Highness... it seems that you are purely trying to protect your daughter... Adeline."

………

Richard opened his eyes to a slight surprise.

"Protect...? Just pure?

"It looks that way to me. Looking at the two of us at least the last few days… it doesn't look like we're doing just the upper side of the whole thing. The samurai told me that... we had a fancy fight."

"Fighting? Rut and... Miss Adeline?

"You didn't seem to know what you were talking about, but you were yelling at each other or something"

"Yelling!?

I can't help but be surprised at Richard. Because Richard's knowing Faniath's daughter is an insipid daughter who keeps leaning down and can barely respond.

"I was surprised, too. My daughter yells... and my wife would be thrilled to find out."

Fanias' wife has long been worried that Adeline is not comfortable speaking her opinion. Adeline has long been an honest, well-heard, picturesque, good kid. Fanias' wife was worried that one day she would suffer from Adeline herself.

"... yes..."

Richard looks out the window.

On its side, Fanias now saw the face of the widow.

A king who was harsh, fierce, and strong by horror. I admired it from a young age and chased it desperately. Once, his words were absolute.

So when he decided to make Fanias' daughter the queen of Rutvias, Fanias also decided. Let me make my daughter my queen. Let history make you a queen with nothing lined up.

But Fanias might have been a little mean, too, the engagement dissolution disturbance three years ago. At that time, if I had dissolved my engagement thinking about my daughter's happiness without being mean, I would have thought these days that Adeline would have ignored the humiliation she would taste afterwards.

Just what I thought, I made a report that Rutvias and Adeline had a yelling fight.

If you can expose yourself to the truth... maybe...

"... I hope I'm in love..."

Richield shrugged. Still keep those eyes out the window. Put a slight grin on your mouth.

"I hope I fall in love. As I did to Leena, as you did to your wife, Rutvias fell in love with Miss Adeline..."

The far-sighted, but beside, eyes of Richard were that color that once stared at his beloved wife. I'm sure he still sees it. My wife called me a gem.

And the time she and I lived has become the blood and flesh of Richard, shaping what is now Richard.

"I hope that love... will grow Rutvias..."

That was hope.

In this country, rebuilding from the brink of annihilation and yet again the hourglass to annihilation could be set in motion, the love to blossom was only one hope.

There's nothing Fanias can do. It wouldn't even be in Richard.

All the two of us could do was just hope that now it's still a small bud that eventually blooms a stunning big circle of flowers.