NOVEL NEXT WORLD chapter 40
40 – Goodbye is Not Always a Forever Farewell (1)
Doris and I followed the servant to the reception room in response to King’s summons.
In the reception room, the King, princes, and Godmilla were exchanging fierce glances. Only Princess Celenor was unable to do or say anything in this situation.
“The atmosphere is quite intense.”
It wasn’t just me who felt that way; Doris seemed quite tense as well.
I casually nudged Doris, signaling her to quickly take care of the princess.
Startled by the sudden contact, Doris quickly understood my signal and nodded, approaching Princess Celenor.
“Oh, Marquis. You’ve made it here without delay.”
“At your call, I dropped everything and came running.”
“Ha ha ha…”
Under normal circumstances, Her Majesty would have laughed at my words and enjoyed herself, but given the situation, she couldn’t laugh so uproariously due to the atmosphere.
Her Majesty sent me a glance as if to say ‘do you really know what’s going on right now?’ and I responded by smiling vaguely and bowing my head.
When I turned my head slightly, I saw Gode Miller looking at me with sinister eyes. Oh, how terrifying.
Whether Gode Miller is trying to kill me with just her eyes or not, I greeted her with a big smile.
“Good day, Lady Gode Miller. My, you seem quite radiant today.”
“…You also look quite healthy, Lord Christopher. I am relieved.”
Huh, I could hear the sound of teeth grinding. She’s older, yet she can’t even get implants in a world like this. She should be more careful.
Gode Miller nervously turned her head to look back at Her Majesty and said, “Your Majesty, may I know why you have summoned me? Gathered with the prince, the princess, and Lord Silverwood…”
“Just give it time to explain. Are you allowed to demand such things from her so rudely, even if it is you?” Her Majesty snapped.
“…Your Highness, Christopher.”
“Still, let me give you a warning in advance. The reason we are gathered here is to correct the arrogant and unfaithful actions that you have taken as the so-called ‘court tutor’ so far.”
“…”
The standoff between Christopher and Gode Miller continued. Her Majesty sat on the throne, as cool as a cucumber. It must have been difficult to find the strength to speak of dismissing Gode Miller.
She knows she must dismiss Gode Miller in order to reconcile with her children, but the internal conflict must be severe, considering all that Scott Miller has done for her.
However, Her Majesty soon set her mind and addressed Gode Miller.
“Gode Miller, I know that you have served me and our family with tireless effort.”
“…Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“However.”
Her Majesty turned to me and said, “Lord Silverwood here has given me a great insight.”
“..?”
“It’s that your way of teaching the children is not right.”
“..! Your Highness! What are you saying? Are you saying that I have taught them wrong? Thanks to me, Prince Christopher and Prince William have…”
Whoosh!
Her Majesty raised her hand to stop Gode Miller from speaking any further. Overwhelmed by Her Majesty’s actions, Gode Miller could not speak and only trembled.
“I could overlook how you educated Christopher and William in the beginning. The Marquis also said that you were not wrong in that part. But did you need to do the same for Bruce, Michael, and Celenor? Even if ‘that incident’ had happened, it doesn’t excuse it.”
“That’s…”
“The Duke said that punishment is actually not good for children unless they have done something ‘really’ wrong. It makes them only think about how to not get caught rather than truly regretting their mistake. And as a result, they become better at lying and deceiving. After thinking about it carefully, he was right. Bruce, Michael, and Celenor started hiding something from me after you started hitting them like Christopher and William. They used to tell me everything, even the size of their poop. “
“…”
“Oh my goodness, Your Majesty. Why do you suddenly talk about such a topic?”
“Until now, I haven’t said anything about you teaching other children with your ‘education’ since it prevented Christopher and William from doing evil acts anymore. But now that I know your ‘education’ doesn’t help my children grow up properly, it only makes them worse, I can’t turn a blind eye to your behavior.”
“Your Majesty, so are you going to…
“That’s…”
As Gode Müller suddenly approached His Majesty and shouted like that, the latter was slightly taken aback.
“I admit that I overly indulged Bruce, Michael, and Princess Celenor. But so what?”
Gode Müller appealed to His Majesty by pointing at Christopher and William.
“Who can handle Christopher and William other than me?”
“Gode Müller, Christopher and William have already admitted their guilt and will pay for it. “
“Do you really believe in their words, Your Majesty? Haven’t you realized that you have been betrayed but still haven’t come to your senses?”
“Madam, your words are too much…”
“Be quiet!”
Doris couldn’t say a word under Gode Müller’s passion.
“Your Majesty, did you say my ‘education’ was the problem? And what about Miss Jennifer, who tried to love and care for the two princes, despite their previous sins? Don’t you know what happened to her?”
“…”
The name of the teacher who the princes used to like was Jennifer, right? Come to think of it, I didn’t know because Doris didn’t tell me.
“When Miss Jennifer was there, the two princes improved for a while. You were very happy that they had been resurrected by love. But what happened in the end? Didn’t they become more wicked than ever? They said they would repent and pay for their sins. How many times did I hear that from them?”
“…”
“Your Majesty, you are still fooled by the two princes. If I disappear now, they will soon return to the way they were before I came back. And you are trying to dismiss me just after hearing the words of a mere 15-year-old Duke? Did the Duke even try to teach even one child himself? I know this matter better than the Duke! And he is even a person who will leave the palace soon, not even a month, let alone a few weeks, Your Majesty!”
“… That’s true, but…”
His Majesty seemed to be gradually swayed by Gode Müller’s words. Surely there were some flaws in her words.
First: Are you betraying me again, Your Majesty?
Christopher and William, not to mention Jennifer Gendo, must have said “We will live properly from now on” numerous times as a matter of course. Richard, who loved his children, probably believed them every time. And that trust would have been betrayed 100% without a doubt.
So even though they confirmed each other’s “sincerity” through an honest conversation yesterday, it would be difficult to trust fully due to their past experiences. Frankly, if yesterday’s appearance was an act, they could have won an Oscar for their performance, so personally, I don’t think the two princes made those promises deceitfully. But from Richard’s perspective, there might still be a lingering thought like, “Hmm, it’s a bit unsettling.” Gendomilla exploited that aspect.
Secondly, what happens after I disappear?
From Richard’s point of view, this might be the biggest problem. So what should be done after getting rid of Gendomilla? Who should teach the princes and princesses?
Me? I’m only 15 years old, and I’m currently studying with Professor Nisera because I lack academic knowledge. How can I teach the princes and princesses? Besides, I have to return to my fiefdom soon.
Honestly, I don’t have a sharp solution to this issue either. It’s not like I can assign Professor Nisera. She’s busy teaching me, and we can’t deny the possibility that the two princes might harm Jennifer. Personally, I think the chances are very low since the two princes have already disclosed what’s in their hearts, but still.
Furthermore, it’s evident that it would take quite some time to find a new court tutor after Gendomilla is gone.
“Gendomilla has dug into our weaknesses.”
I felt the vibe coming from Christopher, piercing precisely the concerns that His Majesty was worried about.
Huh? Can I just stay quiet like this?
As I mentioned before, I have confidence that I can definitely blow away Gendomilla, whether it’s Christopher and William or not.
“Your Majesty, please don’t be swayed by that witch’s words! Please take a look at the crimes written here by that witch!”
By the way, that’s not her own evidence, so don’t worry about it.
“What? Are you seriously showing it here?”
Christopher pulled out a bundle of parchment papers and handed them to His Majesty.
Yes. Those are the bundles of parchment papers that Doris showed me last time, detailing Gendomilla’s crimes.
Just to clarify, they are different from what Doris had. They even have a different appearance. Perhaps they were written separately.
Anyway, to show those here… It slightly deviates from my plan. If I had stayed still, I would have taken care of it myself.
Gendomilla, who saw through the identity of the parchment papers, seemed slightly surprised.
“That is…”
“Gendomilla, this witch stole the palace’s property in secret until now, daringly forged official documents that only I could write unless it was you. She has taken personal gain from all this. Just with this, she is already sentenced to death, and there are numerous other crimes recorded on these parchment papers. If you want further evidence, I will submit it later.”
“…”
Gendomilla’s expression clearly showed her complete defeat. In fact, she was probably aware that the princes had such documents. There is no doubt that Gendomilla, who survived through numerous conspiracies and plots by the two princes, who hated her as if they wanted to kill her, knew that they collected unfavorable information about her. However, perhaps due to the urgency of this incident, she hadn’t thought about it until now.
His Majesty slowly read through the parchment papers handed to him by Christopher.
Snap!
He threw the bundle of parchment papers containing Gendomilla’s wrongdoings onto the floor.
“Your Majesty…?”
“Do you think I didn’t know about Gendomilla because of your incompetence? You, who couldn’t even notice the crimes committed by a mere court tutor, thought I saw you as an idiot, a fool.”
She looked at her son with a cold gaze and spoke to him.