Surviving As the 5th Prince of the Ruined Kingdom

028

Cliang White, Lord of the Royal Treasury’s chief clerk.

Neatly combed blond hair.

A suit without a single wrinkle to be found.

A face where it is difficult to find emotional changes.

Just by his outward appearance, those who meet him for the first time can easily guess his personality.

Even when he heard the news of his fiancée’s infidelity, Kleang left work after calmly handling everything without a hitch, with an impassive expression. His subordinate employees sometimes mutter that he might be a golem controlled by a wizard, not a human.

Unknown to others, Kleang had an obsessive-compulsive disorder where he felt severe discomfort when deviating from his routine.

“Of all times, now. Uh…… Please go ahead.”

However, at this moment, instead of discomfort, he was feeling a different emotion at the prospect of deviating from his routine.

The name of that emotion was interest.

What Evan had proposed to him was something that scratched the itch of the Second Prince’s faction.

There are a total of 30 members in the Royal Council.

13 support the First Prince.

11 support the Second Prince.

The remaining 6 are…… neutral for now.

Most important issues that require the Royal Council members to convene require a majority vote to pass.

‘If we can sway just one member as the Fifth Prince said, the difference between 13:11 and 12:11 would be enormous.’

Kleang was aware that the First Prince’s faction was slightly ahead of them in every aspect. The once minuscule gap had now become glaringly obvious. He felt a sense of crisis that the gap could widen further as time passed.

‘Not to mention the rift between the Second Prince and Second Princess due to that good-for-nothing.’

If Evan could indeed sway even one member of the Royal Council who supported the First Prince, it could be a turning point that reverses the tide.

No matter how much the Second Princess despised Evan, she would at least not hinder him, if not help. Kleang judged that having lived in the palace her entire life, she would have that much sensibility.

A place where one could sometimes exchange pleasantries and smile with enemies. That was the palace.

**”If you can get the members supporting my brother Damian to vote against nullifying the immunity I invoked at the hearing, I’ll sway a member of the Royal Council supporting the First Prince right then and there, as I mentioned earlier.”**

“How many are we talking about?”

**”Of course, just one. Count Kleang, I didn’t take you for someone so greedy. If it were that easy, why would you have stayed still until now?”**

Despite his words, Kleang couldn’t help but chuckle at Evan’s tone, which seemed to suggest he could sway more than one if needed.

“I admit it. It’s not an easy task.”

Especially amidst the covert war between the First and Second Princes. Even the slightest movement could cause the other side to draw their swords and create a ruckus.

In that sense, the fact that they had missed Miloa digging into the Fourth Prince’s birth scandal was a blemish the Second Prince’s faction wanted to hide, an embarrassing oversight that had turned a minuscule gap into a noticeable crack they couldn’t deny.

‘She still doesn’t know much about the Fifth Prince.’

Kleang instinctively realized that Evan’s proposal was a golden opportunity to strike Miloa from behind.

**”……..”**

Realizing he had kept Evan waiting too long, he spoke again.

Apologies for the lengthy thought process. Very well. However, if the terms you agreed to are not fulfilled before the hearing begins······. I believe you understand what I was about to say without me having to elaborate.

“You’re making a fair point.”

“But there’s an issue, isn’t there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if all those supporting Prince Damian vote against, I cannot guarantee that it will override Prince Evan’s invocation of the right against apprehension.”

There were 6 members of the Royal Council who proclaimed neutrality.

They existed.

The former royal faction, pushed aside from the center of power during the previous succession struggle.

“Are you referring to those who followed the late King?”

“They mostly abstain from voting when attending, but······ it’s uncertain.”

“I’ll handle that. Just convey my earlier request to Brother Damian.”

“I stake my name on this promise.”

“To have the word of Count Cliang, who has never broken a promise, is reassuring. I’ll hang up then.”

After ending the communication with Evan, Cliang put on his gloves and became lost in thought.

‘Prince Evan Lionel, the Fifth Prince.’

During the royal trial, he had regarded the Fifth Prince as little more than a cocoon, unsure of what he would metamorphose into.

He corrected that thought now.

Evan Lionel had already emerged from the cocoon.

‘Sway the members of the Royal Council······.’

However, it remained unclear whether the butterfly he would become would gracefully flit through the Second Prince’s garden or be an unsightly moth that would cause frowns.

Perhaps, he mused, Evan would be a moth resembling a butterfly, sipping nectar while withering the flowers in the Second Prince’s garden.

The implication that he could sway the royals supporting the First Prince meant the opposite was also possible for them.

‘We need to be cautious.’

Cliang glanced at the clock.

6:30 PM.

Ordinarily, he would have passed the palace’s main gate 50 meters away after leaving work. As soon as he realized this, his wariness of Evan faded, replaced by a profound sense of discomfort.

Cliang hurriedly rose from his chair.

If he skipped the tea time after dinner, he could still maintain his routine starting at 8 o’clock.

“······.”

The protruding parts of the stacked documents irritated him immensely. He neatly trimmed those areas as if cutting them with a knife, nodded in satisfaction, grabbed his coat, and left the chief clerk’s office.

“Are you not worried?”

Alfonso asked me curiously after I cut off communication with Count Cliange.

“About what?”

“Count Cliange has never broken a promise, not even once. It’s a well-known rumor that even the King and the nobles all know. But what if he stabs us in the back at a crucial moment? That would be a big deal.”

“Well, it’s possible. But I don’t think we need to worry about that. Count Cliange isn’t foolish enough to shatter the trust he has built up all this time because of this matter.”

Promises, especially promises made by those in politics?

What could be more illusory than that?

Countless people have been stabbed in the back at critical moments and dragged down from the throne of power, in both their past and present lives.

Viewed in that light, the political trust Count Cliange has built up might be the greatest weapon in the camp of the Second Prince.

And he would shatter that because of me this time?

There’s no way.

However, I don’t know how long that will last.

When the great storm that will decide the life or death of the Second Prince arrives, will he still be able to uphold the trust he has built up until now?

I don’t think so.

Even if not him, those around him won’t just sit still. I told Alfonso my thoughts.

“But you should always prepare for the worst.”

“Don’t worry.”

I nodded vaguely at him.

“Your Highness, you should have dinner. I’ll go to the kitchen for a bit.”

“Oh, yeah, bring something for yourself too.”

“Understood.”

The moment Alfonso left and closed the study door behind him.

‘Your relationship with Cliange White has deteriorated.’

An unwelcome notification popped up.

‘What’s this now?’

I hurriedly looked up Cliange in the [Directory of Names].

The relationship, which had been ‘Friendly’, had dropped to ‘Normal’. We had just exchanged pleasant conversation, so why?

A thought crossed my mind.

‘Did he decide he needs to be wary of me?’

Well, if I were in his position, I probably would’ve been wary of someone who said they’d bring down a member of the Royal Council.

Maybe I should consider it fortunate that our relationship didn’t deteriorate further than normal?

[Relationship: Normal]

As I looked at the word “normal” displayed on Cleang’s status window, I felt a tinge of regret.

‘It would’ve been better if it showed the exact psychological state.’

From what I’ve discerned so far, the words like “friendly,” “normal,” and “wary” shown in the status window have nothing to do with others’ emotional states.

It doesn’t mean they’re truly wary of me when it says “wary”—it could just mean a slight aversion. Those words merely indicate whether the relationship is positive or negative.

It might’ve been easier to understand if it displayed numbers like “+10” or “-5” from the start instead.

Well, things could change later on as I achieve more accomplishments. For now, the best I can do is to make prudent use of what’s given.

With that thought, I closed Cleang’s status window.

There was something more important at hand right now.

– Most of the time when you attend, you usually abstain from voting……. But who knows.

The six members comprising the Royal Council.

There’s a need to meet with their representative figure……..

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought your meal.”

“Come in.”

As soon as the door opened, the savory aroma of the stew wafted in, making me hungry. It seemed best to fill my stomach first.

***

In the northern region of the Rionerl Kingdom.

The Northern Liberation Army’s main base, located in a secluded area.

Four officers were gathered in the meeting room.

A man with an unkempt, bandit-like beard.

A man dressed in black.

A woman with an eyepatch over her left eye.

A female mage whose face was obscured by the deep hood of her robe.

The bearded man was whispering with the eyepatch woman, and the man in black was conversing with the mage woman.

“You’re all here, I see.”

A figure clad entirely in a black cloak, wearing a fox mask, appeared. Their androgynous voice made it difficult to discern their gender.

“Why are you so late? You know we’re all busy.”

The bandit grumbled in a gruff voice.

“It wasn’t intentional. There was a bit of an issue on the way back.”

The fox mask gestured towards the cloak. There were many bloodstains that would be hard to notice in the dim conference room if one didn’t look carefully.

“Somehow, as soon as you came in, the stench of those scoundrels’ greasy blood wafted over. It’s making me want to puke.”

The blindfolded woman pinched her nose and scrunched up her face as much as she could.

The people of the Hamil Empire call themselves ‘Daein’, meaning people of the great nation, while referring to the people of the surrounding kingdoms as ‘Soin’.

They call the Northern Liberation Army ‘those scoundrels’ in a mocking way.

“Anyway, I’m sorry.”

“Well, you were the farthest away and ran into those scoundrels, so I understand.”

The man in black, who had been listening to the conversation between the fox mask and the blindfolded woman, spoke in a soft voice.

“Enough with the small talk. Why don’t we get straight to the main point? Everyone must have received Fran’s message. Let me give my opinion first. I thought it was an interesting story. It might be good to make contact with the 5th Prince.”

At his words, the Liberation Army officers fell into thought. A brief silence ensued.

The female mage was the first to speak.

“S- No, judging from how the teacher individually contacted each of us, it seems like he favored the 5th Prince, even if he didn’t say it outright. In that sense, I’m in favor of meeting him for now.”

“Hmph, we can’t just meet some brat we’ve never seen before based on the word of someone who’s not even part of our Liberation Army! This could be a trap set by the royal family to eliminate us.”

“You! Even if the teacher isn’t part of our Liberation Army······.”

“Enough! We didn’t gather here to argue.”

Thanks to the fox mask’s quick interjection, the argument between the bandit and the female mage was nipped in the bud.

“I’m against it too. The fact that the one called the Ghost Prince for the past 5 years is suddenly being talked about by everyone seems too contrived. I think we need to be cautious.”

The blindfolded woman, who had been silently lost in thought, also voiced her opinion.

“2:2······.”

The fox mask muttered softly and let out a small sigh.

‘Even their opinions are divided into hardliners and moderates, as if they had made a promise.’

The four pairs of eyes turned towards the fox mask.

“Your choice again, it seems. Speak up.”

“This time, it’s not a matter of this being good or that being good. Decide definitively.”

“I know you care for Alfonzo, but if it’s a trap, our Northern Liberation Army could really be annihilated. Think carefully.”

Urged by their words to respond, the fox mask opened his mouth.

“Before my decision, I brought someone who has observed the 5th Prince up close, besides Fran. That’s why I was a little late earlier.”

“Tell them to come in.”

“I’m curious. An evaluation from someone who saw the 5th Prince up close.”

The fox-masked figure spoke, looking towards the door.

“Come in.”

A woman with a look of having stepped in dung entered the conference room.

She was a new kitchen assistant who had safely escaped to the Emerald Palace’s kitchen on the day the Royal Guard Inspectorate tried to capture Alphonso.

From the moment she entered the Emerald Palace, she had done nothing but wash dishes all day long, and she couldn’t understand why she was here now.