The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

“Al-niisama!”

At the castle party venue

I was standing there waiting at its entrance.

There, Christa came toward me with small steps.

“Christa.”

I let Christa hug me for a while.

She must have been quite anxious while I was away.

When I stroke her head, Christa hugged me even tighter.

“Were you scared?”

“Un…..but…..Elna protected me…..”

“I see…..”

“Nee, Al-niisama…….Elna was……..”

“It’s okay, I heard about it. Don’t worry, I will do something about it. You don’t have to worry about her. Just enjoy the party tonight alright.”

Hearing so, Christa’s expression got a little brighter.

Seeing that, I started talking to Christa about something else.

“Have you met Leo and Lize-aneue yet?”

“Un! Lize-neesama chose this dress for me!”

Christa spins around to show off her new purple dress.

It seems she is very happy that Lize-aneue chose it for her.

Even though we are of the same imperial family, the stars of today’s party are Leo and Lize-aneue so I will be heading to the party venue together with Christa first.

“I see. Then you should show it off to everyone. Rita should already be inside as well.”

“Un!”

Saying so, I walked into the party venue with Christa.

When the knight at the gate announced mine and Christa’s arrival, applause and gazes were directed toward us. However, it was Christa who was the center of their attention.

The kidnapped princess, and the younger sister of Lize-aneue.

Unlike the other princesses who have various problems attached to them, there are many nobles who want to marry their son to Christa in the future.

While keeping those nobles at bay, I head over to Rita with Christa.

“Ah, Al-nii! Kuu-chan!”

Rita waving her hand cheerfully at us but it seems that she hasn’t noticed that her instructor was tiredly staring at her.

That’s so like Rita.

“Rita…..those clothes look good on you.”

Rita was wearing ceremonial clothes for a knight apprentice with a sword hanging at her waist.

Her clothes are so neat that it doesn’t seem like it was Rita at first but it seems that she likes it very much.

“It does!? Really!?”

“Un.”

“Thank you! Kuu-chan! Kuu-chan’s dress is nice as well!”

“Lize-neesama chose it for me.”

“That Princess General!? Will I be able to meet her!?”

“Un, you will.”

“YEAHH!”

While watching the two happily chatting, the crowd was making noise at the entrance of the venue.

At that time, the names of Leo and Lize-aneue were announced.

The venue was filled with applause that was incomparable to mine and Christa.

“Prince Leonard! Congratulations on your big success!”

“Marshal Lizelotte! Your battle was astounding as always! It seems that you never lose your touch!”

The two were immediately surrounded.

There might have been those that were told by their parents that now is a good time to approach them too.

There are children around the same age as Christa around her as well but with Rita here, they can’t recklessly approach her.

It’s a good relationship they have between them.

While thinking about that, I silently left the place and leaned back against the wall.

In the opposite direction, Leo, Lize-aniue, and Finne are once again surrounded by nobles.

It might have something to do with the blue seagull ornament but she does look very good in her blue dress today, it seems I won’t be able to call her out for now.

I could see Jurgen from here as well but due to his social connection, he is being surrounded by his acquaintances in the imperial capital.

If I go to him now, the people around him will surely disperse.

“This is really a problem……”

A party with no one to talk to is so boring.

Of course, I can enjoy just watching people like this too.

After a while, my father arrived and the party finally started in earnest.

Many people start dancing to the music with happy laughter echoing the whole venue.

Every time someone tried to invite Lize-aneue for a dance she would sway the sword hanging at the waist of her military uniform. If someone actually invited her she would probably say [If you want to dance with me then win against me in a duel first].

On the other hand, Finne and Leo are smiling while dealing with many nobles. It’s their job after all. Right now is a good time for us to increase our allies.

Surprisingly, Jurgen politely declined all the invitation from the ladies as well. As always, he is such a polite person.

Christa and Rita are still surrounded by the children.

There is no place for me here. 

With such feelings, I make fun of myself.

The one who wished for this kind of position was none other than me. Still, I want to have fun spending time with someone too. However, envying them for that would be too much of a luxury.

There was also a way that I can walk the same path as Leo but I didn’t choose it.

If Leo’s was a path filled with light then mine was one in the shadow.

There’s no need for me to be praised by anyone. There’s no need for anyone to notice me.

I chose my path with that kind of feeling that.

I thought that it was for the best.

“Yo, Arnold.”

A noisy guy appeared disrupting my thought process.

It’s none other than Gied and his entourages.

Even though he is wearing a tailcoat, it doesn’t look like formal attire because he seems to arrange it according to his own fashion sense. 

He sure likes wearing something like this huh. As I thought, this guy’s sense is really off.

“Gied huh.”

“Hmmn? What? I went out of my way to talk to a Dull Prince like you and that’s what you say to me? Shouldn’t you be crying tear of joy right now?”

“Haa…..yeah, yeah, thank you very much.”

“I don’t like your tone. You, have you been getting cocky lately? Leonard’s achievement is not even yours alright. The more Leonard is growing, the more incompetent you will look. There’s even a rumor going around that someday you will be the downfall of Leonard’s faction too you know?”

“Right…..”

I don’t need a guy like him who can only think that far.

I want someone who feels like he or she can make a difference to join the faction.

Leo needs allies like that.

The succession war isn’t just a fight between the candidates but also their factions. No matter how much Leo can compete with the other three, if his faction is inferior he will never be able to become the emperor.

“What? Getting depressed now? Right. Even you would want to be in the limelight too right? But you see, it’s impossible for an incompetent like you!”

Saying so, Gied and his entourages laughed.

Seriously, these guys sure are free. I wonder if Father will get back to his quarter soon. I can’t leave this place before him after all. I have somewhere else to go after this too.

As my expression is getting tired, Gied grins.

“I have good news for you Arnold. Get me into Leonard’s faction. I will personally join your side.”

“…….What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Well, that’s understandable. I am the eldest son of the prestigious Duke Horsvath after all. There would be no one else you would want to have as your ally right.”

Gied playfully brushes his bangs.

But I don’t care about that.

A guy like Gied running headfirst into a power struggle? This is undoubtedly the order of his father, Duke Horsvath.

Certainly, Duke Horsvath himself is approaching Gordon while his second son was sent to Eric’s side. And if Gied can get closer to Leonard here then he will be able to sell his favor no matter who wins in the end.

The reason Duke Horsvath didn’t approach Zandra was that he has been on bad terms with the Southern nobles for a long time.

Judging from this, it seems that the Duke has already recognized Leo.

It will be painful to miss this opportunity but ……honestly, I don’t need Gied. Gied is certainly the eldest son of Duke Horsvath but his second son is actually the one who is well-respected and excellent. A good evidence of that would be the fact that the Duke had sent him to join Eric, the candidate with the best chance to win.

If we pull Gied in as our ally now, our faction might collapse.

“Oh, you can give yourself credit for recruiting me too, you know. How about it? Arnold.”

“Sorry, but I will be refraining myself. If you want to join him then go ask Leo himself.”

“wHaT?”

I guess he never thought that I would refuse. His cheeks are cramping up.

Gied can’t ask Leo himself. Up until now, Gied had been acting good in front of Leo on the surface but when Finne and I went out together, Gied beat me up and I pretended to be Leo back then.

In other words, from Gied’s point of view, he thinks that Leo is already aware of his wrongdoing. Well, something like this, Leo should already have noticed long ago.

That must be why he chose to approach me.

What an idiot.

“Don’t get cocky with me now. This is not a request, you know that right.”

“No matter what you say, I will not introduce you to Leo’s faction.”

“You shit! What are you getting conceited about! Since she was already under house arrest a failure like Elna won’t be able to protect you anymore alright! No one is going to help you, you know!”

He just said something he shouldn’t have.

I know that I should just let it slide. There was another me who kept telling me to calm down.

However, I shook off that self-control.

“Just now…..what did you say?”

“What? No one is going to help you.”

“Before that…….did you said a failure?”

“Hm? Yeah, I said it! Elna was such a fai—–!!!????”

I glared at Gied.

I wanted to blast him away with Silvery Ray right this moment. How refreshing it would be if I can remove a guy like him from this world.

Being glared at with such intent, Gied was overcome with fear and unable to breathe. He took a few steps and fell on his butt.

“A, ah……….”

“Take it back……Gied.”

With only a quiet voice I convey my feelings.

However, Gied doesn’t show any sign that he would answer that at all.

His entourages also solidified and no one tried to step between Gied and me. What a cheap bond they have.

“Elna saved Christa’s life. That’s a fact that no one can change. Insulting Elna in front of me while knowing full well of that, Gied von Horsvath, do you want to die?”

“A, it, it’s, I’m not……”

“Just say it.”

“I, I, I take it back……”

“Anything else?”

“So, Sorr……”

“Sorry?”

“I, I’m, I’M SORRY…….!”

After I got Gied to take his insult back and apologize, I immediately left the venue.

Father still hasn’t left the venue yet but I feel nauseous just by breathing the same air as Gied and since we had already gathered a few attention to us, I decided to leave the place.

It will be troublesome to get involved in trouble now.

Right now I am far from composed.

While thinking so, I grabbed a bottle of alcohol on the table and left the venue.

“……Haa.”

“If it was enough for you to sigh about, isn’t it better for you to just endure it?”

Thinking about my own stupidity, I sighed once I left the venue. Even though I just decided to remain an incompetent, I ended up doing something that betrayed all that right afterward. There’s nothing more pathetic than this.

While I was drowning in all that, Sebas called out to me from behind as if to pick a fight with me.

Argghhh. I don’t want to get preached on right now.

The one who understands best that what I did was stupid is me after all.

“I did it because I couldn’t alright. I am calm right now so I do think that what I did was stupid okay. I just revealed my hand even though I have nothing to gain at all.”

“Silencing him with only your glare, that was quite a thing you did there. From the point of view of the people around you, they must have thought that he stepped on quite a landmine you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. I said I already understand right?”

“Then that’s fine. Elna-sama is someone special to Arnold-sama after all, it couldn’t be helped. Considering what happened, it could be said that he was just surprised because you who normally wouldn’t get angry was glaring at him so they probably wouldn’t think too much about it.”

Saying so, Sebas followed after me.

I got angry because she is someone special. Because of that, it’s easy to say that it couldn’t be helped but if I got angry because of that, do I have to get angry more often from now on?

“Today I felt the most miserable than I ever felt…….”

“Days like this do come by. Nobody is perfect after all. There is no one who can always push down their emotions. Ah, leaving that aside, I have already prepared a carriage for you.”

“…..you really are always perfect. I didn’t even say anything yet though?”

“I am a butler after all.”

“Is that so…..shall we go then.”

Saying so, I climbed into the carriage.

TLN: So yeah, I made it. praise me!!