Chapter 99

“Bunier confessed to the priest, blaming himself for bringing the
revolutionary party into the palace, which led to such disastrous consequences.

“It’s not your fault,” the priest refused Bunier’s attempt to
shoulder the blame, “Don’t worry about it. The prince will handle those
troubles.”

Mentioning the prince, Bunier couldn’t help but turn pale. He looked at the
priest, hesitant to speak, and after a moment, he slowly asked, “Did the
prince really kill Bishop Hebrew?”

Despite the prince’s own admission, Bunier’s tone remained cautious, tinged
with doubt.

“It seems so,” replied the priest.

Bunier was visibly shaken, repeatedly invoking God’s blessing. He hurriedly
continued, “How could this be? I can’t believe it. How could a noble
person harm another noble? There must be some misunderstanding!”

People like Bunier, who chose to believe there was a misunderstanding, were
a minority in the entire capital.

The circumstances surrounding Bishop Hebrew’s death were already fraught
with suspicion, overshadowed by the terrifying rumor of a curse. The public’s
focus on the enigmatic prince completely obscured any investigation into the
true cause of the bishop’s demise.

More than a decade had passed, and now the revelation came from the mouths
of revolutionaries, throwing both the royal court and city court into chaos,
unsure of what to do next.

Yet the king had already issued a new decree without hesitation, elevating
Prince Oss to first in line for succession.

With the king’s health failing, it was almost an announcement that soon this
controversial Prince Oss would become the new king of Lecy.

Amidst the chaos, it took the king two days to remember to ask Randes if he
had already made a decision about which lady to marry.

“I don’t want to deceive you,” Randes said, “I have already
chosen a bride, but she is certainly not one you would approve of.”

Yarlin shook his head. “No, Randes, I have no doubts about your choice.
I trust you and I am happy for you.”

There was no joy on the prince’s face.

His most pressing concern addressed, the king’s gaze blurred, his lips
trembling. It seemed as if he saw a light descending upon him. Summoning all
his strength, he finally said, “Randes, forgive…”

*

The sixth king of Lecy died in his own chamber.

The news reached the Cathedral of Fensborg immediately. The bishop needed to
go to the palace. Just two days ago there had been an incident with
revolutionaries infiltrating the monastery, so this time Brother Bunier only
allowed the bishop to bring along Brother Bunier.

“How is the prince?” asked Brunel.

“Thank you for your concern, the prince is well,” replied Brune.

Brune looked at the quiet bishop. “Bishop, don’t let the grandiose
claims of the revolutionaries bother you.”

Bunier hesitated in his expression.

The bishop nodded calmly. “It’s been a long time, everyone knows it was
an accident. I won’t believe those absurd words.”

Bunier looked at the bishop in surprise. That wasn’t how the bishop had
talked to him.

Brune was relieved and requested to kiss the bishop’s hand, showing his
respect. “Dear Bishop, now only you can help the prince.”

Brune led the two men to the king’s bedchamber.

The room was filled with many candles, servants shuttled back and forth
holding various trays, the quilt on the large bed was piled at the foot, the
king’s pale feet peeked out from under his nightshirt, and the prince knelt in
front of the bed, holding the king’s hand against his forehead.

“Oh…”

Bunier made the sign of the cross on his chest, murmuring, “Poor
prince…”

Brune stepped forward, leaning down to the prince. “The bishop has
arrived.”

To restore the prince’s honor, the king instructed—or rather, commanded—the
captain of the guard to ensure the entire Papal Court was present at his
funeral. He would accept God’s arrangements as a devout believer, and the
prince must spare no effort to use his funeral to demonstrate his close
relationship with the Papal Court, in response to potential challenges from the
royal court and city court.

Yarlin lived his entire life in conflicting hesitation. Facing death, he had
no idea where Léxi’s future would lead, only striving to offer his final
redemption through his death for his son.

The prince did not release his father’s hand, softly saying, “Take them
down to rest, and also, keep an eye on them.”

“The prince’s cold and severe tone slightly surprised the captain of
the guard. He respectfully replied, ‘Very well.’

The bishop and the monk were led to the adjacent room to rest until they
were needed by the servants to handle matters.

After the captain of the guard had the servants bring refreshments and
leave, Bunier couldn’t wait to ask the bishop, ‘You also don’t believe the
prince killed Bishop Hebrew, do you?’

‘Bunier, are you so concerned about this matter?’ the bishop lifted his
teacup. ‘Or rather, what does this matter have to do with you?’

‘Our purpose here is to pray for the deceased king, to bless his ascension
to heaven. Whether Prince Os killed Bishop Hebrew is a matter for the courts to
consider.’

‘I…’ Bunier felt the bishop’s calm demeanor was icy, more like a frozen
lake than placid waters. Bunier keenly sensed that, at this moment, the bishop
seemed to exhibit a similar coldness as the prince did earlier. He couldn’t
help but say, ‘We need to uncover the truth of the matter, don’t we? If the
prince is a good man, we cannot allow him to be wrongly accused. He has sworn
his faith before you.’

The bishop smiled faintly. ‘Then on behalf of God, I forgive all his sins.’

Bunier’s lips moved, but he couldn’t speak.

‘Enough,’ the bishop interrupted, sipping his tea, then gestured with his
arm towards Bunier. ‘Wasting good tea will damn us.’

After about an hour, the captain of the guard finally knocked and reappeared
at the door, requesting the bishop to come and pray for the late king.

The king’s body had been cleansed, and the bishop sprinkled holy water as he
prayed. Bunier stood nearby, praying along. He saw the prince standing on the
other side of the bed, his deep brown eyes fixed on the deceased father’s face.
He did not appear mournful, maintaining an unusually calm royal demeanor.

The old king passed away, and a new king was born.

According to the late king’s wishes, Prince Oss’s right of succession was
elevated to first place. He was now effectively the new master of the entire
palace.

The king left the large emerald ring on his hand to the prince, who wore it
on his left pinky alongside his metallic cane, consolidating his grip on power,
swiftly restoring order to the palace.

After a brief prayer, the bishop stood up straight, and the prince bent down
to kiss the late king’s forehead.

The private farewell ceremony ended here. Next was not about Yarlin but
about the king’s funeral.

As the prince went to receive the royal ministers entering the palace, an
unexpected visitor slipped in among them.

Bishop Enoch, originally appointed by the late king to baptize the prince,
had silver-white hair, a kind face, and sharp eyes. He was from another
diocese, contemporaneous with Bishop Hebrew. When Bishop Hebrew ‘died
suddenly,’ Enoch was working in his own diocese. He was deeply troubled by
Bishop Hebrew’s death and had never truly spoken out, holding onto his belief
in kindness and firmly believing that Randes, who was still a child at the
time, could not have done anything to harm Bishop Hebrew. Now, however, rumors
shook his heart.

Especially when Bishop Enoch saw the strange face of the prince and his
natural arrogance, Enoch suddenly believed those rumors.

The man in front of him was the murderer of Bishop Hebrew—

‘Prince,’ Enoch stepped out from the crowd like a gladiator, challenging the
prince in an imposing manner. ‘I need you to explain the death of Bishop
Hebrew.’

The others hid behind Enoch very well; the men of the clergy were debating
fiercely, watching how Prince Oss was attacked and irrefutable.

Can a murderer be a king? The answer is certainly, how could a king have
clean hands? But the question is about a bishop, and while Léxi’s respect for
religion is limited, using religion to attack Prince Oss is still very
effective.

“With the prince’s proud temperament and past behavior, he should have
admitted without hesitation, just like when he was twelve years old, that he
killed the bishop and done so boldly, without regrets. But he was no longer the
young prince; the responsibilities he had to bear restrained his previous
wilfulness.

‘I do not believe I owe any explanation for the death of Bishop Hebrew. His
death was an accident, and I thought we had all reached a consensus many years
ago, hadn’t we?’ The prince appeared composed, but to Bishop Enoch, there was
an undertone of arrogance.

Bishop Enoch’s expression turned grim. ‘Prince, your royal status is not a
shield for your sophistry.’

‘And the status of the church is not your justification for interrogating
me,’ the prince retorted without yielding.

Bishop Enoch was thoroughly provoked. ‘Your disrespect towards the church is
deeply distressing. None of the clergy will acknowledge the legitimacy of your
succession!’

Splendid!

The silent onlookers behind couldn’t help but silently cheer. This was the
crucial moment they had all anticipated! They exchanged subtle glances, their
eyes gleaming with aristocratic cunning.

The prince could have rebutted, asserting that the throne of Léxi didn’t
need the church’s recognition, but that would only escalate the conflict
between the throne and the clergy.

For both Lecy and the church, this was not a wise choice.

Lecy was already weathering the storm of revolution and couldn’t afford
another blow.

Randes was born proud, but sometimes, being born into nobility wasn’t
necessarily a good thing. Sometimes people needed to overcome themselves, even
their dignity, to become true rulers.

‘I have great respect for the church,’ the prince said solemnly. ‘I have
accepted baptism from Bishop Eugene and sworn my faith in God. This fact is
known throughout Fensbourg.’

‘Eugene?’

Bishop Enoch frowned. He had heard of this young priest of Chasburg. ‘That
little priest. Forgive me for saying, but his youth makes me question whether
there has been any exchange of favors between you…’

‘Bishop.’

A soft call came from behind the wide open doors of the main hall.

The prince sharply turned his head.

Bishop Enoch and the royal ministers followed the voice.

A dazzling strand of golden hair fell behind the dark door. The bishop
emerged from behind the door, his young and beautiful face exposed to
everyone’s view. His hollow green eyes gleamed with a turquoise light under the
chandelier and the dual illumination of sunlight. ‘Are you accusing a clergyman
equal to yourself?’

This was the first time Bishop Enoch had met Eugene. He found Eugene to be
even younger than he had imagined. His appearance seemed somewhat out of place;
he looked too aristocratic. According to religious standards, he seemed more
like a choirboy than a bishop. Yet he was indeed dressed in the red robes of a
bishop, his expression was calm and solemn.

Bishop Enoch hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond to someone who
was still a child compared to his age. He turned directly to the prince. ‘I
need your statement regarding the death of Bishop Hebrew.’

‘Bishop Enoch,’ the bishop standing outside the door’s face darkened, ‘Are
you ignoring my question? Because you also realize your own baseness?’

‘Baseness?!’

Bishop Enoch’s face flushed red. He was nearing sixty and had never been
accused like this before.

The bishop stood at the door, feeling all eyes focused on him. He relished
this feeling. ‘I must remind you that a few weeks ago, there was an outbreak of
plague in the Colby district. At that time, Prince and I voluntarily stayed
behind in the district to care for the sick residents and prayed devoutly for
the deceased to ascend to heaven. During that time, the prince also fell
seriously ill, eventually responding to the call of God. Bishop Enoch, if there
was any exchange, it was the prince exchanging his life for faith. And you,
Bishop Enoch, your doubts reveal a lack of faith in you. Do you think God’s
power is insufficient to draw people close? Do you think God is not worthy of
the prince’s faith? You are not questioning me and the prince; you are doubting
God.’

‘I…’

The bishop directly interrupted Bishop Enoch’s speech. ‘Bishop Enoch, your
shameful doubts have exposed your baseness, which I find intolerable. As the
bishop of the Chasburg diocese, I am expelling you and demanding that you leave
the palace immediately, Leave Chasburg—’

The young bishop spoke with forceful words and a rhythmically assertive
tone. Compared to Bishop Enoch’s accusations made in anger, his words were
almost like a judgment, and sweat beads appeared on Enoch’s visibly reddened
face. He opened his mouth, realizing he had no idea how to defend himself.

Bishop Enoch clearly faltered in the confrontation. One of the royal
ministers stepped forward from behind him. “Bishop Eugene, Bishop Enoch,
and Bishop Hebrew were good friends for many years. The revolutionaries took
great risks infiltrating the palace to make these accusations, and we must take
them seriously. The prince indeed needs to provide an explanation.”

“Foolish,” the bishop interjected without hesitation.

The man faltered, his face turning even more grim.

“How can we easily believe the words of revolutionaries? They kidnapped
Prince Sharman; why wouldn’t they also slander the prince? Their goal is to sow
chaos within the entire royal family, to subject the innocent prince to a
trial. Lecy into turmoil and some…” The bishop paused, his blind eyes
scanning the crowd, as though he could see through everyone’s thoughts.
“…opportunists’ hands.”

“Anyone who thinks they can represent anyone to deny the legitimacy of
the prince’s succession, then I, representing the Esburg Church, fully
acknowledge the prince as the rightful heir. Bishop Enoch, I am not afraid to
debate you publicly, whether in Esburg or in your charge of the Bodwin parish.
I gladly accept your challenge.”

Silence. A terribly ominous silence.

Bishop Enoch tightly closed his lips. He was overwhelmed by the strong and
unapologetic aura of the young bishop. He couldn’t admit his doubts about the
faith of someone who had already been baptized before the congregation, because
that was equivalent to questioning God.

The “opportunists” looked at each other, completely surprised that
Bishop Enoch they brought would be defeated by such a young new bishop.

“Prince,” the bishop said, turning his face towards the source of
the gaze, “please tell them how devout Lecy will be under your
leadership.”

Since the bishop appeared, the prince has remained silent. He simply gazed
quietly at the bishop, observing his fair face calmly as he launched an attack.
His lips moved like arrows, his words suppressing everyone with no room for
rebuttal, forcing them to admit defeat. He didn’t even move, or make any
threatening expressions, because the bishop’s strength wasn’t in his outward
appearance, but in his soul. His overpowering presence oppressed everyone and
overwhelmed everything, causing the prince’s heart to uncontrollably pound.
Although the prince tried his best to restrain himself, he still had to admit
that he loved him — he still loved him — hopelessly.

“I will be crowned by Bishop Eugene’s own hands,” Randes looked at
the priest and said slowly, “to prove my supreme devotion to my
Lord.”