Around the time when the mock battle between Li and the Crown Prince had been decided.

At the Royal Castle, a large council meeting was being held with all relevant parties gathered.

The discussion concerned the treatment of the Crown Prince, who had committed the unprecedented act of challenging his own fiancée to a duel.

Additionally, the parents of the entourage had also been summoned.

That matter had already been settled quickly.

All of them were disinherited together.

“Sever all ties!” someone shouted angrily.

However, that opinion was rejected.

The issue was who would take responsibility for them.

It would be a problem if troublesome individuals were simply cast out.

And then, the main issue, the Crown Prince.

Disinheriting him would be easy.

However, there was a problem.

The King and Queen had no children other than him.

In other words, if he were disinherited, there would be no successor.

In that case, succession would most likely fall to Li’s family.

After all, the current head of that house was the King’s full-blooded younger brother.

Li’s younger brother.

Or possibly her younger sister.

There were even crude opinions like ‘Why not just make Li the ruler?’

And the fact that not a few supported that showed just how popular she was.

That said, Li and the Crown Prince were engaged.

If he were disinherited, the engagement would naturally be dissolved.

Then the question became who would marry Li.

A peerless beauty with faintly bluish silver hair and aqua-blue eyes.

If she were to take a husband and make him king consort, who would it be?

The Crown Prince’s entourage, sons of powerful noble houses, had all been disinherited together.

That made selecting candidates even more difficult.

In that case, some argued that instead of Li, her younger brother could be chosen.

The younger brother had not yet been engaged.

If Li or her younger sister became the head of the ducal house, there would be no issue.

However, her younger sister was still too young to be considered.

Then what if he were not disinherited.

For example, he could be made to relinquish his position as Crown Prince.

That would allow the issue to be set aside for the time being.

But what about the future?

Even if the Crown Prince were to reform.

Would the nobles recognize him as the figurehead they would support.

A king is a symbol.

Even if it was a mistake born of youth, this incident might be too serious.

Would there be anyone willing to carry a symbol stained with mud.

Especially his classmates who knew the circumstances would find it difficult to trust him from the bottom of their hearts.

To begin with, disinheritance has historically been a cause of internal conflicts within noble houses.

If that is the case, should the Crown Prince be removed entirely to cut off future trouble.

As the current King, he would not hesitate to deal with his son for the sake of the nation.

But as a parent.

Passing judgment on one’s own child could twist the heart.

‘What a troublesome situation…’

Everyone participating in the meeting thought so.

The meeting went on, but little was decided.

The disinheritance of the entourage.

And as a temporary measure, the confinement of the Crown Prince.

He would also undergo re-education during the academy’s break.

* * *

That night.

The King sat alone in his office, holding his head.

The question of why would not leave him.

His son had been talented.

Judging purely by individual ability, he believed the boy was more than capable of becoming king.

Certainly, he had foolish aspects.

He was shallow in thought and spoke whatever came to mind.

But those were things that could be corrected with age and experience.

Though he had flaws, for a fourteen-year-old, the King had thought him more than adequate.

And yet.

He had never imagined his judgment would be this lacking.

And it was he himself who had placed such a person in the position of Crown Prince.

Simply put, he felt responsible for the appointment.

From a hidden compartment in his desk, he poured a strong aged liquor into a glass.

He downed half of it in one go and let out a heavy breath.

Thinking back, his own relationship with his father had been distant.

He had thought that was simply how royalty lived.

But perhaps he should have paid closer attention to his own child.

Between daily duties and responsibilities, he had entrusted too much to the tutors.

Though it sounded like an excuse.

He had properly listened to the tutors’ reports.

He had even considered their assessments before naming him Crown Prince.

But that had not been enough.

He should have watched over his child more carefully, the King thought.

His own father had passed away from illness.

Yet it felt as though his father had paid more attention to him.

Another heavy sigh escaped the King.

Should he punish his son?

Considering the sentiments of the noble houses in the future, it would be better to do so.

Seeds of internal conflict should be removed early.

As a king, that was the correct decision.

But as a parent, his emotions would not allow it.

He poured another drink into the glass.

Just as he raised it halfway.

The door to the office opened.

The one who entered was the Queen.

“What is it, Avril?”

He called her name.

Because something about her was different.

This was not the gentle Queen he knew.

She wore an expression as though heading into battle.