Chapter 65
Side Story III
Ernstβs Romantic Day
Life is complicated. So many things to manage, so much to consider, so much to worry about.
βThe item you requested has been prepared, sir.β
βSend it discreetly, through the Greima port route.β
While Julie was out with Lilian for a stroll, his knight silently approached to report. It was an item Kainri had requested. Disgusted even to look at it, he waved the knight away.
After passing it along a couple of times on trade ships, thereβd be no chance of a trail leading back to him. Even if Heinz lacked the competence to uncover it, he still wanted to avoid getting involved in any trouble that could arise.
Heinz was a fool who should have been dethroned long ago. Despite all the vile acts heβd committed from a young age, he still became Crown Prince simply because he was the only direct heir.
His father, the previous Emperor, had been no saint when it came to women either, but no one could match Heinzβs debauchery. It was no wonder he wasnβt acknowledged as Crown Prince even after coming of age. Eventually, he caused a scandal that almost gave the late Emperor a heart attack.
βYouβve truly lost your mind! How could you possibly make an enemy of the Fischer Grand Duchy?!β
βAre you saying that the authority of the Imperial Family canβt surpass a mere Grand Duchy?!β
βHow dare you say such a thingβ¦!β
At the age of sixteen, this madman had assaulted his aunt, the Grand Duchess of Fischer, who was second in rank only to the Empress.
Even someone as usually indifferent as myself could hardly believe it when I heard itβhad he truly lost his senses? No, in hindsight, the signs of madness had been there long before.
Ernstβs mother, the only full-blooded sister of the late Emperor, often brought him to the palace, where he practically grew up with Heinz.
Then, when he was about ten, without any reason, Heinz twisted the neck of a dog heβd been playing with. He stomped on its head, and at first, Ernst was just confused. Why kill a perfectly healthy dog? Was he mad?
Ernstβs mother screamed when she saw the crushed animal, and only then did the Emperor scold Heinz. Though he was lax and uninvolved in matters of state, he wasnβt devoid of common sense.
The incident was brushed off as the result of academic stress, though I was reprimanded just for being there.
βDid you just stand there and watch?β
Well, what else was he supposed to do? Who would have expected a kid to snap a dogβs neck like that? If you pick up a dog, people think youβre going to play with it, not kill it.
When my mother fainted from shock and he got reprimanded along with Heinz, he was so enraged that he confronted him about it.
His answer was chilling.
βIt just had a thin neckβit fit right in my hand.β
So, thatβs it. This bastard snaps necks if theyβre slender enough.
Ernst would rather not have had to learn about the various shades of madness through his cousin.
After that, they assigned Ernst to keep Heinz in check, which drove him nearly insane. He knew he wasnβt entirely ordinaryβaloof to a faultβbut to witness Heinzβs insanity firsthand was a trial in itself.
And because of him, Ernst took the blame and punishment multiple times.
βYou lunatic, stop! Just stop already!β
That winter, at ten years old, Ernst beat him senseless. He couldnβt stand it any longer when he saw Heinz trying to kill another kitten, so he broke his wrist.
If he wanted to break things so much, why not try breaking his own neck? Since his grip was weak, Ernst offered to help him out.
* * *
The only reason Ernst survived after laying a hand on the Empireβs only prince was because he was ten years old, his mother was the Emperorβs only full-blooded sister, and his actions were interpreted as an attempt to restrain Heinzβs madness.
In truth, he had beaten Heinz simply because he hated taking the blame, but ultimately, the Imperial Family decided that it was best for the two of them to stay apart. Strangely, Heinz seemed disappointed by their separation.
Even so, whenever Ernst visited the palace, Heinzβs depravity continued. As a child, Heinz had tortured servants and palace maids, and as he grew older and became aware of his own desires, he reportedly began harassing ladies-in-waiting.
Thus, the scandal with the Fischer family wasnβt his first. Whatever happened behind closed doors had been covered up, but there must have been even worse acts before it. The assault on the Grand Duchess was just the tip of the iceberg.
The Duke of Fischer, Ernstβs other uncle, who had been blindsided by the incident, led a petition among the Imperial Councilβs senior members to strip Heinz of his succession rights and impose a harsh punishment, but it was ultimately dismissed.
Regardless of the rights or wrongs, it had to be understood politically. The line of succession was tied to legitimacy and the Emperorβs own security.
It was, in a way, self-inflicted misfortune. The previous Emperor had only one child, Heinz, due to a venereal disease he contracted from his promiscuity. Even when he did conceive, the pregnancies often ended in miscarriage or stillbirth.
In a situation where Heinz was the only heir, deposing him would simply put the next in line, the Duke of Fischer, closer to the throne, shifting power to the Grand Ducal House. If they seized the throne, would they even let Heinz live?
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