Chapter 125: Destiny (III)

After quelling Levans’ Rebellion, the Frenche Kingdom swiftly regained its stability. It was hard to believe that this nation had nearly undergone a fate-altering upheaval just days ago.

Ironically, much of this rapid recovery owed to Levans himself, the very instigator of the chaos. He and his cohorts had quietly dealt with the king, dreaming of a smooth transition of power. By allowing them to “tidy up” the situation discreetly, the palace minimized potential disturbances.

Thus, while Bernium Palace buzzed with activity, the kingdom as a whole avoided widespread turmoil. Nevertheless, the royal court still faced numerous challenges arising from the rebellion: honoring those who lost their lives, managing newly captured nobles, integrating the suddenly available military forces, and more—all demanding urgent attention.

Even amid everyone’s hustle and bustle, there was one who spent his days lounging in bed.

“There’s nothing better than this bed!” Louis said as he rolled around on the luxurious royal mattress with his twin brother Pablo for an entire week straight while munching on food brought by servants.

One day during their peaceful repose, a page came looking for them.

“Prince Louis, His Majesty requests your presence.”

Louis had been so attached to the bed that it took some effort to sit up straight. But his eyes sparkled brightly.

It’s finally here!

Why else would the king summon him at such a moment? The long-awaited time for rewards must have arrived.

“I’ll be right over!” Before anyone could stop him, Louis dashed out of the room.

Page, who had been staring blankly at Louis’s figure, quickly snapped out of it and chased after him.

“Let’s go together!”

Louis was already far ahead, moving so swiftly that he seemed like a child skipping off on an excursion while humming happily.

Watching his retreating back, Page shook her head.

Who could possibly think this little prince is behind everything…?

People said there was a hero who’d put down the revolt in Levans, and his name was Pablo. But those few individuals who had witnessed the entire affair from beginning to end knew the truth: The one responsible for bringing order to the chaos of Levans was none other than this young boy.

As Page became lost in thought, Louis turned around and called out to her.

“What are you doing? Hurry up!”

“Yes, coming!” Page quickened her pace at Louis’s excited urging.

As she walked beside him, an idea struck her. “Oh! Prince.”

“Hm?”

“You wanted me to find out about…”

“What is it?”

“The Estephan family.”

“Oh? Did you find something? How did it go?”

“As far as I could tell, there’s no noble family called Estephan in the Frenche Kingdom right now.”

“Really? It doesn’t exist?”

“No, I searched thoroughly, but I couldn’t find any noble family by that name anywhere. I’m certain.”

Louis nodded at Page’s confidence.

Hmm…

A few days earlier, ten nobles had been captured during Levans’ Rebellion. They would later be known as the Twelve Commissioners.

Including Levans, there were a total of eleven individuals. One of the twelve noble families was vacant, and that happened to be the Estephan family. That’s why Louis had asked Page to investigate them.

But they don’t exist at all, do they?

He initially thought they simply weren’t among the twelve noble families, but it was unexpected that they didn’t exist within the Frenche Kingdom either.

This means the founder of the Estephan family might currently be a commoner or perhaps someone who migrated from another country later.

As this realization dawned on him, Louis’s eyes sparkled.

In any case, they aren’t here in this kingdom right now!

The corners of Louis’s mouth curled up involuntarily.

Page observed this and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

I’ll never get used to seeing that smile…

Though it was undoubtedly a pretty smile, every time Page saw it, he felt an inexplicable chill creeping over him. It was as if behind that cute, lovely grin lurked a writhing snake.

Shaking off the shiver, Page hurried after Louis. Soon, they encountered an unexpected figure in the hallway.

Louis shot him a glare. “What’s up with you? You’ve been running around all day—what are you doing here?”

The one pacing the hall was none other than Pablo himself. Under Louis’s hostile gaze, his shoulders slumped as he replied, “W-well… His Highness summoned me.”

Pablo had been hailed as the hero who saved the kingdom. But what good did that do him now? In front of Louis, he was like a frog before a snake, or a mouse before a cat.

Seeing Pablo squirm under his stare, Louis finally relented.

“Ah, never mind. I was going to call you anyway.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Let’s go together.”

“Oh, right!”

The three of them, who had encountered each other in the hallway, now walked as one group.

Upon arriving at the king’s office, the guards recognized Pablo and Page, then informed those inside:

“Your Highness, Crown Princess Page and Prince Pablo have arrived.”

“Admit them,” came the response.

The guards cleared the way for the trio. Louis, with Pablo and Page flanking him, made a grand entrance through the doors.

What greeted them upon entering the room was the sight of the king buried beneath a mountain of paperwork.

At this, Louis couldn’t help but snicker. “Keeping yourself busy, aren’t you?”

”…I’m about to die,” the king replied grimly.

He removed his glasses, looked away from the documents, and rose to his feet.

Crunch, crunch.

His body, frozen in place for hours, finally let out a groan.

“Ouch, it’s been so long since I’ve done this kind of work that it’s proving quite difficult.”

Though his face was etched with exhaustion, his eyes sparkled with more vivacity than ever before. With too much on his plate, he’d been cutting back on sleep to get everything done. Despite these challenges, directly handling both major and minor state affairs himself—for the first time in twenty years—brought immense joy to the king. He owed this sense of fulfillment to the small figure standing before him—the chief of staff.

The king smiled warmly at Louis. “Thank you. You’ve truly earned my deepest gratitude.” It was a heartfelt expression of thanks from one monarch to another.

Had anyone else received such praise, they might have hastily bowed their head in humility. But Louis was far from ordinary; instead, he met the king’s gaze squarely, accepting the acknowledgment as befitting his station.

“You’re just gonna say it out loud?”

“Pardon me?”

“Is there some new trend I don’t know about where people express gratitude by simply saying ‘thanks’ these days? If someone has been truly grateful, shouldn’t they offer something in return…as a matter of course?”

He was openly demanding compensation.

“Oh.” Pablo coughed softly, seemingly embarrassed, while Page interjected with a beaming smile.

“Your Highness, as you may recall, I promised Prince Louis that once this affair is concluded successfully, we would grant him any wish he desires.”

The king burst into hearty laughter at Page’s reminder.

“Yes, indeed. A mere verbal expression of thanks won’t suffice here.”

To put it bluntly, Louis had not only saved the lives of the king and his page but also secured the fate of the entire Frenche royal lineage.

How could they possibly reward him for such a service?

The king smiled warmly and asked, “What do you desire? I will grant you anything within my power.”

“Really? You won’t go back on your word?”

“Not at all!” The king nodded emphatically, his tone resounding with grandiosity.

Witnessing this, Louis extended his finger, pointing towards Pablo and Page. With a beaming smile, he declared, “Then please arrange their marriage!”

”…”

A deafening silence fell as soon as Louis finished speaking.

Pablo and Page, caught off guard by being suddenly singled out, stood agape alongside the king, whose expectations had been thoroughly upended by this unexpected request.

“Huh?”

“Pardon me?”

“W-wh-what did you say?”

In response to the stupefied reactions of the three individuals, Louis repeated himself patiently.

“Didn’t you hear me? I want you to marry Pablo to Page.”

”…W-what in blazes is this all of a sudden?!” The flustered king sputtered, bewildered by Louis’s demand.

Before he could recover, Pablo erupted with anger. “Who do you think you are?! The Louis I know would never make such a request—gurgle!”

Or rather, he tried to erupt. If only Louis hadn’t caught him off guard by kicking his shin.

“Ackkk!”

Pablo clutched at his leg, writhing on the floor.

This familiar pain! It has to be Louis, doesn’t it?!

Even as agony consumed him, Pablo’s mind was overrun by doubts. The Louis he knew would never have made such a demand—at least not without some provocation…

This man could snap a few pillars of the Frenche Kingdom if he wanted…

Or perhaps threaten to hand over the entire kingdom. If they refused, Louis would probably take everything made of gold by force.

Louis glared at Pablo as if annoyed by his confusion and pain. “Even when I speak my thoughts here… you still get whipped.”

“But… that…” Pablo looked utterly bewildered.

Louis turned away from Pablo to address the king directly. With serious eyes, he stated, “My request is simple: The marriage between Pablo and Page. Of course, I won’t force this upon you.”

His gaze then shifted towards Page.

“I’ll give you a choice. How do you feel about…Pablo?”

“Ohhh…” Page looked flustered at this question directed toward her.

Finally snapping out of it, Pablo sprang up from his seat.

Come to think of it, this is…the most crucial moment of my life!

He couldn’t possibly spend such an important occasion sprawled on the floor. Standing ramrod straight, he gazed anxiously at Page.

The king also sighed as he watched her intently.

“Ahhh…”

With all eyes in the room fixed upon her, Page felt her cheeks flush slightly. She met Pablo’s expectant gaze while countless images flashed through her mind:

A man wounded while protecting her from invaders aboard Maearth.

The time he chased me down after mistakingly thinking I was being tailed; how he fainted from exhaustion.

How he confessed his true feelings to me with a ring in hand.

His broad back covered in blood, having thrown himself forward to protect his father.

Fighting tirelessly for the Frenche Royal Family until they finally achieved victory.

As each memory resurfaced one by one, Page’s initially flustered heart gradually settled. Instead, a growing certainty began to take root within him.

Yes, if it’s this man…

Despite Pablo’s rough exterior, he had always been kind-hearted and genuine towards Page.

If it’s this man…

Though their time together wasn’t long, Page could clearly discern the sincerity of this man’s affections.

With his decision solidified, Page nodded firmly.

“I also… I also… like you.”

“What did you say?”

“With Pablo, I think… it would be okay to spend the rest of my life together…” Page replied softly.

Louis smiled at her response and glanced meaningfully towards the king as if to say, See?

In that moment, the king turned his gaze from Louis to Pablo. The young man’s face was radiant with joy; had this not been such a formal occasion, he might have been jumping for delight.

The king watched him silently before letting out a deep sigh.

“Hmph…”

A marriage between a commoner and the crown princess—normally, no king worth his salt would ever permit it. But circumstances had changed—not because of any shift in royal policy, but because Pablo’s status had transformed overnight.

A hero, huh…

As news of Levans’ rebellion began to spread beyond the palace walls, so too did tales of Pablo’s valiant deeds during those tumultuous days.

The hero who had single-handedly defended the palace against six hundred enemies. Then, pulling out Sungangs—the symbol of tier-2 power—he had swiftly dispatched the Levan forces. The surviving nobles had clearly witnessed this display.

In a kingdom where each individual talent was precious, a tier-2 powerhouse like Pablo was an invaluable asset. Of course, such factors were important, but what truly swayed the king’s decision were the looks Page and Pablo exchanged—a look that spoke volumes about their mutual affection.

Thus, he found himself compelled to make a choice—not as a king, but as a father longing for his daughter’s happiness.

“You’re certainly making your second marriage in quick succession,” the king observed with a sigh.

Page and Pablo’s faces lit up at his tacit approval. Watching from the side, Louis couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile as well.

Excellent, absolutely excellent!

It was an extremely sly remark.