Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Answer (3)

Can you stop pretending to be a rascal now?

At first, I thought it was nonsense, but then I remembered I was dealing with the Crown Prince.

Considering that, it made sense.

When I think about it, it’s rare for anything that man says to not sound ridiculous.

‘There were a few sharp remarks among the words, though…’

But this time wasn’t one of them.

Isn’t that right?

For the past few days, I’ve just been home, but judging by this timeframe, aren’t I someone who’s been nothing but a troublemaker?

“I don’t understand what you mean, Your Highness.”

When I spoke, the Crown Prince let out a soft laugh.

“You’re playing it like that, are you? Fine. You must have your reasons. For now, take a seat.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I sat down.

I didn’t ask why he was acting this way or why he’d come to see me.

It’s considered disrespectful to question royalty like that.

Not that I usually care about such things.

I’m only being cooperative because the Crown Prince doesn’t seem in a bad mood.

‘Maybe this will just pass without trouble?’

Perhaps I could smooth over what happened last time.

But the silence dragged on.

I couldn’t tell if the Crown Prince was here to impose some authority or to have a conversation.

I kept holding back.

My patience was almost gone, and the words “So why are you here?” hovered at the tip of my tongue when he finally spoke, just as my restraint was about to break.

His tone was serious.

“…I have something I want to ask you.”

“That day, I was drunk…”

“You know it wasn’t just because of that.”

…I really don’t.

The Crown Prince shook his head.

“…Fine, you want me to get straight to the point. You’re saying that unless I overcome my shame, I’m not worthy of an answer, is that it?”

What is this guy talking about?

As I was thinking that, the Crown Prince spoke again.

“Alright, I’ll be honest. I want to know the real meaning behind what you said that day. Why did you say those things? What was I supposed to do?”

Didn’t he say it wasn’t about that?

‘Is he just messing with me?’

In the end, isn’t he just asking for an apology?

I felt a vein throbbing on my forehead.

Good thing my bangs were covering it.

I lowered my head.

“I sincerely apologize again. That day, I was intoxicated…”

“Listen.”

…Why does he keep cutting me off?

It’s infuriating.

I clenched my fist.

“Yes, Your Highness…”

Ah, I wish I could go back to the future.

I was happier when I could hurl curses at him. I missed that moment.

The Crown Prince glared at me with his mouth shut.

For a while, we were locked in a tense silence.

The Crown Prince broke it first.

“…Alright, I admit it. You were right. The more I cling to her, the further I distance myself from the throne. My desire for her was not in line with what’s best for the Empire.”

As soon as I heard that, something came to mind.

‘Oh, that woman.’

I remembered now.

This was the reason I’d gone back in time.

‘Not to kill the Crown Prince…’

…But to make him give up on that woman.

I hadn’t thought too deeply about it at the time, only knowing I had to strike a nerve.

Was it still stuck with him all this time?

I guess he does learn if you hit him over the head enough, just like his future self said.

As I was thinking, the Crown Prince continued speaking.

“I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t let her go. I feel like I can’t live without her.”

He placed his hand on his chest, gripping the fabric tightly.

“I know it’s selfish, but I can’t give her up.”

His laugh was tinged with deep confusion.

“There are two of me inside. The man who loves her, and the Crown Prince who must serve the Empire. I know I should act as the Crown Prince. I’m aware. But if I do, I feel like I’ll be miserable for the rest of my life. That’s why.”

The Crown Prince lifted his head.

His face was desperate.

“You told me before. You asked how I could dare put a commoner woman on the same scale as the Crown Prince’s duty. You asked where my priorities lay.”

“…”

“But the thing is, I want to do just that. Is it so wrong for me to love someone purely, as a man? Am I not allowed to wish for that?”

After a long prelude, he finally got to the real question.

“Is the Crown Prince truly forbidden to love?”

That question reminded me of his regretful musings in a future timeline.

—Back then, I thought love was something between just two people.

I looked at him silently.

His face still didn’t align with the image of the future, disheveled man I’d known.

But despite that, I could sense that this man and that man were indeed the same person.

How many people in this world suffer from such privileged dilemmas?

“I just want love. Love that isn’t tied to any ulterior motives.”

The Crown Prince’s expression was crumbling.

It looked as though he was about to break down.

I hesitated for a moment.

—You must go back in time and beat some sense into me. Wake me up, in any way you can.

That’s what the future Crown Prince had asked of me.

It was a ridiculous request.

He had asked me to beat up a perfectly fine Crown Prince.

Essentially, he was asking me to go back in time and get myself killed.

But if it was in this form—if it was about convincing him with words and making him give up on that woman—

‘Well…’

Maybe I could do this.

Not just because it was his request, but because if this man did his duty as Crown Prince, the war wouldn’t be so catastrophic.

If someone as capable as him ruled, the Empire would be better off.

And in turn, Pharos would be safer than it had been in my past life.

My decision was made. I got up and walked toward the window with the curtains drawn.

‘I’ll do it, just this once.’

Out of respect for my former superior, who had granted me a second chance.

—Sometimes…

I gave the past Crown Prince the answer that his future self had already come to.

* * *

“Sometimes, it’s the most obvious things that are easy to miss.”

Callios stared at Yuren’s back.

He couldn’t see his expression.

But his tone was weighty, reminiscent of how he’d been in that abandoned warehouse.

For the first time, Yuren was showing sincerity.

His face usually clouded with irritation or feigned ignorance now reflected something deeper.

It gave Callios a strange sense of hope.

He didn’t know why, but somehow, he was certain.

Certain that Yuren would provide him with the answer he needed.

“Love is no exception. In fact, the more familiar we become with it, the easier it is to overlook.”

“…What do you mean? Are you saying I’m missing something?”

“I think so. In fact, I’m almost certain.”

Yuren spoke confidently and added:

“Your Highness, are you sure you love that woman for love’s sake?”

“…I’m certain.”

“And is that love something only she can give you?”

“That too… I’m certain.”

“Why is that?”

Why?

The answer was simple for Callios.

“She sees me for who I am. Not as the Crown Prince, Callios von Ortaire, but as a man. She looks at me purely, and judges me without any ulterior motives.”

It was comforting.

The political strife of the palace was exhausting.

The expectant gazes of those around him weighed heavily on him.

And the nobles?

They didn’t see him as a person.

To them, he was either a figure of awe or disdain.

Everything wore Callios down.

The only time he could laugh freely, shedding all those burdens, was when he was with Rebecca.

That’s what he told Yuren.

“…I just wanted to feel that pure goodwill, if only for a short time.”

But—

“Then Your Highness is mistaken. Absolutely.”

Yuren denied it flatly.

Anger surged within Callios, and he wanted to argue, but he couldn’t.

“I asked if that love was something only she could give you. And I said that sometimes, it’s the obvious things we overlook—especially in love.”

Yuren didn’t delay in giving the answer.

Holding the curtain in his hand, he said,

“Your Highness, do you know? You’ve been granted a love that no one else in the world can have.”

And then—

Whoosh!

The curtain was pulled back.

Callios’ eyes trembled.

Beyond the window was the panoramic view of the entire capital, glowing under the sun.

Yuren’s words struck him like a blow.

“You’ve been allowed to love Ortaire. Simply because you were born. Simply because you are the firstborn of the royal family.”

“Ah…”

“They are allowed to love you. Because you will lead them.”

“Ah…”

“Did you ask about pure love? Then I shall answer.”

Yuren pointed towards the capital.

“Is there anyone purer than those common people who laugh when you wish for them to laugh and cry when you wish for them to cry? Where else will you find people who cry out for your love, overflowing with joy, just by receiving a small portion of yours?”

It was only at that moment that Callios fully understood Yuren’s words.

‘…There isn’t.’

After pondering for a long time, there was still no answer.

No individual, no one person could give something greater than the emotions expressed by the countless citizens.

No one could express as much resentment, nor cheer as loudly as they could.

An individual could never fulfill what this massive human collective, this society, provided as a phenomenon.

Thus, Yuren’s words were true.

‘Only I…’

Only he was allowed to receive all this love.

Simply because he was born as the eldest son of the royal family.

Because he was the Crown Prince.

Yuren looked down at Callios.

It was blasphemy.

And yet, it was not.

Callios looked up at him from an infinitely low posture, as if it was the most natural thing to do.

“Now, I will ask again.”

Yuren spoke in a tone that seemed both admonishing and reproachful.

“Would you dare weigh that common girl on the same scale as the Crown Prince’s position?”

He recited the truth that Callios had avoided.

Beneath his gray hair, his sharp eyes and deep blue irises demanded an answer.

Thus, for the first time, Callios placed the pure and pastel-toned smile of Rebecca, who laughed and cried only for him, on the same scale as the countless citizens of the empire who would also laugh and cry for him.

The balance tilted instantly.

‘Would a future with Rebecca be happy?’

It certainly would.

Her smile was one that could even erase the stains clinging to his heart.

But, would he be able to move forward without ever looking back?

If his wrong choice caused them to cry, could he live without regretting the moments he hadn’t loved them?

On the other hand, what if he chose the empire?

Losing her would hurt.

He would be in agony, crying in sorrow.

But he wouldn’t live in pain forever.

Callios knew himself.

He was someone who couldn’t endure without moving forward.

He was someone who had to correct what was wrong.

Therefore, the answer was clear.

Only then did Callios smile.

Bitterly, but also with a sense of shame.

“…No.”

The heart that had been tangled in confusion and the mind crushed by thirst now found their rightful course.

“I cannot place them on the same scale. No matter what you present to me, it cannot weigh the same as the hearts of the people.”

Because…

“I am the Crown Prince. It is the duty of the one who is allowed the only love.”

It was right after he had given his answer.

“Correct.”

For the first time, Yuren Pharos smiled.

Quite mischievously, at that.

* * *

Callios returned to the Palace of Dawn.

However, his expression markedly differed from when he left the Pharos mansion.

It was a faint yet satisfied smile that made all the women who saw him blush.

“What are you looking at like that?”

The First Princess, Erilda, asked bluntly.

Callios answered shortly.

“The view outside.”

To be exact, it was the view of the capital through the window, and the Pharos mansion perched at its edge.

“…Are you alright? Did you hit your head?”

“You really have no filter when speaking to your brother.”

“No, it’s just that you’ve been frowning all the time, and now you’re suddenly grinning like that. It’s creepy.”

“That’s disrespectful.”

“Disrespectful~.”

Erilda mockingly imitated him, clearly dissatisfied.

Then she spoke.

“Is it about that common girl again? What, did you hold her hand this time?”

“No.”

“…What?”

“I will no longer meet with Rebecca. I have realized that it is a relationship harmful to me.”

Thud!

Erilda shot up from her seat.

She glanced at him, her face blank for a moment, then slowly broke into a broad smile.

“Callios! You’ve finally come to your senses!!!”

She threw herself into his arms.

Although she embraced him with such joy, before long, Callios realized that Erilda was crying, burying her face in his chest.

He let out a hollow laugh at the sight.

‘Was I that lost?’

Looking back, it seemed like he had been.

Now that his mind was clear, he felt terribly embarrassed.

His eyes once again drifted toward the window.

‘Yuren.’

It was thanks to him, no doubt.

His gaze eventually reached the Pharos mansion at the edge of the capital.

‘That mansion is in that location for a reason…’

It was clearly a symbol that they were watching over the royal family.

Conversely, it meant that the royal family was always within the gaze of the Pharos.

History and legend said that the House of Pharos, the Grand Masters of the Empire, was established by the first Pharos, the mentor who drew his sword alongside the founding emperor when other races enslaved humans.

When the emperor liberated humanity, the first Pharos did not hesitate to wield the rod whenever the emperor made a wrong choice, always striving to guide him on the right path.

This was not a decision made for Pharos’ personal gain.

He refused all the titles and positions offered by the emperor, and in exchange, he secured two rights for his family through generations.

‘The right to reconsider and veto royal decrees, and the role of royal educators.’

Thus, the noble but titleless and landless House of Pharos was born.

Of course, it was rare in history for a Pharos member to act as an educator, no more than a handful of times.

‘A family destined to be the mentors of the royal family…’

Callios thought it suited them perfectly.

Yuren Pharos had indeed grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, saving him from the road to ruin.

He was a teacher who had taught him the correct form of love, a guide who showed him the path forward.

No amount of gratitude could ever be enough for him.

Yet, beyond that, Callios now felt a desire.

“Erilda.”

“Yes?”

“I want to entrust my education to Pharos.”

He had to learn.

He was not yet prepared to walk the right path on his own.

He needed a mentor, a guide.

And who better to fill that role than Pharos, who was feigning the role of a rascal?

‘I don’t know why he pretends to be a rascal, but…’

Finding out would be part of the fun.

With a long smile, Callios said,

“Make the arrangements.”

And then,

“…Pharos? That rascal?”

Erilda’s smile froze.

It was clear what she was thinking.

———