My Unrestrained Lives-Chapter 61: Aftermath (5)

Arriving at the abandoned palace with his entourage surrounding him, Caelan’s gaze was filled with contempt.

He hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. But in the end, curiosity got the better of him, and now that he was here... he regretted it.

Regretted it deeply, as his eyes swept over the shabby building before him.

To think such a rundown place even existed within the royal grounds?

It was the first time he had seen it... let alone known of it.

While he was silently fuming at how disgraceful this place was, the man walking to his right, clad in robes and clearly a mage, interrupted his thoughts.

"Your Highness, you really shouldn’t have troubled yourself by coming here in person," Laziel said. "And if you absolutely had to, you should have at least taken a carriage. Why walk all this distance?"

He was nagging again.

Normally, Caelan would have brushed him off or argued back. But this time... he didn’t feel like it.

Because, deep down, he agreed. He really shouldn’t have come.

So, he remained silent.

But his silence didn’t last long, because Maelis Ardent, the woman walking on his left in formal knight attire, decided to offer her opinion as well.

"Even I agree with Laziel’s words this time, Your Highness."

Her tone was firm, and her stance proud. She carried herself like a woman who would never bend the knee to anyone.

And yet, in the presence of the crown prince?

That unyielding pride seemed to melt away, replaced by a quiet deference that made her seem like nothing more than a beautiful, obedient woman.

Caelan, sensing that the two might begin bickering despite being on the same opinion this time, waved his hand dismissively, signaling for them to stop.

And in the silence that followed, Caelan finally noticed something odd.

Something... off.

As much as he looked down on knights... just like any other royal, he wasn’t foolish.

He knew very well that knights were a powerful force, that one could depend on.

So why... had no one come out to welcome him yet?

He narrowed his eyes, and it wasn’t long before they reached the entrance of the abandoned palace.

There, finally, stood two knights.

And standing with them, were other two.

Among them, a small child.

Is that Thalia’s son?

Caelan wondered, his gaze lingering curiously on the boy.

At that moment, the two knights finally noticed his presence and dropped to their knees.

"We greet Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince."

Caelan didn’t bother responding.

He continued walking, his eyes fixed firmly on Ellis... who, unexpectedly, was also looking straight back at him.

The boy didn’t look away. He didn’t bow. And neither did he speak.

He just stood there, his eyes meeting Caelan’s without the slightest hint of fear or submission.

Caelan frowned.

Insolent...

And he wasn’t the only one who noticed it.

The man beside Caelan immediately stepped forward and snapped harshly, "Insolent! You are in the presence of the Crown Prince... how dare you not kneel to greet him?!"

But Ellis didn’t spare the man so much as a glance.

He simply kept his gaze fixed on the crown prince... this man whose name was always whispered with reverence among the servants he came across, whose stories felt just like a novel.

When he noticed Silas beside him hesitating, clearly unsure whether she should kneel or stand, he raised his hand slightly in her direction. A simple gesture. A signal not to move.

And with a calm smile, he said, "My maid has weak knees, so I ask that my dear brother not take offense."

The mage began huffing again, clearly fuming at Ellis’s audacity. But before he could say anything, Ellis cut in sharply.

"Anyway, what do our uninvited guests want by coming here?"

The question was directed squarely at Caelan.

For a moment, Caelan said nothing. His expression was unreadable.

But then, as if deciding to let the boy’s attitude slide... for now, he finally opened his mouth.

"As the Crown Prince, and the man who will eventually inherit the throne, it is only natural for me to personally investigate any problems within the royal grounds."

His voice was firm, his tone commanding.

A clear display of dominance.

Then, without sparing Ellis another glance, he turned toward the two knights and asked curtly, "What’s going on here?"

Doran and his colleague, who were already drenched in cold sweat from the brewing tension between the abandoned prince and the future king, suddenly felt their tongues grow heavy.

They had just lied about the situation to the Eleventh Prince.

But to the Crown Prince?

They didn’t dare do the same.

So, both men instinctively shifted their gazes to the woman beside Caelan.

Their eyes pleaded with her.

Hoping, desperately, that the Vice Commander would intervene. That she would help them smooth things over. So, they can report things later.

But Maelis, either ignoring their silent signals or simply unwilling to play along, frowned and said coldly, "The Crown Prince asked you a question. Can’t you answer?"

With no more room to maneuver, Doran finally gave in.

He explained the truth.

How a one-sided battle had taken place near the palace. How unidentified individuals, possibly spies, had been killed. And how, at this very moment, knights were retrieving the corpses while others searched for the perpetrator.

Caelan’s frown deepened. The more he heard, the more it all felt wrong.

Who was protecting this forgotten prince?

Why was Thalia, someone whose value should have long since dried up, still receiving protection?

His gaze shifted once more to Ellis.

But Ellis, meeting his gaze head-on... then turned toward the two knights with a flicker of anger in his voice.

"So... you lied to me?"

His voice was cold.

And then, without pause, Ellis began to recite back the version of events the knights had fed him earlier, word for word... exposing their lie completely, leaving no room for denial.

The whole situation became more chaotic after that, as tension thickened in the air. And in the end, under the unwavering gaze of Caelen, Maelis, who had kept stealing glances at Silas from the corner of her eyes, finally stepped forward.

Then, with a gloomy expression, she said, "As the Royal Knight’s Vice Commander, I apologize for their attitude, Your Highness. As soon as we go back to the Royal Knight Headquarters, I will punish them."

Why do I not feel an ounce of apology in your tone? Ellis thought with narrowed eyes, as he stared directly at Maelis... the woman who, as it turned out, was the one who stabbed Silas in the back.

He had been wondering all this time just who this weak woman was, standing proudly at the front without saying much. But now he understood. She was the Vice Commander?

Ellis had previously assumed that the woman must have been talented to be able to reach the position of Vice Commander within the Royal Knights. But now, in light of everything he had witnessed, especially after putting into consideration, her strength that was weakest among the group following Caelen, he came to understand that it probably wasn’t ability or merit that got her there... it was most likely through connections.

In the end, knowing very well that he couldn’t settle accounts with her at this moment, Ellis quietly decided to engrave her appearance deep into his mind.

Suddenly interrupting his thoughts was Caelen, who already felt his patience thinning.

"We’re not going to continue talking out here, right?"

Ellis looked at him and nodded calmly before replying, "Naturally, we can talk inside. But, because I fear for my life... with backstabbing bitches, and scheming knights. So, the knights are not allowed to enter."

How many steps am I going to take back today? Caelen wondered silently, before sighing deeply and saying, "All of you stay outside. Just Laziel will enter with me."

In the end, he still ended up taking another step back.

Because to Caelen, the only person who could have orchestrated all the recent movements surrounding Thalia, the only one with the power and reason to protect someone discarded... was none other than his father, the king.

That was his hypothesis, at least. And if that was true, then there was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble in this place, at this particular time.

...

When they finally arrived in the reception room, Caelen, who had already taken a seat, finally asked, "What do you know about the current situation regarding your mother?"

He was clearly trying to probe, attempting to find out if Ellis knew anything about what was going on. But Ellis simply shook his head and replied, "I don’t know anything."

"And at the end of the day," he continued, "neither me, nor my maid, the only residents in this place, are able to do anything with our feeble strength. So why are you and your servants doing all of this to me? I don’t understand."

The conversation... or perhaps more accurately, the interrogation, continued.

Ellis, without raising his voice, began to insult everyone around Caelen in an indirect and composed manner. And Caelen, his mood growing increasingly disgusted, continued asking his questions.

Caelen, who at first hadn’t planned to make any move against this so-called trash prince sitting in front of him, now found himself wondering if he should reconsider.

For Thalia, who had once played a role, even if not a significant one, in helping him become the crown prince, Caelen hadn’t intended to bother with her son at all. While he naturally never planned to keep his promise to her, he still thought that at the very least, he could let her son off.

He didn’t need to kill him like he planned to do with his other brothers. But... maybe he should change those plans?

Standing up, Caelen looked at the child, Ellis, who didn’t seem like a child at all. And with a gleam in his eyes, he said, "I wanted to see your mother. But it seems, that will not be possible, right?"

Ellis calmly shook his head and replied, "Unfortunately, that will not be possible. If you’re willing to call a priest to heal her, that would be another matter then, though."

"I will see what I can do," Caelen replied perfunctorily, clearly just to brush the topic aside.