The Extra Wants To Live

A few days later, Carl was given a reward for subduing the gnolls. Even though it was officially a trivial subjugation of gnolls, the emperor's mission was accomplished.

He can't just ignore it. First, a medal was awarded to Carl.

The medal itself was not important.

What was important was that a little bit of money came from the imperial family on a regular basis.

Carl wore a small bronze medal, the size of two finger joints, which is given as a formality to commanders who have made minor achievements, prominently displayed on his left chest.

It was the perfect tool to look like an excited kid.

Next, Carl, who had fulfilled his role as a member of the royal family, finally began to be given 'dignity maintenance fees'! It wasn't a lot of money, but when combined with the money from the medal, it was enough to be useful in times of need.

Though there was a silver mine, it was a slush fund. Having funds for official use was quite meaningful for Carl.

So, what was the first thing Carl did with the first money he got?

"Master Carl, Master Carl. This… that is… … ."

"Now, look. Are you okay?"

Carl gave clothes to Lilly.

Lilly's clothes were all she brought with her when she entered the imperial palace with Carl's mother, Diana.

She had worn them for 17 years, so Lilly had repaired them, stitch by stitch, herself.

Even if she was careful not to show off as much as possible, no one knew that Lilly's clothes were in tatters.

Carl couldn't buy a bright green like Lilly's vivid green eyes because it was expensive due to the dye, but he could buy a slightly dull green dress like Lilly's.

Although it was unfortunate, it wasn't that bad either, Carl thought.

"Now that I have my own clothes, I should buy Carl's clothes first… ." Lilly spoke in a trembling voice and looked away from the dress Carl held out.

Carl burst out laughing at those words.

"Ha ha ha! You won't be able to wear it in less than a month, right? Go ahead and try it on."

In fact, Carl was growing very quickly, and was already one hand taller than Lilly.

Even the clothes Harmon bought for him were now a tight fit.

Lilly could not resist Carl's urging and put on the dress with trembling hands.

Carl, who had been waiting outside, went into the room when he heard Lilly's low voice and hugged Lilly, who was sobbing while wearing the dress he had given her.

The story that Carl had used all the little money he had earned to buy his maid a trivial dress became quite a topic of gossip within the imperial palace.

Everyone laughed at Carl, and with that one laugh they forgot.

But it was very important to Carl and Lilly.

Even if Carl had spent almost all the money available for public use right now, for him it was something that had to be done.

Lilly is Carl's only family member.

She is not a 'tool to be used', but a unique person.

To Carl, who considers even himself a mere pawn, Lilly is truly a unique being.

Carl truly regards Lilly as his mother and loves her.

Carl smiled like a child as he hugged Lilly, who was crying loudly in his arms with joy and happiness.

In a place where no one could see, he laughed with complete peace of mind.

Although they are not related by blood, the two are clearly family.

Wouldn't that be enough?

***

Nero didn't do anything in particular, and Carl planned to spend time quietly like this and build up his strength until winter.

He tried to proceed step by step with his plans for Mold Street, as well as for Hilfin.

"yes?"

"I didn't know? It's fall. Fall is hunting season."

However, according to the story I heard from Azgoth, who suddenly came, all of Carl's simple plans were in vain.

"Hunting?"

"I was going to tell you, but I was a little late. Sorry."

Harman slightly rolled his eyes and looked around.

Carl looked into Harman eyes for a brief moment and then moved on. There would be no benefit in interrogating Harman in Ias presence. As for Harman, if Carl couldn't attract him clearly, he would have to replace him later when the time was right.

"Are you here to tell me that?"

"There's that, and I'd like to talk about it as well."

Nero leisurely rested his chin on the armrest and sighed.

"First of all, older princes must participate in hunting unless there is a special reason. Even if you missed out because of illness before, there will be no exceptions now."

"Uh… why?"

Carl really couldn't understand the reason.

Since he studied alone in the imperial library without the help of others, his knowledge was probably biased.

And in the original work, hunting is mentioned very briefly and only in passing... … .

"You really know everything, but you don't know everything."

"I don't know, so I have to learn from my brother. Hmm… Can you be my older brother?"

"… … ."

At Carl's words, Nero opened his mouth and then closed it again.

What Carl did and what Azgoth said at the party celebrating Carl's recovery last time stirred his mind and made him feel dizzy.

"Yes, judging by the way you act, you too are of great Hardion bloodline."

"Thank you. My brother is also a great Hardion."

"… Okay…"

Nero didn't say a single word. He sighed as Carl smiled brightly, pretending not to know anything.

"It is a hunt hosted by the imperial family and held at the imperial hunting grounds. It's not just for fun. You know what that means, right?"

"Yes, I haven't even seen his face, but Brother Aric, the first prince, should become the crown prince."

"Yes, exactly."

The hunt hosted by the imperial family is a political event that occurs once a year.

It's a dangerous place with black tongues flying around.

"I promise. I'll just quietly go for a walk and then come back."

"Yes, I would like that. But if possible, it would be better to catch at least one thing yourself. If you say you didn't catch anything... It's a bit like that, isn't it?"

"Directly?"

Carl, who was about to nod, stopped and looked at Nero. Nero spoke to Carl with a serious face.

"You may not have a hunting dog, but you should still be able to shoot a bow."

"Five days later."

Good. There's a problem with this.

Carl quietly looked at Harman, who was a little distance away with his head down.

This guy, no matter how bad it is, he didn't say a word even though such a big event was five days away.

Of course, this is also Carl's fault.

First of all, Harman is Carl's attendant, but most of the work is done by Lilly, so they rarely see each other.

To begin with, Carl doesn't like taking Harman around, so Harman spends most of the day sitting idle.

And if Carl had paid a little attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed that something was up.

But he was so preoccupied with his own work that he couldn't think of anything.

"Ha… ."

"And this is the main point."

Nero said to Carl, who was sighing, while waving his intertwined fingers.

"What happened at Hilfin?"

Carl recited his prepared words.

"Are you telling me to believe that lie?"

Nero narrows his eyes and asks.

Carl smiled with an innocent face.

"Yes, I told father that too, Your Majesty."

"… ."

Nero kept his mouth shut and quietly looked at his younger brother, whose thoughts were unknown. And after a while, he speaks in a low voice.

"Carl, I know that you are a smart guy, contrary to rumors. But I'm not sure if you're acting wisely right now."

Nero was unable to completely see through Carl's true intentions. But he definitely noticed that there was something suspicious about it

. Although he is worse than Adrian, Nero is also a man with a deep heart. He can't completely fake it.

"Brother, don't worry too much. What can I do? I haven't heard anything about the hunt in five days, and I don't even know how to shoot a bow. Do you really think I would recklessly aim for the biggest prey?"

Carl waved his hand and said.

For Carl, who has nothing, he is not allowed to want anything. But Nero did not relax his expression.

"That kind of thing about you makes me anxious. Carl."

Nero spoke softly and slowly stood up. He quietly observed his unfamiliar brother. Then he slowly turned around and left the room, muttering quietly.

"I'm worried that such a smart guy behaves like this."

After Nero left, the room felt a little chaotic due to the empty air.

Carl thought while tapping his knee with his fingertips.

'What Nero said is probably right. Normally. But that can't happen as long as Adrian and Azgoth are around.'

It is impossible for Aric to become emperor.

Azgoth had identified Adrian as the potential crown prince, so he incited him to kill Adrian's mother Emma. And Adrian will do anything to kill Azgoth and become emperor.

In order to survive, I must bite off the heads of others, kill them, and stand tall alone.

Carl slowly got up from his seat and looked back at Harman.

The atmosphere suddenly becomes cold.

"Harman, you are my personal attendant, right?"

"… Yes, Lord Carl."

Carl walked slowly, walked around Azgoth and tapped his shoulder.

Carl, who had grown considerably taller, was able to tap Harman on the shoulder without difficulty.

"Please continue to take good care of me in the future."

"Yes."

When Carl smiled at Harman answer, the tight atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

Even though Lilly couldn't understand the situation, she noticed the rapidly changing atmosphere.

"Harman, will you please call Lady Catherine? It's a story about hunting. I want to learn how to shoot a bow."

"Yes, Lord Carl."

Harman bowed very politely and quietly retreated, hiding his trembling shoulders.

Carl doesn't know when it started to change like this.

"Lilly, I think I'll be a little busy for a while."

"Yes, be careful. They say it's so difficult to use a bow. And hunting is also dangerous... ."

Carl smiles and hugs Lilly, who has a lot of things to worry about.

"Don't worry too much. Like I said before, I'm just going to go for a walk."

"Still, you never know, so be careful."

Lilly patted Carl's back, who had grown much taller than her.