Picking Up the Exiled Prince
Translator: CleiZz
Editor: BlueBear
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 5: A Quiet Midnight
It was a quiet night when Danis woke up. As expected, he didn’t hear the running footsteps or the voices of the army outside. Even troops needed to rest.
I guess they’re reducing their numbers now to search, Danis thought.
He looked at Alan, remembering how he had fallen asleep next to the prince. Alan was lying peacefully on top of him, defenseless. Danis slowly moved Alan to the bed so as not to wake him up, pulling a blanket over him while doing so.
Danis gently touched his blond hair, smiling at the fact that he hadn’t even moved a muscle, probably because he was in such a deep sleep.
“I guess this is the kind of thing that’s still normal for your age,” Danis said.
After getting out of bed, he lit a candle on his desk to light the area around him, sat down in his chair, and smoked a cigarette to calm his mind.
A few moments later, he heard a light knock on the front door, the quietness of the house disrupted.
Danis placed his cigarette onto the ashtray and stood before the door. He knocked twice on it, and after a few seconds, heard the return of four light knocks. He opened the door slightly.
The man who appeared was probably in his twenties. Slender-bodied, he had chestnut-colored hair and a hat that sat on top of his springy locks. The man checked his surroundings before speaking to Danis in a hushed tone.
”As Mr. Danis expected, something had happened in the castle. It seems that a considerable number of soldiers searched the castle town and nearby downtown area, places I rarely visit. The castle seemed hectic. Well, the information did come from the soldiers at the end of the day. I don’t know if it’s true or false, but it seems that the king has fallen ill according to them. “
Interestingly, after Danis heard the report from the man, he breathed out a deep sigh from his mouth.
“Hoo.”
With the information he had, Danis mulled over whether the worst case scenario was true, though he hadn’t even heard anything from the prince who was currently in the house. However, considering the fact that there was only one heir, the treatment of the prince, and the situation he was chased into, Danis all but confirmed his suspicions.
If the king had really fallen ill, the prince’s position could worsen because of succession disputes over the throne. However, it had been too short a period of time since Alan was already being hunted. Two weeks ago, Danis had heard that the king showed up at a ceremony.
That and the … treatment of the prince.
He had been subjected to a trauma that was inherently unthinkable. That was no way to treat royalty.
And after all this, the king suddenly falls ill. It’s just too abnormal. There’s no way this is true.
Danis wrinkled his eyebrows.
“I’ll be out of here before dawn. You go back to your base. Tell the guys there to be ready to leave on short notice,” Danis replied.
“Is the situation that bad?” the man asked. Unexpectedly, he rolled his maroon-colored eyes, the same maroon as his hair.
“Ah … I just hope there are some decent people in the castle. If not, the corrupt government will continue to exist. It’ll be best to be prepared for what might happen.”
“I don’t know if I’d call them decent.” The man chuckled, looking somewhat amused.
That is true. Danis gave a hearty laugh and after a while, the man took a light bow and walked away quietly, checking his surroundings while doing so.
Danis closed the door as if nothing had happened, sat down in his chair, and glanced at Alan, who was still sleeping comfortably.
“It’s up to the prince to decide whether it’s a bad thing that I found him by accident, or if it’s luck that has changed his current life.”
Danis looked at Alan for a while, who was sleeping with an expression fit for someone his age.
Danis had no sympathy. No matter what kind of person someone is, unhappiness and bad luck will always come unannounced. At the same time, no matter how much someone closes their ears, reality will not change. Even if Danis felt sorry for him, it would do nothing to change his situation.
Half-hearted kindness is a hollow and temporary thing, even if it’s the easy thing to do in a situation.
Hm … I know that, yet …
“…..Thank you, but it just doesn’t seem to be working,” Danis said.
He sighed deeply, reflecting on how his mind was out of sorts.
The prince chose to flee rather than stopping to lament the misfortune of his current situation. People, once they stop wallowing in despair, need time to get up. Without hope and purpose in life, people lose sight of its value and meaning.
If he just ran away without any outside help, it would have been difficult for him to escape this far without being caught by the soldiers, soldiers who knew the ins and outs of the castle. And sure enough, Danis was just a little intrigued by how far the young, wide-eyed prince has come in such a short time.
Danis was also among those who have bitter memories of …. .
