Lin and Elena didn’t mention anything that happened earlier and had a small chit-chat over breakfast
Right after lunch, Lin declined Elena’s invitation to study magic, explaining that he felt unwell, and promptly returned to his palace at around one o'clock.
There was something off with him today, he felt that if he stayed any longer he would be tempted to do something strange to Elena.
Lin's house was in a remote location, and rather than a stereotypical palace, it was more of a two-story vintage manor.
There were no maids in the building, only a few older butlers who cleaned the house. He did the cooking and other things by himself.
Fortunately, he had a good relationship with the princesses, so he was able to dine and drink out regularly.
"Your Highness, welcome home. The next time you go out, please let me know, I am here to keep you safe."
Lin's manor also had its own housecarl*. The young knight standing at the door when he returned gave him a not-so-regular knight's salute.
His name was Roden, and rather than fulfilling his knightly duties, he served as the king’s eyes.
He had slept in and got up late today. By the time he woke up, Lin had been called away by Louise's men, a negligence of duty on his part.
Seeing his deliberately lame salute, Lin let out a slight smile, "That's fine, next time I go over to see Louise I'll take you with me."
Roden: "Ahem, that won't be necessary, Your Highness is, of course, safe under the care of the Grand Princess, I am merely talking out of concern for Your Highness' safety in other circumstances."
He stepped back and gave way to the path leading to the manor, returning to stand guard by the door by himself.
The way he looked while guarding looked unreliable, giving out a feeling that he would collapse in a second when someone broke in.
Not wanting to valuable time, Lin stepped through the door and headed straight for the house.
Arriving on the first floor, he used his key to open the door to a locked room and then locked himself in.
After turning on the magic lamp that hung on the wall and was powered by magic stones, the small, stuffy, and dark room was a lot brighter.
A quick glance around the room revealed a number of alchemical appliances and random papers scattered everywhere, and a small blackboard hanging off the side of the wall with a partially complete magical circle on it.
In the corner of the room laid stacks of odd items of unknown purpose, while on the opposite side were bottles and jars of various colors.
At a cursory glance, there was a hint of something unusual and odd in this place.
Don't get this wrong, Lin wasn't some sad, sick guinea pig, he was just looking for a way to make his own breakthrough.
In this palace of cannibals, Lin had his own way of survival.
Relying on others would never be a permanent solution. Relying on himself would be the key, especially when the princesses have unspeakable intentions toward him at the moment.
Lin had almost no memories of his time at the palace, not even vague fragments, all he had was common knowledge.
When he was first picked up, he was told by one of the court magicians that he had a great magical talent and would become a pillar of the kingdom in the future.
It was because of his outstanding magical talent that the king took him in and gave him the title of prince.
But this did not last long, as after a series of examinations, the king suddenly told him that he would not able to achieve expectations and that the previous results had been misinterpreted.
From that day onwards, Lin never saw that court magician again.
It was from that day onwards that his daily routine focused on being medicated for the "disease" that prevented him from casting spells, and thus being of use.
Every time he tried to cast a spell, he would get a splitting headache, and trying again would only result in a coma.
He had made many attempts over the years, but they had always ended in failure.
Speaking of which, it was time for another treatment tonight.
At the thought of what that odd treatment awaited, Rin, despairing, struggled to contain his laughter..
After reading Louise's diary, he understood more and more what the purpose of the so-called “treatment” was, and that the King was responsible for this so-called “illness”.
Leaning back in his chair, Lin swept the piles of paper off the table, leaving behind a small, open space.
Picking up a clean sheet of paper, Rin scribbled down important information on it, noting down all the events of the day.
Louise... Elena .... The King ....
The main characters, the main events, the main triggers, and the current situation.
Today’s kingdom has descended into a whirlpool of madness, even if it turns into a meat grinder, it would surprise nobody.
The king's life hangs in the balance and there is no telling when he will die.
The three princesses of the kingdom, though born to the same father and mother, did not get along, sometimes even spiraling into conflict.
Is it because of me?
No, no, no way such a thing would be possible.
Lin threw this absurd thought out of his head, ruling out the possibility straight away.
The eldest Princess Louise controlled the kingdom’s military, the second Princess controlled an equally powerful group of magicians, while the youngest Princess had the backing of the nobles.
Just to be clear, the young princess is backed by the nobles because of her mother, who was once the first daughter of the Dukes. Having now passed away, the young princess is the sole direct descendant of the Dukes.
Those three are not to be trifled with. The outcome of their struggle is unpredictable, but one thing you could confidently predict would be that the kingdom would collapse first.
This is a crisis, but it brings an opportunity.
For Lin, those turbulent times were his only chance to escape, and Lin had a rough plan in mind to do just that.
It was also at this time that a black letter appeared to his right.
Lin: ......
Where the hell did this come from?
Putting down his pen and paper, Lin took the letter in his hand and examined it, this time it was black, not pink. Iit also had an ornate pattern printed on it.
It looked familiar, but Lin couldn't recall anything.
Tearing open the envelope, Lin took the paper out.
[My name is Lin Kleist, and by the time you’re reading this, I’m already dead. ]
[Oh, perhaps that's not the right way to put it. To be precise, I’m probably dead while writing this letter too.]
[Anyway, I'm Lin, I know I wrote this letter, and I'll act on that on faith.]
[I know it sounds crazy, after all, it crosses time and space, something that’s impossible even for the legendary heroes.]
[For me, those letters are my salvation, and their messages will guide me to live, especially through the tough times, I know this for sure.]
[That said I am not incapable of magic, I am simply blocked from casting, which could be solved if I were to obtain the legendary Sacred Heart.]
[It's not here, so in order to get it I have to escape and leave the palace - the sooner the better!]
Rin: !!!
This time he stood up from his chair with a light of excitement in his eyes.
"Let me in, I want to see Lin, if you dare to stop me, I'll break your legs!"
It was at this time that the little princess Bella, dressed in a black dress, arrived in front of Lin's small manor.
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