Chapter 7: Leaving the Palace

I walk into the dining hall, to see my mother, father and little brother already sitting at the table.

"Nii-san! Good morning!" Ai says with genuine happiness in his eyes when he sees me....it's a stark contrast to how he'd been behaving before I managed to clear things up.

I smile at my little brother.

'I'm really glad everything's sorted out....now I can leave without worry.'

I greet my parents and my brother, while taking my place at the table.

As the butlers and maids bring in a lavish breakfast, father tells us about yesterday's court session.

".....and so the court has decided to exile the minister to the dark forest for attempted murder of the crown prince and implications of scheming against the crown....What do you think, Akira?"

'...the dark forest is a place towards the south of the kingdom....it's as ominous as the name suggests. That's because it is the area with the highest concentration of miasma in this entire country....exiling the minister to that place is basically sending him to a cruel, slow, death....I'm guessing Mother had a say in this judgment....'

I look at my mother, to see her smiling happily, and a chill goes down my spine.

'Remind me to never underestimate a mother's wrath....'

Noticing that Father was still waiting for my opinion, I speak up.

"That seems appropriate considering the accusation."

The king nods happily at my reply and all of us begin to have our breakfast.

After a few minutes of just speaking of random things while eating, I decide to bring up my decision.

"....actually, Father, Mother, I have something I wish to tell you."

I put down my cutlery and look at them seriously.

Understanding the change in mood, both of them mimic my actions and dawn a more serious expression.

"What is it Akira?" Mother is the first to ask.

I take a deep breath, maintaining a calm demeanour.

"Well....I have decided to relinquish my title as crown prince."

A dead silence settles in the room....and then all hell breaks lose.

"WHAT?! Nii-san what are you saying?!"

"Akira,what brought this on? Is everything alright??"

Both my brother and mother display their shock and confusion in response to my sudden declaration.

My father simply looks on, before calmly speaking to me,

".....is there a reason you came to this rather sudden decision?"

I meet my fathers gaze, internally impressed by the calmness of a king, and tell him....

"Yes, in fact, I've been thinking of this for quite a while now....you see, I've never really had any interest in politics and frankly, I don't want to be king....What I really want.... is to live alongside the citizens of our country, I want to discover new experiences, explore the world! And most of all....I wish to find my soulmate. I'm already 21 years old and I don't think I will be able to find them if I stay here, hidden away within the walls of this castle. It is precisely because of those reasons that I want to leave the castle.....and become an adventurer."

Finishing what I wanted to say, I face my father head on, determination shining in my eyes.

Everyone in the room is now looking at my father.

Suddenly, the silence is broken by the sound of hearty, cheerful laughter....

My father, King Avalon, was laughing.

'Eh? H-he's laughing?'

Not expecting that type of reaction, I'm left stumped for a moment. But father clears up my confusion immediately...

"My my! You remind me of when I was younger!"

Needless to say, I'm extremely surprised by that.

"....really?" I find myself asking that unconsciously...

My father nods and continues,

"Back then, I had craved the feeling of freedom. I always wanted to experience the thrill of being an adventurer! But alas, being the only heir to the throne, I didn't have the choice....You on the other hand...."

He glances at Ai to signify what he means.

"....but are you sure?....what will you do if becoming an adventurer is not everything you hoped for? And the matter of looking for your soulmate....what if you don't find them? What will you do then?"

I resolutely reply,

"I won't give up. I will continue living as an adventurer and continue to explore the world outside these walls. That way, it won't matter even if I'm unable to find what I'm looking for."

Father watches me in silence, his gaze searching mine....then he nods, apparently finding what he was looking for.

"I see....in that case, it seems there is nothing more I can say to stop you."

Father looks towards Ai this time...

"Ai....will you take the title of Crown prince?"

Ai is left speechless by the sudden turn of events. He looks to me as if asking what to do....

I meet his gaze with fondness, and nod my approval.

'They say Experiences, no matter good or bad, always help you grow....I can see that you are no longer the foolish prince you once were....I have no doubt that you will become an incredible king my dear little brother.'

Ai nods his head with resolve, and turns to the king....

"Father....I would be honoured."

Father smiles at him happily and nods, then turns to me once more.

"Now Akira, I have a few things to ask of you, this time not as a king....but as a father."

He holds Mothers hand while both of them look at me.

"....As a unique species, your existence itself is extremely rare. That is why, we wish to warn you against the dangers you may face if you are discovered...."

It was Precisely because of those dangers that no one outside of the royal family itself and important, trusted members of the court, knew I was a unique species.

Mother who had been silent till now, speaks up...

"Whatever you do, please, protect yourself and your identity....this world is filled with greedy people who won't hesitate to use you to meet their own ends. In addition, You are also a member of the royal family. Even if you're no longer in line for the throne, you will still be seen as a target to those who wish to ruin the country...."

Father continues for her,

"I trust the adventurer guild and their staff to not harm you in anyway....but it is the other adventurers I can't vouch for."

Both the king and Queen look at me with worry in their eyes....

"I completely understand. I promise that I will keep my identity as safe as possible. So please don't worry too much...."

I reply as I leave my seat and head over to my parents, embracing them both from behind.

"I pray that the goddess blesses you with her protection."

My mother says to me while rising from her seat to hug me properly, a loving smile on her lips and tears in her eyes....

"Though You will not be the crown prince, as my son, You have the permission to come back and visit anytime you wish."

Father stands next to me and squeezes my shoulder, a similarly loving grin adorning his face.

At that moment, I feel arms embracing me from behind.

"Nii-san! Promise me! Promise that you will definitely come back! Even if you find your soulmate, you better still come and visit us!"

My little brother cries into my back, hugging me tight, and I can't help but smile.

'An inch more and he'll be as tall as I am....'

I chuckle at the thought and look at my family all around me, feeling a little bittersweet.

'....Even if I didn't spend much time with them after reincarnating, I'm still gonna miss them all....'

"I promise I'll come and visit....and if I do find my soulmate, I'll definitely drag them here to introduce them to you all."

"You better." All three of them say at the same time, causing us all to break out into laughter...

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The next day, a ceremony was conducted in front of the whole capital,Atlas, where the first prince, Prince Akira willingly gave his title of Crown prince to his little brother, Prince Ai, under the blessings of the King and Queen of Atlantia.

And At night, Akira left the palace, and the capital behind.

His destination: the neighbouring town, Rimur.

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