Selection of the King Candidate

This time, Kenneth was officially summoned by King Ducan. So, instead of walking to reach the main palace as usual, they traveled in the horse-drawn carriage that Noah had used to go to Ruby Palace earlier. Kenneth sat opposite Noah in the carriage. Neither of them spoke during the ride. Kenneth knew Noah wouldn't like him talking. Meanwhile, Noah completely ignored Kenneth after he had done his job.

"Hey, I didn't expect this lowly servant to be summoned along with us."

Kenneth almost rolled his eyes as Jarvis' voice reached his ears. Kenneth had been walking fast enough so he would not have to meet the other princes before reaching the throne room. However, bad luck always seemed to follow Kenneth in the palace. From behind him, Jarvis had just entered the main palace along with his youngest brother, Ervin.

"It seems that despite your low status, you still have some decent clothes to wear. Did you get them after spending all the money Father gave to Ruby Palace?"

Jarvis, who stopped quite close to Kenneth, stopped walking and spoke while looking Kenneth up and down. The formal attire Kenneth was wearing was a gift he received from Princess Abigail. So, rather than the clothes Kenneth used to wear from saving the money the palace sent them, it naturally looked much nicer than usual.

Kenneth's current clothes were almost as good as the clothes worn by the other princes. However, when the clothes were worn by Kenneth, the prince looked much more handsome and authoritative.

"Brother, I don't like this! This servant shouldn't be wearing the same clothes as us!"

Ervin was the spoiled last prince who used to easily get whatever he wanted. So, when he didn't like seeing Kenneth's superior appearance, his hand stretched out to do something to Kenneth's clothes.

"What are you guys doing here?"

But before his hand could touch Kenneth's clothes, a cold voice stopped whatever Ervin wanted to do. Unexpectedly, the last to reach the main palace was Leroy, who usually arrived the earliest in any royal event. Leroy was the most famous first prince in the Kingdom of Lucano, as well as the prince most likely to become king when King Ducan died. Leroy was the first child of Queen Consort Helena and second only to Princess Abigail.

With Leroy's cold and unforgiving nature, even Jarvis and Ervin, who were known as troublemakers, dared not act in front of their brother. "Brother." The two called Leroy politely after that. Leroy nodded in reply to his younger siblings' greetings. But when his eyes fell on Kenneth, the man snorted and stared at Kenneth as if Kenneth was an annoying stain on his clothes.

"Don't make trouble in the main palace, especially if it's just for an insignificant existence."

Every word was spoken with a clear tone of hatred. Among Queen Consort Helena's children, the one who hated commoners the most was Leroy, who had only been surrounded by nobles since he was a newborn. Leroy considered commoners lowly and unworthy of being part of their royal family.

But unlike his younger siblings, Leroy had never teased Kenneth directly. Even so, that didn't make him better than Jarvis or Ervin. Behind Leroy's always restrained actions, Kenneth knew that his brother was waiting for the right moment to get rid of Kenneth and his mother once and for all.

He was the cruelest and most cunning of all the princes. At least, Kenneth knew that.

"We must go in immediately. Father never likes to wait too long."

"Understood, Brother!"

Having said what he wanted to say, Leroy passed Kenneth as if Kenneth had never been there in the first place. Behind him, Jarvis and Ervin followed while giving Kenneth a mocking smile. Kenneth stared at their departure with a calm gaze. After living for so long in the rotten palace, Kenneth no longer felt that their mockery was something he should think about.

As long as he and his mother could survive in the royal palace, then everything was fine. Kenneth continued his journey again after that. His pace was neither fast nor slow. Kenneth knew Leroy did not like him trailing behind him. So consciously, Kenneth deliberately put a little distance between them.

Fortunately, although Kenneth was forced to come last among the other princes because of Leroy's arrival, he managed to arrive at the throne room before King Ducan arrived at the throne room. In the spacious throne room, Kenneth could see that the nobles and royal officials were already present. King Ducan would only summon everyone if he wanted to discuss something that concerned the kingdom as a whole. And just like Kenneth, the nobles seemed to be equally confused by King Ducan's sudden summons.

However, their attention was easily diverted when they saw that Kenneth was invited to come this time. Since Kenneth was the prince who arrived the latest among the princes, he immediately became the subject of gossip. Kenneth could hear some people alluding to his humble birth. They thought that the blood of a commoner still could not be terminated from Kenneth, even if he was extraordinary and had the most similar face to King Ducan.

Unfortunately, the person who was the object of their gossip was so busy looking for Princess Abigail that Kenneth didn't listen to what the people said. Since everyone was summoned to the throne room, Kenneth found it strange that Princess Abigail could not be seen anywhere. Kenneth subconsciously recalled Princess Abigail's words about speaking to King Ducan again and then began to feel worried for his sister.

"His Majesty King Ducan and Her Majesty Queen Consort Helena have entered the throne room!"

Kenneth's attention divided as someone announced the arrival of King Ducan and Queen Consort Helena. The noise in the throne room also disappeared after that. Everyone immediately saluted when the two appeared in the throne room and returned to their feet only when King Ducan and Queen Consort Helena had sat on their throne seats.

King Ducan was a man of about forty years old who remained handsome in his old age. With firm eyebrows and a well-defined jaw, King Ducan managed to exhibit an authoritative appearance that suited his position as a king. Unfortunately, of all his children, only Kenneth inherited that heroic appearance.

Meanwhile, a beautiful woman in her thirties sitting next to King Ducan was Queen Consort Helena, who was rumored to be the most beautiful woman among the nobles. Her gentle face did not reflect the cruel nature she had passed down to her children. Empress Helena was originally the daughter of a respected duke family in the Kingdom of Lucano. Due to the teachings of her family, who were so proud of their noble blood, Queen Consort Helena hated commoners and passed down the same thoughts to her children.

The throne room turned into a calm place after their arrival. However, at the same time, the quiet room was slowly filled with a tense atmosphere as King Ducan did not stop furrowing his brows. Right now, it was obvious that something was troubling the king's mind. His sharp eyes looked at everyone present in the throne room, then opened his mouth and spoke in a voice that was neither too fast nor too slow.

"Since the princes have grown up, I think it is time for me to choose a Crown Prince among my sons."

The room that was originally quiet was noisy again because of what King Ducan said. They didn't expect King Ducan to summon them all of a sudden to talk about the successor to the throne. King Ducan had not discussed the matter of the heir to the throne with his queen. Queen Consort Helena was shocked by her husband's words. But in front of everyone, she pretended to be calm, even though she secretly clenched her hands.

Since Kenneth was also invited to hear the announcement, King Ducan made it clear that even Kenneth had a chance to become a crown prince. The Kingdom of Lucano had never let a prince with the blood of a commoner become a crown prince, let alone a king. So, King Ducan's decision was immediately criticized by various parties.

"I don't remember giving you permission to speak before I finished speaking."

With just these words, the commotion in the throne room slowly dissipated again. The frown on King Ducan's forehead was even more obvious because of the commotion. Without needing to be told, everyone instantly realized that the king would not forgive their slackness a second time.

King Ducan remained silent until everyone was finally ready to hear the rest of his words. This time, King Ducan's eyes looked into his sons' faces, then spoke in a firm voice that everyone could hear.

"The Kingdom of Lucano is one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms on the Avalanche Continent. Ever since I was a child, I have been taught that whoever becomes king must be those who are strong and intelligent enough to lead a kingdom. Every generation, the Kings of the Lucano Kingdom have always had their way of choosing a crown prince. This time, I have thought of the right way to choose the next crown prince."

Everyone listened to what King Ducan said. Some people subconsciously held their breath until King Ducan finally said what the requirements were to become the next crown prince.

"Whoever can kill the monster of the Audoran Forest will become the next Crown Prince of Lucano Kingdom. I allow the princes to use any means to kill the monster. Those who succeed will be deemed strong and intelligent enough to lead the Kingdom of Lucano to another prosperity."