Cesar seemed to ruminate on the advice of the representatives, but then he made up his mind and stood up.

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He seemed to have made up his mind and stood up. I am not a gifted person, but you have told me so much. I will not hesitate anymore. I will do my best.

"Your Highness, you are the next king!"

Balfeather Walker looks pleased.

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"Then let's go. All the ministers should be here by now.

"Can we be present?"

Reinhardt asked. Barfeeza answered in the affirmative.

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"I have the authority to allow it."

The group, including the dauphin, went up the stairs to the conference room at the back of the second floor.

The soldiers guarding the entrance complained again, but they passed through without a word. The door to the conference room opened.

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It is a room with chairs arranged in an arc. It looks like a theater, if that gives you an idea.

The place corresponding to the stage is a podium.

On the platform is a well-dressed man.

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His hair is blonde, the same color as Richard's and Cesar's, though much lighter, and his eyes are similarly blue.

However, the resemblance only goes so far. He was not taller than 170 centimeters and was obese, weighing close to 100 kilograms.

This man was the king's younger brother, Alain Desmonds de Grimaldi.

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The ministers assembled in the council room were astonished by the appearance of the Dauphin Cesar.

"......Honorable Cesar......"

The few who supported Cesar looked relieved, while the Alanites frowned.

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The jinin and the others took their places in the back of the room as observers. Then the Dauphin walked alone to the platform.

"Well, well, here comes the incompetent and useless crown prince, doesn't he?　Is it a group of pampering guests who have followed him?

Alain Demain said in a mocking tone. His voice had a grating rattle to it.

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"What have you been doing all this time?　Are you going to be late?

"Uncle, I'm late because I've been under house arrest. And they are not pampering you. They are the ones who rescued me from house arrest."

The word "house arrest" caused a stir among the assembled ministers. The Dauphin took the opportunity to continue.

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I am the crown prince. < seal.

There was no hesitation in Cesar's determined voice. His will to confront Alain Demagne head-on is evident.

"Usurpation?　You insult me!

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"Then how did you come into possession of the keystone? I know that my father kept it in his safekeeping. How did it come to be in your uncle's hands?

As I told you before in front of everyone, my brother wanted me to succeed him because you are not reliable.

"Then how could I not have heard about it? No, I am not the only one. No, it's not just me. No one in the cabinet should have heard about this."

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"That's ......."

It looked as if he would not be able to immediately refute this pursuit, but then he said, "No, .

"......No, I did hear about it."

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One of them said, "No, I heard that.

"...... are you a ...... scave?"

It was Sotheby's Skeeve, the Dauphin's bodyguard, who had not been seen.

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"Scaab!　What are you talking about?　You can't possibly be listening to this!"

How could Skeeve, the Dauphin Cesar's bodyguard, know something that the Dauphin Cesar did not know?

"What are you saying, Your Highness?　Did not His Majesty clearly tell you the other day ......?"

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"Skeeve!"

Even Jin and the others who had been watching the scene could sense that something was not right.

It would mean that one of them is telling a lie, but the way things are going, we can only assume that Skeeve is lying.

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It is also possible that the Dauphin Cesar is lying, but this is not likely, given the way he has been behaving so far.

The assembled ministers are silent as they watch the two men bicker.

Then another person appears to turn the tide.

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"Your Highness, I think you should give up, don't you?

And who came up on the stage?

"Prince Orange!"

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The representative of the Kingdom of Franz, Prince Oranje, appeared.

"I was just there myself. I was also there when His Majesty Richard paid his compliments.

"......"

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The frustration of knowing it was a lie, but not being able to prove it. The Dauphin Cesar bit his navel.

* * * * * *

"...... You don't mean to tell me that both of you were in the royal brotherhood?"

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Reinhardt looks on in surprise as Prince Oranje appears on the platform.

"Or have they been taken in? Either way, it's not good for the Dauphin."

Jin and the others in the audience wanted to support Cesar but were unable to do so.

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It was not because of interference in internal affairs, but simply because of the lack of physical evidence.

"Perhaps they were preparing for it. ......"

Prince Arthur says ruefully.

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"They may not have been able to predict whether or not the king would fall during the commemorative ceremony, but they must have anticipated that one day this would happen."

"......Duke Arran Demonu governs the southern part of the kingdom......Corin region......Wine...... "

This makes me wonder if it wasn't part of his plan to get the king addicted to that wine. Jin thought hard to find a way out of the situation.

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However, he could not come up with any good ideas. On the stage, Alain Demainu was cornering Cesar.

"Cesar, give up your ambitions. If you give up the throne now and apologize, I might even give you a region.

Alan, the king's younger brother, was getting more and more impatient.

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"Apology?　There is no need to apologize. I did nothing wrong!

"You're just saying that. ......

With that, a murmur begins to spread among the ministers who are watching the confrontation between the two.

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"......I still think that Alan is the better ......."

"Is His Highness Cesar not reliable enough......?"

No, the kingdom is too corrupt now. The only one who can make it right is ......."

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Reiko could hear everything in his voice that Jin could not.

"Father, the ministers are leaning toward Alan.

It seemed that Cesar's faction was also becoming much less vocal.

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It seems that half of the ministers were on the fence, and were thinking of taking the side that was more favorable to Alain.

When Jin told everyone what Reiko had overheard, Prince Arthur looked bitter and spat.

"Hmmm...you think it doesn't make much difference to them who the head is, huh? Stupid. What if the country itself is no longer able to stand?

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But Jin and the others are bystanders, unable to interfere in the affairs of the Kingdom of Cerroa.

Reiko, perhaps sensing Jin's frustration, says something radical.

"...... father, let's just ruin this place, shall we?"

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Jin patted Reiko's head with a wry smile.

"That won't solve the problem. It would be ...... refreshing if it did, but don't do it."

Reinhardt chuckles when he hears Jin's words.

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For the most part, he agrees with Jin.

It would feel good to turn this place upside down by force. But that would not solve anything. On the contrary, it would lead to an international problem.

"But what should we really do ......?"

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On the stage, Alan, the king's younger brother, was chastising Cesar.

"Cesar, give it up already. You're lying to everyone. I will be the next king."

"......"

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Cesar had nothing left to say.

Jin was beginning to wonder if this was it. Then a faltering voice rang out.

"......You're the one who's lying,......!"

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Cesar and Alan turned at the voice and their eyes widened.

"Father......"

"Brother ......"

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At the entrance of the conference room stood King Richard, supported by Elsa and Edgar.