Chapter 67 (1/2)

It was the death anniversary of a woman.

To remember her passing, people came together. The location was the garden found within the imperial palace.

The ceremony itself was simple, sombre, and quiet.

Kelt, Luan, and myself stood before the woman’s statue and offered our silent prayers. The ceremony itself was brief; it ended quickly and everyone went on their own ways.

However, I remained behind and continued staring at the statue.

Harman addressed me from behind. “It’s Lady Yulisia. She was your mother, your highness.”

Stunned by that revelation, I took a deeper look at her statue.

That’s right… I did hear about her. She was the Crown Princess Consort, and the mother of the current me. The one who lost her life while valiantly defending the Seventh Imperial Prince from a Vampire’s sneak attack.

She was also apparently the most pure-hearted and kindest person as well.

I stared at the statue erected above her final resting place and offered one more silent prayer.

After the ceremony ended, another week flew past us.

By then, the festival was well and truly over. Mother’s anniversary had also come and gone. I figured things would finally settle down, but no.

“We humbly come to pay our respect to your highness, the Imperial Prince.”

Nobles continued showing up and…

“Do you still remember me, your highness?”

Esteemed daughters of noble houses also kept popping in and out too, and…

“Ahaha! Your highness, please forgive us for this intrusion, but we’re here to ask you some important questions. Just how did you pull off Resurrection magic…?”

…And even Priests and Magicians showed up to pester me.

Besides them, even tutors meant to drill the ways of etiquette, aristocratic refinement and history into me, stood in a proverbial queue outside my room. Hell, Harman was also nagging me, still asking if I wasn’t interested in taking up swordsmanship training.

Every single day was packed to the brim with stuff to do.

To put an icing on this… cake, someone else had to test my food first before I was even allowed to touch it.

My life in the palace so far has not seen one single peaceful day.

Ah, ah… I already feel myself missing the days back when I toiled away as a gravekeeper.

Only at night would I get to enjoy some peace and quiet around here.

After leaning against the balcony and letting my body sag like a piece of rag, I muttered to myself. “If I knew this would happen, man… Hunting zombies or Vampires would’ve been so much better.”

At least those guys were considerate enough to get killed and leave me in peace afterwards, yet these dang living humans just kept on pestering me day in and day out!

I was seriously beginning to miss the days when they ignored me and pretended that I didn’t even exist.

My head was pounding; it was getting harder and harder to endure physically and mentally.

“Ohhh! My dear beloved youngest brother, Allen Olfolse!”

There was also this dude busy wrapping his arm around my sagging shoulders, too. I turned my head to the side and frowned at the First Imperial Prince, currently waving around a wine bottle next to me.

This dude, I could tell that he was having the time of his life after regaining his full health.

Probably because of his reborn taste buds, he had been ordering all sorts of rare and delicious cuisines, as well as fine liquor to gorge himself in, and I also heard that he’d been sneaking in some ladies to his chamber every night too.

While someone here was toiling his ass off, you were having a real blast, weren’t you, buddy?!

“…Brother, please knock before entering someone else’s room. Please.”

“Hahaha! Ah, my sincerest apologies. In any case, isn’t the life in the imperial palace proving to be too challenging for you?”

Challenging, you say?

Don’t even mention it. If I was given some time to rest, then it might not have been as bad but since I wasn’t afforded even a moment of respite, I’m seriously considering running away from here.

I spat out a lengthy groan and responded. “Honestly? I’m exhausted.”

“Haha! Is that so?” Luan checked my complexion before pushing an envelope towards me. “How about this, then? Run a simple errand for us, and in the process, refresh your spirit too.”

“An errand?”

I took the letter. On the cover were the words [To Hilda].

Luan continued yapping away. “Hilda’s territory is located in the northwest of the empire.”

Hilda’s territory in the northwest? Ah, hang on. Isn’t that the mining area Harman told me about not too long ago?

Now that I thought about it, this name was also familiar, too. For sure… this was the First Imperial Princess’s name, wasn’t it?

“Why don’t you pay her a visit and say hello?”

Luan made that suggestion with a rather smooth smile.