Episode 125 — Pushing the Burden of the Throne

Léonard, who had been petting Tama on his lap, suddenly looked up. His eyes held a dangerous glint, like an adventurer ready to cast off the boredom of daily life.

"All right, I’ve decided. I’m coming to Felsen, too. I’ll live here and take a front-row seat right next to Zect to watch the 'dawn of this new world.'"

"Come again?"

The sound of me nearly spitting out my coffee and Gustav’s chair screeching as he stood up happened simultaneously.

"What are you saying, Léonard?! You are the legitimate successor to the Kingdom—the First Prince! You can't just abandon the capital and settle down in the middle of nowhere like this."

"I didn't decide any of that, my brother. Being the First Prince, the Crown Prince... those are just roles that were forced upon me. Living a more human life, eating the incredible food Zect makes in this living room, is far more appealing than sitting on some cramped, suffocating throne."

Léonard spoke without a hint of remorse, scratching Tama’s throat as she purred.

"It’s not fair for you to keep this all to yourself, Brother. You spend all your time in this fascinating place while you push those moldy, ancient ceremonies in the royal palace onto me. I want to help protect Zect’s peace, too."

"Help, huh? In other words, you just want to be a freeloader," I interjected, looking at him with exasperation. "I would think lording it over everyone in the capital would be a total win for your life."

Léonard smirked at me.

"Zect, the 'wins' and 'losses' of life aren't for others to determine, are they? My mind is made up. As of today, I am a resident of Felsen. We can just put a body double in the capital to pretend to be me."

"Don't talk nonsense! If you vanished, the capital would be turned upside down. His Majesty would not remain silent!"

Gustav’s voice was more urgent than I’d ever heard it. Well, that made sense. If the Kingdom’s main program suddenly went missing, the entire nation could grind to a halt with a runtime error.

"Then... you should just go back, Brother."

Léonard dropped the bomb with total nonchalance. The air in the living room froze instantly.

"Léonard... what did you just..."

"You were originally the First Prince of this country. Until I was born, you were the perfect successor everyone acknowledged. Since you’re the eldest son, you should just go back to being the Crown Prince. That way, I can be the free-spirited second son and nap here with Zect. Don't you think that’s how everything should be? You become the King, and I become a man who lives doing absolutely nothing. It’s the optimal solution for this country."

"Stop joking! You think that would actually work in the capital now?! I have been publicly declared as 'non-existent'!"

Gustav’s shout was almost a scream. He was desperately trying to protect his current role as Lord—the role he had fought to make his own.

(A man who does absolutely nothing, huh? In other words, he wants to dump the administrative rights onto his brother so he can play around as a guest user. This is just the ultimate form of two brothers pushing chores onto each other.)

"Hey, can you two stop trying to turn my house into a political hideout? This isn't a resort. Gustav, don't just stand there with that look on your face—convince your brother. If you don't send him back to the capital, my nap time is going to get slashed."

"Mr. Zect... I am so sorry. My foolish brother is... Léonard, retract that nonsense immediately. Or I will be forced to drag you back by strength alone."

"Go ahead and try, Brother. But if I throw a tantrum here, I might end up breaking some of Zect’s precious tools, you know?"

Léonard gave a playful wink while holding Tama. He definitely had that "unpredictable" danger about him that Gustav had mentioned.

"Meow. (Good grief, getting caught in a royal sibling spat... what a disaster.)"

Tama let out a cry, looking at me with eyes full of pity.

These brothers were trying to hand off the Kingdom’s succession rights—the heaviest data in this world—as casually as if they were brushing toast crumbs off their shirts. It seemed the bug threatening my quiet life was much deeper than I had imagined.

"...Anyway, do you want another piece of toast? Discussions like this require glucose."

I let out a sigh and reached for the toaster once more.

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