Chapter 105: Invitation from Prince Alan
Chapter 105: Invitation from Prince Alan
When I returned to my room in the rear palace, a maid was waiting with a letter. She seemed to have been waiting for me to come back. The sender was the 5th Prince, Alan. I vaguely remembered him as the one sitting next to me at the Crown Prince’s funeral, but I had no clear recollection. In times like this, I deeply regret my long-standing weakness from my salaryman days—my inability to remember people’s faces.This letter was clearly an invitation to join Prince Alan’s faction in the succession struggle. For a minor prince like me, there was probably no option to refuse. His mother was the Queen, after all. He was the Queen’s faction’s promising prince—a huge difference from someone like me. The only possible answer was "yes." I didn’t want to offend him and cause trouble for my mother.
I asked the maid,
"Do I need to write a reply to this?"
"Normally yes, but the messenger is actually waiting at the rear palace entrance. I think it would be fine to give your reply directly to him."
He was waiting? That meant he had been waiting the entire time I was out. I felt bad about that.
"I see. Then I’ll give my reply in person."
Led by the maid to the rear palace entrance, I found a tall, handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes standing there. This guy must be popular with women, I thought. When I glanced at the maid, sure enough, her cheeks were slightly flushed.
"Thank you for coming, Lord Robin. I am Paul Cantoner, serving Prince Alan, the 5th Prince. It is a pleasure to meet you. Did you read the letter from Prince Alan? If possible, I would like to hear your reply."
Feeling guilty for making him wait so long and not wanting to make a bad impression on the prince’s close aide, I smiled and answered:
"Understood. I’m free in the mornings, so tomorrow or the day after tomorrow is fine. Please let me know what time is convenient for Prince Alan."
Cantoner thought for a moment, then said,
"Then, how about the day after tomorrow, after breakfast? I will come to escort you to Prince Alan’s room. Please make the necessary preparations. Thank you very much."
Cantoner bowed politely and left.
Sigh. Another troublesome matter. Once word gets out, I’ll probably receive invitations from Prince Alan’s rivals too. Is it really impossible to stay neutral? Maybe I should consult with Cass? He’s been hard to catch lately, so I’ll just leave a message with a maid for now.
I was planning to consult Cass, but before dinner I was summoned by my mother. When I went to her room, Cass was already there.
"Robbie, the reason I called you is about Prince Alan."
Yep, called it.