Chapter 213: No One to Blame
Sergei understood what he was saying.
He did understand, but human emotions were not so easily separated like that.
He even admitted that it was partly his fault for not being able to stop the princess, yet Qiong Xing only looked at him with a blank expression.
"Your job is to advise and support the king, and to serve the country and its people, isn’t it? You are not a teacher for children, nor their father or mother. So why should I blame you?"
"... "
What he said was completely reasonable.
But at the same time, it was not the kind of thinking most people could have.
"The one who did those things to me was the princess. I may feel anger toward that, but I have no intention of taking it out on you. Complaints and apologies should be handled between the people directly involved. Otherwise, nothing will be resolved."
Was he really younger than him?
Sergei had confirmed both his appearance and age, yet the boy’s detached and composed way of thinking made him doubt it.
"Even after all this, you are still willing to give an opportunity to talk?"
"Of course. That is why I came here."
Feeling grateful for those words, Sergei ordered a servant to bring the princess.
A few minutes later.
"Sergei, what is the meaning of this!? You released that man from the cell!?"
"A cell!? You threw Qiong Xing into a cell!?"
"Of course I did!"
"Don’t be ridiculous! Not only did you try to drive him out of the country on your own, you even threw him into a cell!? How foolish can you be!?"
"Foolish!? I did it for my dear brother—"
"With everything you’ve done so far, how dare you call me your brother? I have never once thought of you as my sister!"
"How could you say such a thing!?"
As the siblings arrived while arguing loudly, everyone present let out a deep sigh.
Everyone... Except one.
"You must be tired, right? Rest well, Lian."
As he gently soothed his child who had cried herself to sleep, his expression was exactly like that of a mother.
...
"What is the meaning of this? I clearly told you to leave, didn’t I?"
"You did. However, thanks to everyone’s kindness, I have decided to stay. The Crown Prince also asked me to."
"Honestly, how shameless can you be? Just because my brother is kind, you think you can take advantage of—"
"That’s enough! I was the one who asked him to stay. Your opinion doesn’t matter."
As the siblings started arguing again, Qiong Xing began to feel tired of it rather quickly, though he felt a little sorry for Katarina and the others.
So, he deciding to just wait until things calmed down.
He then took something out of his bag and handed it to Katarina and the others who were watching the argument with exasperation.
"These are called cookies. They are still in the testing stage, but please try them if you’d like."
They tilted their heads at the unfamiliar item, but perhaps because they trusted Qiong Xing, they accepted them without hesitation.
"What is this? It’s crunchy."
"I’ve never had this kind of texture before. It’s delicious."
"This is good. The slight sweetness is just right."
Albe also ate happily while occasionally bringing some to Qiong Xing’s mouth as well.
"...Did you make this?"
Since they were still experimental and he thought it might be inappropriate to offer homemade food to the prime minister, Qiong Xing had only given them to Katarina and the others.
However, seeing them eat so happily seemed to have caught his interest.
"Yes, but... would you like to try some?"
"If you don’t mind, I would like to."
Seeing the prime minister watching him closely, Qiong Xing wondered if, despite his appearance, he might actually like sweets and so he offered him a cookie.
Compared to the beautiful and colorful dishes usually served in the castle, it was quite simple.
Even so, the prime minister ate it without hesitation and Qiong Xing smiled in relief.
"It’s good."
The prime minister said silently as he continued eating.
Thinking it might not be enough, Qiong Xing offered him more cookies and he accepted them.
He eating with what seemed like quiet satisfaction.
"You there! Why are you all calmly having tea!? Listen to what I’m saying!"
Perhaps noticing how relaxed they were, the princess approached them angrily.
"You seemed busy... so, may I ask why I was put into a cell?"
"Because you came strolling into the castle after I told you to leave, didn’t you? Of course you would be punished for going against me."
Oh?
When he looked at Brat, he saw him glaring at his younger sister with a sharp expression he had never shown before.
He seemed quite heated, and thinking that might be bad, Qiong Xing called out to him, even though it might be rude, he lightly tapped the seat next to him.
At that simple gesture, Brat came over with a bright smile like a loyal dog, which made Qiong Xing wonder if it was really okay for a prince to be like that.
"Princess, are you perhaps planning to take the throne yourself and ignoring the Crown Prince?"
At Qiong Xing’s shocking remark, everyone burst out laughing.
Even the prime minister started coughing heavily as if he had choked.
"What!? Of course not! My brother is the next king!"
"However, you ignored the Crown Prince’s wish for me to stay and even tried to exile me from the country, and then imprisoned me. That would mean your authority is above that of the Crown Prince, wouldn’t it?"
"That’s—!"
"Even after seeing the Crown Prince this angry, you still insisted me to leave. Doesn’t that mean exactly that?"
"N-no! That’s not what I—"
The princess hurriedly looked at Brat, but whether he understood her feelings or not, Brat continued glaring at her while chewing on a cookie.
Was that really acceptable behavior for a prince?