That evening, Seraphina couldn't understand why Arthur had made such a reckless decision, and thus she approached him.
"Arthu- I mean… brother."
"It's alright, call me Arthur."
This left her stunned for a brief moment. That was not something she expected from him.
"Arthur, this was not a smart move. That brutality and warning just increased the number of enemies you have. Many nobles who were neutral earlier will now support the anti-royal faction."
"I know, it was a deliberate move."
"What do you mean?"
"This display will create a sense of urgency in the traitors, as they clearly don't want to end up like Kelthis. So they will make a lot of irrational and rushed choices now and participate more actively. And about the neutral nobles, I don't care… If they want to join the anti-royal faction, let them. I only want the ones strictly loyal to the throne to stay alive."
"I see, but there are fewer people like that than you expect."
"Of course, who doesn't want power? At least this display will keep the cowards out of the picture."
"I'll take my leave then."
Seraphina turned and walked away, her expression thoughtful, clearly still processing his approach.
'I can't believe I made such a disgusting threat to Kelthis, even though I wouldn't have actually killed his innocent family members. Only making a threat should be fine… It was the only way I could make him confess. And the original Arthur would've probably just killed them straightaway instead of making a threat.'
Emily rushed into his room without knocking. The door swung open with force, breaking the silence of the room.
'Why the hell is she here now? Oh right… I guess I know why. She's the daughter of Grand Duke Varin.'
Emily was the same blonde hair woman, whom Arthur met that day, she was also Arthur's fiancé, they got engaged years ago when they were children.
"Arthur! Why did you kill the count like that and threaten all the nobles? Why would you increase your enemies??"
"Just admit that your father sent you as he was not pleased."
"What?"
She let out a pained sigh, clearly disappointed.
"Even though you don't actually love me and treat the engagement as completely political… I have loved you since childhood, Arthur. No one sent me here. I'm actually worried about you. You have no experience in politics unlike those old men. Everything cannot be resolved with strength."
Her voice softened slightly toward the end, revealing genuine concern beneath her disappointment.
'Hmm… now that I think about it, she will become the future queen once she marries me, so her father would obviously want me to become king unlike the other nobles. I guess I can trust her… and she is actually worried about me.'
"You don't need to worry, I did all that because I have a plan in mind."
"I see."
"Since you came here just to have a talk, sit down and drink tea with me."
His words caught Emily off guard. She clearly didn't expect such a response from Arthur.
'I only have a few people genuinely supporting me… if I ignore them, that would just be foolish.'
The next day, Arthur was walking down the corridor when he spotted Princess Elowen and Princess Lysandra.
Elowen was a sixteen-year-old girl with long golden hair that fell softly over her shoulders, blue eyes, and a young, gentle face. Her presence felt soft and kind.
Lysandra, on the other hand, was twenty years old. Though her appearance was similar to Elowen, her face carried a prideful and arrogant expression, her posture straight and imposing.
SLAP
"How dare you go out and feed those commoners again? I gave you so many warnings, yet you keep tarnishing our reputation! Why weren't you born into a commoner family? You ungrateful bitch!"
She repeatedly slapped Elowen, who kept her head down and didn't respond to Lysandra's words. Her hands trembled slightly, but she remained silent.
"Acting stubborn, huh? Today I'm going to peel off your skin, just watch."
"What's going on?" Arthur finally decided to intervene, and Lysandra immediately stopped as soon as she saw him.
"Brother, it's great that you've come." She pointed toward Elowen, who now started trembling in fear after looking at Arthur.
"Elowen sneaked out of the palace again with food and clothes just out of sympathy for the commoners. She doesn't understand the difference in our bloodline and repeatedly helps them even though they are clearly despised by God as well. She must be punished severely."
"Is that a crime?"
His words surprised both Lysandra and Elowen.
Normally, Arthur wouldn't have involved himself in such matters, but today not only did he intervene, he also questioned Lysandra.
"Brother, what are you saying? Our status was defined at birth, and we can't help or pity those commoners. That would be ungrateful to God and our royal bloodline! Didn't you also respect nobles only?"
"Shut up with your nonsense. If Elowen feels sympathy for the commoners, let her feed them. There isn't anything wrong with that. And I only respect strength, whether it's a commoner or a noble. I don't want to catch you hurting Elowen again, or the consequences won't be pleasant."
Lysandra couldn't believe what she just heard. She clearly wanted to argue back, but she restrained herself. Her expression twisted with anger before she turned around and left.
"T-Thank you for saving me, brother."
"If you want to change her attitude, learn to stand up for yourself. I hate the type of people who get beaten without complaining just to ensure peace."
"I understand. I just feel that if God blessed me with a royal bloodline, then He wanted me to help as many people as I can."
"That's an interesting opinion. I respect it."
'Lysandra is like the average noble in the 18th century… but I didn't expect Elowen to have such a mentality in this era.'
'Commoners, huh… this actually gave me an idea.'
That afternoon, he went to the streets along with Elowen and Darius.
Darius was 17 years old and Arthur's youngest brother. He had short silver hair, and his posture was disciplined. Unlike his siblings, Darius didn't want the throne. Instead, he wanted to become a knight, as he was obsessed with fighting. He also considered Arthur his idol.
'When Darius heard that I was going out without any knights, he insisted on following me. Well, from what I know about him, he is also a valuable person.'
The three of them walked through the streets and entered a crowded market. The environment was noisy, filled with people and the smell of food and garbage. Everyone present there was bewildered seeing royal figures step into such a place.
Darius looked confused, clearly not understanding the situation, while Elowen looked at the sick and disabled beggars nearby with empathy and guilt.
Even a few former knights who came from common background and got disabled during battle were abandoned and had no choice but to beg
Arthur stopped in front of a bread seller.
'If my thoughts are correct, this will be a good opportunity.'
"How much for a loaf of bread?"
The crowd was astonished by the question. Why would the crown prince buy bread himself? And how could the seller even charge him?
"Your highness, how can I charge you? It is my honor that you chose me out of everyone else present here! Please take as much as you wish."
"Do you think I can't afford it?"
"No, of course not!"
"Why are you talking as if the other nobles take bread from you without paying?"
The seller hesitated before speaking.
'Haha… knew it.'
"Be honest. If you get exploited like that, then that is a serious crime. So don't be afraid and tell me."
"Viscount Hoileth," he spoke in a very low voice, clearly scared.
"Oh?"
"He takes bread from me in bulk without paying every month. He claims that it is payment for security."
"Is that so?"
Elowen's face was now filled with anger, very different from her usual gentle expression. Even Darius clenched his fists tightly.
'Everything is going just as I expected. Nobles exploiting commoners is nothing new'
"Everyone, listen to me."
His voice was now loud enough to reach all the shopkeepers and commoners present there.
"As the future king, I cannot accept this kind of exploitation. I sincerely apologize to each one of you for not looking into this matter earlier. I didn't expect those nobles to commit such shameless acts. I know there are many people here who have been wronged, and I request all of you to give me a chance to resolve this. You can report the incidents you faced to Elowen, and don't be afraid, as I promise that your names will be kept anonymous and those nobles will be investigated and punished."
No one present there could process those words. They had never seen a noble, let alone a royal, apologize to people like them.
Some doubted his intentions and thought he might be trying to manipulate them, but then that thought quickly faded. What could the crown prince possibly want from them? They had no money, no power, no influence.
Then… did that mean he genuinely wanted to help them?
The busy market fell silent for a brief moment.
Then—
"LONG LIVE THE CROWN PRINCE!" one voice shouted.
"Long live the crown prince!"
"Long live the crown prince!"
The voices spread quickly, filling the entire area.
Everyone now viewed Arthur differently.
"Thank you, brother… truly." Elowen's eyes were filled with tears. For the first time, she no longer had to hide her actions and could openly help others.
Even Darius's respect for Arthur increased after witnessing this.
'Foolish nobles think that commoners are weak. They haven't realized yet how powerful they can become when united. They are the foundation of the empire's stability. The original Arthur didn't care about them, but I know how important reputation is. I just hit two birds with one stone, getting an excuse to suppress the nobles while also improving my reputation.'