"Good morning brother Simon."
Simon almost jumped at the mention of his name.
He looked drowsily in front of him and saw his brother Juno seated behind a portable table full of food.
'So that's where all the food was,' he thought to himself. "Good morning, brother Juno," he said with a smile.
"How was your night?" Juno asked.
"It was okay."
Juno stared at his brother.
"Why don't you sit down and join me for breakfast?"
Simon looked at the food spread in front of his brother once more.
He felt himself salivate at the sight of the feast, particularly at the steaming meat pie Rode was currently cutting.
But he can't eat here right now.
He needs to take some food to June who hardly had anything to eat last night.
"Well? Why don't you take a seat and join me for breakfast?" Juno asked him again. "Did you not get enough rest last night?"
"There were just... a lot of things in my mind..." Simon replied, his eyes still on the food. "I was planning to eat in my carriage. Do you mind if I take some food with me instead?"
Juno fell silent. He looked at his attendant Rode who looked back at him.
"If that is how you feel," he replied. "Why don't you take this meat pie with you?"
Juno pushed the dish towards Simon.
"Ah, no thank you," the other replied. "I know how much you like your meat pies."
Simon took some bread and a whole basket of fruits instead.
"Well, then," he said with smile, "please enjoy your pie."
...
Prince Juno and Rode watched as Simon took the food to his carriage.
He handed some of it to the bearded knight still sitting outside on the driver's seat, then went inside and closed the door.
Even the curtains around the carriage were all closed.
Juno released the breath he was holding.
"He knows!" he sneered. "The bastard knows!" he then pushed the whole pie tin off the table.
"H-how could he possibly know that we put some 'Corpse'sTears' poison in the pie?" Rode said trying to appease him.
"Then why did he refuse the pie?" June sneered. "He even told me to 'enjoy your pie'!"
"But he doesn't seem to be hostile against you," Rode pointed out. "He's just trying to be polite as always, you know how much he tries to suck up to you all the time."
"But what if he's just acting as if he knows nothing of our plans?" Juno insisted. "I mean, how stupid is he that he still thinks that I'm looking out for him!? I've been trying to get rid of him for years!"
Juno sat on his chair, seething with rage as he stared at Simon's carriage.
"He's always been an eyesore! Seeing him practicing every day with that oversize sword of his was simply annoying!" he continued his rant. "He was just an insignificant prince who would never have a chance on the throne. I was waiting for him to throw that stupid bastard sword away and stay out of my sight, like the rest of our useless brothers, yet he learned to raise that sword and wield it around with those twig arms of his, even though all he knew were two moves. Even though not a single instructor wasted their time to teach him anything useful."
"His tenacity is his strength, your highness," Rode said, which earned him a glare from his master. "Were you not the one who commissioned the royal blacksmith to forge the sword he is using? I remember you told him to make it much bigger and heavier than a regular bastard sword."
"Exactly. It was the same type of irregular long swords that no name blacksmiths mass produced during the War of Liberation."
"And wasn't that what he wanted?" Rode reminded him. "The Golden Hero of legend was said to have fought with an unusually large bastard sword himself."
"That's right, they said that the Golden Hero could wield that sword single-handedly, even though it was as tall as he was."
"I remember Prince Simon was pretty small when he started practicing his sword as well," Rode said with a chuckle.
"Hmph. It was those foolish tales that put that silly idea in that worm's head," Juno snorted. "I told father to send him to the expedition to get rid of him," he went on, "I was hoping he would be able to slow the monster down, or at least fill its stomach enough to satisfy it and make it easier for me to slay it. But no. He had to kill the damn thing and be the kingdom's 'Hero'."
"And it seems that he really did become the real hero," said Rode.
Juno couldn't help but agree and admit his defeat.
"It must be true what they say, that the gods prefer ignorant idiots over proper nobles like myself."
"Thus, you must act as a true noble and accompany your brother to the capital to face the king," added Rode.
"I have no other choice left, do I?" Prince Juno shook his head sadly.
"Like you said, let the other nobles judge him. Let's see how he would fare in the company of the real monsters in the capital."
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Go to Part 53
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