abcnovels
Chapter 228
Chapter 228
For some reason, I found myself in the royal palace with Duke. I asked Duke as we walked down the corridor.
“Hey, are you sure it’s okay for me to be here too?”
“Of course it is.”
Duke immediately answered.
The people the king had gathered were all nobles.
I wondered if it was okay for me to be here since I was from the impoverished village and I had spent my time as Alicia’s assistant, but now Alicia had been exiled from the country…
Duke said that since he was a prince, he didn’t have much freedom, but I felt like he was pushing the envelope and doing whatever he wanted to do.
“We’re here.”
So saying, he stood in front of a large, heavy-looking, magnificent door. The door was opened by the guards who stood next to it.
It looked as if he was about to have an audience with His Majesty the King. …Well, he probably would, actually.
I thought the gathering would be more casual. Duke was so close to the king that I almost forgot that he was the next in line to lead this country.
***
“Welcome.”
I met the King for the first time. I had always assumed he was incompetent, but when I finally met him, I was taken aback by his aura.
Unintentionally, I bowed my head. This was the majesty of the current king. But Gramps was better than the current king.
“Raise your head. Everyone is already here.”
The King’s voice echoed in the tense atmosphere.
I raised my head and confirmed that the five noble families, father and son, Liz Cather and Curtis, were here. What could the king possibly be doing by summoning all these people?
“So you are that Gilles they mentioned? You certainly don’t look like an eleven-year-old.”
He was Duke’s father. His voice sounds a little like him.
“I’m sure you and my son already know what I’m about to tell you, but listen up.”
Duke and I?
I had no idea what in the world the King was talking about. When did I get such confidential information about the country?
The King closed his eyes lightly and took a deep breath. At that moment, the atmosphere became tense.
Everyone waited quietly for the king to speak.
“What do you think of Alicia?”
The king said as he turned to Liz Cather and the others. Everyone froze for a moment, and for some reason awkwardly choked on their words.
It was difficult to answer the question, asking what they thought of a person who had been exiled from the country. And moreover, she was the sister of Albert, Alan, and Henry.
“…Ali is a straightforward and intelligent girl. I’ve been watching her since she was a little girl, and I think she’s a genius.”
Curtis said, breaking the silence.
“I like Alicia because I don’t have anyone I don’t like.”
Finn also replied, smiling. To be honest, he seems the most underhanded.
“The genius just used her talent in the wrong way.”
Gayle said a few words, as if he didn’t like the compliments Alicia had received. Eric, Albert, and Alan, who seemed to be under the spell of Liz Cather, seem to agree with him.
“I wonder who is using their talent the wrong way.”
Everyone reacted to my words. The King just watched our exchange in silence. I still had no idea what his intention was in calling us here, and I wondered when he would speak to us.
“What do you mean?”
Eric glared at me.
“Talent is difficult to use, you know. It all depends on your own efforts and feelings whether you make use of your talent or not. For example, a person may have a tremendous talent for singing, but they may hate singing and want to play an instrument. What you want to do, and your actual talent, don’t always match.”
Eric, assuming that I was targeting Liz with my statement, replied.
“What’s not to like about Liz?”
“Everything.”
Gayle was looking at me through his glasses with a terrible look on his face, but I answered without paying attention to him.
I guess I should be horrified, but I didn’t think anything of it. Rather, I felt pleased that the aristocrats were listening to me.
I never thought I would have a chance to tell them everything I wanted to say.
I continued to give them a piece of my mind.