Abandoned Bastard of the Royal Family Volume 5 Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Chapter 16 – The Unique Tradition of the Ryngbergs

Guided by First Queen Petrome, Schild made his way through the corridor of the Ryngberg mansion.

(As expected of one of the three most prosperous families in the country, their mansion is opulent-looking at it’s insides as well.)

“By the way… Why is Her Majesty the Queen here today?”

The queen, coming all the way to the Ryngberg Mansion for a prince’s visit.

She, who should be living in the king’s house, the royal castle, has gone all the way here just to guide Schild.

“Why am I here? Why, I have always been in here. I have always slept and woken up in this main Ryngberg residence since I was a child. In fact, the only time I had left this house was when I was married to His Majesty the King, which only lasted for a few years before coming back here again.”

“…!?”

“I know what you’re thinking. You see, His Majesty Preslate did not seem to like the idea of a man and a woman having sex. So after giving birth to Cymbium and fulfilling his duties as king, he returned me to my family home with the title of the First Queen. And as for me, believing it is the role of the queen to do as the king desires, I followed him without question. I’ve been staying here ever since.”

(So that’s why the Ryngbergs’ presence was close to nil in the royal court.)

“As for why Olivia has remained in the royal palace even after giving birth to her little Serenea, who knows? Perhaps she failed to see the subtleties of the situation. Then again, since the king spoke no words against it, I did not really care.”

“From what I’ve heard, it seems that she is still going back and forth between the royal castle and her parents’ residence, the Oscars, depending on her mood of the day.”

“I see. Well, she is moody, alright.”

Petrome spoke with open disinterest.

Still, what she said earlier was a really unexpected confession and one that was very disconcerting for Schild.

Speaking of moods, according to the stories of others, the royal family had always had a “penchant for heroics”.

Since Schild himself also has an insatiable thirst for battle and sex, he, too, believed (though he was only half-convinced) that his current traits were due to his bloodline.

Some kings in the past had been overzealous fighters, others had been unruly lovers, and there were also rumors that the king in question, King Preslate, had once his fair share of fun in his youth.

(…who did I hear it from again?)

Schild spoke in his mind, unsure of his memory.

“More than that… are you guys not worried?”

“Come again?”

Still moving through the corridors of the mansion, Schild asked the queen.

“You are saying that, but you must be frustrated right now because I came, aren’t you? You guys were sure of your victory before this, after all, as you had been blessed the birth of the king’s child before anyone else. And because there were only two female royals back then, it was already a solid sign that the next queen would be from your own womb.”

As such, for the likes of the Ryngberg House, Schild’s debut should be nothing more than a disaster that had fallen on them.

“Now that a male heir is discovered, Cymbium’s ranking will go down, and your rosy vision of the future will collapse as a result. Worst is that it could even be your downfall. For that, shouldn’t it be normal for you to want to get rid of me, even if it means making things difficult for your house?”

And after that, as they originally planned, they would make Cymbium queen again.

With the circumstances of the Ryngberg House, this should be their most straightforward policy.

“What a shallow idea. Only the Oscars and Leschbeins would adopt it.”

“Shallow?”

“Yes.” Queen Petrome spoke, this time, with more emphasis. “Prince Schild, what is the most important thing in this country?’

It was a question of such a large scale that Schild was momentarily at a loss for a response.

Nevertheless, Queen Petrome took advantage of this pause and proceeded to speak on her own.

“The nation must be stable. For it is only when the kingdom’s foundation is secure that we, the nobility, can live safely within it. This is the most important thing.”

This is true not only for aristocrats but also for commoners and all races alike.

“Besides, what is the point of being obsessed with being “above” or “below” within such a small circle? Our lives are heavily connected to this nation, this country. But if this country dies or falls apart, we will also have the same fate. Compared to that, our wealth is nothing but a trivial matter.”

That’s… a very mature opinion.”

Schild couldn’t help but be in awe.

To the point that he even wondered why are there not more aristocrats in this country who could think this way.

“It is also the mission of the Ryngbergs to see the bigger picture.”

Then, Queen Petrome stopped walking.

“We have arrived.”

Schild and Cymbium had walked a great deal in the mansion, guided by the queen.

The mansion itself was huge. So huge that it took a lot of time and effort for them to move around inside.

Now, they are standing on a large, double-door that was befitting of the huge mansion.

“I apologize for making you walk so far. The preparations for welcoming you, Your Highness Schild, are ready in this room.”

“What is this place?”

“This is the innermost room in the Ryngberg main residence. In our house, it is already a customary to receive the king in this room. Now, if you please…”

The queen herself opened the door.

From there, a huge “flower garden” came into his view.

“This is…!”

Inside the room were a number of young beauties.

The appearance and manner in which they were dressed made it clear at a glance that they were noble young ladies.

All of them were bowing deeply to Schild.

“These five are our most precious ladies of the Ryngberg House, in your current generation.”

“Come again?”

“Carefully chosen from the best of the best, these daughters in front of you are the finest quality women our house can currently provide to Prince Schild.”

Queen Petrome spoke as if she’s a sommelier introducing a fine wine.

In other words, they are the female descendants of the Ryngberg House?

And considering they also posessed the same Ryngberg blood, are they also Cymbium’s cousins?

As Schild was thinking this, the women introduced themselves one by one.

“I am the daughter of the present head of the Ryngberg House, Iberis.”

“I am Dahlia. I am the daughter of one of the Queen’s sisters, who was married into the Ryngberg family.”

“I’m Ivy.”

“Suiren, Your Highness.”

“Oenothera. Please take care of me henceforth.”

All of them are blondes, much like Cymbium and Petrome, not to mention beautiful women who would be in great demand if they sought a husband to marry.

“Today, we, the Ryngbergs, would like to welcome Prince Schild with the entourage all of these women.”

The queen started to declare, as if summing up their roles.

“You are free to have a pleasant time with these children, our prince. And if you find a girl you like, you can choose to marry her as your queen.”

“Huh?”

Naturally, the one who was surprised by this declaration was none other than Cymbium.

“What the… What do you mean by that, mother!? And what is this, anyway!?”

“This is a “welcoming tradition” that has been practiced in the Ryngberg House for generations. In which I, along with many of my sisters and cousins, had also participated when we welcomed King Preslate in this innermost room. Which was also the time and place I was decided to be the next queen.”

“What?”

“This is for the well-being of the Ryngberg family and the nation itself, Cymbium. Now, if you’ll excuse us. My daughter and I will now move to another room. This is to make sure that my Cymbium here will not interfere with your process of selecting your Ryngberg queen.”

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