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"It seems I made the right decision after all," he murmured.

The man tensed and looked at Richard. It would be a lie to say he knew exactly what kind of man Richard was after all the years spent with him.

"Forgive my question, Your Majesty, but why do you torture your children like this?" he couldn\'t help but ask.

"Torture? Who? What?" Richard replied, as if he had heard a particularly foolish question.

"What I mean is, why did you want me to unleash that fool jester on Ethan? And you torture all your male children in different ways. I\'m just curious about why, Your Majesty." the man said, stroking his goatee.

"Oh, so you call it torture... But I wouldn\'t call it torture. It\'s more like... compassion" Richard said, turning his chair to look out the window at the palace grounds.

"Compassion?" The man seemed surprised, as if this was the last word he expected to hear in the answer.

"Yes, compassion," Richard said calmly.

"I don\'t understand what you mean, Your Majesty. Where is the compassion in this? An incident occurred where a girl your son liked died, and honestly, I don\'t see where compassion fits into this," the man said, looking at Richard\'s back.

"I wasn\'t expecting you to understand," Richard said, turning his chair back to face the man. "Compassion is helping someone you see is about to fall or is likely to fall. Without that incident, Ethan would have just been prey for his brothers. I\'m strengthening him, so to speak, with what you call torture.

This way, when he encounters hunters, he can defend himself and learn to strike when the time comes," Richard said, once again focusing on the documents on the table.

The man fell silent for a moment, trying to grasp what Richard had said. He felt something shift within him, but Richard\'s calm demeanor always had an effect on him.

"So, Your Majesty," he said slowly, "is this what you call tough love?"

Richard frowned, a slight smile on his face. "Perhaps it is," he said. "But in my world, there is no room for the weak. This kingdom is a place where only the strong survive. And all my sons need to understand this truth."

"And what if, despite all this, they still don\'t understand?" the man asked, looking into Richard\'s eyes.

"Well... Then they will meet a brutal end provided by their brothers. Just as I killed my own siblings, one of my sons will rise to the top and take the throne in the end, And for that he will have to kill his brothers" Richard said.

The man thought for a moment, then bowed his head. "I understand, Your Majesty. I hope you are right."

Richard took one last puff from his cigar and placed it in the ashtray. "Of course I am right. Now, go and make your preparations. We have a big meeting coming up, and I don\'t want any mishaps."

The man nodded and left the room. Richard took a deep breath, looking out the window. The ruthless competition among his sons might make him stronger. But at the same time, he couldn\'t help but question, deep in his heart, whether this harsh approach was the right one.

On one hand, Ethan\'s recent display of resilience and intelligence proved how capable he was. However, Richard knew that choosing this path came at a price. Each of his sons could become a victim of this ruthless game. He was very curious about what would happen, since Ethan and his brothers would finally face each other at his daughter\'s upcoming wedding.

-----

(Ethan\'s POV)

After completing my daily routine of bathing and exercising, I got dressed and had breakfast. I walked with Althea towards the outer garden of the palace. There wasn\'t much of a reason; I just wanted to take a stroll. Sometimes I have an instinctive urge to immerse myself in nature.

I noticed that Althea seemed a bit upset while following me, but that was a good sign. If she was still angry because of what she saw yesterday and if she still had feelings for me, it meant she hadn\'t completely pushed me out of her heart. Maybe I should talk to her here, but what should I say? Althea is one of the most difficult people I\'ve ever met, a woman whose reactions are unpredictable.

Additionally, I noticed that she resorts to violence when she is embarrassed.

As we walked among the trees and flowers, I continued to think about her without her knowing. Althea is officially my head maid, but I knew her through the fact that her mother was an executive of the maid guild. Now that I think about it, I haven\'t seen her mother for a long time. When I turned around and looked at her, I noticed that Althea was also looking at me.

"Your Excellency," Althea said with a firm tone. "What are your plans for today?"

"I don\'t have any plans, but maybe I could chat with you," I said, trying to create an opportunity.

Althea stared at me. "You can chat with the women who jump into your lap instead of chatting with me... Your Excellency" she said.

Why is she throwing jabs at me now?

I saw a nearby bench and walked over to sit on it. I looked at Althea and tried to think of what to say.

"So...If chatting is what it takes, you can come sit on my lap."

"..."

No... What did I just say? After wracking my brain, I ended up saying that? Ah, you fool.

"U-uh... I-I h-have no c-choice but to o...obey i-if this is an o-order!" she stammered.

She said these words and then sat down firmly on my lap. Her face turned as red as a tomato, but she sat on my lap as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I watched her red hair in shock... Does she really like me? While trying to suppress the urge to bite her flushed and puffy cheeks, which were incredibly cute, I was once again reminded of how love can make someone do anything.

Love can indeed transform even the most indifferent and tough-natured person into a child. However, if I make a wrong move now, I might lose this girl. Therefore, I gently held her waist to prevent her from losing her balance.

"Now, tell me if there\'s something you enjoy doing?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

I could tell that Althea, sitting with her back to me, was still blushing and struggling to answer. "F-fighting... I-I mean... I-I wanted to say sword fighting," she continued to stammer.

"Really? I enjoy fighting as well." I continued talking without much thought, enjoying the sweet sight of Althea on my lap in the forest.

"L-let\'s h-have a match s-sometime!" she said excitedly.

"Certainly. I\'d be happy to win against you."

Althea suddenly moved on my lap and looked at me. Although her face still showed signs of redness, it was much less, and she looked at me with challenging eyes. But my thoughts were not in her eyes, as she moved while standing on my lap. To avoid making myself look foolish, I was currently trying to calm down little Ethan.

"Huh? You can\'t beat me! I\'ve been trained by my powerful mother since childhood!" she said.

Just as I had guessed, Althea\'s mother wasn\'t a normal woman. She was not just a maid. She was probably a noble, or a fallen noble, or she might not be any of these.

"Oh, really? In that case, can you spar with me tomorrow?" I asked.

I figured it would be best to deliberately lose to avoid harming her pride. Plus, if she wins against me, she would have a reason to stay by my side. Assuming she is in love with me, she would want to protect me, and if I am stronger than her, there would be no need for that. So, I would give her a purpose by deliberately losing.

This way, I would slowly win over the valuable daughter of the maid guild\'s executive.

I continued to talk with Althea, gradually getting her used to being around me and making her feel more comfortable. In this place where the rustling of the trees and the chirping of the birds grew louder, and the scent of flowers filled the air, it wasn\'t hard to make sure she would never forget our conversation.

Moreover, gently stroking her back would ensure that this moment stayed vivid in her mind...