The Herb King

61 The Second Prince’s Epiphany

On the balcony of a mansion, Emperor Ragnar was looking at the night sky with an unreadable expression.

“Dimitri, what do you think of that guy, Aethelwolf?” He muttered under his breath.

Swoosh!

A shadow suddenly emerged behind him.

“I wasn’t able to detect his strength. He is a mysterious person and his strength shouldn’t be shallow. Is it really fine for Your Majesty to give him the headmaster position of the academy?” Dimitri stared at the emperor’s figure, still confused as to why he had given an important position to someone that he had just met.

Emperor Ragnar chuckled as he continued staring at the sky. “Care for some wine?” He muttered as he rubbed the space ring in his thumb.

A space ring was valuable in their world and one could only be made with the combined effort of a Blacksmith and an Engraver.

An Engraver is someone who has a high natural ability in controlling world essence. They could create runes and turn them into powerful barriers, runes that could summon the power of thunder, and many others.

The number of Engravers was even a lot less than the Blacksmiths and Alchemists. That’s why Engravers are respected no matter where they go and their status was exalted! However, not everyone can become an Engravers.

.....

The space ring in the emperor’s hand glowed as he took a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. He gave one glass to Dimitri before pouring wine into their glasses.

“Didn’t you hear what I said in the Reynolds’ mansion? Instincts... My instincts told me to give him the position...” Emperor Ragnar said as he swirled his wine.

Dimitri shrugged upon hearing his response. He then grabbed his wine glass and gulped down the contents in an uncultured manner.

Seeing this, Emperor Ragnar laughed and looked at Dimitri in amusement. “Dimitri, it seems like you’ve forgotten what I taught you. Swirling your wine isn’t a matter of style. Do you know why the wise people do it?”

Dimitri shook his head. He was a fighter and he has no time to learn about etiquette.

Emperor Ragnar poured more wine into Dimitri’s glass and said. “According to my father, the late emperor, swirling your wine can improve its taste. He said that you can remove the residual putrid smell of the wine if you swirl it. Well, it’s not that I’m doing it for that reason. To tell you the truth, I only followed my old man’s instruction since it looks cool and elegant to swirl my wine before drinking it.”

Hearing this, Dimitri smiled and shook his head. It looks like the emperor was in a good mood since he has the time to joke with him.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“It must be His Highness, Prince Calvin.” Dimitri mumbled when he heard the knocking on the door.

“Go and bring him here.” Emperor Ragnar said.

Dimitri walked towards the door and opened it.

Prince Calvin was surprised when he saw that it was Dimitri. It was only today that he finally knew the identity of this man. This guy was actually the strongest subordinate of his father!

Prince Calvin didn’t dare meet his gaze as he said. “I’ve something to tell His Majesty.”

“He is on the balcony. Follow me.” Dimitri brought the second prince to the balcony.

“Come. Drink with me.” Emperor Ragnar said as he handed a glass filled with wine to Prince Calvin.

“It’s my pleasure, Your Majesty.” Prince Calvin answered as he took the glass from his father’s hand.

“There’s no need for formalities. There’s no outsider here. Have you delivered the contract?” Emperor Ragnar asked before lightly sipping on his wine.

Prince Calvin nodded his head. He was also happy that his father was finally acknowledging him. This was the first time his father had invited him to drink wine.

“Yes, father.” The word ‘father’ was quite difficult to say because it has been a long time since he last called him that way.

Emperor Ragnar recalled the memories of when his sons were still young. They used to call him father, but now that they had grown up, it was customary for them to call him ‘His Majesty’.

“You should stop thinking about the throne, my son. I don’t want there to be any disputes between you brothers. It would be nice if you can assist your younger brother and help him oversee the empire when he inherits the throne. You are excellent in all aspects. The only issue is the excessive greed in your heart. You must not let it control you, son. Believe me, when you overcome your greed, you will feel refreshed and your speed of breakthrough will increase.” Emperor Ragnar said while looking at his son.

Prince Calvin lowered his head. It appears that his father has seen through him. He also felt that his father’s words might be true. Could it be that he had almost allowed his greed to control him?

Prince Calvin felt a wave of terror as he thought about what he did all these years. He had been secretly plotting on how to reclaim the position as the crown prince. If he continued down this path, he might even do extreme things that could lead to a major fight between him and his younger brother.

As he thought about this, he felt a wave of shame enveloping his entire being. “Father, please punish me for my foolishness!” He shouted in remorse.

Emperor Ragnar smiled as he patted his son’s shoulder. “There is no need for that. As long as you’ve realized your mistake, everything is good. If you really feel guilty about it, just support your younger brother with all your heart.”

Prince Calvin raised his head and looked at his father, feeling warm in his heart. He then nodded his head and muttered with a resolute look. “From now on, I will support Christopher!”

Emperor Ragnar grinned when he saw his son’s change. A knot was also untied in his heart after that conversation.

The father and son continued drinking all night...