Ian Moves Out

Everyone wore expressions that said, what was Princess Teresa about to do now? She had long been considered a troublemaker among the royals—famous for all sorts of scandals, getting drunk and vomiting on ballroom floors, constantly giving the royal household a headache.

“So, what is it now?”

The King’s voice was heavy with disapproval. Though she was his daughter, her behavior had never sat well with him. Watching her now, it seemed she was about to disgrace herself before even him, and he found himself thinking it might be best to be rid of her.

‘I’ll marry her off to someone—just get her out of the palace.’

Just as the King was thinking this, Teresa, wobbling from how drunk she was, shook off her mother’s hand and finally exploded with the feelings she had long bottled up. Normally, she wouldn’t have gone this far, but as her turn drew near, she could no longer suppress her emotions.

“I—I don’t wanna marrrry someone picked by the royal family!”

Though slurred, the meaning was clear: she didn’t want a marriage arranged by the royal household. At her words, the King’s brow twitched. He was not pleased.

“Do you think that’s something a princess should say?”

“Why not! I have the right to express my feelings too!”

“Speak properly, at least. Tsk, tsk.”

The King clicked his tongue in disgust. Teresa only grew more frustrated. She wanted freedom. She didn’t care for the shackles of royalty. She just wanted to fall in love and marry someone of her own choosing. She didn’t want to be used as a political tool.

“I don’t… want to be the royal family’s tool. I just want to be free…”

“Absurd. Freedom? Do you think that’s something you can demand? You were born a princess. Do you even know where everything you wear, eat, and drink comes from?”

“I know! The royal family!”

“And knowing that, you still talk like this? If you’re a princess, act like one. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself right now?”

“I didn’t choose to be born a princess!”

Clang!

She hurled her wine glass. Food and shards of glass scattered across the table. Screams followed.

These drastic actions left her mother, Consort Melissa, pale with shock. Her daughter had crossed a line. And the consequences, though unspoken, were obvious.

‘Sigh… I can’t say I don’t understand, but this isn’t good.’

Ian sighed inwardly, watching Teresa lose control and throw the glass. He had blocked the shards from reaching his mother and sister, using his power to shield them from even the smallest fragments.

Though no large pieces had come their way, invisible splinters might have—so he had stopped them just in case. Meanwhile, the King’s face was grim. Even from a daughter, he would not tolerate this.

“Guards! Seize that princess and confine her to her room! Do not give her food or water for five days! Let her feel who’s been feeding her all this time!”

“Your Majesty, please—have mercy! She’s drunk! She doesn’t know what she’s saying!”

“I don’t want to hear it! What are you waiting for? Seize her!”

Though Consort Melissa pleaded desperately, the King was already too furious to forgive. The royal guards approached and restrained Teresa. She screamed, “Let go! How dare you touch me!” but they silently dragged her away.

The doors to the dining room closed, and silence fell. Feeling scared, Charlotte gently held Ian’s hand. Ian smiled and held hers back, silently telling her it was alright.

Though this wasn’t his problem, it didn’t feel like someone else’s issue either.

‘Charlotte could be forced into a marriage like that someday too. If that ever happens… what will I do?’

That future hadn’t come yet, but Ian wasn’t sure how he would react. He only hoped that, by then, he would be powerful enough that no one could make decisions about his sister without his say.

With everything that had happened, the dinner came to an end. People quietly left. Only Consort Melissa, sitting in sorrow over her daughter, remained.

‘So in the end, she was forced into marriage.’

After three days without food, Princess Teresa finally begged the King for forgiveness. Perhaps it was because she had never gone so long without eating—she had broken quickly. She had dreamed of freedom, but in the end, it all became just a passing incident.

After the incident, Ian took the next step in his life: leaving the palace. He had arranged to stay in a dormitory. Fortunately, the academy informed him that space was available. The moment came to leave the small residence he had lived in all his life.

“Sniff… Brother, do you really have to go?”

“Don’t cry. It’s not like I’m leaving forever.”

“But still…”

“I’ll come visit you often, alright? So stop crying.”

Charlotte was devastated when she learned that Ian was leaving the palace. Her dependable older brother would no longer be living with her. Honestly, Ian wanted to stay too. But he was now an adult—he could no longer remain in the palace.

“Charlotte, stay close to Mother. Talk to her often, okay?”

“…Yes, I will.”

“Don’t cry. Every meeting must end in parting. So be brave and live well. Alright?”

“Yes…”

Seeing her nod while still holding back tears tugged at Ian’s heart. Without realizing it, Charlotte had become an important part of his life. He was no longer the same lonely person he once was.

Soon, he saw his mother and maid Leni wiping tears from their eyes as well.

“Don’t cry, either of you.”

“I’m not crying.”

“Of course not. We’re just moved—thinking of how much you’ve grown.”

“Don’t worry too much, Mother. And you too, Leni. I’ll be in the dorms, after all.”

Emily looked at him with concern and said,

“Will you be okay in a dormitory? The rooms must be small.”

“I’ll be fine. During the war, I stayed in much smaller spaces.”

“Still…”

“I don’t have much luggage anyway. I don’t need a large space right now.”

All the luggage he had amounted to just two large bags. They held clothes and other items he’d collected over time. Of course, he had more clothes than that, but most had already been sorted and put away. He had only packed what he truly needed.

“You could’ve packed more clothes.”

“This is already a lot. And if I need anything, I can just go out and buy it now, right?”

“You’re right. I really do believe you’ll do well out there. You’re my proud son.”

“Of course. I’m your proud son. I can live just fine on my own.”

“Still, this mother of yours can’t help but worry. So take this with you.”

She had been holding something in her hands, and now he could see it clearly—it looked like a document envelope. As he received it, wondering what it was, his mother smiled gently and began to explain.

“It’s money I’ve been saving since the day you were born. I had someone trustworthy set up a fund and build it up over the years.”

“For me, Mother?”

“Yes. It should be at least 300,000 grang. Use it well. I prepared it for the day you became independent.”

“What? 300,000 grang… I can’t possibly accept this. Please give it to Charlotte for the future instead.”

“It’s fine. I’m preparing a separate fund for Charlotte too. This one is yours.”

“But… how can I accept something like this?”

“You’re not rejecting my sincerity, are you?”

“N-No! Of course not.”

“If I had my way, I’d tell you to use it to buy a house. But you wouldn’t, would you?”

“Well… probably not.”

“Then use it for something you want to do. Whatever it may be.”

Hearing her firm voice, Ian couldn’t help but feel moved. The fact that she had prepared this money for him all this time—he could finally understand how much she had worried about his independence.

“Thank you. I’ll use it wisely.”

“Once you’re out, make sure to eat your meals properly and change your clothes on time. In the dorms, you’ll have to do everything yourself. That’s what worries me.”

“I’ll be fine on my own. Don’t worry too much. Even in the military, I always managed to feed myself.”

“You and your military stories again.”

“Ahem, it just slipped out while I was explaining.”

He really let his military pride show for a moment. Having taken part in a war, he couldn’t help but mention those times when explaining things. Anyway, now that he was finally leaving the palace, memories of the past started to flood in.

If he didn’t count the time spent on the battlefield, he’d still lived in the palace for 19 years, since birth. Time really flew. He didn’t have many great memories, but at least in this small residence, he had many fond ones with Mother, Charlotte, and Leni.

With mixed emotions and memories in mind, he began packing up his bags. Seeing this, Charlotte started sobbing even more. But he couldn’t stay here any longer.

Comforting her with a promise to see her again, Ian loaded his bags into the car waiting at the palace garage.

‘No more drivers or bodyguards, huh.’

It had been convenient up to now, but realizing he’d have to do everything myself from now on, he knew things wouldn’t be easy. His mother had told him to buy a car and hire a driver, but since he didn’t even have a house yet, there was no point in that.

He promised he’d do it later and got into the car after saying goodbye. Click—the door closed, and he could see the three of them waving at me. Rolling down the window, Ian spoke as if he were just going on a short trip,

“I’ll be back soon, so take care until then. Mother, Charlotte, and Leni—see you next time.”

After saying that, he rolled up the window. As he told the driver to head out, the car started moving. Vroooom— The car accelerated smoothly. Cars had definitely improved in form and performance over time. At higher speeds, the royal palace faded into the distance. Watching the palace through the rear window, Ian whispered to himself.

‘So this is a new beginning.’

With that thought, Ian completely separated from the palace—he was finally independent.

Living a calm daily life as a student made time pass quickly, and before long, December arrived. Ian’s one-year short-term training program had come to an end. One year might seem short, but compared to what he’d learned before, this year had taught him far more.

Even more significantly, he received news that the investigation of the Mythos battleship was complete. They even reported that the battleship had been fully refurbished and was in perfect condition. Naturally, Ian had to see it for himself, so he visited the shipyard.

He visited the Thebes Shipyard, one of the major shipyards located in the capital, and wore his uniform for the first time in a while. There, he was also reunited with Derian Zeco (Commander), his deputy captain, and Mardin Luso (Lieutenant), his aide. Both remained assigned to the Mythos and would continue to work with him.

Soon, they were standing in front of the battleship Mythos, docked in the facility. It looked completely restored. All the previous damage was gone, and even the anchor, once hastily welded back together, was now solid and properly attached. Seeing the ship in such condition, Ian thought the Polia Kingdom’s naval engineering wasn’t bad after all.

‘Well, we’re second only to the Empire in naval technology, so I guess that’s why this level of refurbishment was possible.’

“All the interior systems originally designed in the Doicheun Empire’s style were stripped out and replaced with Polia Kingdom standards. Of course, we also fixed all the external armor damage.”

“Oh, it’s perfect. I’m satisfied. It’s been completely restored.”

“Hahaha! I’m glad you’re pleased, Prince Ian.”

“What about the shells? What’s their status?”

“The replication process was completed earlier. We’ve now started producing the 305mm shells, and I hear full-scale production is underway.”

“So no worries about ammunition supply, then.”

“Of course. I’m sure all of our kingdom’s battleships will be equipped with 305mm naval guns going forward.”

Hearing that the guns were also being replicated, Ian thought the naval guns on future battleships would definitely grow larger. Since he had heard news of the Doicheun Empire’s new battleship designs, he figured their next models would feature even larger calibers.

‘It’ll take a few more years before they’re fully produced, though.’

Thinking this, Ian was eager to pilot his battleship Mythos once again. It had been over a year since he’d been on it. Of course, his deputy captain and aide felt the same.