The Third Prince Of The Magnia Empire

After preventing the airship crash, Ian returned to the park entrance where he met his waiting driver. They walked to the parked car, and he returned home. It wasn’t until the next day that he read about the incident in the newspaper.

“Airship on world tour from the Magnia Empire nearly crashes due to a sudden gust of wind. Fortunately, balance was regained in time, avoiding disaster. However, both those aboard and those attempting to secure the landing ropes sustained serious injuries. Shockingly, it has been revealed that aboard the airship was none other than the Third Prince of the Magnia Empire, Jedic di Magnia.”

‘The Third Prince of the Empire was on that airship?’

Ian was stunned. What if the crash had happened and the prince had died? If the airship had exploded, the Magnian prince would’ve died on Polian soil.

‘We nearly went to war with the Magnia Empire?’

The king and the high ministers must have been terrified. The Doicheun Empire may be powerful in the southwestern continent, but the eastern Magnia Empire was far bigger—and it had the largest population. Entering conflict with them now, with Polia’s fleet still recovering, would have been a losing battle.

‘Good thing I stopped it in time.’

Ian was now grateful he had gone to see the airship. Maybe he had subconsciously sensed something was going to happen. According to the news, the Third Prince had been hospitalized, but thankfully, he was not seriously injured.

‘Looks like I might meet him soon.’

The royal family would no doubt host a party for the prince, and as a royal, Ian would naturally attend. Just as he thought that, a formal invitation from the palace arrived in the late afternoon.

‘A party already? The day after the accident?’

This clearly reflected the Third Prince’s will. To host a party right after such an accident—he had to be a man of strong nerves. Ian figured he should go and at least see the man for himself. The next evening, he set out for the palace.

Though the sun had not yet set, a line of carriages was already heading toward the palace. One car passed them all—it was Ian’s. As a prince, he didn’t need to wait in line. It was a royal privilege, and Ian was entitled to it.

‘I wonder what kind of person this Third Prince is?’

He imagined someone arrogant. After all, this was a prince of an empire. As he approached the palace entrance, a crowd of cars was slowly being guided into the parking area, but Ian’s vehicle took a separate entrance.

Royal guards were stationed there. One approached the driver’s side and tapped the window. The driver rolled it down and handed over Ian’s invitation. Upon confirming it, the guard immediately saluted toward the rear of the car.

“Welcome, Prince Ian. You may enter.”

“Thank you.”

As the guard stepped back, the driver rolled up the window and drove into the palace grounds. The parking lot was already more than half full, and Ian’s car soon found a spot.

“Wait in the lounge.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll be here when you return.”

The palace provided a dedicated lounge for drivers, with excellent food, entertainment, and leisure. After sending the driver off, Ian entered through a separate palace entrance.

The guards opened the door for him. Inside, a luxurious carpet covered the floor, and ornate decorations adorned every corner. It had been a while since he’d seen it, but the splendor still impressed him. He walked down the hallway toward the party venue.

‘It’ll be held at the Hall of Waves again.’

Only that venue could host large-scale palace events. As he neared the entrance, he could already hear music from the orchestra. Remembering how exhausting the last party was, he hoped tonight would be easier.

With the Third Prince in attendance, perhaps the attention wouldn’t all be on him. Entering the Hall of Waves, he saw the crowd was already considerable. He decided to first visit the royal family section to find his mother and sister.

Some nobles recognized him and offered greetings as he passed. Ian responded politely and made his way through less-crowded paths until he finally reached the royal family’s space—only then could he sigh in relief.

He thought he’d stay there for a while. Then he saw a group of concubines watching him. They held fans that partly obscured their faces, though their eyes peeked over them.

‘I guess I should greet them, too.’

There was no end to greetings. He missed his simpler, anonymous life. With a polite smile, he bowed to the nearby concubines.

Most responded with kindness. These were mostly concubines who had entered the palace after Ian’s mother. Amid these exchanges, he noticed his mother and sister hadn’t yet arrived.

Just then, he saw them entering. Ian smiled and raised a hand. His sister, Charlotte, beamed and started to run over—but caught herself under the weight of watching eyes and approached slowly instead.

“Big Brother!”

“How have you been, Charlotte?”

“Not great! You said you’d come to the palace more often!”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy buying and setting up my house.”

“I heard you bought a house! I want to see it…”

“Really? Then I’ll invite you. Come visit anytime.”

“Really?!”

“Of course. Who’s going to stop my sister from visiting her brother’s house? Come by after school.”

“Okay! Heehee.”

Seeing her so happy warmed Ian’s heart. At that moment, his mother approached and gently scolded Charlotte.

“Charlotte, don’t trouble your brother.”

“But he said I could visit!”

“Mother, I don’t mind.”

“Still, it’s your personal space. I’m sure it’ll be inconvenient in many ways…”

“It’s not inconvenient at all. I’d even invite you too, Mother, if I could.”

“I would love to, but I can’t.”

That was the reality of being a concubine. The queen could attend outside events and move freely, but concubines were mostly confined to the palace. Ian was now 19. His mother had been in the palace for nearly 20 years.

‘I originally planned to take Mother and Charlotte and leave this country…’

But then came the war and Ian’s rise to fame, which forced him to abandon those plans. He felt guilty—though his mother knew nothing about them.

“One day, I promise I’ll bring you with me.”

“Even hearing that is enough for me. Don’t worry, my dear. Hoho.”

Though she smiled and said it was fine, Ian could tell it bothered her that she couldn’t even see the home her son had built. As they spoke, more concubines began arriving—those of higher rank than his mother.

Ian had to greet them too. They responded curtly, barely masking their hostility. Their eyes showed it clearly—they were watching him carefully. His rise in fame from the submarine incident had made them wary.

‘If I outright say I have no interest in succession, that might make it worse, huh?’

Even denying ambition might be taken as a sign of ambition. People believed what they wanted, and one misunderstanding always led to another. Sometimes silence was the smarter path.

Just as Ian was thinking that, noise erupted from a distant part of the hall. From the commotion, it seemed likely that the guest of honor—the Third Prince of the Magnia Empire—had arrived. Even the expressions of the surrounding concubines shifted.

‘They’ve probably already told their children to go flatter the prince and make an impression, haven’t they?’

It wouldn’t help them gain succession rights, but even just speaking with a prince from an empire could elevate their standing. Of course, Ian had absolutely no interest in speaking with him.

“It seems the Third Prince has entered the hall.”

“So it does.”

“Ian, aren’t you going to go see him?”

“No, I’m fine. Even if I went, there’d be so many people trying to meet him, and I probably wouldn’t even get a proper conversation in. I’d rather stay here with Mother and Charlotte.”

“If you’re not staying here, then you should go see someone else. Didn’t you forget someone?”

“Forget someone?”

“Your fiancée, of course. You should go check on her. She’s your fiancée now—you can’t just ignore her.”

“Oh, that’s right. I should go find her.”

He had completely forgotten about Miss Michelle. She had surely come tonight as well. Lately, between buying his house and hosting the housewarming party, he hadn’t had time to see her. Thinking back, it might’ve been nice if she’d come with him to see the airship yesterday—though the accident would’ve quickly ruined that.

“Well then, I’ll head off. Charlotte, I’ll see you later.”

With Charlotte waving at him sadly, Ian exited the royal family’s space. He was relieved to see that the number of nobles in the hall wasn’t too large. Likely they had all gathered around the Third Prince.

‘In that case, I’m grateful. I guess saving your life turned out to be helpful?’

Even so, there were still some nobles present, so he got stopped and had to exchange greetings. Still, it was easier to move around than at the last party. Ian scanned the hall but couldn’t see Michelle. He thought perhaps she had stepped out into the garden.

‘She does like quiet places. I should try the garden.’

Ian made his way outside. He could see many people heading into the lush greenery in pairs. Shaking his head at the sight, he walked toward a well-lit area with lamp posts.

On one of the benches sat a figure. As he approached, he realized there were two people—not one. That made him stop in his tracks.

‘Oh? Isn’t that Miss Michelle?’

Had he come to the wrong place? He turned his head slightly—and his eyes widened. It was Michelle. She was covering her mouth and laughing. Sitting beside her was a man smiling brightly as he spoke to her.

“Hahaha, and so—”

The man had platinum blond hair and a very handsome face. Ian himself was considered good-looking, but this man had a calm, approachable aura that made people feel at ease. Ian couldn’t remember Michelle looking this happy before.

‘This feels… disappointing.’

Just then, someone stepped in front of Ian. It was a sharp-eyed man with an intimidating presence. Ian had an odd feeling about him, and before he could speak, the man issued a cold warning.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Hm? And who are you to tell me that?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Hah? What nonsense. Why should I obey someone who gives an order out of nowhere?”

“If you want to lose your life over nothing, be my guest.”

The man’s voice turned colder, his aura pressing in—but Ian didn’t flinch. If he wanted, he could crush this man with a thought. Strange as this guy was, Ian wasn’t about to back down.

“Let’s see if you can do anything to me.”

“I warned you.”

“Well, I’d like to see it for myself. Go ahead—try me.”

As Ian stood his ground, the man’s wariness grew. He could tell that his intimidation wasn’t working—this wasn’t just any noble.

The moment the man started to raise his hand, someone interrupted.

“Prince Ian?”

“Ah, Miss Michelle. It’s me.”

Raising a hand to show himself, Ian’s identity was made clear. The sharp-eyed man backed off, realizing just in time that this was a prince of the kingdom. He relaxed slightly but still looked troubled—this Ian was clearly no ordinary man.

“Ah, so you’re a prince?”

Just then, the platinum-haired man stood from the bench and spoke. Ian nodded.

“Yes. I’m Prince Ian of the Polia Kingdom.”

“I see. So, what’s your relationship with Miss Michelle?”

“You must be from abroad. Anyone from this kingdom would know.”

“Is that so? Then what is it?”

“Miss Michelle is my fiancée.”

Upon hearing that, the man looked at Michelle, then gave a small nod.

“So, you’re not married yet.”

‘What’s with this guy?’

Ian found himself increasingly displeased with this man.