He drew the sword in silence, one centimeter, two centimeters… 10 centimeters.
But the sword was suddenly sheathed back in.
After he finished tidying the bookshelf, Richard turned around and looked at Edward.
Edward gave him a puzzled look.
Richard did not speak and just stared meaningfully.
Edward slowly asked, "Y- Your Highness, w- what's up"
"Did you know, Edward?" Richard asked.
"What?"
"In my eyes, you're a typical medieval nobleman."
"Huh?" Edward was stunned for a second before he bowed his head. "No, I- I'm just Your Highness' loyal Chief Bodyguard."
"Whatever you say. But no matter who you are, you will always put your family's interests first."
"I…" Edward stopped talking.
Richard waved his hand and said, "There's nothing wrong with this. Only with the existence of noblemen like you, who constantly work hard, and even sacrifice themselves for their family, can a family rise to power. Well, it can be considered as doing something worthy. But the problem is you are not smart enough."
"This—" Edward opened his lips, his expression slightly flustered.
"More than a month ago, you applied for a leave of absence to visit your family. I allowed it. However, I knew that you did not leave the palace, that you went to William's palace."
"I—" Edward's eyelids twitched. He was really panicking now.
"You agreed to William's request to kill me at the dinner he hosted, and William also promised to protect your family's interests." Richard continued, "No matter how you look at it, this is a win-win deal. However, the question is: do you think William will really fulfill his promise, especially after you kill me?"
"This—"
"Why do you think all the nobles are so active in choosing sides in royal politics? It's because they all know that the winners can feed on the losers and gain strength. Your family has placed bets on both of us, thinking that it is a smart and safe bet. However in reality, they won't be regarded as trustworthy by either party.
"After killing me, you will be charged with treason. Do you think William will do everything he can to protect your family, or will he give your family a gentle push into the abyss, throwing you to the greedy nobles who were on his side right from the beginning?
"In the case that he does, if William really keeps his promise to protect your family until his death, do you think that a new king can really do whatever he wants? In fact, he only has a few hundred soldiers, yet the number of all the private soldiers in Blue Lion City is ten times this number. When the greedy nobles are ready to enjoy the fruits of victory, can he stop them?"
Edward panicked, his hands shaking. "Your Highness, I- I was wrong, I- I shouldn't have listened to William's words, I shouldn't have considered harming you, I—"
"You were indeed wrong." Richard shook his head. "However, it wasn't wrong to try to kill me. Your mistake was that your family has been using petty tricks from the beginning. It's better to take one side, or remain neutral in royal politics, rather than trying to side with both.
"Royal politics are a gamble. Have you ever seen a gamble that is 100 % certain? So no matter how hard you work, your family's fate won't change. Strategic mistakes cannot be made up with tactical efforts. When your family chose to support me as the crown prince, sending you to serve as my Chief Bodyguard, yet at the same time they took your sister to William, their fates were decided.
"All I can do is give my condolences. After all, wisdom and foresight are hard to come by.
"Alright, I'm leaving and, of course, I'm not going to my lands. I never really considered securing a territory. I will leave Blue Lion City and Blue Lion Kingdom. I want to see what is going on in this world, study, and figure out the laws that reign here. As for you and your family, work hard and try to win in royal politics, perhaps there will be a chance."
After that, Richard effortlessly lifted the heavy box and directly walked out.
Edward stood absent-mindedly in the bedroom. He slowly dropped to the ground and covered his face with his hands, his whole body shaking.
Edward suddenly raised his head again with a desperate and crazy look in his eyes and said to himself, "What if what William said is true, what if…"
Edward drew his sword and was about to go out.
However, he suddenly retreated.
The bedroom door opened, and Richard, who had left, was back.
Boom. He placed the heavy wooden box on the ground, glanced at Edward and slowly said, "Well, I thought I would leave calmly, but when I went downstairs, I realized there is one thing that I still cannot get over and that is… betrayal."
Edward's pupils shrank. This seemed to provoke him, and he roared, "It wasn't my intention! My whole family placed half of their hopes on you, what can I do? I must try to salvage the situation.
"I gave you advice time and again. If you'd taken my advice and did your job, with your abilities, you could have definitely defeated William, and I wouldn't have had to betray you!
"But when have you taken my advice?! You're always studying about wizards and some weird things. Other than the torture you went through three years ago, what did you gain from it? Even if I don't kill you, what can you do? Can you really leave?!
"Damn it! When my family made me and Mia, that bastard, choose between the two of you, I should have chosen to go to William's side, not to your side. Everything would be different now. It would have been Mia, my bastard sister, who betrayed you. I don't care if she dies! I don't care!"
Richard smiled dangerously.
"I'm really sorry, Lord Edward, my dear Chief Bodyguard. Sometimes reality is so cruel. If you made a mistake, nothing can be undone. I hope that if you and your family have another chance, you will be smarter.
"Of course, if you had been steadfast about your choice, there would have actually been some compensation for you. I actually planned to compensate for your family's loss and arrange a good position for you. However, you are not truly loyal to me, so you must prepare for the worst outcome."
Richard approached him without hesitation, his lips opening and closing quickly, as if he was chanting something. Edward looked at the unarmed Richard. He breathed heavily and gritted his teeth, about to thrust his sword. "You are at fault for everything that has happened. It has nothing to do with me!"
Yet Edward could merely watch as Richard waved his hand and a powerful air current slammed into him, as though there was a violent windstorm in the room. Although he was wearing an iron armor, he staggered backward and almost fell on the floor under the influence of that strong force.
The Wind Repulsion Spell.
"This—"
Edward was surprised. When Richard approached again, he was still opening and closing his lips quickly.
Edward grasped the sword with all his strength and tried to pierce Richard's abdomen. However, his eyes widened as he felt the word seemingly cut something in the air, as if it had cut through an extremely viscous liquid. Richard was right in front of him. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not stab him. It was extremely difficult to even pull out the sword, which seemed to be trapped by some mysterious force.
The Wind Bulwark Spell.
"What—"
Edward's sight turned blurry. Before he knew it, Richard had already reached him, pressed his shoulders with both hands and clamped his head.
"Edward, the reason why I don't want to fight for the crown is because I really have important things to do. It's very interesting, as interesting as what you see now. That's why I have no regrets. All I can say is I'm sorry. I chose this path myself, and I will never regret it. Hopefully, it's the same for you."
"I—"
"Goodbye, Lord Edward, my Chief Bodyguard."
Crack!
Edward felt an unstoppable force in his neck, and his entire head suddenly rotated 180 °, twisting it completely.
The Brute Force of Wind Spell.
Is this how my back looks? This was the last thought Edward had before his vision quickly dimmed and he fell dead to the ground with a bang.
Richard looked at Edward's body, his eyes flashing. He took a breath, turned and walked out of the bedroom.