Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 49 - Broken Oath & Silent Tears

"Your pants are falling off, Your Imperial Highness," Medrauta smirked.

Galahad pulled them up furiously. "Y-You have no right to detain me here, Dame Medrauta!"

"I have every right, actually," Medrauta yawned. "And don't even try resonating, Lady Rosenhall." She added as she spotted the lady attempting to discreetly reach her hand toward Galahad's. "I'll throw you out the window before you can even bestow your Crest."

"My father will hear of this!" Galahad shouted.

"He sure will. But I think your sister would like to have some words with you before that."

As if on cue, Medrauta's sharp senses picked up the sound of Gwenhwyfar's angry stomping from the floor below and Viviane's soft footsteps trailing from behind. Steel striking wood echoed through the building as well, confirming the fact that the princess had arrived with knights, or at the very least, guards.

"Galahad. I am severely disappointed in you." Gwenhwyfar said as she strode through the door, past Medrauta, and slapped her brother across the face without so much as a second thought. "Just what has gotten into you tonight? First, you refuse to dance the first song with me, and now you're here. Doing this."

Galahad glared at his sister, his eyes filled with resentment. "So what? Are you really this upset because I didn't dance with you? You don't even want to dance with me, so—"

"Silence, fool. I permitted you to leave because I wanted you to make friends. As embarrassing as it would be for the princess to be bereft of a partner during a gala, it warmed my heart to see that you were enjoying your time with the students here. However, I never expected you to be so irresponsible."

"Huh!? Who the hell are you to speak of responsibility!? The first damn thing you did when you arrived here was abuse your authority and steal someone's knight! Irresponsible!? Why don't you look at yourself first before—"

Gwenhwyfar slapped him again, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent room.

"I said silence, you absolute moron. You are right on one count. I failed to control myself, and I am reflecting on my mistakes. I have apologized, and while that does not undo the wrong I did to Lady Viviane and her knight, I am at the very least cognizant of my faults. Yet you of imperial blood dare sleep with a lady of a ducal house?"

To that, Galahad had no response.

"Ah. I see that miniscule brain of yours is finally working, Galahad. Should she be made to bear a child, then the political ramifications that you have induced tonight will be on a scale of unprecedented proportions. A far cry from what I have done. Surely even you understand the balance of power that must be kept between the four ducal houses?"

The prince lowered his head in shame at his sister's words. He knew exactly what his sister meant.

As the empire's greatest powers under the crown consisted of the four ducal houses who all wielded power that was essentially equivalent. Together, they worked in tandem to both support the country and keep one another in check, maintaining a tenuous balance of power that has allowed the empire to prosper to this day.

While he wasn't the heir, Galahad's relationship with Isabella of House Rosenhall would no doubt throw that balance into chaos, and he understood that very well. Despite that, he had chosen to pursue his hopeless love even if it earned his sister's ire.

"Place him under house arrest," Gwenhwyfar ordered the knights that had accompanied her. "And interrogate him about the matter."

"...Your Imperial Highness, I hardly think that we have the authority to 'interrogate' the prince," one of the knights protested.