The Human Saint is Bored, so I was Summoned to Another World

David von Albert, Crown Prince of Amaranth (Part 1)

And so, once the accommodations had been arranged, we went back to the royal palace. Upon arriving, we were led to a large room, where Maddie and the others were already conversing with the crown prince and his ministers.

The crown prince of Amaranth, David, was an intimidating man, physically. He stood tall—probably about 6 feet or more, towering over anyone inside the room. The prince carried an unusually long sword on his waist; presumably, it was made so that it could match his physique. His face, though he may be young as Jessica had told us, was a bit worn-out. I don't know if it's because of the stress of ruling, or something else, but he's much younger than he looked.

In contrast to his physical features, Prince David was a gentle character. He spoke gently, though we could still feel the royal dignity in his voice. The prince stood up when he saw us coming, Monfort and I, prompting the others to acknowledge our presence. He even asked us to take a seat, even though his ministers stood behind him.

I think I'm going to like this guy.

Honestly, I found it quite hard to believe that this person was accused of things like abuse of authority, or a sex-crazed maniac, as Eris told us before.

But well, I guess I needed to observe a bit more and keep my guard up. Appearances can deceive, after all...

"Once again, we thank you for coming to our lands, Your Holiness." the crown prince bowed in respect before Maddie, and his government was quick to follow, "And, on behalf of my house and my people, I would also like to express our apologies for this situation."

Maddie, meanwhile, never hid her displeasure, "I'm not angry because I was asked to mediate in this. However, Prince David, you and the Duke of Braunhauer shall be answerable to me for the unnecessary escalation of this conflict. Why did no one from Amaranth raise this issue back at the congress?"

Crown Prince David remained silent, but I could tell that he's shaken by the rebuke.

Jessica was quick to intervene for her brother, "Your Holiness, I'd like to speak for the crown prince if you please."

"Then speak!"

"His Highness is still learning the ropes of governance." the kitchen princess explained, "He is a regent of our father nary two seasons ago!"

"Indeed, he is." Maddie was unflinching, "However, if the prince would just play around and never try to govern, it would be for the good of this entire kingdom to appoint a new heir instead!"

Well, that's harsh. Coming from no less than the Saint herself, I think Maddie was telling the truth. If the prince would only concern himself with his own good and never his people, eventually, this was bound to happen.

But as for Maddie, she can gently say it, right?

I was looking at the crown prince for a while now, and he never moved from his bow earlier. As intimidating as he was, he also displayed resolute regret for his mistakes.

Makes me wonder...are Eris' words true?

It's the reason we're here, to find out the truth and act accordingly. Hope something came out of it.

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Maddie was not angry for long. She knew it won't be of use anyway, since our purpose here was to mediate, not to shower reprimands on the parties involved. As soon as she calmed down, she immediately went on questioning the crown prince on the state of Amaranthine affairs.

"So you mean to say, the nobility here are making stories about you abusing their hospitality?"

"Yes, Your Holiness!" the prince was indignant, "I swear by Your Most Exalted Name, on the pain of death to me and my entire household, I implored no one to spend a single coin from their coffers for the upkeep of my retinue. I have my accounting books to prove that!" He quickly motioned for someone to bring the books before the saint to nail his point.