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No decent gentleman would come in here, and that was obvious. However, there were some not entirely unambiguous individuals.

In the middle of the stench and filth at the bar sat a young man. He was not quite sober either.

At first glance, to be honest, he looked more like a tramp. He had tangled blond hair, dirty clothes, an untidy face, and a lean build, as if he had been starving for weeks.

If people around him had known the truth, they would never have believed he was once the most powerful aristocrat in the empire. And now… he was left with almost nothing.

Philippe Blanche put to his mouth a bottle of cheap liquor which he had been draining all evening. Next to it were several empty vessels, which the bartender still hadn\'t put away.

The former crown prince\'s eyes were swimming. Where was he and how had he come to this life?

Immediately after his long-awaited release from prison, despite his promise to Razor, Philip immediately began plotting a retaliatory coup. At the outset he was enthusiastic, for he was determined to subject the wretch to no less humiliation than she had inflicted on him.

But to do so, he needed help. The prince could not storm the imperial palace alone.

So he decided to enlist the help of his father\'s closest associates. Philip remained adamant that if he knew that he was still alive, he would surely do anything for him.

But… In the end, he was deeply disappointed.

Finding the former heir to the throne on their doorstep, the nobles were by no means rejoicing, but… Dreaming of being sent away as soon as possible. None of them wanted Rachel Cassius to find out about their affair, God forbid.

— Your Highness, it\'s nothing personal… We just don\'t want any trouble.

That\'s what he heard most often before people «politely» asked him to leave.

All of the remaining aristocrats in the country turned out to be nothing but miserable rats who were afraid to enrage the new queen in any way. After all, they knew that Rachel was by no means as merciful as the previous ruler.

Hell, she was a Cassian. Who in their right mind would ever go up against those types?

King Blanche\'s most loyal subjects were killed in the first days after the turn. Just as their families were destroyed and their names erased from the history of the empire. Therefore, it was impossible to turn to them for help.

At this difficult crossroads in life, Philippe Blanche was alone.

The entire empire turned its back on him, and some made no secret of their disdain — having once caught the crown prince like this. For all his attempts to reach out to other aristocrats, he had already received several taunts in his direction.

After such a crushing defeat, Philip didn\'t know what to do next. And so soon enough he sank into an abyss of despair.

All the money his brother gave him had already been wasted on booze. In the end, Philip began to spend all his free time in such dubious establishments.

Along with the other dregs of society, the boy drowned his hatred and pain in alcohol.

Today he spent his last savings finishing that bottle of liquor. Now he didn\'t know where to get the money to keep drinking…

As this thought flashed through his mind, the crown prince laughed hysterically throughout the bar. The other patrons looked at him in amazement, for at this moment he looked more like a deranged homeless man.

Damn it… His miserable life was now truly miserable.

He should have inherited this country, but instead he\'s looking for money for cheap liquor. What\'s worse, because of his neglected appearance, his own subjects didn\'t recognize him: really considering him a common beggar. If the old one had found out about his future like this, there\'s no way he would have believed it.

«Maybe I should just put an end to this torment and die sooner.»

Such thoughts sometimes crossed his mind. But no. The seething hatred inside kept him from doing so.

For no matter what happened, he still longed to see Rachel Cassius sink to the bottom as well.

Philip lifted the bottle to his lips, finishing the rest, and was about to order more from the bartender, when suddenly…

An unfamiliar voice sounded right next to him:

— Excuse me, is this seat taken?

For a while Philip wasn\'t quite sure what was going on. The alcohol clouded his judgment, and it wasn\'t until a few seconds later that he noticed someone looming over him.

The prince reluctantly turned around.

In front of the bar was a young girl about his age. She had bright green eyes and blond hair of a faded hue. An unassuming face and the simplest dress of coarse brown fabric. However, one could tell at a glance that she was a commoner.

Philip realized this and snorted, turning back to himself. He usually preferred not to waste time talking to rabble, so he pretended not to notice her words.

But the girl was persistent. She asked again:

— If you don\'t mind, then I\'ll sit here.

He hummed.

— If you were going to do it anyway, why did you ask?

It was late, and there were hardly any customers in the bar. They sat in silence next to each other at the bar for a while, until Philip found that his drink was finished.

He was about to order more, but as he rummaged through his pockets he realized, disappointedly, that they were empty.

The commoner noticed this and offered:

— I can lend you some money.

Philip tensed up.

— Why should I? — He squinted suspiciously.

Not only did this girl still not leave after half an hour, but also pestered him. He\'d never seen anything like that before. She wasn\'t some kind of debtor\'s office that made fools of herself in places like this, was she?

— It\'s just… I know Your Highness is in a difficult situation. I wish I could help you.

This answer came as a surprise to Philip. It was the first time anyone had ever recognized him. And even more so, some commoner.

The prince hummed, taking a closer look at her for the first time. Having lived in secular society all his life, he could easily discern the intentions of the person in front of him. It was a necessary quality to survive such a high-ranking figure like him.

Moreover, Philip could easily «read» an ordinary commoner. She had eyes as big and innocent as a deer\'s, which betrayed a very real simplicity. In other words, if she tried to lie, absolutely everyone would notice.

The boy sighed more relieved. She didn\'t seem to be a threat to him.

— How humiliating…» Philip let out an ironic chuckle, «Of all my subjects, only the girl of inferior birth recognized me.

Despite the fact that it was rather insulting, the girl was not the least bit offended. She was so happy to meet His Highness that she paid no attention at all to his inappropriate behavior.

— Your Highness, I have always dreamed of meeting you! Ever since I was a child!

Her green eyes sparkled with happiness, while Philip was unimpressed.

— Everyone wants to see me,» he declared arrogantly, «You are neither the first nor the last.

When he regains his rightful position, people will start lining up around the palace in droves again…! It was this thought that nurtured his whole soul.

— Your Highness, you may not remember this…» the girl continued in the meantime, «But many years ago we already met.

— Ha…! Don\'t lie. How could I have met someone like you,» Philip didn\'t believe him.

— It…» she hesitated, «It happened at the orphanage \'Malyutka\'. You came there once when you were a child.

The crown prince thought, and involuntarily remembered that such a thing had indeed taken place. For years on end, the imperial family had its own charitable foundation, which helped needy orphanages, hospitals, and other similar places.

Of course, this was done in order to ennoble the reputation of the ruling family. Every now and then the news made headlines that the life of some other child had been saved. Thus, the people of the empire supported them wholeheartedly, and did not notice all the bloody wars the king was waging to gain even more influence.

Normally, the imperial family did not do these things themselves, but instead sent special people to charitable events. But that year was the anniversary of the foundation, and to celebrate, the king decided to personally visit one of the local orphanages.

It turned out to be the real event of the year.

Taking his young sons with him, the king went to the orphanage that was to be next in line for help. It turned out to be the impoverished orphanage «Malyutka.

And while the adults dealt with matters in the crosshairs of journalists who would later run an article about it, the crown prince and the second prince stayed with the children of the orphanage. They got to dignify them with the «honor» and play with them.

That time, Philip, unlike his shy younger brother, was very friendly and smiled a lot, which made him appear before the children as a real angel.

He even helped a girl who had stumbled during a game.

— Are you okay?

When this perfect handsome boy extended his hand to her with a radiant smile, the girl\'s heart froze in an instant. She couldn\'t take her eyes off of him for a long time, and she remembered the occasion for the rest of her life.

Of course, she had no hope of ever meeting him again. After all, this boy was a crown prince, and she was only a miserable commoner… Even in the future, they would not stand a chance, for he would surely stay with a noble lady of suitable status for him.

And so, when she accidentally met the prince in the street and immediately recognized him: at first she could not believe her eyes.

After the news of the overthrow of the ruling family — the girl sobbed for two years. She did not want to believe that her first and only love was no longer alive.

On this basis, Philippe Blanche, alive, seemed to her a true miracle. She followed him all the way to the bar and hesitated to approach him for a long time. But in the end, she had the will of her fist, and ventured out to meet her dream.

When the commoner told him the story, Philip only rolled his eyes. The incident in his childhood and especially that girl seemed so insignificant to him that he didn\'t even remember it.

Despite his arrogant attitude toward those around him, Philip was not in the least bit enticed by women\'s attention, but rather annoyed. There were many such instances throughout his life.

Crowds of women from commoners to noble ladies of all social levels were attracted to him. So what? Philip had been used to it since he was a teenager, but he never got hung up on it. After all, in his opinion, none of these ladies could compare to the one that was truly in his heart.

This lowborn girl turned out to be just one of thousands of his admirers.

Realizing this, Philip quickly lost interest in what was happening. When the girl was so insistent on him, even his desire to drink disappeared. He just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.

Changing his mind about ordering more, the prince finished the last bottle the girl had bought him and tipped it over on the table and left the bar. The commoner immediately followed him out.

Philip turned around irritably.

— Hey! Don\'t you dare follow me.

— Your Highness, you\'re all alone,» she said innocently. «Let me accompany you.

— I\'ll be all right.

The Kronprinz rudely refused her several times in succession, but the girl would not leave. It was the first time anyone had so disregarded his orders.

Otherwise, the lad would have simply called the guards, and this girl would have been thrown out or executed on the spot. But he didn\'t have that option now. Much less try to deal with her himself…

Obviously not a good idea.

If he had a conflict in the middle of a crowded street, he would inevitably attract the attention of passersby. The guards would immediately catch him and put him back in the dungeon. And the last thing Philip wanted was to go back there.

So, he just had to put up with it… The crown prince was waiting for her to tire of him and give up on him herself.

But in the meantime, the commoner herself spoke to him:

— Your Highness, I am very pleased to meet you! My name is Serge.

Philip couldn\'t stand it and laughed all over the street.

— «Serge?» What kind of a stupid name is that?

In a way, though, it was no surprise. Commoners were rarely given pretty names, as they were usually reserved for aristocrats. But even so… This was the first time Philip had ever heard such a silly name.

The girl was embarrassed.

— «S-stupid…?»

— Of course,» he agreed nonchalantly, «It\'s like calling a dog that. I didn\'t think commoners were so lacking in taste.

— …

— Obviously your father and mother are as stupid as you are.

— I–I-I don\'t have parents. That\'s the name my orphanage teacher gave me, like everyone else…

Philip was not the least bit embarrassed by the details of her life and by the fact that he might have hit a nerve.

— So, your mentor was a fool.

After he had summed up his utterance, they walked in silence for some time. Finally, when they entered some dark alleyway, Serge dared to ask:

— Your Highness, do you have somewhere to go?

The crown prince answered reluctantly:

— No.

Serge wondered.

— Then where are you going to sleep tonight?

This subject always infuriated Philip, for he was still not used to it. He hated the fact that someone like him had to sleep anywhere.

— None of your business!

In spite of the rudeness on his part, the girl guessed that he didn\'t want to mention his deplorable situation that way.

After thinking a little, Serge said:

— Your Highness, when I came out of the orphanage, I found out that I had an uncle and an aunt. I live with them now.

Philip hummed, finding this information meaningless.

— So what of it? I don\'t care what\'s going on in your life.

Then Serge nonchalantly offered:

— Your Highness, I was wondering… Would you like to stay with us for a while?

Philip was surprised and stood in the middle of the street.

— What?!