Yeah, they really dumped all that down fast. I guess TL;DR is Nonland and the King fucked around and found out. In more detail...
First, Nonland is a name. That messed me up for a few chapters.
The original setup people believed:
- Nonland and Wife bore Jink (protagonist).
- Nonland and not-wife bore Esther (protagonist's half-brother).
Apparently this is normal and accepted. Jink was determined to be worthless by Nonland, and exiled. Making Esther the one who would inherit the noble title.
The actual setup:
- King Rosalta and Nonland Wife bore Jink (protagonist).
- Nonland and not-wife still bore Esther (making Jink and Esther unrelated by blood).
So the reason Jink was exiled: To hide the king's behavior, and to get rid of the heir of Nonland who wasn't actually the heir. They hoped he would die out in the wild, and their problem would go away. The problem is he lived, and he also became an "enchanter." Which means he's rare and valuable.
Apparently the knowledge that Jink had royal blood, is an enchanter, and that the king abused his power to sleep with a noble's wife, somehow,
somehow, actually had consequences.
- Nonland was executed.
- King Rosalta was stripped and thrown into prison.
- Fat Prince is being protected by the nobles as long as he stays in the castle.
Still, it's wild and confusing how everyone is acting. But I guess it's for the plot.