163 Farewell (2/2)
”Are you going to start training now?” Nicholas asked curiously, he could tell from Greyson's get-up that he seemed to be going out.
”Yes, the Emperor assigned the Duke of Winterbridge along with his personal guard to teach the 10 representatives.”
”Duke of Winterbridge?!” They all exclaimed together.
”Hm... Yes?” Greyson looked at them wondering what they were so excited about.
”Are you not aware that he is the Emperor's younger brother?” Nicholas began.
”I am aware.”
”They are not half-siblings, you know. They were born from the same mother.” Sebastian continued.
”Yes...”
”Grey Grey, don't you understand the potential for connections in front of you?” Seirina added.
”The Duke of Winterbridge is said to be extremely intelligent and talented, but has absolutely no desire for the throne. He and the Emperor get along very well! The Emperor treats his younger brother as his most treasured advisor. If you manage to make a good impression on such a man, there are so many advantages!” Palmira finished. Everyone else nodded along eagerly as if to nail down this point.
However, Greyson's expression only soured. What more was he expecting from these people? Even the ”innocent” Nicholas could not hide the envy in his eyes.
”I will work hard as expected of me. Whether the Duke approves of me or not is not my primary concern.” He responded coldly.
”No, Greyson. You have to understand what these connections could mean for the Kingdom! No, this is not right. I should go out and buy some gifts for you to present to the Duke!” The Old King started mumbling to himself.
Disgusted by them, Greyson wanted to say something back, but he spotted an oncoming soldier before he could. Eyes lighting up, he quickly said his goodbyes to his so-called group.
”That must be the soldier sent to guide me to the training grounds. I have to go now! Safe travels back to the kingdom.”
”Wait, Grey-” They tried to hold him back, but he just ignored them and quickly approached the soldier.
”Hello, are you Mr. Grey-”
”Are you here to escort me to the Duke?” Greyson quickly interrupted.
”Yes.”
”Then, let's quickly go. We can't have the Duke waiting.” He rushed.
”Uh, yes, sir. Follow me, please.” Turning heel, the confused soldier began speed walking towards the training grounds.
The group left behind
”That boy has no manners! What if he makes some mistake in front of the Duke.” Palmira frowned.
”Haah, there's nothing we can do. It's not as if we can be thick-skinned enough to follow. That could just prove to anger the Duke even more.” The Old King sighed helplessly.
”Hmph, there's no reason for him to act so proud. We only complimented him a little and it goes to his head. He looked so obviously disdainful of our words. Why is he pretending to take the moral high ground? Only idiots don't take advantage of opportunities placed in front of them!” Sebastien grumbled.
”Yeah, really. I was so friendly with him before, but he keeps ignoring me like he's better.” Nicholas complained.
”I've heard that the Duke does not take well to others trying to curry favor with him. Maybe Greyson's approach will instead work better.” Too experienced to get swept up into his emotions, the Old King did not feel that angered by the obvious disrespect. If anything, he felt he was too hasty earlier with his thoughts. ”Anyways, the fact that this talented boy is from our Idris Kingdom is a blessing. It would do you well not to anger him. Who knows how powerful or successful he could become? At that point, it would be us currying favor with him. It's best to keep an open mind about such things. Hubris is the cause of many rulers' downfalls. You must place your vision on the long-term!” He looked towards his grandchildren and sighed with slight disappointment. Each and every one of them was like a frog in a well. Just what did being royalty in a Tier One Kingdom of the weakest Outer Country amount to? In a word: Nothing. As someone who travelled to other outer countries in his retirement, the Old King was all the more aware of the gap. He could only guess the extent of the disparity of their power with the Inner Countries and Central Region countries that he could not enter. He decided he should speak with his son about sending the more talented ones out of the Snow Country. They would never amount to much if they stayed confined inside their safe bubble. After travelling, his ambition was reignited but he was already far too old to change. These young ones still had a chance. Losing heirs was not something to be feared. Allowing incompetent leaders to take over was scarier.
Sensing their grandfather's unhappiness, the Yce siblings said no more. Even if they had complaints, there was nothing they could do if their abilities were worse than someone else.
...
”Ah, you can slow down now.” Feeling guilty when he saw the soldier still rushing along, Greyson spoke up.
”Yes? Oh, yes, sir. I understand.” Turning around, the soldier looked puzzled before nodding and slowing down his pace. Actually, he wasn't that low in terms of rank, so Greyson was a little amused to see that he was so scatter-brained and obedient. On his left breast, there was one full moon and one half moon which meant he was already pretty high up. Greyson was not really well-educated on what the ranks were titled, he just knew there were 15 and this man was at the eighth highest which was impressive.
”Right ahead is the training grounds. My mission ends here. I hope your training proves fruitful, Mister Greyson.” He led Greyson to an open dirt field that had weapons organized on the side. Greyson could already spot the Duke waiting for him, so he nodded and thanked the soldier before running over.
”I hope that young one will be okay... the Duke...” Shivering to himself without finishing his sentence, the soldier looked at the excited Greyson's back with pity.