Chapter 30: Fourth Episode: Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 30: Fourth Episode: Chapter 3
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Little Godot’s height was about two and a half meters, coupled with his explosive muscles, it wasn’t hard to imagine how difficult it was to raise a strongman. For the sake of letting his little brother have more food, Domingo didn’t hesitate to delay his own release from prison.
Now that little Godot was free, he lived happily ever after beside His Imperial Highness Prince, along with his friend, big guy Ferry.
The first time the two giants met in the mansion, they were both startled by each other’s size. However, since it was dinner time, the expected battle between the big men did not happen. Instead, on the dinner table, little Godot won over Ferry’s friendship. It was nothing, Ferry only felt the way Godot attacked the bread looked identical to when he was first given shelter by the Marshal.
And so, Oscar had a new tag-along whenever he’s venturing out, little Godot. Godot was young, but his face was scary. He was currently the newest, hottest person in the mansion, even the kitchen ladies would bring him along during their market trips, it’s so much easier to bargain with him around.
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Early morning, our Imperial Highness Prince Oscar stared blankly at the glowing ball we call sun. The lad knew how lazy he was, as calling 11 o’clock in the morning ‘early morning’ is intolerable to most people.
Near noon, His Imperial Highness finally came to. To him, the immediate moment after waking up was the most intolerable moment. Hollowness and boredness filled his mind, so when Young Lady Andrew barged into her brother’s room, the only thing she saw was her usually-brilliant brother leaning against the bed like a mentally retarded person.
Young Lady coaxed her brother to dress up and get ready, when His Imperial Highness appeared in the dining hall, fresh-faced and spirited, she finally believed what her mother told her, ”All men are like boys, to win a man is basically the same as coaxing a child.”
Lady Sasha E. Nedgabel Andrew wasn’t sure what her brother did recently, but according to the rumors, her brother had been blacklisted by a lot of the nobles. Sasha had no idea what ruckus he caused, the nobles in the city seemed to change their attitude with a blink of an eye.
Baron Erbe had already ordered the servants to set up the dining hall. There were lamb chops roasted to the perfect golden-brown, strawberry sponge cake, crepes, fried grouse, and daffodil-flavored pickles.
While waiting for the servants to set the table, Baron Erbe mentioned something to his masters.
Major General Reynold Hewitt Preston had planned to visit Andrew in this fine morning. However, he had mistaken the time for the meeting. When Baron Erbe, the butler of House Andrew, led him into an empty living room, the major general had known his trip today wouldn’t be smooth-sailing as he thought.
Sure enough, the major general was told, His Imperial Highness Prince locked his door habitually when he sleeps, no one would be able to wake him up; Lady Duchess Andrew was setting her hair, not even His Majesty’s arrival would hurry her up; Young Lady… Young Lady didn’t even come home for the night, Her Majesty the Queen and Her Imperial Highnesses Princesses had invited her to stay the night at the Westberg Fort.
The young major general went home fruitless.
Oscar listened without much expression. He wasn’t too fond of the young major general. Maybe the grandson of ‘Silver Fox’ would be as cunning as the man himself, but the young major general had never seen a real war, so any comment toward him would not be an accurate assessment.
Lady Celia asked for the plates to be cleared. Lunch was a little greasy for her taste, she reckoned she should only have cheese and some fruit daily if she wanted to keep her hourglass figure.
”Son, you should pay them a return visit, this is a custom.” Lady Celia suggested.
”No Momma, believe me, the old fox needs something from us, so I think the best move for us is to show some superiority. Besides, at the cocktail party, the old fox asked me about Sasha in detail. Hmph! He even had that ‘I’m looking for a granddaughter-in-law’ face.”
Sasha’s eyes were bulging. She didn’t know such an exchange happened in the party. ”Brother Oscar, what did you tell the old Marshal?”
Oscar brushed his sister’s nose, ”Language, little Sasha, you should be calling him old fox.”
”Oscar!” Lady Celia stopped her son’s degrading comment.
”Fine, fine! I told him straight up if his grandson was thinking of courting my sister, then tell that little scamp, he can, next lifetime!”
Sasha cheered in joy and kissed Oscar on the face. ”Oh brother, I have to admit, your answer is perfect!”
Oscar hugged his sister in his arms, he was laughing merrily, recalling the expression on the old fox after he heard those words, it was like he swallowed a fly.
Lady Celia shook her head in agony, she didn’t know where in her education of the children had gone wrong, these two had started to flirt in public!
”What next? Child, what do you want to do next? Are you just going to dance through life just like that?” Lady Celia raised her voice, silencing the children.
”What does father have in store for me?” Oscar was serious for once.
”Oh? How do you know your father had something planned?” Lady Celia was a little perplexed.
”Momma Celia, I wasn’t so naive to think I can do anything I want after becoming a Prince. At least now, father can discipline me, aren’t the things that had happened in his expectation? So tell me what he had planned for me to do.”
”Go home! Go home before you mess up like you did ten years ago.”
Oscar didn’t think the suggestion was too sudden, he also thought about the question. As of now, Dulin didn’t have anything for him to be sentimental with, not even Her Highness Princess Alanis.
The Prince was still aware of the current state of the capital city. The arrest of the Secretary of State was definitely a political earthquake, however, the quake was dampened by his coronation. With that said, it didn’t mean the quake wouldn’t bring disastrous aftermath. The Prince believed once the Ministry of Justice submitted their investigation of the Secretary of State, punishments and exodus will rain down on the nobles in the capital.
That was why Oscar was so relaxed. Don’t forget, the challenges for duel with the Prince had mostly gone without any news, not because the youngsters in the capital forgot about their unadulterated loathing for the Prince, but because none of the families want to give themselves a reason to be exterminated.
Oscar didn’t know how the Emperor would handle the treason of the Secretary of State, but he believed the old Kachev would have predicted how it will go, and once the old guy assumed control of the State Council, he will become the main force to head the exodus. After all, only after completely purging the Brickfield’s influence can he have the State Council completely under his control.
The teenager sat in his carriage, bored. He just returned from the Westberg Fort, dealing with the direct line of Royalty was not fun at all, it was as if they came from the exact same mold. Their speeches and their behaviors, even their postures look completely identical.
Oscar couldn’t help but feel defeated, going home seem like it’s the best decision right now. Perhaps only the narcissus flowers can reignite his passion. Dulin, what a city filled with hypocrisy, it’s not a place for hot-blooded teens.
Oscar stretched his head outside his carriage, seeing the other one following him from a distance. Looks like the secret agents from the Secret Service. Since the marketplace incident, he kept seeing these guys trying to hide in plain sight.
”Wozakad, let’s go home. Do you still remember the smell of plains and desert? We should head back.” The teen ordered his driver.
”Isn’t that His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil’s carriage?” A beautiful noblewoman let down the chiffon on the window.
”Is it? He may have just visited the Westberg Fort. Tell me, what do you think of him?” The man loosened his arm around the noblewoman.
”Hoho, he’s a pretty interesting little guy, I heard he kept laying his hands on some strange things, some of the ladies even considered accusing him at the Ministry of Justice.”
”Oh? Is that so? How come? Are they related to the strange things?”
The Lady pretended to stare at the man at her side in shock, ”Aren’t all things happening in the city of Dulin under your control? Have you not heard about the Prince’s parties, some lads and ladies had fallen because of that? Even you were pretty excited about those strange things. It’s those things you like to torture me with, Your Majesty.”
Seeing the eyes on Erdogan that could make people lose their souls, Alfa III’s passion was set alight. However, the Lady didn’t plan to cooperate with the Emperor, she slapped at the hand trying to reach into her dress.
”Your Majesty, if you wish to meet my father without a shirt on, you can continue.” Erdogan leaned against the seat, her posture alluring.
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”What’s the matter?” Snowstorm felt the little boy’s uneasiness.
”Nothing, I just felt weird about the carriage at the fork.” Oscar stated.
”Oh? I didn’t notice anything.” Snowstorm glanced outside.
”I’m sure if someone wanted me dead, you would be the first one to notice, but I’m talking about something else, that carriage, the decoration and the driver, everything was weird about it.”
”Haha, you are too sensitive. With your current position, I believe no one would dare to cross you.”
”No, Paul. In Dulin, you will never find out who is having a bone to pick with you, if you don’t have your own influence and your own men, you’re no different with the blind and the deaf. Just like me now, aside from a title of a Prince, what else do I have?”
”You’re just being self-conscious.”
”No, I’m self-aware. Why else would I run home?” Oscar smiled wryly. ‘Self-conscious’? He’s not in that league. No matter it’s the Emperor, old Kachev, or ‘Silver Fox’ Alan, or even ‘Sea Creature’ Godzilla, he wouldn’t be able to take on these guys.
”Oh? Forgive my ignorance, I understand that the reason you go home was to evade troubles, but you haven’t been making troubles, have you?” Snowstorm didn’t understand politics, so his questions were somewhat naive.
”Yes, I haven’t been making troubles, but my appearance in Dulin was already a trouble.” More than ever, Oscar was clear about his position. The upper class in the capital had never welcomed a provincial magnate like House Andrew, they think the military is the source of all disasters.
The young Prince’s viewpoint was extremely biased. As the the Titan Empire’s pillar of strength, House of Andrew was already a deeply rooted influence in the minds of the people. On the other hand, their discrimination toward House Andrew was also circulated from the Morisette Empire for centuries. The capital nobles who had lived in this system of centralization of authority, there was no need for them to approach House Andrew, forming this confusing situation of acknowledging of influence, but rejection of the military power that they wield.
The reason of being wary toward the Andrew’s? It was all laid out in front of them, they don’t have the military power that can rival House Andrew, who had fought the Persians and came out evenly matched. Because of that, the people who had gotten used to the peacefulness in the city feared the powers outside of their control instinctively. It was the reason a direct member of House Andrew would find it difficult to gain following in the capital city.
”But… aren’t you a royalty? I don’t understand what could possibly be difficult for a member of the Royals.” Snowstorm was still confused.
”Yes, I am of royalty, but I’m afraid only His Majesty thought so. Do you know something? His Majesty Emperor Alfa III and Her Imperial Highness Princess Alanis aside, to say the rest of the royals treated me with indifference was a really nice way of putting it.”
”Oh, we should leave then. Do you realize? Neither of us were the type to be able to live in a big city.”
”Yes, a wonderful journey shall begin. You’ll like my hometown, I promise.” Oscar’s mood was elated at the mention of his hometown. That’s of course, people will always reminisce the good things about ‘hometowns’.
Duke Kachev Drakas Ferdinand’s mansion was still in a state of desuetude. It seemed to fit the old Duke as well, but Alfa III wouldn’t underestimate the old Duke. He knew more than anyone else what terrifying things the old Duke could do, at the same time, he’s more afraid of the old Duke than anyone else would, if it wasn’t for lack of qualified candidate, he would never have reappointed old Kachev as the Secretary of State.
Old Kachev had a serious case of rheumatism and spinal neuralgia, the excruciating pain that came with those were a good way to test a person’s will, at least the old man who experienced it at least once a day thought so.
The old man was fully prepared for Emperor Alfa III’s visit. A pot of the Eastern tea, and chessboard, and that’d be enough.
Alfa III was still not over his excitement when he saw the old man. Even though this old man was filled with danger, his contribution to the success of the Titan Empire could not be erased.
Hugs, kisses, the Emperor’s greeting toward the old man was one toward another King.
”Teacher, nice to see you after all this time.”