Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Duke's Visit
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Sion didn’t know much about Duke Geo-Lloyd.
In the first place, the only royal he knew well and was close to was King Marco, who was like a nephew to him.
He had only looked after the descendants of his own Dukedom up to the grandchild generation, so there was no reason for him to meddle with the royal family.
Thus, Sion’s knowledge of Duke Lloyd, who was second in line to the throne of the Obla Kingdom, was limited to the common rumors circulating in society.
“If you wish, I can prepare a detailed report on Duke Lloyd.”
“No need.”
Jenna had cautiously suggested it once, but Sion rejected it immediately.
Why?
Because he had zero curiosity about Duke Lloyd. He genuinely didn’t want to know a single thing.
Being curious about someone or wanting to learn more about them meant you’d soon get entangled with that person.
And once entangled, there was a nine-out-of-ten chance you’d end up involved with their entire circle.
It was just like when someone you’d only seen in passing suddenly piqued your interest and you wanted to know more—before long, a confession would drag you into becoming (reluctantly) best friends of the opposite sex or even lovers.
Likewise, whether it turned into a male best friend, female best friend, or lover dynamic, you’d inevitably end up knowing—and sharing—details about their family, friends, and acquaintances, whether you liked it or not.
What? You think something like the ‘KakaoTalk Confession Disaster.JPG’ could blow it all up and end it completely?
That very process meant you were already entangled, and in the end, it caused extreme stress for one or both parties.
And of course, that mess would spread to those around them, potentially getting etched into the internet for over a decade—until the memes faded—dragging the entire nation into the entanglement.
Wasn’t that a horrific thought that made your hands and feet tremble just imagining it?
So Sion had absolutely no desire to get involved with Duke Lloyd, his circle, or the royal palace nobles dipping their toes into power.
It could spark a catastrophe that would make ‘KakaoTalk Confession Disaster.JPG’ seem trivial.
Moreover, thanks to someone of even higher ‘rank’ than Duke Lloyd, Sion had already experienced just how exhausting it was to get tangled up with royals.
“One Marco was annoying enough—why would I deal with his descendants too?”
It was 1,000 percent sincere.
The reason Sion had maintained a long friendship with the current king was out of ‘affection.’
He couldn’t claim there was zero selfish calculation involved, but they shared two people who were like his closest friend and beloved wife to him, and a father he revered and his closest aunt to the king. This created a bond thicker than mere aunt-nephew or uncle-in-law relations—deep affection and loyalty.
That was why Sion granted the king’s various requests, and the king in turn offered great and small help and consideration to Sion and the Dukedom.
However, in such relationships, the elder typically bestowed more upon the younger.
From his snot-nosed kid days of clinging with “Uncle Sion! Uncle Sion!”, the king—even after growing up—would whine disgustingly, “Ah, Uncle Sion~! Pretty please? Yeah?”, and Sion would sigh every time and grant the requests of the nephew he cherished.
Of course, he never did it for free, and the king wasn’t shameless enough to take it and zip his lips.
The problem was that the king sought out Sion nine times out of ten when he ‘absolutely’ needed something that ‘only’ Sion could handle, while the compensation, though meaningful to Sion, wasn’t all that crucial most of the time.
So after time passed, Sion realized their relationship was quite lopsided, and he’d felt a twinge of annoyance.
But that much could be overlooked with affection.
And Sion had zero desire to create another ‘occasionally annoying and bothersome but ultimately beloved nephew.’
Especially if it was a royal.
But it seemed the other party felt differently.
* * *
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Duke Lloyd Geo.”
Duke Lloyd, who resembled the previous king—called the Hero King or the Champion King—more than the current one, offered a greeting befitting the highest echelon of royalty: confident yet not arrogant, polite.
“…….”
Sion had hoped against hope, but he hadn’t expected the man himself—second in line to the throne—to come in person while hiding his identity. He lost his words for a moment.
Then he turned to the one who could properly explain (and absolutely had to) this situation—not Duke Lloyd.
“Even if you glare like that, there’s nothing I can do. If I may be so bold, you wouldn’t think a mere palace secretary has the power to force a duke who’s second in line to the throne, would you?”
Sion briefly considered (sincerely) smacking Juwang, who shrugged nonchalantly.
But he couldn’t very well crack the head of the secretary cherished by his nephew-like king, so Sion held back a sigh and shifted his gaze back to Duke Lloyd.
“Coming here in person, it seems you’ve learned a bit about me beforehand?”
“Yes. I heard from His Majesty the King. He didn’t give details, but… he said to treat you like an elder of the royal family.”
From his reaction while speaking, it didn’t seem he fully understood or accepted it.
Well, someone of Duke Lloyd’s stature would know the royal family tree to some extent.
He looked about Sion’s age or a bit younger, and being told to treat a total stranger like a family elder would be harder to swallow than to accept.
Yet despite that, Duke Lloyd’s attitude was exceedingly polite and cautious.
Sion could tell Duke Lloyd regarded him as an elder ‘above’ him on the family tree—albeit a collateral branch—who played an important role in the royal family, even if he hadn’t fully grasped him yet.
Tap, tap, tap…
Sion leaned back comfortably on the sofa, drumming his fingers on the armrest.
Duke Lloyd simply watched in silence.
As second in line to the throne, he had every reason to feel offended, yet he showed no such reaction.
Not quite gauging reactions, but whenever his eyes met Sion’s, he’d flash a faint, apologetic smile as if reading his mood.
Sion felt a fresh sense of novelty.
‘This guy. At least he knows shame.’
No matter second in line to the throne, that didn’t mean he could look down on every royal junior.
Especially in the current situation where the next king hadn’t been decided—he needed to be even more careful with his actions.
But sure, people say you should act that way, but did everyone actually follow through?
Especially those born clutching wealth and power from their mother’s womb—they often didn’t know ‘common sense’ judgments and behaviors at all, or ignored them even if they did.
Because they could get away with it.
That’s why chaebol heirs brazenly strutted their ‘utter lack of common sense’ at national assembly hearings as witnesses or references.
But if they showed even the bare minimum of common sense in words and actions, people usually thought, ‘At least he has some shame.’
Yes. To Sion, Duke Lloyd had ‘shame.’
And Sion liked people with shame.
‘That Marco punk.’
He felt a rare flicker of annoyance toward the king who’d only told Duke Lloyd ‘half’ about him, but as always, Sion decided to let it pass with affection.
“Well, it’s true I’m an elder of the Obla royal family. Definitely more so than a duke.”
“……!?”
Duke Lloyd, who had been hiding his tension with a naturally relaxed demeanor, flinched.
‘His tone changed?’
Duke Lloyd was considerably startled.
It was a fresh shock.
In the royal palace, only two people spoke to him so casually.
His great-grandfather the king, and his uncle Crown Prince Philon.
The former was obvious.
Even setting aside great-grandfather and grandson, he was the king.
No subject would dare honor even a king who’d ruled the kingdom for over sixty years.
The latter was uncle and nephew, but it meant something a bit different.
Crown Prince Philon looked down on everyone except the king.
Even when using honorifics, his attitude screamed that he considered them beneath him.
But this person.
‘Similar to both His Majesty the King and Crown Prince Philon Uncle, yet different?’
He spoke casually, as if it were only natural, just like his great-grandfather the king and uncle the crown prince.
But it wasn’t the feeling of the king maintaining formality while subtly showing affection for a young grandson, nor was it like Uncle Crown Prince Philon deliberately flaunting his disdain for his nephew.
What was this?
‘Just… a sense of it being natural?’
Beyond money, power, status—everything. It felt like he regarded him as ‘beneath’ him.
Just treating him as one person to another: ‘You’re below me.’
Faced with this unfamiliar sensation he’d never experienced since birth, Duke Lloyd couldn’t help but be flustered.
“What? You can’t believe I’m your elder over the duke?”
“Ah, it’s not that…….”
“Doesn’t matter to me if you believe it or not. That’s not the point. The important thing is.”
Sion stared straight into Duke Lloyd’s eyes, where his fluster was plainly visible, and continued.
“Why you came here in person. Ignoring the king’s warning wasn’t enough—you even asked him about me to come see me. Isn’t that reason the important part? More for you than for me, Duke Geo Lloyd.”
“……!!!’
A crack formed in Duke Lloyd’s smile, which he’d faked with composure to hide his fluster.
In that instant, amid the confusion, countless thoughts flashed through Duke Lloyd’s mind.
It could be called the special ability of one who inherited the Hero King’s blood, or the innate qualities of a sovereign. Or simply exceptional ‘instinct.’ Whatever the label, it didn’t matter.
Special ability, sovereign qualities, sharp instincts—it all warned Duke Lloyd.
-This moment is when you must be most honest!
Everyone knew Duke Lloyd liked honest people.
He always said so, whether joking or not.
But could anyone truly bare their honest heart casually every time they faced someone who liked honest people just because of that?
In the end, if you want honesty from others because you like honest people, you must first show your own honest side.
Thus, when dealing with those whose honest sides he wanted to see, Duke Lloyd deliberately showed a ‘seemingly’ honest and unpretentious demeanor first.
Yes. Until now, Duke Lloyd had been cosplaying.
When someone close to the next throne—the future supreme power—treated you with a down-to-earth, honest-like attitude, anyone would fall into the delusion of being special.
Duke Lloyd had seen through and exploited this since childhood.
Of course, with his decent nature, he didn’t do it out of malice.
He wanted to be king, and he’d realized young that to do so, he needed to win the hearts of the palace nobles.
And he believed that what looked mutual was actually ‘one-sided honesty toward him’—the most powerful weapon to reach the throne.
But at this moment, that weapon was speaking.
-The chance has come for you, who’s never been truly honest with anyone, not even for a second!
Duke Lloyd made his decision.
“No matter what anyone says, I can become an excellent king. At the very least, I’m better than Uncle Philon, who’s so incompetent and foolish he couldn’t even govern a small village.”
For the first time in his life, he would be honest with someone he’d met for the first time.
(To be continued in the next chapter)