Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Rumors of the Whale
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“Whale? Did they catch a big whale or something?”
“Whale meat’s good. It’s a delicacy. Plus, you can get a ton of oil from a whale.”
“No, not that Whale! There’s a person the information guild calls by the moniker Whale!”
“They’re calling a person Whale? Why?”
“Is he some big shot like a whale?”
“Big shot or not, the whole royal castle’s in an uproar over this Whale right now!”
An unexpected rumor about Whale swept through the capital of the Obla Kingdom.
Of course, it wasn’t among the general public but circulating among the nobles—and there were over a thousand nobles residing in the capital alone.
What made this incident different was that it was on the lips of not just the high-ranking elites who frequented the royal castle, but even mid- and low-tier nobles.
And the rumors sweeping the capital didn’t stop there.
“I heard the Bettisect family got smashed.”
“Bettisect? Where’s that?”
“It’s a territory south of the Len River. Pretty solid place, but they messed with some southern territory and ended up caught by His Majesty the King, so they got wrecked.”
“His Majesty himself? Did he step in personally?”
“I hear he dispatched his secretary. Rumor is the lord retired on the spot and even the successor got replaced.”
“W-What? For real?”
“Whoa…”
Even for the king, arbitrarily replacing a lord wasn’t easy.
That’s why, for mid- and small-sized territories, they might pay lip service to the royal family but wouldn’t blindly follow unjust orders.
But lords near the royal family’s direct territories were in a different boat.
Falling out with the royal family meant massive losses.
To put it bluntly, if the royal family made excuses to block the roads to their direct territories, the domain would go under in one or two years.
Even worse, the moment word spread of a falling out with the royal family, the territory became a haven for bandits and brigands.
Why? Because with only about a hundred standing troops, there wasn’t much they could do.
In the end, lords had to hire mercenaries or request aid from the direct territories—and they usually preferred the latter. The royal family’s regular army was far more reliable than mercenaries, and it cost less.
But what if the lord was on bad terms with the royal family?
Then they had no choice but to hire mercenaries, but large-scale mercenary bands were scarce near the royal direct territories.
And even if they scraped together some mercenaries somehow, it’d only last a month or two—no lord kept them on for a full year. Too expensive.
So bandits and brigands just paused their “business” while mercenaries were around and resumed once they left.
Repeat that for about a year, and nine times out of ten, the territory would be on the brink of ruin, utterly devastated.
That was the situation, so lords near the direct territories—especially in the central regions—had no choice but to watch the royal family’s mood carefully at all times.
The Bettisect family was no exception.
“The moment His Majesty’s secretary issued the warning, the Bettisect lord kowtowed right there on the spot.”
“That fast? Scary.”
“It has to be. Once investigators and troops from the royal castle arrive, stepping down as lord would be the least of it. The second they block the road to the direct territories, it’s over.”
“Whew. So what happened? Did they commit some huge crime?”
“Well, it’s tied to that Whale who’s causing a stir among the higher-ups in the royal castle right now.”
“Whoa?”
“And get this—the king himself stepped in and gave direct orders for the first time in over ten years.”
“Huh…”
Most people still didn’t know who Whale was. Those in the know were keeping their mouths firmly shut about his identity.
But Whale was already a hot potato among the castle’s top nobles, and with the king breaking his long seclusion to get personally involved, all sorts of speculation was flying.
“Oh, I heard it from the sixth cousin of the owner of a sundries shop that’s done business for ten years with the salon owner who’s a regular at the neighbor of the interior minister’s nephew—and he said Whale’s the king’s hidden child?”
“Huh? I heard he’s the half-brother of Crown Prince First Prince Philon?”
“No way. I’ve got top-secret intel from a reliable source saying he’s the twin of Duke Lloyd, second in the line of succession.”
“Whoa! Is that source more reliable than the fourth cousin of the sundries shop guy who’s done business for ten years with the salon owner next door to the interior minister’s nephew?”
“Grab any passerby on the street and they’d be more reliable than that interior minister nephew nonsense. And it was sixth cousin earlier, now it’s fourth? Guess all that bullshit got their stories tangled.”
“What? You little shit?”
“Who’re you calling little shit, you little shit!”
Such scenes—fights, that is—were commonplace in salons and taverns frequented by nobles.
Everyone was dying to know who Whale was and what his connection to the king might be.
Nobles of a certain caliber even prowled the estates of high officials in the royal castle, hoping those at the pinnacle of power might let something slip.
Why the obsession?
Because the successor to the throne still hadn’t been decided since the crown prince’s death.
And now, at a time like this, a figure important enough to draw the king’s personal intervention had appeared?
‘Depending on which side this Whale’s on, it could decide who takes the throne, right?’
‘Even if he’s a third option, getting in good with him can’t hurt.’
In the end, it all came down to (future) money and power.
That’s why attempts to cozy up to the two frontrunners for the throne and their high-ranking noble lackeys were on the rise.
But.
“So… in conclusion, even the information guild won’t tell us?”
“Yes. It’s classified info that hasn’t been declassified, so no amount of money works.”
“Ha!”
Amid a group of about ten nobles, a young handsome man let out a hollow laugh and leaned back against his chair’s backrest.
He looked not yet thirty, but his demeanor showed no hesitation even among nobles who appeared at least ten years his senior.
It wasn’t mere arrogance or cockiness, though.
It was the innate bearing of a sovereign.
With his neatly grown blond hair swept back over his forehead, a clean-shaven face, and a relaxed smile, the handsome man exuded qualities clearly distinct from ordinary nobles.
Gio Lloyd Stelvia Obla.
Commonly known as Duke Lloyd after his territory, he was the highest-ranking royal second in line to the Obla Kingdom’s throne.
“We could put more pressure on the information guild master and maybe get something…”
“Don’t do that.”
“Pardon?”
“As Your Highness says, more pressure might reveal Whale’s identity. But if that sours relations with the information guild, what good would it do?”
“None, I suppose. I was short-sighted. My apologies.”
Duke Lloyd gave a gentle smile to the subordinate noble who hastily apologized.
“No need. You just wanted to hand me even one more good card, right?”
“Your Highness…”
As the noble was moved, the other retainers nodded approvingly.
The young duke they served truly knew how to handle people.
Not only that, he never let immediate gains blind him to the bigger picture and committed foolish mistakes.
Considering he was only twenty-eight, it was an impressive trait.
“Just convey our regrets to the information guild master. And ask—beg, rather—that they inform us the moment it’s declassified. Make it clear it’s a personal request from me.”
“Understood.”
The reporting noble bowed his head and turned toward the door.
Knock knock!
Just then, a knock came from outside. The noble, hand on the doorknob about to leave, shrugged toward Duke Lloyd and opened it.
“Your Grace.”
Entering the reception room was the butler who had served Duke Lloyd since birth.
Though a butler, as a close aide to the highest royalty and holding a baronial title himself, even Duke Lloyd’s people gave him slight bows in greeting.
Returning their nods with an eye signal, the butler approached Duke Lloyd, bowed gracefully, and whispered in his ear.
“……!”
Duke Lloyd’s eyes twitched once.
His closest retainers exchanged glances, realizing it was no ordinary matter—especially since the butler had shared it secretly even with them present, and Duke Lloyd’s reaction confirmed it.
“Sorry about this. Someone’s here, and it’s such a grave matter I couldn’t inform you all right away. I hope you understand.”
“Oh, no, we’ll step out.”
At Duke Lloyd’s words, his quick-witted retainers filed out.
But their expressions weren’t hurt or disappointed.
A matter they, his innermost circle, couldn’t yet be told about—or rather, whoever brought it had arrived?
There was only one possibility.
‘The royal castle! His Majesty the King sent someone to His Grace.’
With quiet anticipation, they followed the servants’ guidance to another room.
And shortly after, with the reception room door wide open and no usher, one man slowly walked in.
“Hoh. I half-expected it, but I didn’t think you’d come in person. It’s been a while, Sir Teber.”
“Greetings, Your Grace, Duke Lloyd.”
Placing his right hand over his left chest, Juang Teber gave a slight bow. Duke Lloyd flashed his white teeth in a hearty laugh.
“Your greeting always puts me in a good mood, no matter when I see it. It’s the same bow as anyone else’s, but somehow yours makes me feel more esteemed.”
“That’s probably because receiving a greeting from me, the king’s secretary, brings extra thrill to Your Highness, who enjoys being treated with respect and recognition.”
“Ahem, ahem! Your tongue’s as sharp as ever.”
“Your Highness favors honest men, so I merely spoke what I’ve observed.”
“Haha. Fair enough—that’s why I like you. Sit.”
Duke Lloyd personally gestured to a seat for Juang. But Juang shook his head.
“No need. It’s not a long talk, and getting straight to the point is best all around.”
“Very well, then.”
A hint of tension crept into Duke Lloyd’s expression, which had been utterly relaxed with his retainers moments before.
Some might dismiss Juang Teber as mere secretary.
But the longer one lingered in the royal castle and the higher one’s station, the less they dared treat the king’s secretary—especially Juang—lightly.
The current king had reigned long, outlasting the flow of time for the castle’s ministers, who had all been replaced.
Yet the Teber family alone had father and son succeeding to the same post.
In fact, the Second Secretary, focused on practical duties over ceremonial ones like the First Secretary, was seen as the king’s confidant. His official tasks embodied the king’s will.
Thus, even Duke Lloyd, second in line to the throne, had to tread carefully around Juang and couldn’t help but tense up in his presence.
Right now, Juang stood before royalty as the king’s proxy.
“Your Grace, Duke Lloyd. It would be wise to drop your interest in Whale.”
“……!”
To the startled Duke Lloyd, eyes wide, Juang continued calmly.
“Whales are curious creatures. In the inner sea, people sometimes coax ships close when they spot a whale for the first time. The whale gets curious about the ship and approaches.
People marvel and rejoice. Some even try to touch it, but the whale doesn’t mind.
But if it gets too bothersome, the whale might leap high beside the ship or slap the water with its tail. Half in play.
Do you know what happens then?”
“…….”
“The whale’s just playfully slapping the surface or jumping out of the water, but any nearby ship capsizes.”
“……!”
“So just watch from afar. Then the ship Your Highness sails on will stay safe.”
Faced with the blunt, terrifying warning, Duke Lloyd could only nod vigorously.
(To be continued in the next installment)