Chapter 112: You're Born to be a Duke! (Part 2)
Chapter 112: You're Born to be a Duke! (Part 2)
This was... utterly absurd! How could such a ridiculous thing happen?
Not only were the nobles in the ward stunned by the sight of the new silver badge on the panel, but even Lyon, who was in a wheelchair, was caught completely off guard.
Just a few days ago, he had intruded into the Lane family's residence at night, not only eliminating their first heir but also killing over two hundred core members one after another. He single-handedly created the Lane Blood Night, sending the Lane family into hell.
However, the old duke of the Lane family seemed to have lost his mind. Before Lyon could even settle into the ward, the old duke inexplicably recognized him as the next heir, making Lyon the primary beneficiary of the Lane Blood Night incident...
Damn it! Was this some kind of trap?
Lyon was not only the ultimate beneficiary but also suspected of being involved in the Lane Blood Night. Any sane person from the Cleanup Bureau would send an investigator to thoroughly examine him from head to toe!
"Ladies and gentlemen, please hear me out!"
Suddenly, a two-ton hot potato was thrust into his face. Although he felt not a shred of guilt, Lyon's heart was filled with unease. He furrowed his brows and quickly refused, saying:
"I have no interest in this title. Why not consider other options..."
"You bastard!"
Before Lyon could finish his sentence, an elderly man with luxurious clothing and a disdainful gaze stepped forward from the crowd.
"This is the title of the Lionheart Duke! And it was personally acknowledged by the old duke on his deathbed! Are you going to reject it with just a word?"
What business is it of yours?
Lyon, usually a man of quality, would have chosen his words more carefully. But at this moment, he was eager to get rid of this hot potato and dispel suspicions of being involved in the Lane Blood Night. His words were less than polite.
"Who the hell are you?"
After his response shocked the nobles, Lyon quickly glanced at the old man's attire and found a green coronet with three single-feathered plumes on his badge.
Although cameras now exist, their high prices have limited their spread. Often, identification still relies on documents and badges, so the kingdom's badge regulations are strict.
According to the badge regulations, all badges must be made following specific requirements, especially for noble coats of arms representing identity. The coronet, shield, spear, and robe must be present and complete.
Among these, the coronet is the most crucial identifier for establishing identity. Excluding the diamond coronet representing royalty, the five noble ranks of duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron require the use of gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin colors, respectively.
Additionally, beneath the royal diamond coronet, there is a wren as a badge. For the noble ranks, a corresponding number of single-feathered plumes are required, symbolizing the nobility as essential wings supporting the royalty.
The highest-ranking duke starts with five plumes, while the lowest-ranking baron has one. For those who have made significant contributions after inheriting a title, an extra plume can be added as a special honor.
The old man's badge, with its three-feathered copper coronet, confirmed his status as a third-tier earl, a common earl who had done little of note throughout his life.
To avoid the troublesome duke title and potential scrutiny from the Cleanup Bureau, Lyon decided to be blunt. With the intention of offending as many people as possible, he hoped they would exert effort into electing someone else as duke. Lyon endured the intense pain from his skin and slowly stood up from his wheelchair. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he leisurely walked towards the old man, and with a powerful gesture, he forcefully poked the old man's three-feathered copper coronet.
"A third-tier earl with only the most basic three single-feathered plumes... So you're a little wimp?"
A little wimp? Me? A little wimp?
Hearing Lyon's "kind" evaluation, the old man felt the strange gazes of the nobles upon him. Stumbling back two steps, the white-haired man couldn't help but roar with fury:
"You!!!"
"What do you mean? Am I wrong?"
Concerned about not being able to shake off this unlucky duke title, Lyon secretly switched his badge, equipping the silver-tier 【Elite Performer】. He then sneered with contempt:
"A third-tier earl with three single-feathered plumes... Hmph, the royal plumes are worthless, aren't they?
You can fool people into paying taxes, put on a show for charity, or even send a grand gift when the princess is born, and the royalty will reward you with a plume. You're of such an age, and your badge still has only three feathers. What do you call that if not a little wimp?"
“
I... I...
"
"What are you blabbering about? If I were you, I would have slit my own throat long ago!"
With the assistance of the Silver Rank [Elite Performer], Leon's rather handsome face revealed a genuine expression of disdain and bone-deep contempt.
"Trust me, it’s better to die sooner."
After patting the old man’s sagging face, Leon leaned in with a look of sincerity and suggested:
"Seeing as you’re in such good health, you could waste another twenty or thirty years of grain. If you hanged yourself today, it would save the kingdom a fortune, and that would be considered quite a contribution.
Think about it, if the royal family knew you made such a significant contribution, they might be so pleased that they would reward you with a feather. Then you wouldn’t be a wimpy noble anymore. Wouldn’t that be a win-win situation?"
Nonsense! Ridiculous!! You should die!!
After being subjected to this extreme humiliation, the white-haired old man, whose face had turned purple, was about to protest when he met Leon’s eyes.
Two parts disdain, three parts contempt, and the remaining five parts filled with genuine sincerity.
This damn dog was actually telling the truth! He genuinely believed that a "wimpy" noble like himself would be more valuable dead than alive!
"Ho... ho..."
Struck by the genuine sincerity in Leon’s eyes, all the curses and vile insults that had been building up in his throat were suddenly choked back, turning into a blood pressure spike over two hundred and a mouthful of scalding phlegm. The old man’s eyes rolled back, and he kicked his legs before collapsing backward.
Damn!
Leon hadn’t expectedexpected such a quick reaction. He instinctively took a step back, startled.
"You all saw it! I just poked him a couple of times, and he fell over on his own!"
"..."
Yes, we saw it. You did poke him a couple of times, but you also stabbed him in the heart a thousand times with your words!
Most nobles have some sense of dignity, at least on the surface. Seeing the old Man being verbally stripped and pointedly scolded, and then collapsing after just two sentences, the dozens of nobles in the room fell into a profound silence.
This new Lionheart Duke seemed to have no qualms about causing a scene. The old man’s fate served as a warning. If anyone else spoke up and faced similar humiliation in front of so many relatives, their dignity would be shattered.
A
After all, he’s the Lane family’s heir, not ours. Even if he ruins things, it won’t affect us. As for noble dignity... Hah, compared to real interests, it’s worth nothing!
If the new LionheartDukeDuke was a shrewd and capable person, they might oppose him. The more of the Lane family’s assets he could preserve, the less they could divide. But now...
Seeing the new Duke, who chose to offend his relatives when the lane family needed support the most, acting like a complete brat in public, the dozens of nobles couldn’t help but show satisfaction in their eyes.
Perfect, a brash, headstrong, and arrogant young man was exactly what they needed to succeed Lionheart Duke!
Of course, once they’ve divided the Lane family’s assets in a month or two, his ducal days will be numbered.
...
The Lane family’s high-ranking members, who could decisively influence the inheritance of the ducal title, were few. Besides the old duke’s “full support” for Leon, the rest had either been killed or incapacitated by Bobby Lane. The remaining few were either long-retired or on their last legs. The most influential were the relatives in the room.
Ignoring the new duke’s strong opposition, the relatives of the Lane family decided in less than five minutes to follow the old duke’s last wishes, making Leon, with his black hair and eyes, the new leader of over nine thousand little blondes of the Lane family.
This was... too ridiculous! It was like a farce!
Learning how the new duke was chosen from the officer who pushed Leon into the room, the Minister of Defense felt both excited and frustrated.
Excited because his daughter had assured him that Leon would never side with the nobles. Instead of worrying about him allying with the old nobles after becoming duke, they should worry about him flipping the table or even conspiring with the rebels for another blood night, wiping out all the Lane family’s relatives.
If Isa's judgment was correct, the successful ascension of a "non-noble" Duke like him would be a huge boost to the Princess's reforms. Having an "insider" in the impenetrable Upper House was like stabbing a knife into the heart of the Old Nobility.
As for why he was angry...
"Your Highness! These old nobles must be dealt with as soon as possible!"
Looking at the Princess, who was calm behind her desk, the old man couldn't help but speak with anger in his eyes.
"The Lane family's sphere of influence is in the Department of Transportation and the Department of Military, mainly in public facilities and military procurement. These two departments, which hold core power, are completely controlled by the old nobility, and they even pass down positions without official appointments! The candidates they choose, and you can only agree by stamping! How can this be allowed?"
"Yes, I will, but not now."
The Princess behind the desk was flipping through the new Duke's file while speaking calmly:
"These old nobles are like rotten flesh clinging to the kingdom. They must be removed, but if not done properly, the wound will bleed uncontrollably.
My father once consecutively ousted three Ministers of Finance and purged numerous small and medium-sized families, attempting to personally control the kingdom's finances. This was followed by an intense backlash.
The result of their struggle was that the kingdom's finances were shut down for half a year, and a total of nearly 600 billion in deficits were exposed, almost dragging the kingdom into ruin. Six years ago, even the funds for the war of defense were insufficient, and the resulting deficits have accumulated to this day."
At this point, she paused, picked up a pen, and made a note on Lyon's file, then continued:
"So, we must never rush into such matters. If the cost of removing the old nobility is to temporarily paralyze the country, it will only lead to greater disasters. Therefore, we must proceed step by step.
The current situation is actually just right, especially with our new Duke of Lionheart. Do you know what he once said?"
Looking at the circled part of the file, the Princess recited with a calm voice:
"As for the Royal Family and the nobility, they are like lice growing in our pants. Once they suck blood until it hurts, they should be pinched to death!"
?!?!
Completely unaware of Lyon's connection to the Lawless Gang, the Minister of Defense was shocked by the Princess's words.
However, just as he was about to say something, he noticed that the Princess's usually steady expression had a barely noticeable upward twitch.
"The analogy might not be the best, but it's not wrong."
Unbothered by being compared to lice, the Princess closed Lyon's file and opened the report on the coronation. Smiling, she said:
"Duke of Lionheart... Duke of Liceheart... It's quite ironic if you think about it.
This Duke, who views the nobility as lice, is now one of the strongest 'lice' in the kingdom, capable of sucking its blood dry. I'd like to see what he'll do...
Oh, and did you know? That Earl he berated into fainting had a head of cabbage in his bedroom, and he claimed that Lyon Lane's Duke of Lionheart would rot faster than his cabbage!"
Cabbage... meaning two or three months?
Taking the report and reading it, the Minister of Defense frowned, remembering how his daughter's eyes lit up whenever she mentioned Lyon.
"Princess Veronica..."
The Minister of Defense sighed inwardly and then asked:
"What do you think? How long can he last as a Duke? After the Lane family is divided, will he be held accountable?"
"He won't be held accountable."
The Princess shook her head after some thought:
"Aside from the Earl he offended, other nobles won't care about an empty-shell Duke. However, the Lane family might not outlast that head of cabbage.
Without the support of the Department of Military and the Department of Transportation, the Lane family's influence in the military is diminished, and they are left with only a foothold in the Upper House. Their commercial activities seem to have some substance, but they are propped up by military and transportation contracts.
Without control over the military, political, and commercial sectors, what kind of person could keep this collapsing enterprise afloat?
(End of Chapter)
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