Chapter 960: The Importance of Reputation
Chapter 960: The Importance of Reputation
"There's no other way. Justice only holds meaning to those who believe in it; it's useless to someone like him."
The elderly king, with his tangerine-hued hair and crane-like features, sighed softly as he looked at the kneeling Farmer Prince before him. "Don't kneel. You did nothing wrong. From any perspective, that Prince Lion is someone we can't afford to offend. It's best to leave him be."
"But I still..." The king trailed off, his expression showing a hint of helplessness.
Farmer Prince lowered his head upon hearing this, then spoke with a hint of dejection. "Father, I asked the guards and the priests outside the Deephold Sanctuary, and they all said I brought him in. I lost consciousness while talking to him, so it's likely he controlled me!"
"As for his claim of being wronged and that it was actually Olivie Lady who did it... that's all nonsense! Olivie Lady may be... a bit wild, but she's not insane. How could she possibly turn the entire Deephold Sanctuary upside down?"
"..."
Olivie Lady... that's hard to say! She was especially kind to children, never bullied them, and even played with them. So, you younger ones have a different perspective on her. Only those of us who are a bit older know just how much trouble Olivie Lady could cause back then...
"Alright, get up quickly!"
After recalling the terrifying experience of being dominated by Olivie Lady, the old king couldn't help but shudder. He then raised the royal scepter in his hand and knocked it forcefully on Farmer Prince's thigh. With an unhappy expression, he said, "Let's leave the matter of the Deephold Sanctuary for now. We can't do anything about Prince Lion, and we even have to rely on him to investigate the 'Low Fever Syndrome' and the hair color issue. Just consider it as if you didn't meet him today. For someone like him, our 'justice' holds no meaning."
"But you... You also interacted with him today. During your conversation, did he mention how he plans to investigate the Low Fever Syndrome?"
"Probably not..."
After carefully recalling his conversation with Prince Lion, Farmer Prince shook his head. "He didn't bring up the Low Fever Syndrome or why everyone's hair color changed. He only asked about Olivie Lady... Oh, that's right! Aside from Olivie Lady, he asked the most questions about our Carlevan Kingdom."
Questions about the kingdom? The old king furrowed his brows slightly and then asked with a hint of confusion, "What did he ask?"
"Mainly about the Code of Scales, policies related to grand nobles and great merchants, as well as prices, specialties, traffic planning, urban layout, industrial categories, and the like. However, I usually don't pay much attention to these matters, so I couldn't answer most of his questions... Oh, wait!"
After thinking for a moment with a frown, Farmer Prince added, "When he realized I couldn't answer those questions and only knew about the royal family, he changed the topic and inquired about who has the right to inherit the throne and the current succession order."
"What?!?!?"
Upon hearing this, the old king's eyes widened, and he forcefully struck the scepter in his hand. His face turned ashen as he demanded, "Did he really ask you that?"
"Yes, he did."
"After asking about the succession order, did he show particular interest in the eligible and beautiful princesses?"
"Huh?"
Farmer Prince blinked, a bit bewildered by the king's question. "I wasn't paying too much attention, but after asking about the heirs, he did specifically inquire about the ages of a few of them."
"He asked about the ages of the women, not the men, right?"
"I think so..."
Oh no, this is really bad!
After hearing Farmer Prince's response, the old king's vision darkened. He felt like stars were flashing before his eyes, and his heart seemed to be weighed down by a heavy stone, making it difficult to breathe.
As the shocked and pale-faced Farmer Prince rushed forward, he was followed by two attendants who patted his front and back, helping to calm him down. Once he had regained his composure, the first thing the old king did was to pick up his walking stick... no, his scepter, and started whacking the prince over the head with it.
"You... cough, cough, cough... you damn fool! He asked you a question, and you just answered without thinking? Don't you have a brain?"
"Oh!"
Completely caught off guard by the old king's sudden outburst, Farmer Prince was struck on the head, causing a bright red bump to swell on his forehead.
"Father!"
After hastily calling out, Farmer Prince, who had been unfairly struck, hurriedly defended himself while dodging the king's erratic staff attacks. "But you told me... oh! Didn't you say that Prince Leone was difficult to deal with, and that we should give him what he wants and try to satisfy his demands? I only answered a few of his questions, and it's not like it was something confidential."
"You... cough, cough... you idiot!"
After displaying his disciplinary skills with the staff, the old king, whose face was as red as a cooked crab and whose wrinkles seemed to have smoothed out a bit, stopped his attack. Leaning on his scepter, he took a few deep breaths before gritting his teeth and cursing, "Are those answers you gave him? What you gave him wasn't just an answer, it was my throne and your brother's!"
"Huh?"
"You good-for-nothing! I'm asking you! Didn't your brother give you those files before he went to investigate the Luminary Church? Did you even read them all?"
"Well..."
Farmer Prince blinked and subconsciously took a step back, moving out of the range of the king's scepter. "I didn't exactly finish reading them... I mean... I didn't read much..."
So, he didn't finish reading them!
"Father, I didn't mean to not read them. It's just that the time was too tight, and the files my brother gave me were too thick..."
Seeing the old king's eyes bulging out, as if he wanted to pounce and bite him, Farmer Prince quickly tried to explain, "You know how meticulous my brother is. The files he sent were three fists thick! I stayed up for two nights at home, and my eyes were so strained that I only managed to get through a third of them... Father, why don't you tell me about Prince Leone?"
"Sigh..."
Looking at his foolish son, who still didn't grasp the severity of the situation, the old king couldn't help but sigh heavily. He then leaned back on his throne, feeling weak, and said, "It's not entirely your fault. Since he's already set his sights on us, he would have found out even if you hadn't told him. You don't need to know more. Just know that he's a pervert with a penchant for 'collecting' princesses and helping them seize the throne."
"What? Is that even possible?!"
"Hehe, this has happened several times already! Colrock, Esit, Meffala... Just you wait!"
Recalling the information he had seen in the files, the old king stared blankly at the ceiling, his body shivering as he muttered, "If I'm not mistaken, it won't be long before he comes here with your sister or younger sister, forcing me to abdicate..."
"Your Majesty!"
Just as the old king was halfway through his sentence, an attendant rushed into the hall from outside, looking somewhat panicked. "Prince Leone has escaped! He's brought Princess Eriel, Princess Tristana, and Princess Anbes to the Hall of Audience, and he wants to see you!"
(End of Chapter)
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