Woah. This is what I'm talking about.
Lloyd smiled contentedly as he looked around the Senate Chamber of the House of Peers. He liked what he was seeing, owing to the extremely busy, clamorous atmosphere of the room. Nobles of high status were arguing amongst each other as the veins in their neck popped, rendering the entire setting devoid of elegance and dignity. There was no sense of elegance in the atmosphere, and he even felt at ease there.
It's a relief. An excessively upscale and formal atmosphere is suffocating to be in.
Lloyd's life had been devoid of anything upscale. It was true even before his parents became mired in debt. They were just an ordinary middle-class family in South Korea, neither destitute nor wealthy. As a result, his life was a far cry from one that would be described as luxurious. He didn't have an experience that would be described that way either. This remained true in this world.
Well, I'm only a young master of a noble family in name. In actuality, I've done nothing but work until now.
First, he had to pay off his family's debt. Then, he had to save his fiefdom from one crisis after another. And now, he had to deal with the restoration of destiny and the negative side effects on his body that came from absorbing the Heart of Winter. He worked for 365 days a year without any time to rest and was still working right now.
Lloyd's eyes suddenly became wet. He cursed under his breath as he wiped his tears away with his sleeves. "Lloyd, it's been a long time," came a voice when Lloyd was about to be guided to his seat.
"Eh...?" blurted Lloyd, turning toward the voice that sounded young and familiar. But he saw nothing except for a portion of the chestnut forehead and orange-colored curly hair at the bottom of his vision.
"Look down," came the voice again, and it sounded slightly grouchy.
When Lloyd looked down, he was greeted by a welcomed presence. "Julian?"
"Ha. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You don't have to tell me that I'm short."
Lloyd smiled awkwardly, feeling guilty.
"If you keep doing that, I'm going to tell on you to our Minister of Home Affairs," threatened Julian with a smile on his face.
"Minister of Home Affairs?" echoed Lloyd, thinking a second. "Wait, Scheherazade?"
"Yeah." Julian wiggled his brows. "Anyway, are you sure you are going to be all right?"
"Um, maybe." Lloyd chuckled. Julian hadn't changed a bit. He still had the same baby face, bright demeanor, and intelligent look on his face and in his eyes as before.
But the shyness in him has almost disappeared.
Lloyd wondered if it had anything to do with his wife or the so-called Minister of Home Affairs while he questioned Julian, "But what brings you all the way up here?"
"Why else?" Julian asked. "I was worried for you. You were summoned here by the House of Peers. That means you'll be sandwiched between the terrors of both parties."
"Were you afraid that I would get in trouble?" asked Lloyd, touched.
"Yeah, somewhat," Julian admitted sheepishly, shrugging his narrow shoulders. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but the capital has been in uproar for the past two days. You have no idea how much they pestered me."
"Did they pester you during work with questions?"
"Do you think they would only ask some questions?" Julian chuckled. "My direct supervisor opposes fulfilling the prophecy."
Julian rattled, "He pestered me the entire day about whether I heard the news about you trying to seize a divine item of the imperial family and whether you have an ulterior motive since it is simply impossible for a lowly subject like you to covet such a holy object. Otherwise, asking how I feel about the whole thing and that I'd be a traitor if I sided with my family instead of the imperial family... Blah, blah, blah... I must have received around 180 questions from the time I arrived at work until I left."
"Ah... I'm sorry."
"No, don't be," Julian said with a wave of his hand, "It's my fault for being your brother."
Lloyd felt a prick in his heart.
"So, cheer up, Lloyd. Don't get discouraged and intimidated. Don't die either."
Another prick.
"You can do it!"
"Tsk," Lloyd chuckled, sensing Julian's sincerity despite his harsh words. Julian had come here for moral support in case he got in trouble, and he must have had to leave his job to get here.
Plus, since it's noon right now, he's supposed to be at work right now. Given that his boss is on the opposing side, I can clearly see what he had to go through to get here in the middle of his workday.
Julian would not have left his office without notice, considering his dependable character. This meant that he must have decided to leave early, risking the possibility of getting on his supervisor's bad side.
He would have had to reveal his reason for leaving work early.
That would have annoyed his boss and left a bad impression on him. Julian would have certainly been aware of this. Nonetheless, he risked it all to come here for a quick hello and give him a little encouragement. Lloyd appreciated the effort he put in to make this visit.
"Okay, bro. I'll be right back." Lloyd lightly tapped Julian's shoulder, and that was all that was needed. Lloyd followed the guide to his seat, which was in the center, after looking him in the eyes. He understood the meaning of this seat arrangement.
Hmm. So, I'm sandwiched between both parties.
The nobles on the left gave him a friendly gaze, while the ones on the right looked to be clearly irritated. They were plainly exuding their dissatisfaction with their entire being, whether it was through the expression on their face or the look in their eyes.
So, those on the left are the supporters of the prophecy. And those on the right are part of the opposing side.
Lloyd grinned, going over his plan and happy he could easily decipher which side was which just from the atmosphere of the room.
"May I have your attention, please," said the House of Peers' chairman. "As you can see, Lloyd Frontera, Count Frontera's son, has graciously agreed to appear in front of us today. As the Speaker of the House of Peers, I'd like to express my heartfelt appreciation for his cooperation." Lloyd had seen this man before, the man with a chubby belly who resembled a bulldog. He politely returned the same courtesy to him.
Following that, a few formal procedures were carried out. The first was the introduction of ten nobles from each side who would represent the entire group. They all glared at each other but didn't break out into an argument due to the separated seats. They instead waited until the hearing began. The hearing, however, turned out to be a barrage of loaded questions designed to sway the outcome in their favor.
"Nice to meet you. I am the head of the Alcante Marquess Family. Before I ask some questions, I would like to first express my gratitude to you for appearing at today's hearing. Now, Lloyd Frontera?"
"Yes?" replied Lloyd.
"Up to this point in time, you have been involved in countless affairs, both small and big, related to the imperial family. Throughout them all, you have displayed your endless devotion toward the imperial family. Is that right?" Marquess Alcante asked gently.
"That's right." Lloyd nodded.
"Were there times when you felt reluctant to take action?"
Lloyd pondered. "There were many times when I felt afraid."
"Afraid?"
"Yes."
"May I ask for you to elaborate?" Marquess Alcante, one of the supporters of the prophecy, smiled with his eyes. Lloyd realized what he was doing.
He's blatantly only choosing the questions that'll make me look good.
It appeared that he had designed these questions to fulfill the prophecy.
If that's his intention, I will happily accept it.
This nobleman was already going out of his way to portray Lloyd as the greatest man on the planet. Lloyd didn't see why he should refuse his help. "I, too, am a human. When the queen was poisoned, I was terrified, just as I was when I solved the Monster Domino phenomenon in the east and fought the Bone Dragon. There were times when I thought I was going to die. I was afraid. But..." Lloyd took a deliberate pause.
"But?" echoed Marquess Alcante.
Lloyd salivated his lips. "More than my death, I was more worried that the foundation of the imperial family would shake."
"Wow," the marquess exclaimed, visibly impressed, sounding like a professor who had a student give him the answer he was looking for. He then cast a thoughtful and content look at the opposing side as if to say, "See? This guy is a fantastic, loyal subject with a bright future ahead of him. Following the prophecy and bestowing him with the divine item would undoubtedly benefit the imperial family. Are you sure you won't give it to him?" Once the marquess finished his questions, it was time for the opposing side to interrogate him. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Marquess Cordova. Are you prepared to answer my questions?"
"Yes, I am." Lloyd gave a nod as he pushed down a bitter smile from forming on his face. If the questions from the supporting side felt like a warm bath, the ones from the opposing group felt like an icy bath.
"Lloyd Frontera, you have had an incident where you lost the Heart of Winter previously, is it right?" Marquess Cordova sharply flung a question at him.
"You are right." As expected, Lloyd knew they'd bring up this incident. He calmly answered the question.
"Do you feel responsible for it?" The marquess continued his questioning.
"Of course I do," Lloyd replied. In all seriousness, he was resentful of the entire situation. It still made him feel guilty around the queen, and the side effect was bothering him in a variety of ways, including right now. He expressed genuine regret for what had occurred. "I am overcome with sadness to this day when I think about it. The loss of the Heart of Winter and one man on the scene. Although it goes without saying that it was never my intention, as the supervisor, my heart is bursting with massive regret and resentment. That is all I have to say." Lloyd spoke with a solemn expression on his face and a serious voice.
"Hmm! Ehem! I see." Marquess Cordova cleared his throat and finished the question as if taken aback by Lloyd's response.
Now that the icy questioning was completed, it was time for the warm bath of question. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but I get to this location every morning via the bridge you built for us. The Llo-Javi Suspension Bridge."
"Oh, I see."
"It has been extremely convenient to commute to and from work and home. I can now cross the river without fear of it collapsing during the wet spring season. The same is true today. I expect to cross the bridge when I return home tomorrow. I just wanted to express my appreciation for your contribution on behalf of the people of the capital."
"Um..." Lloyd sheepishly gulped. "Yes."
"As such, is it true that you first suggested building the bridge to the queen?"
"It is the truth," emphasized Lloyd.
"I understand," nodded Marquess Alcante, smiling. "I'm sure your suggestion came out of a concern for the people who faced hardship and experienced increased danger due to the collapsing of the Magenta Bridge. Is my assumption correct?"
"Yes," Lloyd acknowledged with a shameless nod. That was not the case. He only built the bridge to make money. But there was absolutely no reason to reveal that right now.
This guy is blatantly painting a good picture of me, so I should graciously accept his support. Why would I reject him?
The thing was, Lloyd never asked them to make him look good in public. Everyone was doing it of their own free will, so all he had to do was accept it with grace. That encouraged him to be more shameless, and the voice of conscience accusing him of lying could only be silenced after some internal beatdowns. The same thing happened when his opposition fired sharp questions at him.
"Lloyd Frontera, I only have one question. During the Monster Domino phenomenon, why did you not actively take care of the monsters that invaded the other fiefdoms?"
"I, too, wanted to get rid of them," Lloyd answered, his voice dripping with sadness.
"Wanted to? What do you mean?"
"I desperately wanted to. But I couldn't do it. Yes, I know," Lloyd sighed for emphasis. "I know I couldn't because I wasn't strong or good enough, and it still haunts me. Sometimes, I wake up drenched in cold sweat after a night of tossing and turning..." Lloyd lowered his head.
"No, I am not speaking about your anguish-"
"Yes, I am aware that voicing my agony changes nothing," Lloyd put in. "I admit that I am a criminal. I should have rushed to save the residents of the other fiefdom, even if it meant risking my life. But I couldn't do it. Nobody is to blame here. It all happened because I am pathetic and inept. So, I am filled with anguish and sadness. And, hah... I'll stop making excuses now. I apologize."
A look of dismay came over Marquess Cordova. "No, this is not the time for you to apologize. I am just going over the incident..."
What is he doing?
The noble's intention was to press him with a sharp question in order to exaggerate an insignificant flaw of his and corner him. Then, provoke him with an aggressive question and set him off.
In that situation, anyone would blow up in anger and defend themselves. That's the reaction I intended to bring out...
That was how the opposing side planned to drag Lloyd into a messy fight. They elicit an emotional reaction out of Lloyd and start a heated argument with him, throwing all sorts of insults and baseless accusations at him. They believed that would be sufficient.
A messy fight like that brings out the worst in everyone. Once someone shows such an ugly side of themself, their reputation will begin to splinter even if it was excellent before.
That was their goal. To sully Lloyd's reputation by dragging him into a childish, muddy brawl. They believed that his tarnished reputation and image would be enough to sway public opinion in their favor. But the reality was quite different.
What is he doing now?!
But Lloyd refused to take the bait, no matter how intense and sharp the questions were, no matter how they triggered him with distorted and fabricated questions. He only agreed with them, even tearing up as he admitted his mistakes and reflected on himself!
He's making me... look like I'm the trash here for asking these questions!
Marquess Cordova felt a rush of resentment toward Lloyd's attitude. But there was something the count was completely unaware of. It was that the Marquess and his team's set of aggressive and twisted questions and provocations did no harm to Lloyd, who had become hardened in the so-called virtual South Korean gaming space where everyone cursed and swore at each other. They were also unaware of their bleak future devised by Lloyd's brazen eloquence and chicaneries.
