Chapter 10:
Sweet Poison
IT SEEMED THAT, IN THEIR MINDS, Yulan was still the abandoned son of a whore—a plucky, pitiful young lad seeking his kingdom’s approval. Having been mocked so thoroughly, Yulan was tempted to laugh loudly in their faces. It truly took extreme talent to participate in such a banal conversation.
“Ha!”
The corners of his mouth rose in a cynical smirk. Even without looking in the mirror, he knew it could come off as nothing more than a sneer, so he was pleased by the way the old man’s shoulders flinched. He knew his message had been well received. Good. Do us both a favor—understand that you just made the stupidest suggestion in the world.
“I advise you nip that thought in the bud.”
Make me king? You only want that so you can keep your power.
“I could never be king—don’t we both know that?”
I’ll never let you bastards have your way.
Even if Yulan had wanted to be king, he’d never have cooperated with them. The elders adorned their scheming with flowery words, but their plot was easy to deduce.
They were practically commanding Yulan to father a baby with golden eyes. At some point, they’d devised a scheme: Disregard the dignity of Yulan, not Claudia, and force him to father such a child. Then, once that golden-eyed baby was born, it would be raised as the crown prince and princess’s own. There was no way the beautiful prince would accept such an idea, but once they declared the good news around the kingdom, he’d have no choice but to buckle.
Being looked down on to this extent was almost refreshing. Did they think he’d gleefully nod in agreement if they offered to crown him? They probably did; otherwise, they wouldn’t have made such a proposal at an event like this. They thought Yulan would fume with jealousy and envy at the sight of Claudia and Rosette’s celebration, and that he’d eagerly lap at the sweet nectar they offered in the palms of their hands.
“What a pity I can’t put what you just said on the record,” Yulan added.
The other man’s face filled with either anger or panic. Anger at being spurned by the former trash he’d ridiculed, looked down upon, and tried to make his puppet, or panic at the thought that Yulan might rat him out. It didn’t matter which; Yulan’s answer and actions would’ve stayed the same regardless.
Slipping past the swarm of old government officials, he thought through the work tasks running late. Everything in the party hall seemed to be going smoothly. Still, aristocrats from many nations had gathered here. A diplomat like him would ordinarily avoid being restrained for too long by something trivial.
Then again, that was probably part of the elders’ plan. They thought any number of men could do Yulan’s job in his place. Maybe they even planned to replace him seamlessly, then take his offspring and drive him out. If Yulan could do the job, anybody could. Such contempt and scorn for him ran so rampant that he stumbled over it wherever he walked.
“Mila, a word?”
“Ah, Yulan. I was about to fetch you. The emperor of Sina has come to pay his respects. We need you to receive him.”
“I have to tell you something later. Whether you tell Claudia is up to you.”
“Understood.”
Yulan appreciated that his colleague was quick on the uptake. If Milania had been about to fetch him, that meant he realized where Yulan was and whom he was with. Knowing Yulan’s origin and recognizing the man he’d been talking to, Milania could easily grasp what the conversation was about.
I made the right call asking Gia for help.
It irritated him to no end, but he couldn’t compromise on Violette’s safety. He kept his cursing silent, preparing to meet his friend and his friend’s father.