Instead, Keannu laughed crisply and waved his hand as if to dismiss Greg's remark. "How could he possibly do it? He's not General Mackenzie who can train his men in a short period of time and see the results quickly. He's just a snot-nosed kid who's not even 21 years old, for crying out loud!" Keannu said in a dismissive tone.Even though the man who had just spoken was the king, Andrew listening to every word that came from Keannu's lips made him a little irritated.So Andrew finally decided to respond, "Your Majesty, he is indeed not General Mackenzie. But, believe me ... he can even be friends with the son of a traitor. Doesn't that mean he's very special indeed?"For this, Greg had to agree with Andrew, "That's right, Your Majesty. James Gardner refuses to be friends with anyone, except Riley Wood."Keannu chuckled impatiently, "That's because no one wants to be friends with that traitorous kid. They must be reluctant or afraid."Andrew's eyebrows knitted together, but he didn't w
"Why do you look so surprised, Greg?" Keannu asked back.Andrew Reece who saw the two arguing didn't try to interrupt. He just listened carefully, letting the two of them argue.With a look of disbelief in his eyes Greg replied, "You're asking me to cheat James Gardner. How could I not be surprised, Your Majesty?"Keannu sighed and immediately spoke with an impatient expression, "The one you cheated is James Gardner, the son of a traitor. You didn't have to think twice about it."Greg still disagreed, "James Gardner is very much different from Jody Gardner, Your Majesty. So far the boy hasn't caused any trouble. In fact, his skills are good. He only lost to Riley Wood."Keannu bit his teeth in annoyance, "Greg, Jody Gardner used to look good when he was young too. And he even became one of General Mackenzie's men who was fairly obedient. But ... who would have thought that he would end up betraying his general?""In case you've forgotten, I'll remind you once again. Jody Gardner attack
However, James Gardner, who had a flat face, was thinking about something else. His forehead even formed a frown, indicating that he was feeling strange about something.When the king's eldest daughter walked away from their table, without waiting for Riley's reply, James immediately asked, "Why does she want to talk to you? And why do you seem to be ....""Don't try to assume anything, James!" Riley warned him in a stern tone."Why shouldn't I?" James' two thick eyebrows drew together in astonishment.Riley did not answer and instead finished his mineral water. Annoyed at being ignored James said again, "Who wouldn't be surprised that the king's daughter, who is rarely even seen at public events, would come here to see you.""To meet an aspiring soldier. That's too weird!" James added.He was still staring intently at Riley, hoping to get a satisfactory answer.However, Riley casually replied, "What you see in front of your eyes is not necessarily what really happened."Before James
Riley moistened his lips for a few seconds before replying, "Your Highness, my identity is indeed impossible to hide forever. But ... there is something that makes me unable to stay away from him.""What? He also has the same great abilities as you, though you are superior. He could be your enemy in the future. Why would you be friends with someone who might be your rival in the future?" Rowena scolded while biting her teeth in annoyance.She was really astonished at Riley's actions which she thought were very careless.The green-eyed youth let out a long sigh, "There are reasons that I can't say and don't need to say. However, it is certain that I will bear all the things I have decided."Rowena was more upset than ever. She had almost said something about his father's arrival that worried his son but she couldn't do it.She had made a promise to William Mackenzie so breaking it would be like disrespecting the strongest god of war."Your Highness, you-""Yes, I know. You must be wonde
Riley immediately bowed down and could only say, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I am ...."He paused for a moment, as if trying to find the right words to explain the situation. However, Keannu suddenly said again, "Hold on! Not right now. Meet me after the selection stage is over."Riley raised his face slowly and showed a calm expression even though he was really confused. "I hope you have a good answer, young man ... otherwise, I'm willing to discard you even if I have to lose one of the best prospective soldiers," Keannu continued with a cold gaze.If it were an ordinary person, that person would definitely not dare to breathe when stared at in such a manner by his king. However, Riley was raised by his father and mother to be a brave and fearless man, so that did not apply to him.Riley wasn't scared, but just confused. Meanwhile, Keannu looked astonished at the attitude of the youngster who still looked so calm even when confronted with him who was angry.Why is this kid so r
"Damn it! Who would give up their life? Do you think I'm stupid?" Riley retorted with teeth chattering due to his growing irritation.James laughed crisply, "My good fellow, you are very, very stupid indeed. Come on, you could have fooled around with any girl. But, why did you choose a king's daughter instead?""I did not do it on purpose ... I mean I never expected this to happen," Riley said defensively.Oh, this was getting complicated for him. Riley just realized that completely. Unfortunately, he couldn't avoid the punishment he would probably receive from the king.James shook his head, helpless at his friend's stupidity, "You don't know how King Keannu is so overprotective of his daughter? You forget that ... hm, I'm sure you must be aware of the rumors."Riley rubbed his face and once again said, "Stop it! I know I made the wrong move. Instead of you continuing to mock me, don't you want to help me out a little?""A way out for what?" James asked in a surprised tone.Inevitably
Not only that but Riley heard James ask, "Then, where is he now, Wood?"Before Riley could answer, with a panicked face the young man turned to Alen, "Smith, where is he?" Alen who was surprised by James' reaction asked back, "So why are you asking?""Just answer where he is now!" James said through gritted teeth.Exasperated, Alen replied, "He's probably already in front of the main gate. Those who didn't pass-"James stood up without listening to what Alen had to say. He immediately ran away from the table. Reflexively, Riley and Alen also got up and followed James. Halfway there, Alen commented, "He runs like a cheetah.""He's ... ahead of me on this," Riley replied under his breath. Riley and James had trained together so the young man knew James' running ability was indeed impressive. "Are you kidding me? He's better than you?" Alen said incredulously.Riley nodded, "Yeah, I lost. He's really fast.""Wow! No wonder it's so hard to catch up with him," Alen replied as he was alr
James and Diego didn't seem to realize that Riley was there. But Riley understood enough to let the two people talk.As he turned around, he bumped into Alen who had just climbed inside. "What's wrong? Diego's not here?""He is.""Then why did you come down, Riley?" Alen asked with his breathing still ragged.The young man had to hold his chest to calm himself down. Riley pointed at the two people who were still hugging. Alen immediately frowned, "Hey, what are they doing?"Riley replied, "Talking. Come on, let's go down!""Huh? Why, I want to talk to Diego too. I'm not running out of breath like this to chase after James. I didn't-"The young man was unable to continue because Riley had dragged him off the bus by force. Meanwhile, James and Diego had apparently heard Alen's noise. The two of them broke away awkwardly.James cleared his throat loudly, disguising his embarrassment and said, "If you leave, then who can I tease again?"Now that Diego had gotten over his sadness, he reto
Gary Davis replied with a serious expression, "Your Honor, I apologize if you find my words presumptuous, but ....""Just say it! Say everything you want to say!" Xylan commanded.From the tone of his voice, Xylan clearly sounded impatient. "I'm ready to listen! And ... I won't get mad at you, don't worry!" Xylan added after he saw the hesitant look on Gary's face.Xylan thought maybe Gary was afraid that he would be punished if he said what was in his head so the future king's salon had to reassure Gary for the young man to be braver.Gary nodded, looking relieved. At least he had an assurance that he would not be punished. "Your Highness, you ... will be made the new king of Ans De Lou Kingdom. You are still very young and you yourself must have guessed that ... that ... I am ...."Xylan clucked his tongue impatiently, "Just say it! I have no problem. Just take it easy!"Gary nodded again and continued, "There are some who don't like you. Although ... for now things aren't looking
Hearing Gary Davis' answer, Xylan Wellington frowned.Is this really the same young man who always gives me good solutions? Xylan wondered.The future king looked deeper and deeper at Gary and finally raised his right eyebrow when he realized he had thought something stupid.More and more Xylan realized that Gary Davis might indeed be smart and dexterous and quite knowledgeable. But, such an intelligent person could also have an innocent nature like the young man had just shown himself."Your Highness, why don't you answer my question? Am I-""Forget it!" Xylan cut in quickly.Gary scratched behind his ear in confusion.Xylan sighed and said, "Gary, are you anxiously awaiting the announcement of the changes in staff and palace officials later?"Gary frowned, quite surprised by Xylan's question.The young man opened his mouth and stammered, "Your Royal Highness, I ... I'm just ...."Just by looking at Gary's expression, Xylan instantly knew that his guess was correct. The young man di
"Of course it is. Otherwise, how could his café business be successful?" Diego said, who seemed to be satisfied with the results achieved by James, his best friend.Reiner became more interested, "How? I mean ... you know he's ... well, he can't be polite and he tends to annoy people. So, what did he change?"Diego looked like he was about to answer, but Shin suddenly said in an incredulous tone, "Oh, wait a minute. He manages the cafe business together with his mother, right? Uh, I'm sure the customers come to his place because of his nice mom."Ben nodded in agreement, "I've never met James' mother, but ... considering James is like that, I'll take Shin's word for it."Diego immediately put on a sour expression, looking rather annoyed. This was because his own friends apparently didn't know James very well.However, he was the one who was witness to how James had changed so much that he felt the need to set the record straight."Hey, I'm telling you seriously. James, who is the owne
Alen did not immediately answer the question of his senior and good friend. He seemed to think for a moment before finally giving an answer, "It's like you don't know James.""What do you mean?" Shin replied while blinking.Alen snorted impatiently, "Shin, James is unpredictable. You must also know that sometimes he can do things that no one would ever think of. So, how can I guess what he might do?"Shin was stunned. The young man smiled wryly, "Damn, you're right about that. He is indeed unpredictable."In the end, the two people did not ask James any questions about what they discussed. When the funeral was over, they all returned to their respective places. However, not James Gardner. The young man who was the war general of Ans De Lou Kingdom at that time was seen walking towards Xylan Wellington's residence.Of course, this led to various speculations among most of the palace residents. It was not only the officials and staff of the palace who began to notice the irregularitie
"It will, Diego," James replied."He can wait," James repeated with emphasis.Diego didn't seem convinced by James' answer.James was usually reluctant to go into too much detail about what he was thinking. However, Diego was one of his best friends so he didn't want to confuse his best friend.So, James said, "He's not an easy guy to beat, Diego. And ... there's one thing you need to know.""What's that?" Diego asked with one eyebrow raised."His own father, I mean General Mackenzie told me that his son ... will not die easily," James explained.Diego was so dumbfounded that he didn't dare reply.James was sure his job of explaining was done, but he still added, "If the greatest and most powerful general the Ans De Lou Kingdom has ever seen said that, then there's a very good chance that Riley is still alive out there."Diego was silent for a few moments.But then he said, "If General Mackenzie believes that, we have no right to doubt him.""You're right, Diego. Therefore, we just ha
William's lips lifted upwards once again, forming a warm smile."James, without me explaining it, you ... must know it yourself, right?" William said softly.After that, the old man who was once the strongest soldier in the kingdom patted James on the back and then left James pensive.The young man swallowed hard. Suddenly he remembered all the things about Riley, more precisely their friendship that they had established since the beginning.All those memories came back. One of the memories that bothered him was when they were still not officially inducted into the army. At that time he was upset and made the stupid and desperate decision to attack the enemy as proof that he was different from his father. Then, the only person who really cared about him was Riley. He was the one who sacrificed himself to save him. At that time, he and Riley were both aspiring soldiers. Neither of them had the slightest experience on the battlefield. But, Riley was still looking for him.Uh, when he
James Gardner nodded, "Yes, Your Royal Highness. May I do so?"Xylan Wellington quickly nodded, "Go, General Gardner. You can talk to him."James was grateful that Xylan did not hold him back."Thank you, Your Highness," James said as he quickly left the crown prince along with three first-class soldiers to guard him.Indeed, the three soldiers were certainly no match for him. However, he chose to trust the three of them.Luckily, it turned out that William Mackenzie who looked much older by a few years was also looking for him so their meeting did not encounter any obstacles."General Mackenzie," James greeted the father of his best friend respectfully.William Mackenzie smiled faintly and replied, "General Gardner."James nodded, "You … are you alright, General?"William returned a smile and said in a low tone, "How can I be fine when I have some problems, General Gardner?"James frowned, looking rather confused.Not wanting to riddle and confuse James, William quickly explained wit
James suddenly gave Gardner a lopsided smile. He knew it was not easy being Xylan Wellington's shield. But, he really did not expect that the crown prince who he thought was so smart was also so innocent.His intelligence seemed to be inversely proportional to his knowledge in terms of understanding the world around him.However, he had already decided to replace Riley in order to make up for the few years of time he had wasted so he should try to be patient.Thus, he calmly replied, "You should start thinking about the matter of all of their opinions, Your Highness.""Why should I?" Xylan retorted, who did not seem to accept James' words.James bit his lower lip, feeling the need to suppress his irritation even more. Come on, James. Don't give up so easily! James thought to himself."Because you are the future king and will soon inherit the throne of this country. So, you should start thinking about what they think of you," James replied.Xylan was about to reply, but James was fas
The indecision on Xylan Wellington's face was evident. James Gardner, who felt that he had succeeded in making the crown prince realize the big mistake Xylan was about to make, called out, "Your Highness."Xylan flinched slightly when he heard his name being called by James.The young man turned to James, but still did not open his mouth.At that moment, James Gardner was certain that Xylan would change the decision they had just discussed.However, he suddenly saw Xylan smiling at him. That of course made James blink his eyes in confusion.But, within seconds, his confusion was answered. He heard Xylan say, "General Gardner, what you said is true. Everything is right. I ... might get some opposition for choosing Gary Davis as the king's advisor."He nodded. James immediately got a bad feeling that he didn't want to imagine."But, General Gardner. I have found no other good candidate than Gary Davis for that position. And ...."He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about somethi