Chapter 626: The Duke’s Blood Pressure
A two-pronged attack!
What else could it be?!
Duke Leander could not understand what sin he had committed in this life to deserve such torment.
First, his mecha. His glorious, most-awaited gift, stolen away before he could even touch it.
And now... this?!
Now they were actually targeting his precious son?!
The Duke wanted to spread his arms like wings and flap around to shield Luca from the swarming mass of strangers who had descended upon them.
Because what was this talk about "official debuts"? And why were there strange people shrieking "Kyaaaa! Kyaaaa!" like a flock of starved birds everywhere?
"Gary! Quick! What kind of attack strategy is this?! Is this a new kind of siege?!" the Duke demanded, eyes darting wildly as the mob pressed closer the moment they stepped out of the clearance bay.
Butler Gary, momentarily robbed of words, recovered with the dignity of a man who had seen far too much in his lifetime. "Your Grace... I don’t think this is an attack. This is what people would call... fans."
"Fans?! What fans?!"
"Your Grace, I believe they are fans of the Young Lord and the other cadets. It seems they are mobbing us."
Luca blinked in shock.
He had expected guards. Maybe some clerks. Not... this. Not a tidal wave of people crammed around the exit, shouting, waving, holding up strange glowing panels and screens.
The moment the doors hissed open, Xavier pulled him close, practically wrapping himself around Luca in a protective shield. His arms caged him tightly, one hand steady at his waist, the other pulling him flush against his chest.
"Stay close," Xavier murmured, his voice calm but unyielding.
Luca’s golden eyes widened. He was being... hugged? His brain short-circuited even as the crowd’s noise grew deafening.
Meanwhile, Ollie was caught in a similar predicament. The poor blond was squished firmly against Kyle’s chest, practically dangling as the taller boy used his own body to push through the crowd.
"K-Kyle, I can’t breathe!" Ollie wheezed, his arms flailing while he desperately looked at the terminal projection he’d been dragging around. "But wait—listen! I was checking the forums—ugh, don’t squeeze so tight—I think I know what’s going on!"
Kyle simply tightened his hold, shielding him from elbows and stray hands. "Let’s get to safety first."
"Yes, but I really think we need to look at this!" Ollie squeaked, scrolling frantically as the crowd pressed closer. "Apparently, someone saw us leaving Planet Nova for the capital. And when they mentioned it, everyone started speculating!"
"Speculating?" Luca managed, his words muffled against Xavier’s chest.
"Yes! People think—ow! foot!—people think you’re here for the coming-of-age ceremony! It’s around this time at the Imperial palace, so they’re convinced you’re debuting!" Ollie’s voice cracked as Kyle adjusted him like he was carrying an overly dramatic sack of flour.
The noise around them rose again, cheers and shouts echoing as the crowd surged.
But in reality? Their party was only here to keep the Duke from staging a one-man crusade to reclaim his "kidnapped" mecha... and to attend the auction scheduled for the next day.
That was all.
Yet here they were, drowning in the chaos of what looked, sounded, and very much felt like the premature debut of House Kyros’s heir.
Finally managing to pile into the hovercraft, everyone could finally breathe. The doors sealed, muffling the roars of the crowd outside, and silence—well, relative silence—settled inside.
Princess Kira flopped into her seat, muttering under her breath. "I never expected such a warm welcome." She whipped out her terminal immediately. "I need to check the photos. There’s bound to be unflattering angles, and those must be taken care of right away!"
But when the Princess opened her feed, her face went pale. "What... is this?"
Her golden eyes widened, scanning faster and faster until she practically shrieked, "How could the people of the capital be so vicious?!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
Ollie, curious, immediately pulled out his own terminal and dove into StarNet. His eyes widened, then narrowed with fiery indignation.
"WHAT?! How dare they?!" Ollie shouted, flailing in his seat. "How dare someone say our beloved Kyle Nox couldn’t possibly be with someone so short?!" His voice cracked as his fists trembled in outrage. "I am not that short! Am I short?!"
He turned to Kyle with teary eyes, lower lip wobbling like he was about to cry. "Kyle! Tell me the truth! Do you... Do you think I’m too short?"
Kyle blinked, clearly unbothered by the storm of fandom discourse. He casually set a hand on Ollie’s head, ruffling his hair with infuriating calm and unending patience.
"You’re fine," he said simply, while trying to coax the mop who wanted to stand tall to prove his point.
"Fine? Just fine?!" Ollie wailed. "That’s not the same as tall!"
Meanwhile, Luca, caught in the crossfire, turned to Xavier with a helpless look. Suddenly worried because he was even shorter than his good brother! But the prince, who noticed Luca’s sudden apprehension, just leaned in, voice low, lips brushing near his ear as he whispered, "Don’t worry, you are the perfect height. For everything."
Luca’s face went crimson.
But Ollie had no time to notice. Because the next moment, he gasped, horrified, pointing at his terminal like it had just spat out poison. "No way! Did you see this?!"
Everyone leaned forward slightly.
"A hater actually said the heir of House Kyros only came to the capital to look for someone who would be a better match!" Ollie shouted, looking utterly betrayed. "How dare they?! What do they mean by better match?!"
His outrage drew stares from everyone inside the hovercraft.
And among them, Luca, who had been clutching his knees nervously, suddenly froze. His golden eyes widened as worry crept into his expression.
A better match?
H-how could there be a better match?
Princess Kira flicked her terminal furiously, her ears twitching with irritation. "I saw the fan wars! On one side, there are those who support Luca and Xavier because they’ve read the novels. On the other hand, a few noble camps are insisting that while Xavier is a decent catch, he’s still just that—decent. Because Luca Soren Kyros, as they put it, is reaching the age where he should be looking for someone more ’appropriate.’"
Her voice dripped with disdain. "Appropriate. As if anyone else could even compare. How can they say such things when I have already looked at the profiles of the allegedly available ones, and the faces wouldn’t even match?!"
The forums, however, were already fighting back. Pictures and videos flooded in, refuting every claim. After all, their idol had literally been seen earlier in the arms of "God Xavier." How could Luca possibly be scouting for someone else? And honestly, who exactly did these so-called critics think counted as "appropriate"?
Themselves?!
Meanwhile, Duke Leander was like a kettle on the stove, slowly reaching the point of explosion with every single post Butler Gary reluctantly showed him.
How could these people think his son was old enough to be paired off like this?!
Then came the last straw. Posts from fans claiming they had already made entire life plans with Luca as their partner.
There were those saying they would be the next duchess, but more people saying they would enjoy a life in their own private planets!
"!!!"
The Duke practically roared, glaring at his wife. Amelia’s eyes said everything: I told you so.
And she was right. She had warned him. They could’ve ended up with other partners who would take their precious son far away!
If this kind of madness had happened with anyone else’s child, it would have been handled with care. But this was the Duke. Leander was seconds away from losing it completely when he saw yet another comment—this one declaring that Luca should be locked up for being "too cute."
Locked up.
For being cute.
Leander’s blood pressure skyrocketed.
The ride to the capital registration center was pure chaos.
Ollie was flailing, trying to virtually fend off die-hard suitors of his beloved Kyle, while Kyle calmly held him down like he was restraining a particularly angry mop. Princess Kira was busy calling out any post she personally disliked, half-shouting at her screen. And D-29? The little system was cheerfully compiling all the malicious posts and labeling them as "potential funding sources."
Somehow, this was their entourage.
And then, there was Killian, who sat in his office with his arms crossed, looking like he had aged another five years just from supervising the arrival of all these people.
Yet if their group was in uproar, there was one place that could not possibly have missed this kind of explosive news.
And it was none other than the Imperial Palace.