One-Eyed Monster

After bathing and dressing neatly, Igor and Kadi went to the cabin to find Old Cole again.

They were very shocked when they saw Old Cole once more.

Old Cole had changed all his clothes to brand new ones, and his beard was shaved clean, looking completely refreshed.

This change left Igor and Kadi quite surprised; they almost couldn’t recognize Old Cole.

”What’s wrong?” Old Cole asked when he saw Igor and Kadi’s astonished expressions.

”Uh, we almost didn’t recognize you, Mr. Cole.”

”You look at least ten years younger, no, maybe even twenty years.” Kadi remarked, feeling he wasn’t exaggerating at all, but rather being conservative.

”I just shaved my beard.” Old Cole said as he touched his cheek. He was also a bit surprised by Igor and Kadi’s astonishment. However, their reaction told Old Cole that a person can look very different depending on whether they have a beard or not; a young man with a beard might appear old, whereas an elderly man without a beard might look young.

Of course, this concept might make sense in the Kayne Empire, but not in Mantai, where a beard is a symbol of gender; being beardless means being likened to a woman by the Mantai People...

Igor felt somewhat unprepared for Old Cole’s preparations.

They didn’t understand why Old Cole did this, as they knew him to be a casual person. What event prompted this elder to become so formal and even shave his beard? What was so important that it deserved such attention from him?

Could it be influenced by the person they were about to meet? Previously, the elder had repeatedly mentioned points to note and emphasized the importance of attire, mentioning that the person to meet detests weapons...

So now the question was, who were they going to meet? Who had such authority that it made Old Cole dress so formally...

Igor and Kadi stared blankly at Old Cole, their faces showing confusion, hoping the old housekeeper could give them an answer.

”Why are you still looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with me? If there is, you really should tell me.” Old Cole said, puzzled by the bewildered looks of Igor and Kadi.

”Uh, there’s nothing wrong, you’re just fine, Mr. Cole.” Igor replied, still pondering who they were going to meet next.

”That’s good; you should know that the important person we’re meeting next is quite particular about attire.”

”Uh, can you tell us now who we’re going to meet, Mr. Cole?”

”Hmm, I can tell you, but you must promise to follow my instructions without being overly casual and refrain from acting willfully; I won’t emphasize this again later.”

This reminder left Igor and Kadi quite amazed. Who could they be meeting that warranted such a formal occasion?

”Are we going to the palace?” Kadi asked excitedly and in surprise.

”No, we’re not going to the palace, but after going to this place, we might be able to go to the palace.”

”Uh...” Igor and Kadi were even more confused.

”We’re going to meet Princess Juliette. The Chieftains finally managed to secure an audience with the princess through negotiations, so we can’t miss this opportunity.”

”Princess Juliette?” Both Kadi and Igor found the title unfamiliar; to be precise, they were unfamiliar with the Kayne Empire’s royal family.

”Yes, Princess Juliette, a kind member of the royal family.” Old Cole’s tone was filled with admiration as he spoke of the princess.

”Does Princess Juliette hold significant power?” Kadi inquired.

”No, Princess Juliette never participates in national affairs; she just likes to cultivate plants.”

”Is she an Adventurer with Class?” Igor’s curiosity piqued; he seemed eager to learn everything about Princess Juliette.

”Every member of the Kayne Royal Family is an Adventurer with Class.” Old Cole’s implication was clear, Princess Juliette is an Adventurer with Class.

”What class does she belong to?” Igor had a sense of digging deeper.

”No one knows this; the Kayne Royal Family members seem to research every class and show excellent proficiency, but everyone can conclude that Princess Juliette is not a Politician.”

”Why is that presumed?” Kadi was puzzled.

”Because she doesn’t concern herself with political affairs?” Igor demonstrated some associative ability cultivated by his experiences.

”That’s a factor, but the main reason is that Princess Juliette is overly sentimental; she cannot give up her emotions. You understand.”

Actually, Igor and Kadi didn’t understand... but they had to pretend to grasp the explanation. Although they didn’t understand the specifics, it was clear Princess Juliette couldn’t conceal her emotions, thus making her unsuited for the Politician class.

”Why are we going to meet the princess!” Kadi foolishly asked this question.

”Because through Princess Juliette, we might have the chance to enter the palace and meet His Majesty the King!”

”Why can we only meet the King through her?” Kadi still couldn’t comprehend the connection, thus asked another silly question.

Old Cole was patient; he didn’t get annoyed with Kadi’s naïve question and cheerfully offered an explanation to the innocent boy.

”Because Princess Juliette is the King’s sister, His Majesty is currently refusing to meet various politicians, but he must show consideration to his own sister.”

”This...” Kadi’s mind began to churn; he wasn’t adept at thinking.

”Blood is thicker than water; we traditionalists value such ties.” Old Cole said softly.

”Oh, is that how it is!” Kadi suddenly realized, recalling that when angry, he didn’t want to meet anyone, except Kevin... this seemed to align with Old Cole’s explanation.

”Alright, it’s getting late, you’re both presentable enough; let’s head to Princess Juliette’s palace. Although it’s not near the royal palace, it’s quite a distance.” Old Cole smiled, reminding Igor and Kadi.

”Alright, we’ll surely follow Mr. Cole’s instructions, and we won’t cause trouble!” Igor assured.

Old Cole thus led Igor and Kadi to Princess Juliette’s palace.

Neatly dressed, they swaggered down the street without concealing themselves, as though they intended to let everyone on Bayes Avenue know they were visiting Princess Juliette.

Was it wise to expose their movements like this? This made Igor start to worry.