Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 1206: Chapter 1206:- Prime Minister Roy Best

A fat old man sat at the reception area of his friend’s inn, quietly drinking while waiting for the people he had reluctantly agreed to meet.

The Silver Moon Inn was actually a business that he and his old friend had opened together many years ago. However, because he had been extremely busy with his responsibilities as the Prime Minister of the Celestial Dragon Empire, he never had much time to involve himself in its daily operations. As a result, his friend had always been responsible for managing the business.

Over the years, the Silver Moon Inn had become extremely profitable. Yet despite owning a share of the business, the former Prime Minister had rarely paid much attention to it.

Even after retiring from his position, he did not return to help manage the inn or enjoy the wealth that it generated. Instead, he chose to leave the Celestial Dragon Empire entirely and live somewhere else with his granddaughter.

It was almost as though the old man wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and the politics of the Celestial Dragon Empire. After spending countless years dealing with nobles, factions, political schemes, Imperial matters, and endless responsibilities, all he wanted was to spend the remaining years of his life peacefully.

Unfortunately, it seemed even that simple wish was too much to ask for. One way or another, despite deliberately leaving the Empire and cutting himself away from its politics, circumstances had forced him to return and involve himself once again.

“Sigh…!!!”

The former Prime Minister released a long and exhausted sigh before raising his empty cup.

“Give me another drink.” He ordered the nearby maid.

Sitting opposite him was another elderly man who appeared slightly younger. Unlike the former Prime Minister’s round and overweight figure, this man was considerably slimmer and slightly shorter. His skin was also noticeably more tanned.

This was Bryan Robson, the former Prime Minister’s longtime friend and business partner. He was also the person who had been responsible for managing the Silver Moon Inn all these years.

“Bryan, are you sure you don’t want a drink?” The former Prime Minister asked while waiting for his cup to be refilled.

Bryan Robson shook his head with a small smile. “I have heart problems.” Bryan calmly replied.

“I would rather not shorten whatever time I have left by making my health even worse.” Hearing this, the former Prime Minister did not insist anymore. He simply nodded before turning his attention back toward his drink.

“When is he coming?” Bryan asked curiously.

“I don’t know, but he should be here soon.” The former Prime Minister replied.

“After all, he needs to finish this matter as quickly as possible and then head toward the front lines. The Supreme Commander of the Anti-Emperor Faction cannot remain absent from the battlefield for too long.” Bryan felt as if the Prime Minister sounded proud when as he was speaking of Aditya.

While speaking about Aditya, a faint, almost fond smile appeared on the former Prime Minister’s face.

He slowly closed his eyes. For a moment, his thoughts returned to many years ago, when a small and innocent boy used to run around the enormous halls of the Imperial Royal Palace without a care in the world.

Aditya had been such a lively child. His laughter, his endless curiosity, his habit of wandering into places where he was not supposed to be, and the constant trouble he caused for the servants had brought an entirely different atmosphere to the Imperial Royal Palace.

Even the most serious officials sometimes found themselves smiling whenever the little Crown Prince appeared. His presence had made the enormous Imperial Royal Palace feel alive. After Aditya was exiled, however, everything changed. The palace became noticeably quieter.

Duller.

Even depressing at times.

‘Unfortunately, no matter how many times I tried to convince His Majesty to change his decision, he never listened.’ The former Prime Minister had repeatedly tried to persuade Alen to reconsider Aditya’s exile. Even after several years had passed, he had continued suggesting that the Emperor should recall his son back to the Celestial Dragon Empire.

Yet His Majesty never listened. That was something the former Prime Minister had never been able to understand.

As far as he knew, Aditya had done nothing that deserved such a punishment. And even if the Crown Prince had somehow committed an offense serious enough to anger His Majesty, surely a few months or perhaps a year of exile would have been more than enough punishment for a child.

Aditya was their only flesh and blood. Alen and Elena had tried for centuries before they were finally blessed with a child. The birth of Aditya had once been one of the happiest occasions in the entire Imperial Royal Palace.

Yet those same parents had eventually sent their only son into exile in what was essentially a wasteland. Even worse, they seemingly stopped caring whether their child survived there or not.

The former Prime Minister opened his eyes and silently stared at the drink before him. He could never imagine doing something similar to his own granddaughter. Even if she committed some terrible mistake, he knew he would never have the heart to throw her somewhere dangerous and simply stop caring whether she lived or died.

Even after all these years, the old man still could not understand how His Majesty had managed to bring himself to make such a cruel decision.

Ding…!!!

The small bell above the entrance rang as the door of the Silver Moon Inn opened. Roy Best did not bother looking up. The former Prime Minister remained focused on the drink in his hand, seemingly far more interested in finishing it than seeing who had just entered the inn.

Bryan, however, naturally looked toward the entrance. A young couple had just walked inside. Judging from their clothing and overall appearance, they seemed to be traveling merchants. There was nothing particularly remarkable about either of them at first glance.

Aditya immediately spotted the familiar back of the former Prime Minister sitting near the reception. His gaze briefly shifted toward Bryan before returning to Roy.

“Roy, your distant relatives are here.” Bryan said. Hearing this, Roy Best finally turned around.

The moment his eyes landed on the young man standing beside Rin, his entire body froze.

Despite the disguise covering Aditya’s true appearance, Roy felt as though he was staring at the young exiled Crown Prince once again. For one brief moment, everything around him seemed to disappear.

The image of the small Crown Prince from his memories perfectly overlapped with the disguised young man standing before him. The face was different, the body had matured, and many years had passed, yet Roy immediately knew who this person was.

This was Aditya. There was absolutely no mistaking it.

After all, Roy had watched the young Crown Prince grow up with his own eyes. He had watched Aditya run through the halls of the Imperial Royal Palace as a child. He had watched him grow year after year. A simple disguise might fool strangers, guards, or people who had only met Aditya a few times, but it could never fool someone who had known him since childhood.

“Hello, Uncle.” Aditya greeted him with a warm smile. Seeing Roy again also brought another wave of nostalgia to Aditya. Even after all these years, the former Prime Minister had barely changed.

Roy was still noticeably overweight, with the same large round body that Aditya remembered from his childhood. Most of his head was completely bald, except for a few stubborn strands of white hair that continued growing from the sides and back.

His most recognizable feature remained his beard. A long, thin white beard extended from his chin all the way down toward his chest. It was unusually straight, falling almost like a narrow white waterfall. Strangely enough, despite possessing such a long beard, Roy had no moustache whatsoever.

The former Prime Minister wore a simple and loose white robe, making him look far more like a retired old cultivator enjoying a peaceful life than someone who had once stood near the very top of the Celestial Dragon Empire’s political structure.

Looking at him, Aditya almost felt as though the last five years had never passed. Roy Best looked nearly identical to the man Aditya remembered from his childhood.

“Adi-!!” Roy almost called out Aditya’s name, but fortunately, he stopped himself halfway.

He immediately remembered that Aditya had entered the Capital in disguise. Calling out his real name inside the Silver Moon Inn would completely defeat the purpose of everything they had done to enter the city without attracting attention.

“You are finally here.” Roy said instead.

“I have been waiting for hours.” The former Prime Minister deliberately put on a stern expression, pretending to be angry with his supposedly distant relative for arriving so late.

“I apologize, Uncle.” Aditya immediately played along.

“A cultivator was attempting to break through to Fifth Order on our way here, so I stopped for a while to watch the entire thing. I sincerely apologize for making you wait.” Roy looked visibly impatient after hearing his excuse. He simply waved his hand dismissively, as though he did not care enough to continue arguing about it.

“Whatever. Let’s go.” Roy stood up from his seat. “I want to finish my work as quickly as possible and return here.” He briefly glanced toward Bryan before looking longingly at the unfinished wine in front of him.

“I still want to drink a few more cups of wine with my old friend before I leave.”

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