The side hall of the Royal palace of Lulusia.
This was Ronan's residence. Ever since the assassination attempt in the plaza a few days ago, Ronan had returned here and never left again, and no one had come to bother him either.
The hall was not overly decorated or luxurious. Ronan was curled up alone on a wide, comfortable sofa by the fireplace, reading the latest newspaper in his hands.
However, this peace did not last long.
Beth and Alicia's eyes instantly sharpened, both of them turning warily toward the window.
"Who's there?" Beth was the first to speak, her whole body tensing up. At this hour, anyone sneaking in here would naturally make Beth and Alicia suspect assassins.
From within the shadows, two figures silently emerged.
They were wearing dark green cloaks, their faces weathered by wind and frost, eyes sharp like hawks. An aura of restrained efficiency clung to them, feeling completely out of place in this book-filled side hall.
The one in the lead was a man with a tattoo on his face. Behind him stood a man with a deep-purple afro. Seeing these two appear, Ronan could not help showing a hint of surprise.
These two were anything but unfamiliar to him: Dragon, and the Okama King Ivankov. Both of them were leaders of the Revolutionary Army. With the two of them showing up here together, they were definitely not here to assassinate him… right?
Ronan's heart could not help but drum.
"There's no need for that. I'm not even the king of this country. And after what Alicia showed on the plaza a few days ago, the Revolutionary Army should be more wary of her. Coming to assassinate me would be a losing bargain!"
Dragon and Ivankov had not expected that they would be noticed by Beth and Alicia the moment they stepped inside.
Afraid that Beth and Alicia might attack, Dragon did not hesitate and immediately explained, "Prince Ronan, we are from the Revolutionary Army. We've come here without any ill intent."
The Revolutionary Army had come looking for him and claimed to have no ill intent. Ronan could not help muttering internally,
"I'm just a prince nobody in this country cares about. These two didn't come all this way to talk me into joining the Revolutionary Army, did they?"
Or perhaps they had their eyes on Alicia's strength and wanted to recruit her.
Seeing that Beth and Alicia had not drawn their weapons, Dragon let out a quiet sigh of relief and continued, "We hope Prince Ronan can join our Revolutionary Army…"
"Hold it."
Before Dragon could finish, Ronan cut him off on the spot.
"You want me to join the Revolutionary Army? I am a prince of the Lulusia Kingdom. What kind of delusion makes you think you can talk me into joining the Revolutionary Army?" Ronan chuckled and shook his head.
"This joke of yours is going a bit too far."
Seeing Ronan's expression, Dragon did not show any disappointment. This reaction was not beyond what he had expected. Even so, he still went on,
"Prince Ronan, we have also investigated you. You are only eight years old, yet you already have two powerful guardians at your side. They clearly aren't staying with you out of some ulterior motive. And many times, you leave the Royal palace of Lulusia to help the poor, to care for those ordinary people who struggle to survive under the King's harsh rule.
"Right now, the Lulusia Kingdom is crushed by heavy taxes. The nobles live in decadence and luxury, while the lower classes are treated like weeds. And the root of all this points directly to Mary Geoise, to those so-called 'gods' who sit at the top of the world—the Celestial Dragons—and the World Government they control!"
Dragon's voice gradually grew louder, carrying that contagious intensity unique to idealists.
"We must bring change! We must overthrow this rotten rule of kings, and even more, we must shatter the chains the World Government has forced upon the people of the entire world!
"Your Highness, we need your strength! With your status as a prince, if you were to stand up and expose the King's tyranny, you could awaken the people. Our Revolutionary Army would work with you from within and without to liberate Lulusia, to let the flag of freedom fly over these seas! This isn't just for Lulusia—it's for the future of the entire world!"
These words were filled with passion, ideals, and a grand vision of the future—more than enough to make any young person dissatisfied with reality and full of justice feel their blood boil.
However, Ronan simply listened quietly, his face completely calm.
"Very impressive speech," Ronan said, looking at the two of them. "But did you forget what my status is? I'm a noble too."
As for the "helping the poor" Dragon mentioned, that was indeed just Ronan's lingering empathy from his previous life. Within the limits of his own ability, he went out to help where he could. But as for standing against the World Government on behalf of the entire world? Ronan had no such overflowing saintly compassion.
He really just wanted to lie flat and live a lazy life.
"I'm sorry, but I refuse." Ronan's reply was firm.
The expectation on Dragon's face froze in an instant. Ivankov beside him furrowed his brows.
"Why? Your Highness! You clearly possess compassion, and you're well aware of this country's suffering! Are you really willing to watch the people struggle in misery while you live comfortably in this palace?"
"Comfort?" Ronan let out a soft laugh.
He had no desire to explain anything to Dragon. In his previous life, he had worked like a beast of burden, seeing no future at all.
In this life, he had somehow come to this world and become a prince that ordinary people could only envy, and he even had the panel in his mind. Ronan only wanted to lie flat and live well. The last thing he wanted was anyone coming to disrupt his current life.
"If that's what you think, then sure—just think of it that way."
Ronan's indifferent attitude made Ivankov want to explode in anger, but Dragon stopped him at once.
Dragon had noticed that Beth and Alicia's right hands were already very close to their sword hilts. They had snuck into the Royal palace of Lulusia this time not to fight Beth and Alicia.
"Prince Ronan, are you sure you won't reconsider?" Dragon made one last attempt.
"You want me to overthrow my own royal family?"
Ronan looked straight at Dragon.
"The family Doflamingo comes from, those former Celestial Dragons—I'm sure you know their story very well."
"They were once Celestial Dragons too, one of the twenty royal families that founded the World Government. And what happened when they voluntarily gave up that status and tried to return to an ordinary life?"
He paused, then enunciated each word:
"Those ordinary people who had once trembled under their feet, who had been treated like insects, poured centuries of fear, rage, and hatred onto Doflamingo's family the moment they lost the 'World Noble' umbrella over their heads. The torment and humiliation they suffered…
"If you want to see what kind of ugly flower human evil will bloom into when there's no restraint left, that piece of history is the bloodiest annotation you'll find."
Even if Ronan joined the Revolutionary Army and overthrew his own royal line, what then? Would the commoners and the other members of the Revolutionary Army still treat him the same way they did at the beginning?
Without Alicia and her sister at his side, his fate would probably not be much different from what Doflamingo's family had gone through.
(End of Chapter)
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