Chapter 974: Corner Office
The Dove family guards looked down in shock, only to find that their legs had suddenly been encased in stone.
In that moment, it wasn"t just the Dove family guards that were shocked, but the tourists in the area who treated the Estate like a landmark to visit were stunned silent as well. In all their time here, no one had dared to stir up trouble. This was the first time they were seeing such a thing.
Of course, what the crowd didn"t know was that this wasn"t true at all. How could there possibly not be any bad apples? It was just that these individuals had been dealt with swiftly and with the utmost secrecy. Hardly anyone was even aware that such events had occurred.
But, Leonel was the Prince of the Empire. He couldn"t exactly be stopped ahead of time, right?
A blinding pair of white gold wings appeared to Leonel"s back in a flash. In one moment, he was on the opposite side of the gate. In the next, he had leapt over, landing softly on the other side as a small gust of wind followed his movements.
Leonel strolled forward with his hands in his pockets. Every guard that rushed forward found themselves cemented into the ground, not harmed, but completely unable to move. The difference was so striking that it shook the observers to their core. They had no way of knowing just who this young man was.
Leonel swept a gaze forward.
The Dove Estate was Victorian in its construction. It had a somewhat castle-like, somewhat modern feel to it. It had great archways for each of its windows that melded seamlessly into the design. In addition to this, there were a few towers built right into it with a structure that finished the painting of a beautiful picture.
The fences and gates that surrounded the property didn"t obstruct the view at all. Leonel"s actions were clear for all to see, from his gliding over the perfectly trimmed gra.s.s up to the point he began to walk up the stairs to the wide doors.
To the surprise of the people watching, rather than alarms beginning to blare, the doors opened, revealing a man dressed in an archetypal butler uniform. Everything from his pristine white gloves, to his golden pocket watch and the tails of his suit were perfect.
"Welcome, Prince Leonel. The Dove family feels humbled by your visit."
It was right then that the guards suddenly came to understand that they had been trying to stop the Prince of an Empire. Not only that but…
A surge took hold of the crowd. Many of them were the people of Earth. The instant they heard Leonel"s name, things clicked and a look of reverence flooded their expressions.
To the people outside of Earth, Leonel was a wanted criminal. To the people of Earth, Leonel was the man who dropped a city that ended a war.
What was important for an Imperial Family? It was making sure they held on to the love and adoration of the people. The more they were revered, the more G.o.dlike they seemed, the more power they would manage to consolidate.
Quite frankly, Leonel hadn"t expected such a reaction to his name. After all, the people of Earth should know that he was a "criminal" as well. However, it seemed that his grandfather had grasp an opportunity.
Leonel couldn"t help but be astonished by his grandfather"s audacity. He knew that Leonel stood opposed to him, but he actually still took action to raise Leonel"s legend. What would he do if the people revered him as a Prince more than they revered him as an Emperor?
Leonel let out a sort of speechless laugh.
His grandfather… He was the most arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d Leonel had ever met.
Leonel gave the butler a gentle smile. "Sorry about all this, I just came back and I don"t have the credentials, so I could only choose this sort of crude method. Speaking of which, I have to thank the Dove family for taking care of my city so well. This is far beyond what I imagined I would come back to."
The butler was taken off guard by Leonel"s smile. It was an obvious sign of disrespect that a mere butler would come to greet a Prince, so why was he smiling? But the main issue was that the butler suddenly found it difficult to continue with a hardnosed approach.
That said, his lip twitched fiercely when he heard the second half of Leonel"s spiel. This Prince…
The butler snapped out of his shock when he suddenly felt Leonel pat his shoulder. Before he could react, Leonel had invited himself in, stepping by him and into the residence. Without even needing the butler to guide him, Leonel cut through the home as though he lived here.
"Ah…!" The butler reached out to try and stop Leonel, but despite the fact Leonel seemed to be walking slowly, he was already 20 meters ahead of him by the time the butler reacted.
The worst part was that the direction Leonel was headed in wasn"t where the butler originally wanted to lead him. According to his orders, he was meant to bring Leonel to the Young Miss. But, Leonel was actually going to exactly the place the Young Master and Grand Prime Minister Dove were.
A cold sweat covered the back of the butler. This Prince really didn"t know how to follow the rules of etiquette. But, why was it so hard to get mad at him?
…
Leonel went through three floors and five hallways, finding his way to a corner office that overlooked the city. With just a small knock, he entered, a gentle smile on his face.
At the moment Leonel entered, he found what he almost felt were a pair of twins looking back at him. Both Tyrron and his father seemed to be cut from the same cloth. Despite being surprised by Leonel"s appearance, they didn"t seem to react much initially. It wasn"t until Leonel took a seat next to Tyrron and facing Grand Prime Minister Dove that the two of them finally smile lightly.
Like this, three fake smiles met one another in a single corner office.