The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 934

Chapter 934: Show of Wealth

Sure enough, it probably would’ve been better if he’d stayed silent, because even to his own ears, his explanation was starting to sound ridiculous.

"It’s not like we preferred that method, you know?"

He exhaled softly before continuing.

"But the problem with presenting a positive image was anticipation."

Then again, they should’ve known better.

Because the problem with good-looking people presenting any image at all was still anticipation.

"..."

"..."

__

Honestly, Elior and Rahil had been confused the first time they saw Luca in person.

They’d seen the photographs before. Lady Agnes holding a toddler with bright eyes and an even brighter smile. The child in those pictures looked lively. He looked like he loved life.

But the teen before them looked even worse than Elior, who was already a shell of who he once was.

Though to be fair, Luca, or what looked like Luca Kyros, hadn’t looked disheveled.

If anything, he was impeccably cared for. His clothes were neat. His hair was brushed. His skin was clean. The servants clearly tended to him with care.

But that somehow made it stranger.

It felt like looking at a life-sized doll.

A fragile, carefully maintained doll.

The same doll Elior had been asked to represent with a face-altering mask.

Rahil had questioned him privately afterward.

What were they supposed to do now?

Should they stay?

Should they look for another way to prolong Elior’s life?

Should they run again?

Back then, Elior hadn’t been in the best headspace. He’d been exhausted, bitter, and quietly preparing himself for the inevitable.

And if there truly wasn’t much they could do anyway, then why not remain somewhere that was perfect for hiding until his time ran out?

Because really, who would ever suspect they’d hide in House Kyros?

Of all places.

If anything, within those walls, he felt oddly protected. For the first time in years, he didn’t feel the need to sleep with one eye open.

The people at the manor were simply different.

They just hadn’t expected that they’d end up worrying about the most unusual things instead.

Like an unofficial ranking for the most anticipated heirs of the next generation.

"The first major issue came from that benchmarking people just couldn’t stop doing," Elior said, rubbing his face as he recalled the countless discussions they’d had about strategy. They’d actually had to sit down and map out how to handle the inevitable comparisons between aristocratic heirs.

"During the earlier years, when the privacy of younger children was strictly protected, it hadn’t been much of a problem. Everyone kept their heirs hidden. No one wanted to lose them before they could protect themselves."

As an elven prince, Elior understood that all too well.

He was living proof of why such caution existed.

But as someone who’d only ever been compared to those of equal rank, he hadn’t faced what Luca did, as there were no appropriate individuals to compare him to, save for his own twin.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for the heirs of the four great dukedoms.

With every new article that surfaced about Dominic.

Every glowing piece about the Azren twins.

Every commendation regarding the older Ian Zorath.

Luca’s name inevitably surfaced beside theirs.

And unlike Elior, Luca couldn’t simply remain outside the system.

He was the only child of two prominent military figures.

Eventually, he’d be expected to attend military institutions like the other heirs, even without the conscription.

But Luca couldn’t attend in that condition.

Truthfully, even Elior, the stand-in, wouldn’t have survived the junior academy in his state.

In short, they needed to figure out a way to lower everyone’s expectations of Luca so that, instead of anticipating his appearance like the other heirs, people would rather not see him anywhere.

Ideally, the goal was for people to agree with keeping him homeschooled forever.

And so, the smear campaign was born.

It was a campaign Duke Leander had absolutely dreaded.

Elior was certain the man had nearly driven himself sick just imagining his innocent child’s reputation being dragged through the mud like that.

Ever since the proposal had been brought up, wailing had frequently echoed from one deeply distressed father.

It wasn’t a dramatic exaggeration.

There had been actual wailing.

Because while the smear campaign was meant for Luca’s safety, no parent would ever want to willingly tarnish their child’s image.

"Here’s the thing," Elior said slowly, feeling every pair of eyes still trained on him. "It had to be done in a way that wasn’t illegal. He couldn’t possibly go to jail, can he?"

Silence.

"So I proposed a show of wealth," he continued carefully, because a certain someone—ahem, Rahil—had proposed the thing they really had a problem with.

That wasn’t Elior’s brainchild. His idea was this, something that he thought was tolerable.

"Basically, unnecessary spending. Surprisingly, that was easily approved by the Duke."

He delivered it smoothly.

Confidently.

Reasonably.

But much to Elior’s shock, the golden-eyed heir in front of him gasped like someone had stabbed him.

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