After I became a real young master, I became famous for my bad behavior

Ivan asked, "But doesn't the emperor know what Kalinin looks like? Why is he still..."

"Wouldn't it be a good thing if you opened a perfect blind box?" Yousning blurted out.

Ivan: “…”

Is this an attempt to find good genes for future generations?

However, this blind box was not opened properly: Everett really looked like the emperor, the type who would be kicked out if sent for a paternity test.

but--

Ivan took the photo frame in his hand, then shifted his view to the opposite side of Alvy, carefully comparing the girl in the portrait with Alvy:

Apart from the different hair and eye colors, doesn't Alvi look like a gender-reversed and mature version of Kalinin?

Although the pupils have different colors, they are all very clear and bright, making them unforgettable.

"Elvi, you look exactly like Queen Kalinin!"

Ivan could only attribute Alvy's hair and eye color to a mixture of his parents' hair and eye colors: Emperor Lukisitin's goose yellow hair and orange eyes + Queen Kalinin's flaxen brown hair and peach-red eyes = Alvy's flaxen hair and orange-red eyes.

What a perfect inference!

Alvy was stunned for a moment: it turned out that their mother left a shadow on him.

You Si Ning cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back and said calmly:

"A beautiful appearance often brings troubles. Alvi, I am here to remind you that you cannot expose your beautiful skin casually, otherwise it will bring danger to yourself.

"Although the emperor has never seen what Kalinin looks like, Catherine must know. Although it has been so many years, I can't guarantee that she has completely forgotten it. So after you go back, you should try to show up in the palace as little as possible to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."

Alvi took the portrait in his hand again and looked at it for a long time. He felt more and more that his appearance was inherited from Kalinin.

"Okay, got it," Alvy closed his eyes and nodded.

"You don't need to remind me to know this. Because even in my father's eyes, I'm already dead."

Ivan and Yusning looked at each other in silence for a long time.

-

The Empire of Portia. The Imperial Palace.

It is a sunny day today. The sunlight shines through a very thin layer of clouds and pours onto the land, making it less dazzling. The breeze blows gently, gently diluting the warmth of spring.

A team of horsemen galloped along the path. Except for the man in the front with an extraordinary aura, the others were wearing knight costumes. They were all knights from the Third Regiment of the Order of Caleb (which stayed in the Duke of Impes's palace to guard).

Lord James, Duke of Impess, was wearing a light but elegant formal suit, his face was serious and solemn. The knights around him were holding swords and wearing armor, their eyes were firm and resolute, and they had been fulfilling their duty to protect the Duke.

Compared with other nobles who traveled to the palace by carriage, the Duke of Impes preferred to go on horseback.

At lightning speed, the group soon arrived at the palace.

As the team approached, the palace gate slowly opened, and the guards on both sides saluted the Duke of Impes. The Duke jumped off his horse and walked into the palace.

Ta-ta-ta-ta...

In the hall of the imperial palace, His Majesty Emperor Lukeshidin was already awaiting his arrival.

This meeting was a formal meeting between the two (the last one was in court two years ago) - the last time didn't count, because there were so many people and eyes, the Emperor didn't have time to chat with the Duke, and the Duke hurried back to the battlefield.

To be honest, ever since Haines and the remnants of the former Duke of Impess's ruling group had been making trouble, the emperor had actually wanted to meet this young and talented duke, the father of the new war hero.

(James is 45 years old and is the youngest head of the noble family)

How much does the emperor respect James?

When the official told him that the Duke of Impes had arrived, the emperor quickly stood up from his seat and walked quickly to the door to greet the Duke of Impes.

When he first saw James, his eyes lit up: Wasn't Scott already well-known when he was awarded the title of Knight of the Twelve Stars? The emperor didn't expect Scott to look so much like the Duke of Impes.

"After a close observation, the Emperor concluded: Scott looks just like him!"

Since it was not a formal occasion, the Duke of Impes did not need to salute the emperor as he did when he was meeting him, which was clearly stated in the emperor's invitation letter.

But no one expected that it would be the emperor who would greet them first: "What should I call you?"

...

It's understandable - the old Duke of Impress never admitted that he had a legitimate child with black hair and green eyes, let alone the name James.

James has become accustomed to this kind of "others not recognizing him" behavior.

The Duke smiled and said calmly:

"My name is James Impes, the current head of the Impes ruling group. They also often call me the 'Monster Duke' or the 'Cold-blooded Duke'. Call me Duke Impes first, and you can call me by my name when you get to know me better."

It was clear that James had done his homework: he knew that the emperor privately addressed Duke Haines (Atole) as "Atole" and only reluctantly addressed him as "Duke" in formal occasions - he was even reluctant to call him "Hains" in front...

It fits the emperor's style very well.

"Okay, Duke Impes." The emperor smiled, covering his mouth with his hands.

Then, the emperor personally took the duke to the reception room on the second floor. The maid served him tea and snacks and then left.

The Duke was not nervous at all. Although he had never appeared in any social occasions before, he knew a lot of things privately.

Especially the news about Haines, he would not let go of any of it!

The emperor's ease showed that he had done his homework. He knew that James never liked to beat around the bush when dealing with problems. Compared to dealing with someone who liked to say polite words, the emperor really felt that the Duke of Impasse was "a worry-free minister."

The emperor said directly: "I want to discuss with you today the matter of Haines' early release."

The Duke blinked his green eyes and nodded slightly: "I roughly guessed it, it will be a year later, right?"

The emperor nodded. "Everett told me that our children will be back in the autumn of one year. Before you, I discussed this with the agent of the head of the Haines family, and we finally decided to release Haines early. Now I come to ask for your opinion."

"How dare I object to what your majesty has decided? If you do this, you must have a reason. Arthur and I are familiar with each other. Let me guess——"

Duke Impes rested his chin on his hand, and said with a slight smile,

"Perhaps Arthur doesn't want to deal with all this mess anymore, so he's hinting at 'resigning'?"

The emperor was stunned: "I can't refute you."

"Hehe~ He is that kind of person," the Duke closed his eyes and took a sip of tea.

"Although he is carefree, I know he is just pretending. When he was young, he was not as heartless as I was when I was young. Or he was not hurt by his brothers like I was and completely lost their trust."

The emperor said calmly, "So this is why you are willing to take the position of the head of the family even if it means bearing the infamy? Because in the game of power, you either live or die, right?"

Duke Impes nodded: "Of course."