Chapter 561

Bear with it? I'm not bearing with anything! I don't even want the Duke's title, so why should I care about your family's bullshit traditions?

Looking at himself in the mirror with extreme disgust, seeing his face smeared deathly pale, Li Ang, who usually had decent manners, finally couldn't help but roll his eyes at the old steward.

He had originally thought that keeping everything simple and compressing the long succession ceremony into one day would save a lot of trouble. Who knew that even the "simplest" version of the succession ceremony had a process so tedious that just the clothing and makeup took over two hours.

Not only did he have to change into an extremely troublesome outfit corresponding to the nobility, but he even had to stuff special pads between his legs, making the crotch area bulge, saying it showed more "masculine vigor."

Besides that, he had to clip on hairpieces, apply lip balm to his mouth, wear eye makeup and face wax, and even the skin on his forehead and neck had to be covered with a thick layer of lead powder. He refused repeatedly until it was changed to harmless cream-based honey powder.

And after finally finishing all that, he had to sit in this carriage that was supposedly of great significance and drive on the main road of Red Cedar Avenue, leaving "lion footprints" with the wheel prints, signifying the arrival of the new Lionheart Duke in his territory...

After this whole mess, he was already annoyed to the point of anger, but the entire succession ceremony hadn't even started yet!

What total bullshit!

Using his sleeve to wipe off the messy stuff on his face, Li Ang twisted the door handle of the carriage and jumped out directly.

He absolutely could not follow their way anymore. If this continued, he didn't know how many more torturous and bizarre processes were waiting for him!

"Duke? Your makeup! Your makeup!"

"Makeup? What makeup? I'm not doing it anymore!"

Tearing off the hairpiece and wiping away the traces on his face, Li Ang threatened the old steward who was chasing after him in a panic with a dark face:

"Either I go like this, or you find someone else to be the Duke! You choose!"

I... do I have a choice?

Looking at the new Duke who had lost all patience and started throwing a tantrum, the old steward knew he wasn't joking. He could only stomp his feet hard twice, then clutch his chest and beg bitterly:

"I... I'll listen to you, okay? But at least get back in the carriage..."

"I'm not going back!"

Having completely run out of patience, Li Ang looked at the carriage behind him, covered in jewels and looking like an upstart, and said unpleasantly:

"This carriage is too stupid, and it can't get through at all. Either get me another carriage, or you guys find another Duke!"

The old steward shook his head repeatedly, saying with a crumbling face:

"Duke! This really can't be changed! Every Duke who succeeds must leave 'lion footprints' on Red Cedar Avenue. This is tradition! If you change this carriage, how are the lion footprints supposed to..."

"What kind of broken lion footprints? Isn't it just the prints left by the wheels? If you want them, push the wheels yourself; don't use them to torture me!"

"This... this... this really won't do! There's no such precedent..."

Having finally wiped off the honey paste mixed with pearl powder, Li Ang, who didn't want to make any more compromises, threatened viciously:

"Either there's no precedent, or there's no Duke. Which one do you want!"

I... I want to die!

Watching the new Duke shake off the maids and guards and walk directly toward the manor, the old steward felt the world spinning. If he didn't have to mind his demeanor, he would probably be beating his chest and crying on the spot.

Old Duke! You were happy to die after choosing this weirdo, but he's going to torture us! You... why didn't you take me with you back then?

Just as the old steward was clutching the carriage and beating his chest in agony, a greeting came from the Duke in front.

"You, come here!"

After getting out of the carriage and walking a few steps, Li Ang saw a pile of overturned carriages on both sides of the road.

He beckoned to the old steward. After he caught up, panting, Li Ang, with a furrowed brow, pointed to several large boxes of shattered porcelain on the roadside and demanded with dissatisfaction:

"Look at what your family has done. Not only did you forcibly drive people off the road, but why did you break their goods? Who pushed these down? Hurry up and compensate them!"

"Duke... this... this wasn't done by us."

Hearing that he had to pay, a guard with a dark face couldn't help but argue after glancing at Li Ang's expression: "These carriages were already overturned on the side of the road before your carriage arrived. It must have been the previous group of people who pushed them down."

The previous group of people?

"D-Duke."

After finally catching his breath, the old steward asked the attendants, then explained with a pale face:

"The previous group should be Prince Joshua's carriage. It was the one that passed by us while waiting for you to get in the carriage at the intersection."

Oh, so it was that guy who nearly splashed mud all over me.

After hearing the old steward's words and remembering the eye-catching carriage pulled by eight horses, Li Ang couldn't help but click his tongue with disgust.

Nobles, royalty... tsk... there really isn't a single good one among them!

Turning his head to look at the merchants crying sadly on the roadside, and based on the principle that it wasn't his money anyway, so he should be as generous as possible, Li Ang directly demanded:

"Then compensate them too! After all, if they hadn't been delivering goods to your family, they wouldn't have run into him. It's reasonable for the Bobby Laien family to bear some of the compensation."

"This..."

"This what?"

Li Ang, who hadn't slept well and had been tortured, was in a very bad mood. He turned back, narrowed his eyes at the old steward, and said barbarically:

"Either you pay the compensation, or we find someone else to be..."

"Pay! Pay! We'll pay for everything!"

After being threatened by Li Ang with quitting several times, the old steward's heart, which was already at its limit, started thumping uncontrollably as soon as he heard the word "either."

After forcefully clutching his heart, which was beating wildly, the old steward, who felt he would live ten years less today, reached out and grabbed Li Ang's arm. His legs were shaking uncontrollably, and he begged bitterly with a mournful face:

"Duke! I'll agree to whatever you want! Just please don't say 'either' again, okay? The Bobby Laien family can't do without you! I... I'm old, and my heart isn't very good; I really can't take this..."

Ah, this...

Looking at the old steward, whose face was turning slightly purple and who was clutching his arm tightly, looking like he would kneel down if he dared to refuse, Li Ang couldn't help but hesitate.

To be fair, although the old steward wasn't a good person in his soul vision, it was mostly about conspiracies and power struggles, and he probably hadn't done anything truly heinous. Besides, he was already so old; was it a bit bad for him to torture the old man like this?

But... he really wasn't prepared to be this Duke. He was going to find a way to resign after the succession ceremony started and everyone was present. Looking at his face turning purple, could he hold up after knowing what he was planning to do?

"That... I have something I think I should tell you first. Please don't get too excited when you hear it..."

After hesitating for a while, Li Ang reached out to support the old steward's back, then leaned in cautiously and whispered to the somewhat "flattered" old steward:

"When everyone is here later, I plan to propose to the Princess in front of everyone, using the entire Bobby Laien family as a dowry. That way, they'll either have to replace me as Duke, or they'll get nothing at all! What do you think?"

"..."

"Holy crap! Don't fall! Stand up straight! Oh my! Why are you foaming at the mouth?"

(End of Chapter)