Chapter 608 Be Who You Are
After speaking his mind, Daneel waited for some sort of reply, but even after a few moments, both the ladies were still looking at him with bewildered expressions on their faces as if they were seeing their worst fears come true.
Following this, instead of even greeting him, Xuan raised a finger and then conjured a barrier that covered the two of them, after which both of them began talking something between themselves.
The barrier stopped all sound from coming out and being heard by him, and although Daneel knew that he could discreetly use the system to bypass this and find out just what they were discussing with serious expressions on their faces, he didn't do so, as he had no intention of betraying their trust in this way.
Instead, he was calm right now as he had already taken his decision, which gave him a kind of clarity and confidence that wasn't there before when he was all indecisive about what he was supposed to do.
The Emperor had been the push that he had always needed to progress on this matter. Each and every time this used to come up, he had always put it off, even though he knew that that was probably not the best way to go about it.
Yet, this calm was broken the moment the barrier was removed due to the words spoken by Xuan in a dead-serious tone.
"Daneel… It turns out that we were right, and that the problem is just as deep as we imagined."
"Yes, Daneel… I tried to assure Xuan that that might not be the case, but after seeing you speak right now, I should say that I agree with her."
The second statement was from Eloise, who actually had a worried expression on her face.
All of a sudden, this scene was very weird, and it almost felt as if Daneel had contacted some sort of disease and that these two women were trying to break the news about it to him in a way that wouldn't make him panic too much.
What the hell were they even talking about?
Besides, since when had these two been such thick friends?
Daneel had noticed this strangeness right after he had found Eloise's message which said that she was leaving with Xuan.
Before, he distinctly remembered that it was their rivalry that had almost led to Eloise's death.
Typical logic would point to the possibility that they would be dead against each other, as both of them were pursuing the same man, and situations like these usually resulted in all sorts of conflict and even outright violence, at least if he was back on Earth.
The two said those statements but then paused, even though Daneel kept looking at them and waiting for them to continue and explain themselves.
Soon, it became quite clear that they were being hesitant.
So, he simply said, "I really don't understand what the two of you are talking about. Just tell me, without any hesitation. I can guarantee that no matter what you say, I will take it in the right way. Come on. I'm the King of Lanthanor, and now the Alliance Leader of an Alliance that consists of three Kingdoms. Do you really think I'll be that skittish?"
Daneel said that last part to lighten the atmosphere a bit. Both of them knew that he was not someone who would gloat, and that he was only saying this for their amusement.
Yet, that objective wasn't fulfilled at all, as it only made them share a look between themselves before they nodded with determination.
What happened next startled Daneel, and made him wonder if he was dreaming.
Both beautiful ladies in front of him let go of all the hesitation from before, and put on stoic expressions on their faces as if they were marching out to war.
If Daneel didn't know better, he would even have asked just what kind of foe they were getting ready to face, even though there was no one else here except him.
When Xuan finally spoke out, he understood the reason behind their behavior so far.
"Daneel… Yes, you might have become one of the youngest Kings of Lanthanor, and then gone on to achieve something which has not been seen on this continent for a very, very long time. The continent thinks of you as a domineering and all-powerful individual who will never stop at getting what he wants, no matter who he might have to face. That is an image that you have cultivated with a lot of effort. But… In this matter, we have realized that you are worse than a 10-year-old child."
A - a 10-year-old child?!
Daneel had always known that he was a bit immature on this matter, and this had become even more apparent when he had heard the Emperor and that woman talking just now in the memory.
There were multiple reasons behind this.
For one, he had been an introvert back on earth, keeping mostly to himself and not having any friends even in the male populace of the University that he had studied in. The kind old lady had always used to complain that he might never find a beautiful bride so that she could play with his children and take care of them for him, but whenever she brought up this topic, he would always brush it off and move on to something else. His character had always been that he would focus on getting enough money to take care of all the needs of the orphanage permanently, and that he could think about matters like these later on, when he had the time.
Now that he thought about it, it was quite similar to the situation right now, where the looming threat of the Church was taking up all of his focus and giving him the excuse he had used multiple times, so far.
The gist of the matter was that he was accustomed to putting the matter aside using the always present excuse that there was something more important to handle, and that he had no time to think about it.
True, he hadn't been some kind of extreme shut-in who was awkward in all kinds of social interactions.
But he had always felt just a bit unsure of himself because of his background, which placed him many steps behind most of the others who had come to the same university. True, he had been an honor student, but apart from that, he had never had much going for him.
It had only been after transmigrating to Angaria that all aspects of his personality had begun to change and develop to what they were now - here, he had found the purpose that he could strive towards, and it was one that was worthy of giving up everything for. If it weren't for this cutthroat environment and the fact that he would definitely have died and been left behind by everyone if he didn't adapt quickly, he might never have changed so much and become who he was.
Only… this had further resulted in his development in this aspect being completely stunted, and now, when he heard someone say this, even though he was stunned at first, he later understood that she was probably right.
But… Even though he might be ready to admit it, what should he do to change it?
Xuan seemed to be carefully gauging the King's reaction after she said this.
She had to admit that she didn't know his personality completely from the limited interactions that she had had with him, even though those had been enough to decide that he was the one for her.
She had also had a long discussion regarding this with Eloise, but that had made them realize that even their combined time spent together with the King did not lead them to know for sure how he would react when he was told to his face that he was a child.
They knew that it was the truth, but typically, those who held such power would never like to be made cognizant about such a glaring defect about them in such a direct way.
They had also thought whether they could use some other method to enlighten the King about this issue which would definitely cause problems later on, but they had found nothing and had decided that a direct approach was best, and was also most likely to work, as Daneel was not like other Kings.
He was kind, patient and smart, and their instincts told them that if he was who they thought him to be, he would understand right away after being told.
Yet, they had had no way to be sure, but now, when they saw him ponder deeply and then nod to himself, sighs of relief escaped them before they looked at each other once again and felt happy that they hadn't been wrong.
Well, the most difficult part was done.
Xuan spoke up again, catching Daneel's attention.
"Daneel, it's really good that even you can identify this. When I came to seek out Eloise after finding out that she had found out about our kiss, I was startled to find her crying, alone, without you being there with her. I spoke to her frankly and told her everything that had happened, which made her understand what she had been doing wrong. She hadn't been as bold as me, but that lead us to this line of thought - why is there even a situation that the one who is bolder among us is the one who advanced more in this matter with you? Even I admit that you are closer to Eloise, as you two have been together longer, and she has done so much for you. Yet, although she told you about her feelings first, you ended up kissing me. I do not blame you. We… Do not blame you. But we did notice what was wrong, and we want to let you know clearly how you can change it, because both of us genuinely care about you. Even now, when you came here and said those words, they indicated that even though you took a small step forward, your condition is still exactly what we thought it to be. Now… Are you ready to listen to what we feel you should do regarding this? After all, identifying the problem is seldom enough, and we would not be able to call ourselves those who care about you if we were not able to give you a possible solution, too."
Xuan's speech made Daneel smile and shake his head, as every word she said was true. The weirdness about the situation was still there - he had never expected to be counseled like this, but he did appreciate it, and it did feel good that there were people who thought about him this deeply.
Finally, he nodded, as he was never one who would shirk from taking help.
This was when Eloise step forward and spoke in a soft tone.
"Daneel, both of us talked about this for a long, long time, and we really think that you should act like the person you are - a domineering King who is clear about what he wants, and does everything to take it when he decides that he wants it. Both of us want you. But that is worthless if you don't end up valuing us. We are not ready to settle with just captivating you and working hard every day to get your attention for every little thing. You are a King - one the likes of which has not graced this continent in thousands of years. Be like one. If you want us, decide that and pursue us. We are fine even if you pursue both of his, because what Great King in the history of this continent has lived without a harem? We called you to tell you this, and to inform you once and for all that if you wish to be with us, then you need to show us that, in which case we will be ready to do the same, too, even more. Be the King you are and conquer us, for then, we will know that we will always hold a position in your heart. What do you say, Daneel?"