83 – 17. …… Engagement?
There is a saying called ‘Three Holy Tigers’.
It means that three people can make a tiger, and no matter how absurd it is, if several people say it, they will believe it to be true.
And this is also the basis of propaganda.
“Mr. Liu, how are you feeling?”
“The hired men spread trash to the slums and the wealthy, and it worked better than expected.”
“Well, that’s bound to happen.”
In fact, it is difficult to make a rumor go around simply by disentangling people and money. Propaganda requires careful consideration of where and with what people and information to release.
Oh, of course, there is an exception if there is overwhelming money and people.
And this rich man sitting crookedly next to me is one of those exceptions.
“…How much did you spend?”
“I didn’t spend much. Roughly 30 billion won? I don’t know if it’s a slum, but the wealthy people get a lot out of it.”
“…Thank you.”
“This is all debt, so please know.”
Gosh, won’t Bokchae hit the jackpot again like Lily did last time?
If things continue like this, I will have to sign a waiver to relinquish my debt to Rio……
“…Nam Goong Min, this is a bit dangerous.”
“Princess?”
“You may not know it at the academy, but this is Europe and the opponent is Arthur, the de facto ruler of Europe… You may be in danger, even if it’s me and Mr. Liu.”
“Hmm…”
Well, it’s not wrong.
Not anywhere else but France, Arthur’s home base, actually boasts power and influence comparable to that of a king.
But it’s not like I have no thoughts at all.
“Princess, I may be presumptuous, but may I tell you one thing?”
“Do whatever you want.”
“What do you think is the most important thing in propaganda?”
“…Yes?”
It is as they say.
Incitement, lies, deception, fraud.
What is the most important thing here?
“Uh…Well, it’s a matter of how well you can speak, right…?”
“What about Mr. Liu?”
“I don’t know. Isn’t it something like the ability to read the public’s opinion?”
Well, it’s not wrong.
Speech skills, the public, and agitating topics are all important.
The most important thing is something else.
“Everything you say is correct, but the most important thing… Is the ‘other party.'”
“Yes?”
“What?”
“At the point of instigation, that person has an enemy. It is time to borrow the power of the group because it is not enough alone.”
For example, during the entrance ceremony, the enemy was a maze and a wall.
For example, during survival, the enemies were all students.
For example, the enemy in the dropout lounge was the academy itself.
As those who favor agitation are politicians, revolutionaries, and dictators, agitation is always accompanied by a clear ‘enemy’.
So what about this time?
“The enemy of this incitement is, of course…”
“……Artur?”
“No, no.”
“……Head of the house, you say?”
“That’s the correct answer, Mr. Liu.”
Of course, I am not an enemy of the entire Arthur family.
As I said before, this is France and Arthur’s headquarters. Spreading gossip about the Arthur family here is an act of suicide.
However, the enemy I set was not the Arthur family.
The head of the family is Hector Arthur.
“… That’s the bigger problem. Hector Arthur was one of the best archers in the world when he was young. Rumor has it that he even destroyed a meteorite that fell in Europe…”
“That’s right. Normally, it would be perfect to die by being shot by the head of the family. Normally, that is.”
“……Ah.”
Yes, of course it is normal.
No matter how much I spread gossip slandering the family head, if he comes forward and explains and announces a ‘strong response’, that’s the end of the game.
‘Agitation is easy to hit, but it’s also easy to break down.’
Incitement is a double-edged sword. You can hit first, but if the opponent counterattacks properly, the tower will collapse.
Although it may take a lot of effort and explanation to tell a single lie, the point is to undermine public opinion by offering a rebuttal.
If you refute it rationally, those who agree with it will also appear.
That is why modern politics becomes a muddy fight.
This means that this waste of a whopping 30 billion won could end up in vain.
That’s why those who knew it well chose specific ideas, countries, or groups as their enemies rather than individuals.
‘Because it is more difficult to explain a group than an individual.’
If you are an individual, it’s okay if you express your opinion, but if you become a group, the amount to bite becomes larger and the amount of space that can be covered by explanations becomes smaller.
For example, let’s say you incited and slandered an individual named politician A. Then, the story ends when the politician himself comes forward and provides an explanation.
But what if you slander not politician A but the political party he belongs to?
Can it really be explained through the words of politician A and the words of the party leader?
‘That can’t be possible.’
Of course, an individual’s explanation is never easy. They get caught up in gossip, have to hold press conferences, and have to endure all kinds of criticism and swear words.
But anyway, the explanation itself is possible.
That’s why it looks like there is no reason to instigate this time.
It is okay to slander the individual head of the family, but slandering the Arthur family as an organization is just suicide.
That’s the way it is originally.
“Didn’t I tell you what state the head of the family is in now?”
“He said… he wouldn’t come out of his room.”
“Can a gentleman who doesn’t even leave his room, let alone his house, explain?”
The fact that Hector Arthur is currently living alone in his room is a top secret known only to Arthur’s family. He didn’t know either Liu or the princess, so he said everything.
Of course, there is no way the public would know that Hector is locked in a room.
‘What if there’s a rumor going around that you need to explain?’
Yes, you can have an agent, but if it’s a public matter, why don’t you send an agent when it comes to matters related to your private life without yourself appearing?
Rather than clarifying the suspicions, it amplifies them.
If a celebrity who caused a car accident sends a representative to the press conference, will the public believe that it is sincere?
In other words, the current head of the family is Hector Arthur.
“…It’s too expensive.”
“That’s right.”
You have to choose whether to just come out to a public event and explain, or let the gossip run wild.
Of course, if she comes out, she will receive a lot of attention from senior officials, elders, and retainers who have doubts about her arbitrary decision to get engaged.
Isn’t this all something that Ji brought upon herself by locking herself in her room, so it was a blessing in disguise?
“Mr. Liu, you also distributed it to the yellow press, right?”
“Yeah. Although they haven’t moved yet.”
“Of course I will buy it. The other person is Arthur’s head, right? But what will happen if a few more days pass like this?”
If a simple matter that could have been done by the head of the house herself and explains it gets dragged on, and the gossip gets amplified even more.
Will the yellow media, which is fascinated by provocative material, really remain silent? No way.
“…Huh.”
“Well, that’s a bit of an optimistic thought. Incitement and politics are so complicated.”
There are several responses that come to mind right away.
Whether they cover it up by spreading a rumor about a celebrity, find me, the subject of the instigation, and bring me to court before the scandal spreads, or make up a reason for not providing an explanation directly due to my chronic illness.
Of course, I have no intention of giving you time to respond like that.
Because I didn’t really intend to attack Hector Arthur in the first place.
“Mr. Liu, please release more people. The scum needs to be bigger than it is now. I will definitely repay my debt.”
“…Well, okay. There’s a way to pay it back anyway.”
“Princess. Have you received the invitation to Arthur’s ball?”
“Ah, Mr. Lucas sent it to me…”
“Please be sure to attend.”
“……Good.”
I didn’t bring Liu and the princess into my debt for no reason.
Liu will spread gossip, and the princess will protect me with her mere presence in the ballroom.
‘Can you beat the people of the Korean Empire in front of the princess of the Korean Empire?’
I guess it would be best not to do anything that would get you hit.
Arbitrary decision to get engaged, Hector Arthur who stays in his room, Kite Blackwood who is up to something, and Lane Arthur who doesn’t know what he is thinking.
There are too many things involved this time, and it smells bad just by looking at it.
“Now, let’s turn it over in a big way.”
I also had no choice but to use these means.
Matriarch, can you not blame me?
“…This guy is a fortune teller, right?”
“…I don’t think so.”
*
“Huh…My head hurts.”
When the sky became dark, the ballroom of Arthur’s home.
At Namgoong Min’s request, the prom held to revive the chaotic family atmosphere was more successful than expected.
…… I was concerned that my father’s seat reserved for the head of the family was still empty.
Numerous politicians, influential figures, and members of great families attend and chat while enjoying drinks and food.
Among them was Kite Blackwood, the person involved in the engagement, but Lucas did not pay much attention to it.
This was because the participants’ stories kept getting annoying.
“Hey, it’s been a while, Count.”
“It’s hard to even see you, Won. Is there any interesting news these days?”
“Well, at least it’s a bit of a story to tell in Arthur’s ballroom…”
“Ah… Well, this is a story that will be resolved when Hector comes out anyway.”
“hahahaha! That’s right!”
“hahahahaha!”
Plague.
They are still reluctant to talk about it thanks to Arthur’s power, but the media is slowly starting to take action.
There are 4 days left until the engagement. And it has already been six days since the slander against my father began to spread.
It was a rumor that was raised cautiously at first, but since the family head, who should have been explained and dismissed a long time ago, is living in seclusion, the rumor spread as if it had a foot.
“Ah, Lucas. It’s been a while.”
“Baron Chalet, it’s been a while. What are you holding in your hand…?”
“hehehe, this is a medicine that is rumored to be effective in our region… Humheum.”
“Ah…….”
“I told the matriarch that it was my sincerity──”
‘What on earth is it? Does this bastard really believe the rumors?’
Now, like the idiot in front of me, I’m starting to really believe the rumors that my father is a eunuch and suffers from gynecomastia.
Starting with Baron Chalet, those who were watching approached him and handed him stimulants, Viagra, male hormones, gynecomastia treatments, and letters of introduction to doctors.
Aristocrats and upper class people who pride themselves on being intellectuals really believe such nonsense?
‘…… No, no. ‘It’s trustworthy.’
It is surprising that a rumor slandering the head of Arthur’s family spread in Arthur’s front yard, but the head of the family remained silent for 6 days without even thinking of explaining it.
Some people who originally thought it was nonsense might…… ? A feeling like this is bound to arise.
The rumors are growing bigger and bigger each day, but the person involved is not saying anything.
This fact acted as a decisive blow, and within Arthur, opinions that were actually hostile to the head of the family became the mainstream.
‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter to those guys whether your father is really a eunuch or a geek.’
It’s just that there is now a justification to bite the absolutely ruling family head.
These are hunting cats who thoroughly bite into their pockets and try to take advantage of the family’s interests or money.
However, the irony was that Lucas’s power increased further due to this.
Those who were loyal to Arthur followed the active cattle head instead of the suddenly secluded head, and even the hunting cats only bit the head of the house and obeyed in front of Lucas.
‘…… Could it be that Namgoong Min thought this far?
Cancel Lane’s engagement, drag his father out of the room, and solidify Lucas’ position?
Just spreading rumors?
…… What would have happened if, instead of acknowledging Namgoong Min, they had been hostile towards him out of a sense of useless entitlement?
Lucas trembled at the ominous future unfolding in his imagination.
It was that moment.
“…Oh my god, the rumor was true. I never thought the royal family of the Korean Empire would attend…”
“When did Arthur establish such a close relationship with the Korean Empire…?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“I heard we were in the same class at Romance Academy. It could be a personal acquaintance.”
“Even if it were a personal meeting, if you were invited to this event…”
“Is the man next to you an attendant?”
“Don’t mess with him. He might have a job.”
Roaring.
The ballroom becomes noisy due to the unexpected appearance of the princess.
It is only natural that royal family from a country on the other side of the world attended Arthur’s ball.
And of course, Lucas is not close enough to Kim Eun-ha to invite her to the prom.
‘You managed to persuade me.’
The reason Kim Eun-ha came to the prom was entirely thanks to Namgoong Min.
You may not know this at the academy, but here, Lucas is the head of Arthur’s household and Kim Eun-ha is the princess of the Korean Empire.
Of course, it could only be seen as a public meeting or some kind of political event, but Namgoong Min’s skill in persuading the princess was nothing but tongue-in-cheek.
Lucas took a sip of wine and looked at Namgoong Min, who participated as a worker.
‘Now then, what are you going to show me?’
I didn’t hear Namgoong Min’s plan. Because she said that foreknowledge can be poisonous.
I said it was good to show realistic reactions, but what on earth…? …
“This is a message from Rain Arthur, a direct descendant of the great Arthur family and !”
“…Huh?”
Uh, what?
Rain’s message?
Rain has never come out of the room, so how did…
“Lane said that this engagement is invalid and that he will justify it!”
“…What does that mean? Wasn’t he the princess’s attendant?”
“Rejecting the engagement…?”
“No, more than that, if it’s justification!?”
“I would like to take this opportunity to address Hector Arthur, the head of the Arthur family, who has decided on this engagement.”
Namgoong Min takes off one of her white gloves that she always wears on her hands.
Throw it towards the empty head of the house.
“──In my capacity as a duel agent, I am applying for a duel.”
Nam Goong Min smiled secretly, and Lucas was momentarily relieved.
Because the target of that smile is not you.
Well, I’m glad.