The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1751

< Episode 175: People Experience Storm and Stress Twice >

“Does the meal suit your taste?”

The third son of the Crown Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom.

Prince Arthur Jude Theodore Lewis, eighth in line to the throne.

Prince Arthur, who had garnered media attention for reasons different from his brothers, had been quietly managing a foundation from his enlistment to his discharge from the military.

When he appeared with a pop star at a concert after a long absence, it became a hot topic, and the storm and stress [a period of emotional upheaval and identity crisis] of his adolescence resurfaced.

However, Halo, having only been in this world for two years, had no idea what kind of life the prince in front of him had lived. All he knew was that this person was very friendly to him.

“It was good.”

“Really? Frankly, even though I love my country, I admit that opinions on the food can be quite divided.”

“Does even a Royal Highness have foods they dislike?”

“Hmm, shall I tell you a royal secret? It’s a story no one knows, a top secret that shouldn’t get out.”

The forty-something Prince Arthur winked with a serious face.

“We also have picky eaters.”

It was truly an amazing revelation.

Halo was conversing casually, but it was his first time seeing a member of the royal family this close.

As an Englishman with typical views on the royal family, Halo thought that even royals weren’t that special as they engaged in small talk.

Joking lightly and having ordinary conversations wasn’t much different from interacting with other people.

It’s a biologically proven common sense that blue blood doesn’t flow in humans.

Of course, the average person wouldn’t be able to contact him personally and meet him.

“By the way, where are we going now?”

When Halo mentioned the scenery outside, the prince let out a small sigh, as if he had forgotten.

“I didn’t mention that, did I? It wouldn’t be strange if you thought I was a kidnapper. I didn’t set a specific destination. I just wanted to talk. If you want, I can drop you off anytime, so don’t worry. I promise you one thing: you will never experience any misfortune in this country.”

It didn’t sound like something he would say to a foreign star on tour.

Whatever else, making a direct ‘promise’ was something that rarely happened.

Rarely.

“His Majesty thinks very highly of you.”

It felt like something said in passing, but Halo understood it at once.

“You don’t have to feel pressured.”

He wasn’t pressured, but it was a situation that an ordinary person would find burdensome.

Halo wasn’t stupid, and from the moment the Queen’s name came up, he knew that the prince hadn’t contacted him out of mere personal curiosity. The prince’s words would soon become the Queen’s message.

“It just means the royal family likes your music.”

That wasn’t wrong.

The royal family was very interested in Halo’s music.

It might have been a bit different in the more conservative 20th century, but the royal family was more interested in the fact that Halo’s music showcased the most beautiful aspects of British culture of the 21st century, and furthermore, his influence.

It wasn’t just a matter of fashion, luxury goods, or the music industry.

What the royal family focused on most was the image Halo projected to the world.

HALO, created with the powerful messages of ‘I am Halo’ and ‘Don’t you hate me because I’m not white?’, held immense value in the 21st century.

So there was no way the royal family wouldn’t like it.

The royal family wanted to possess the value that Halo represented, and so they wanted Halo.

It goes without saying that the easiest method they considered was offering a medal.

However, the medal proposal didn’t pass at that time. In the parliament, filled with conservative members, they refused, saying they couldn’t give a medal to someone whose identity was unknown. It was a reasonable enough reason, and the parliament suggested they recommend it again once Halo’s identity was revealed. It was an unofficial positive response.

Perhaps if a middle-aged British singer had appeared at Coachella [an annual music and arts festival held in California], as people had speculated, Halo would have received a knighthood.

Prince Arthur didn’t mention the complicated behind-the-scenes circumstances.

First of all, the boy in front of him was a minor and a foreigner.

Also, he didn’t want to tell the star that Britain loved that the medal was overturned because he wasn’t British. So what he chose was a bit of an old story.

“By any chance, have you ever heard of my storm and stress episode?”

It was a story famous enough for most British people to know, but the boy was a foreigner, so he might not know.

“It wasn’t the same accident as my brother. However, it might have been an accident in a different sense. My childhood dream was to be a star. I wanted to be in a band.”

“So I was quite the troublemaker since I was young. I was active in the underground scene and went to competitions. I was a kid who gave adults a lot of headaches.”

Considering what he was saying, Prince Arthur, reminiscing about his memories, felt both joy and regret.

“The eyes looking at me weren’t very good, but I still thought I would become a star. Well, I received attention, and everyone said good things to me. Looking back now, it would have been fun for a prince to become a pop star.”

His words were all in the past tense. Before he could recall that, the prince stepped up and admitted it.

“It’s all in the past now, but seeing you reminds me of that time. I was about the same age as you.”

“Why did you quit?”

“Just because. There were objections, and I wasn’t that desperate.”

It is known to the public that the royal family opposed it, so he quit.

The royal family itself didn’t like him trying to be in a band.

However, they never directly opposed it.

He was a prince far from the line of succession, and there was no reason to oppose it. A band is not an act that causes social controversy, is it? Besides, around that time, some members of the collateral lines and nobles were starting to engage in entertainment activities such as modeling.

So the reason he quit was probably just because he wasn’t desperate. It was also annoying to be mindful of the royal family’s gaze, and well, he didn’t have the talent either.

At some point, he realized that the reason people praised and paid attention to him was not because he had outstanding sensibility and talent, but solely because he was a prince with succession rights.

The moment he realized that if he were a commoner instead of a prince, he wouldn’t have been able to appear on camera, he cleanly gave up on his dream.

Looking back now, he seems to have confused what he liked with what he wanted to do.

“Maybe it’s because I once dreamed of being a singer. You have no idea how much I wanted to meet you. I even personally requested His Majesty to see you. The benevolent His Majesty turned a blind eye to the abuse of power.”

After telling a pleasant story, Prince Arthur slowly folded his smile. If his story was up to here, now the words he had to say were the purpose of coming to meet him.

“By any chance, are you thinking of coming into the embrace of our benevolent Commonwealth [a political association of 56 member states, mostly former territories of the British Empire]?”

Prince Arthur kindly asked directly for the foreign boy.

If he was thinking of having another nationality.

It is common for stars to have dual citizenship.

“If you want, ‘we’ can help you.”

The boy smiled suspiciously.

It was impossible to know whether the meaning was positive or negative.

Perhaps he didn’t know how advantageous British citizenship was.

If the boy became British, the medal would soon pass.

The boy would be the youngest to receive the medal, and knighthood would be possible.

Every country would treat an honorary knight more politely, and Britain would protect the boy in every way.

That would be incomparable to the boy’s home country, a small country.

At that time, the boy’s voice was heard.

“Don’t you hate me because I’m not British?”

The biggest message that Halo meant.

When the question of whether he was hated because he was not white was heard in a slightly modified form, the prince couldn’t say anything.

It felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.

“···Of course not.”

The prince answered belatedly.

It was the smartest answer, and the best answer he had ever heard. Also, it couldn’t be a more Halo-like answer that the world loved.

“It would have been really nice if you were born in England.”

Arthur sighed sincerely.

About the fact that the country he loved the most had missed the most important star.

“I understand your answer well. I will convey it well to His Majesty.”

Without dragging it out any longer, Arthur ended his duty as a representative. Now that all the duties were over, all that was left was the heart of a fan who loved the star.

“And from here on, it’s news from me as your fan. There will be good news soon.”

It would have been nice if the boy had received the Order of the British Empire [a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts, sciences, charitable work, and public service] as a British citizen, but it was not impossible to give it to a foreigner.

Historically, there had been cases where honorary medals were awarded to foreigners who had contributed to the British Commonwealth outside the quota.

In fact, American designer Ralph Lauren received an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his contribution to fashion, and in Korea, the Prime Minister and the founder of a company have also received honorary medals.

Since they thought Halo was British, the process became complicated, but there was a high possibility that the boy would be given a medal within the next few years.

If only the conservative parliament could overcome the wall of being a foreigner and 17 years old.

“I’m a foreigner.”

“There are many cases where medals are given to foreigners. I know there is one in your country as well.”

“···.”

Halo, who didn’t know at all, closed his mouth.

Anyway, he realized that the medal story was not just a joke. To give him the most honorable award.

To him, who had never lived honorably even once.

The car, which had been circling the outskirts of London, flows inward.

Halo was watching the prince’s eyes frequently drift into the live pub while touring the city of London.

For someone who says he just quit, his gaze lingered for a long time.

It seemed that he liked music, and he even hummed along to the music that flowed in through the window.

Halo watched such a prince carefully.

“I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time. I only needed to deliver His Majesty’s message, but I was greedy because I wanted to get to know you.”

As he got closer to the hotel, the prince belatedly looked at the time.

As much as he had been driving on the outskirts, more time had been delayed than expected.

“Did you get what you wanted?”

Halo asked back nonchalantly, and the prince pondered at those words and shook his head.

“It’s too short a time for an ordinary person to grasp a genius like you.”

Halo tilted his head.

He had been feeling it subtly since before.

The attitude towards him didn’t seem like mere curiosity or camaraderie as someone who had played music in the past.

Rather, what should he say.

The emotions mixed with the favor of a fan for his favorite singer were, yes, admiration.

He felt admiration for someone who was better at what he wanted to do.

Whatever else, Halo, who was familiar with the attitude towards jealousy and admiration, did not confuse them.

Even when he was reminiscing about his memories earlier, he was sorry if he was sorry.

He didn’t regret it that much either.

“What instrument did you play in the past?”

At the sudden words, the prince was puzzled at first.

However, he showed his forearm and soon said coolly.

“Drums.”

Hmm. Imagining him headbanging and playing the drums, it seems like the royal family would have liked it very much.

At that time, a limousine stops in front of the hotel.

Halo looked at the prince, answering the members who were worried about where he was, asking if they could come down.

“I’m not very good at etiquette. Can I speak more comfortably?”

“Of course, didn’t I say you could call me Arthur?”

“Then, I’ll speak comfortably and directly. I want to refuse the medal.”

“!”

The driver was more startled than the prince, perhaps because he didn’t know he would speak so comfortably. Who in the world is crazy enough to refuse a medal?

“Is there a reason?”

“Because I don’t intend to live honorably enough to receive it.”

“Huh.”

Not because he didn’t live honorably.

The words that he didn’t intend to live honorably in the future were also heard freshly.

However, the prince thought that the boy was refusing because he didn’t know the value of the medal.

“You’re saying that because you don’t know how valuable it is-.”

“I’ll create that value.”

The prince blankly stared at Halo’s expression.

He was the first person in his life who could say this.

“It doesn’t seem that difficult either.”

The boy, shrugging his shoulders, showed the great talent he once wanted and the confidence to match.

It’s not just unfounded confidence either.

Halo was like that in his past life as well.

Well, there was no talk of medals at that time, so there’s no need to say anything. It seemed like he didn’t have to receive it in this life either.

Even if it’s an honorable medal, Halo’s life is enough for him to create.

And-.

Halo’s arm was covered in goosebumps as he briefly recalled designations such as Halo Knight or Duke. It was the most mismatched designation in the world.

He was just enough with the name Halo.

He wanted everyone in the world to call him Halo rather than Halo Knight, and he wanted to live doing only what he wanted without any shackles.

“Is that all?”

“Also, I feel like I’ll have to perform only at the royal family if I receive a medal.”

The prince slowly burst into laughter.

Halo spoke by comparing it to the actions of past musicians.

“If that’s the case, I want to give you more? How about the honor of teaching the royal family’s children?”

“···.”

The boy sighed briefly with a face that he really hated.

The prince laughed, thinking that there was no obligation to do so, but it was an obligation he wanted to create.

Halo comes to the royal family every year and performs on stage.

“You’re the first person in the world I’ve seen who doesn’t want to receive a medal. Do you hate it that much?”

“Isn’t just Halo better than Sir Halo?”

“That was the biggest reason!”

The prince wiped away his tears and honestly admitted that Halo was better than Halo Knight.

“Why weren’t you born in England?”

If he had been born, he would have been a really good friend.

Halo, who was going to joke that he was actually British, chuckled at the prince’s following words.

“Does the royal family also discriminate against friends?”

“Oh, yes, that’s also a top secret. Be sure to keep the secret.”

“I solemnly swear.”

The prince really liked him.

“If not a medal, is there anything else you want separately?”

Since the medal was rejected over there, he couldn’t force it.

Still, maybe the boy’s mind will change later.

The prince postponed the medal to a distant day.

Nevertheless, since he acknowledged the boy’s contribution, he wanted to grant what the boy wanted as a member of the royal family or personally.

He’s the type of person who doesn’t even need a medal, so he wondered if there was anything special.

He wanted to give him a castle if he asked for it, and he wanted to actively support him if he wanted to do something in England.

The boy slowly raised the corners of his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“Do you have any other plans today?”

“No, not particularly. Why? Is it something I need?”

Does he want something from me?

The prince recalled the foundation he had.

What he runs is a scholarship foundation and an art foundation.

The boy’s voice was heard when his thoughts reached a few masterpieces.

“People usually experience storm and stress twice.”

Once at 16, adolescence when feeling confused about identity.

And the other time-.

Just in time, the members came down.

Having experienced sudden busking [performing music or other entertainment in a public place for voluntary donations] while traveling in LA and Europe, they now carry their instruments wherever they go.

Of course, keyboards and drums are impossible to carry, but Moon Seo-yeon brought Halo’s guitar down just in case.

The prince’s eyes, wondering what it was, slowly shook.

Halo approached the driver and whispered.

“Now.”