Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

At dawn, the great bell of the Dawn City Royal Palace rang seven times.

This is the sound of the bell signaling the start of the court assembly.

Alex was having breakfast when he heard the bell and paused for a moment.

Today's morning assembly was not announced in advance—as is customary, it is only convened temporarily for urgent matters.

He put down his napkin and walked quickly outside.

People were already talking about it in the corridor. Several low-ranking officials hurried past, their faces showing barely concealed confusion.

Alex did not stop, but quickened his pace and walked towards the council hall.

There were already quite a few people standing in the main hall.

The ministers chatted in hushed tones in small groups, their expressions varied.

Some people frowned, some looked bewildered, and a few huddled together, whispering something.

Alex walked to his seat and stood still, his gaze sweeping across the hall.

The second brother, Alfred, had already arrived and was standing at the front of the line, his face expressionless.

Edmund, the third brother, stood a little behind, chatting and laughing quietly with a young nobleman, as if it were just an ordinary gathering.

The fourth brother, George, stood in the last row, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

My younger sister Ella didn't come, which makes sense; she wouldn't normally come to an event like this.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

The eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out, and the hall fell silent instantly.

Charles VI entered through a side door.

He wore a purple royal robe and a golden crown, and walked with a steady gait, just as Alex had seen him the day before.

Behind him followed the court physician Maurice, who still maintained his meek and submissive demeanor.

The king walked to the throne, but did not sit down. Instead, he stood there and glanced at the assembled officials in the hall.

"Today's court assembly will only discuss one matter." His voice was calm, yet it sent a chill down everyone's spine: "I have decided to abdicate."

The main hall was completely silent.

Alex's mind went blank.

abdicate?

My father was perfectly fine yesterday, but he called everyone over today just to announce his abdication?

He instinctively looked at his father's face. His face was as calm as if he were announcing the day's weather.

"I am now old and my health has not fully recovered, so I am no longer able to undertake the affairs of state," Charles VI continued.

"After careful consideration, it has been decided to pass the throne to—"

He paused.

Even the breathing inside the hall stopped.

"My fourth son, George Winster."

A deathly silence.

Then, like a stone thrown into water, chaos erupted in the hall.

"What?!"

"His Highness the Fourth Prince?"

"This...this is impossible..."

Alex stood there, his mind blank.

Fourth brother?

The youngest, most unremarkable, fourth brother among the princes, who only knew how to study all day?

He turned sharply to look at George.

George raised his head after hearing the announcement, his expression unchanged, as if he already knew about it.

Alfred's face flushed red. He took a step forward, then stopped abruptly, his clenched fists turning white.

Edmund stood to the side, the cynical smile on his face vanishing.

He looked at George with a complex expression that was impossible to decipher.

"Your Majesty!" An elderly minister stepped forward; it was Earl Marshall, a minister of the Ministry of War. "This matter concerns the very foundation of the empire; I urge Your Majesty to reconsider! The Fourth Prince is still young and has never participated in court affairs; how can he…?"

"My mind is made up," Charles VI interrupted him.

The voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power.

Earl Marshall opened his mouth, but didn't say anything more.

"The abdication ceremony is scheduled for seven days from now," Charles VI said. "At that time, the fourth prince will formally ascend the throne. All nobles and ministers must swear allegiance."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall.

"If you have any objections, please speak now."

No one speaks.

Currently, the highest-ranking dukes are each in their own territories, while the only one who travels frequently in Dawn City, Grand Duke Rhodes of the East, is also busy on the eastern border due to the recent monster tide.

In the hall now, there is almost no one who can truly influence Charles VI's decisions. Among the princes, including Alex, almost anyone who speaks out is doomed.

Alfred's fists were clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh. But he kept his head down and said nothing.

Edmund resumed his nonchalant demeanor, as if everything that had just happened was merely a routine announcement.

Alex stood there, his mind racing with countless thoughts.

Why George?

Why did the father suddenly abdicate?

What exactly happened in the past few months?

He remembered the look in his father's eyes yesterday. Those eyes, as calm as a still pond. That smile, so perfectly natural it seemed painted on.

Not right.

From yesterday to today, everything has been so wrong.

If yesterday's announcement was just a slight feeling, then today's abdication announcement almost made Alex doubt whether his father was still the same father he knew.

But he can't say anything now.

"The court session is adjourned."

Charles VI turned and, accompanied by Maurice, left through a side door.

The hall erupted in excitement once again.

"What's going on? Why did Your Majesty suddenly..."

"Fourth Prince? How is this possible!"

"Oh dear! His Highness George only reads books all day! How can he be king?"

Alex didn't join the discussion. He stood there, watching George get surrounded by a group of people.

George's expression remained calm, just as he always was, amiable and composed.

Among those surrounding him, some were congratulating him, some were testing him, and some were just staring at him with complicated expressions.

Alfred pushed his way out of the crowd and walked away without looking back.

Edmund slowly walked over and stood next to Alex.

"Brother," he lowered his voice, "what do you think?"

Alex looked at him.

Edmund's face still held that indifferent expression, but there was no smile in his eyes.

"We can only inform Duke Cook and the others, and try to persuade them again after they arrive in Dawn City," Alex said.

Edmund nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Alex stood there, looking at the chaotic crowd in the hall, at the portraits of the former kings on the walls, and at the empty seat on the throne.

Seven days later, my fourth brother will be sitting there.

The fourth brother, who used to follow them around since he was little, would cry when he fell down, and later hid in the study every day.

He remembered when George was five or six years old, he fell down and scraped his knee, crying his heart out.

He ran over and picked George up, who sobbed, "Big brother, it hurts..."

He coaxed George for a long time before he finally stopped crying.

Now George is going to be king.

A sense of unreality washed over him; he wished his younger brother were king.

If George were in power, this country...

He dared not think any further, then took a deep breath and slowly walked out of the main hall.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows in the corridor, making the marble floor gleam brightly.

He was walking along when he suddenly stopped.

Someone called his name from behind.

"Your Highness."

He turned around and saw a guard—an unfamiliar face, dressed in the royal palace uniform, but he didn't recognize the face.

"Someone asked me to pass on a message to you," the guard whispered. "Tonight, the usual place."

Then he turned and left.

Alex stood there, watching the guard disappear at the end of the corridor.

Same old place.

He knew who it was.

Those who support him and hope he will ascend to the throne.

So even if you don't really want to compete with your brothers and sisters, there are still people who want to fight for you?

Alex thought for a moment, then continued walking towards his residence...

……

Shuguang City, Dongcheng District.

Lia sat in a corner of the Ocean Tavern, a glass of barely touched ale in front of her.

This is her third day of waiting here.

The information broker known as "The Mole" hadn't shown up yet, but she wasn't in a hurry. Lynn had said that doing intelligence work required patience.

The tavern door was pushed open, and a young man strode in.

He was a member of the intelligence team, named Corbin, from Ironstone Fortress. He was quick-witted and agile.

He walked up to Liya, bent down, and lowered his voice: "Sister Liya, something terrible has happened."

Lia looked up.

"News from the palace—Charles VI has abdicated."

Lia narrowed her eyes.

"Abdication? Who will succeed?"

"The fourth prince, George Winster."

Lia remained silent for a few seconds.

The intelligence contained basic information about the prince, which was easy to find out; their intelligence team had specifically investigated it after arriving in the capital.

George Winster: Nineteen years old, quiet, spends his days reading in the manor, never participates in politics, and never argues with his brothers.

How could someone who seems completely invisible be suddenly chosen as the heir?

"Is the information reliable?"

"The news has spread throughout the palace," Corbyn said. "By tomorrow morning, I expect the whole city will know."

Lia nodded, took out a few copper coins from her pocket, placed them on the table, and stood up.

"Walk."

The two left the tavern and turned into a small alley.

"Sister Lia," Corbin asked in a low voice, "Will this...affect our Grayrock Town?"

Lia did not answer.

She was thinking of Lynn.

With a new king on the throne, the court is bound to be in turmoil.

Turbulent times are when things are most likely to go wrong.

Will Count Karl take advantage of the chaos to make a move? Will the nobles in the capital who are eyeing Grayrock Town make any new moves?

And... Charles VI abdicated too suddenly.

Everything was fine a few days ago, but he suddenly abdicated today. It would be strange if there wasn't something wrong with this.

But she didn't say it.

She wasn't sure if this intelligence would be useful to Lynn, but sending it back would be the right thing to do. Let that guy worry about the brain-taxing stuff.

"Go back first," she said. "Organize the message and send it out first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

The two quickened their pace and disappeared into the depths of the alley.