Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 136: Sincerity

’I’m definitely in trouble.’ King Gray thought silently, his eyes glued to Caleb’s features. ’Celine isn’t going to let this go.’

He could already foresee the chaos this fella was going to bring to his family. His daughter was already infatuated with Caleb before she actually saw him.

Now... King Gray didn’t know what to think. Putting those thoughts aside, he placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder, urging him to make way.

"Your Majesty?"

"You can tell as well as I do, Lance." The king said, looking into Caleb’s calm eyes. "We’re no match for him." He wasn’t afraid to speak the truth.

His mind was already made up, and if things were to proceed in a certain direction, they might end up being family.

Commander Lance gave one last glance at Caleb and stepped aside, watching closely as King Gray walked past the altar to the other side, coming to face Caleb directly.

Both were of a similar height, as green eyes looked into turquoise ones. One had a soft grin tugging at the corner of their lips while the other had a serious expression.

"Thank you." King Gray extended a hand to Caleb. "This kingdom might have been in shambles had you not intervened at the time that you did, Mr. Zane.

"Most of all, thank you for what you did for me and my daughter. I’m forever in your debt. If there’s anything you want, let me know, and it will be done."

Caleb remained silent throughout the king’s words and then looked down at the extended hand. He was actually a bit surprised that they would be willing to get this close to him.

After all, even as they were, the commander was still ever ready to move at a moment’s notice. Caleb completely held in his presence, yet these two were able to tell he was the strong one.

’I guess it’s not just about a person’s aura...’ He noted calmly. freewebnøvel.coɱ

"You’re welcome, Your Majesty." He took the king’s hand and shook it. However, he didn’t let go after the appropriate time had passed.

The king noticed this but remained silent. Lance, on the other hand, tightened his grip on his sword, squinting his eyes as mana circulated silently. The air grew still as Caleb and King Gray continued to exchange glances.

The king understood that this was some kind of test Caleb was undertaking, and he knew exactly what to do – nothing.

"A question, if you don’t mind." Caleb proposed, and seeing the king give the go-ahead, he continued. "Does my existence make you feel threatened?"

"Should I feel threatened?" The king shot back, raising a brow.

He had done his homework on Caleb, learning everything there was to know about him. The king knew Caleb was born in his kingdom; an orphan left to fend for himself. The chances of Caleb being a spy for another country were almost zero.

The man before wasn’t remotely similar to who he was looking at now. From his private investigators, he knew this new and improved Caleb only emerged after he was supposedly killed for interfering in some minor nobles’ petty squabbles.

King Gray theorised that the Goddess must have intervened to save his life, granting him the power he wielded today. That was what must have caused him to change so much.

Hearing the king’s response, a smirk tugged at the corners of Caleb’s lips. Here he was, thinking that the king would be very cautious around him, but it seemed the king had already made up his mind.

’This is nice...’ To have someone who had no doubts about your character was unusual. ’He doesn’t even know me that well...’

"What if I want to take your throne?" Caleb probed once more. Power was not something people would simply give away.

It was a trigger for most people in authority. While he had no intention of seizing power, the apparent system creator seemed to think highly of the king, but that was the system. He didn’t know the kind of person King Gray was.

Sure, the last two days were spent gathering as much information on the king as possible. But with all the nonsense going around, a lot of what he gathered was inconsequential.

Caleb narrowed his eyes when he saw the king look towards his commander. There was this look they shared that made it seem like they expected this situation, which was odd.

King Gray turned to look at Caleb once more, his hand still held in a handshake. "You can have it..."

Caleb widened his eyes in shock, truly taken aback by that response. Even if he expected the king to give in to his little trick, he expected some form of reluctance.

That one declaration was all Caleb needed to believe in the king’s character. Caleb could sense the king’s sincerity in those words.

"...under the condition that you marry my daughter." The king added a second later, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

The king, the prince and Commander Lance had a lengthy discussion on this matter. The Royal Commander was unsure about the intentions of Caleb.

They had tried predicting what drove a man like Caleb. At the time, they couldn’t tell what he desired, as he did not take any rewards for what he did before.

However, power was one thing anyone would want. Prince Osbourne had jokingly asked what they would do if Caleb wanted the throne for himself.

While passing the throne to a complete stranger was unheard of and came with a whole lot of troubles with the nobles and people, King Gray had taken it seriously.

The throne was supposed to go to Prince Osburne once he stepped down. King Gray had asked if the prince was okay with something that absurd. Surprisingly, his response was simple.

’It’s better to leave the kingdom in the hands of someone very capable of defending it against harm.’ The prince said, still feeling guilty for failing the people. ’But that does not mean we cannot be a family.’

Osbourne was willing to give his birthright away for the sake of the kingdom; an unusual but commendable act.

King Gray and the commander were taken aback when Caleb suddenly let out a rowdy laugh. The commander turned to look at the king, who looked back at him.

They both knew they had gotten a very powerful ally at this very moment. Caleb never had any intention to become king; King Gray knew this.

However, it was not because of this knowledge that he said yes. It was in the sincerity he showed to Caleb. He was genuinely serious in his words.

’Looks like my investigation paid off...’ King Gray thought with a gentle smile.