The capital airport of the Shinhan Kingdom bustled beneath clear tropical skies.A flight from Yan Capital landed, and Shō Unkai, wearing casual clothes, sunglasses, and a mask, stepped onto the tarmac flanked by two bodyguards.
Five armored Mercedes-Benz sedans waited in formation.Plain-clothes guards in earpieces scanned every direction.
Go Haku—a fit man in his late fifties—hurried over.
"Your Highness."
He bowed lightly, smiling. "Congratulations on finishing your studies."
"Uncle Go."
Unkai shook his hand. Haku had managed palace affairs since Unkai's childhood and was more family than servant.
After brief courtesies Haku opened the rear door, and the prince entered the middle sedan. The convoy rolled out; only then did air-traffic control lift its lockdown.
Azure Rainbow Valley
Shinhan's capital, Changan, lay on the coast, three million strong.The royal palace occupied a secluded valley at the foot of Azure Rainbow Peak, guarded by a single road.
The convoy passed multiple checkpoints before reaching the inner court: pavilions, rock gardens, pools, and lawns arranged in crisp neo-oriental style. Suited guards stood everywhere; a thousand palace security officers were backed by the six-thousand-strong Royal Guard outside.
Unkai's car stopped before a villa. He stepped out, glanced at the familiar roofline, and entered, Haku at his heel.
Inside, anxious voices drifted from the lounge.
"Why isn't he here yet? It's already twenty past eleven. What if something happened?" a woman fretted.
"You worry too much," another soothed. "The airport called—he landed. He'll walk in any second."
Unkai smiled and strode forward.
"Father, Mother—I'm home."
Lady Shō Tamayo, still radiant in her late forties, hurried over and clasped his hands.
"Back at last! I told you to return right after graduation, yet you stayed an extra week. If your father hadn't phoned, would you have come at all?"
Unkai laughed softly. "I had loose ends in Dragon Kingdom. The moment they were tied up, I flew home."
Tamayo huffed but her eyes shone; her eldest had always been considerate, unlike his mischievous younger siblings.
King Shō Kōkei waited his turn. Husband and wife bickered playfully—Kōkei tried to shield his son, Tamayo scolded both men, then switched to tenderness.
"Son, what would you like for lunch? I'll have the kitchen prepare it."
"Anything is fine, Mother."
"I'll order all your favorites."
"I want some too," the king muttered.
"You? Forget it."
"I'm the king!"
"And I'm the queen. So there."
Kōkei surrendered under her glare. Unkai hid a grin; his parents still sparred like newlyweds.
Father and Son
When Tamayo left for the kitchen, Kōkei's face grew solemn.
"I heard you earned a fortune in the American market."
Unkai nodded.
"How much?"
"Roughly one hundred sixty-odd billion dollars."
Kōkei froze. "How much?"
"About one sixty-plus," Unkai repeated.
HISS
The king drew a sharp breath. Last year the entire kingdom's GDP had been eight hundred eighty billion.
"Good lad." Pride flashed in his eyes. "You kept silent until you could shake the world."