T’Challa suddenly stopped and looked towards the kitchen. Bucky didn’t try to hide it; instead, he smiled and said, “This is the urgent matter I wanted to discuss with you. I have a guest here.”
“Uncle Bucky, is there someone here?” Just as Bucky and T’Challa were explaining, a clear voice came from the kitchen.
Then, Lin Rui walked out of the kitchen, drying his hands with a towel. It appeared that Lin Rui had been washing dishes in the kitchen. His actions, combined with his youthful appearance, made him look like a typical teenage boy next door.
At the sight of Lin Rui, T’Challa’s initial wariness lessened considerably. The youngster before him seemed harmless. After all, Lin Rui appeared to be a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, and his deliberate performance made him seem like an ordinary “kid.”
“Jackson, are the dishes done? This is my best friend in Wakanda, T’Challa.” After Lin Rui walked out of the kitchen, Bucky introduced T’Challa to him in a very cooperative manner.
“Hello, Uncle T’Challa!” After Bucky’s introduction, Lin Rui politely greeted T’Challa.
Upon hearing Bucky’s introduction and the polite greeting from the “kid,” T’Challa felt somewhat awkward. “Uh… hello.”
“Jackson is the son of an old friend of mine who passed away many years ago, leaving him in the care of two elderly people. Since I’ve settled down in Wakanda, I invited him to visit for a couple of days, sort of giving those two elderly folks a break. You know how troublesome kids can be these days!”
After T’Challa and Lin Rui had exchanged pleasantries and introduced themselves to each other, Bucky continued to explain his relationship with Lin Rui. All of this had been planned between Bucky and Lin Rui the previous night to lower T’Challa’s guard by defining Lin Rui as the orphaned child of Bucky’s old friend.
“Yes, kids these days can indeed be a handful…” Shifting his gaze away from Lin Rui, T’Challa, now in a more relaxed mood, sighed. He thought of his own genius sister.
Although the handsome mixed-race youngster before him addressed him as “uncle,” T’Challa himself wasn’t much older, and his genius sister was only a few years older than the young man in front of him. If it weren’t for the difference in generation, T’Challa wouldn’t appreciate being called “uncle” by this “kid.”
After Bucky and T’Challa had taken their seats, Lin Rui politely poured them tea. Based on Lin Rui’s demeanor since T’Challa arrived, he seemed to be well-mannered, not as troublesome as Bucky had implied. However, T’Challa would soon regret his first impression of Lin Rui.
“Oh, by the way, T’Challa, what were you about to say earlier? Why did you come to find me?” After taking a sip of tea, Bucky curiously asked T’Challa.
Bucky and Lin Rui had already anticipated the current situation, so Bucky roughly knew why T’Challa had come to find him. However, Bucky had to pretend not to know, as he and Lin Rui were currently putting on a performance.
However, after Bucky asked his question, T’Challa hesitated, unsure of how to respond. When it was just him and Bucky, T’Challa would naturally say whatever he needed to, even revealing his hidden identity to Bucky.
However, with another person present, even if that person was Bucky’s younger relative, T’Challa wouldn’t readily disclose such information to an outsider.
“I… I came to invite you to my coronation ceremony, which is about to begin,” T’Challa said without first explaining the true nature of Wakanda and his true identity.
“Your coronation ceremony? Can I attend?” Bucky asked in surprise upon hearing T’Challa’s answer.
“Now that I’m already the king, is there any reason why I can’t invite a friend to my coronation ceremony?”
“Well, it would be my honor, King!” Hearing T’Challa’s response, Bucky feigned surprise and gratitude.
“However, I don’t seem to have the appropriate attire for your coronation…”
“That’s alright; we’ll arrange something for you once we get there.”
As long as Bucky went with him to the real Wakanda, T’Challa would undoubtedly prepare suitable attire for Bucky to attend the ceremony. However, Bucky should brace himself not to be too overwhelmed by the real Wakanda.
“In that case…”
“Uncle Bucky! Can I come too? I really want to attend this coronation ceremony!” Just as Bucky was about to agree, Jackson, his nephew, who had been sitting quietly on the side, suddenly spoke up with excitement.
Since Bucky had already portrayed him as a troublesome kid earlier, Lin Rui needed to continue acting like one. Lin Rui’s acting skills were exceptional, honed by years of experience, and at this moment, Bucky felt that the youngster before him was an entirely different person from the powerful individual he had known previously.
Upon hearing Lin Rui unexpectedly speak up, Bucky was momentarily stunned, then realized that he needed to play along. He looked somewhat embarrassed and scanned Lin Rui and T’Challa, who appeared equally uncomfortable. Since Lin Rui had taken the initiative to act, Bucky had to maintain his role as the responsible uncle.
“Uh… T’Challa, I forgot to mention Jackson. Can he come along? If not, I’ll leave him here by himself.” After the initial awkwardness, Bucky looked at T’Challa with a questioning tone.
“Don’t want to! Uncle Bucky, you went out to have fun! I don’t want to stay home alone! I want to go out and have fun too!” Without waiting for T’Challa’s response, Lin Rui continued to pester him with a determined, albeit slightly unreasonable, tone.
Although Lin Rui’s behavior seemed somewhat petulant and impolite for a youngster his age, it was precisely the effect he intended to achieve. If he didn’t act this way, T’Challa might have simply taken Bucky to Wakanda and left Lin Rui alone to watch over the house.
“Jackson! Why are you so disobedient? This is your first time in Wakanda; how can you run around everywhere!” At that moment, Bucky portrayed the image of a stern uncle.
“Well, if that’s the case…”
“Uncle Bucky! Can you take me with you?! I really want to attend this coronation ceremony!” Without waiting for Bucky to respond, Lin Rui, who had been silent on the side, suddenly exclaimed, full of excitement.
Watching the conversation between the uncle and nephew in front of him, T’Challa silently hung a few black lines above his head.
…
You can read ahead up to 80 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395
Support me on Patreon for extra chapters