The entrance fee of 70 kronor was paid by Gustav for Alan. Alan...he basically didn't have such small change in his pocket.

If we convert the exchange rate, the Swedish krona is now about 10 to 1 against the British pound. The admission fee of 70 krona is about 5 pounds, which is not expensive, but not too cheap either.

But the fact that there is an entrance fee proves that this place is not a low-end one.

Under the strange looks of the two doormen, Alan followed Gustav into the nightclub, feeling like Mr. Ai visiting the Grand View Garden.

Just looking at the sign from the outside, this nightclub seemed a little shady, but after Alan came in, he realized the true meaning of the saying "don't judge a book by its cover".

How can I describe the interior of this nightclub...it has a palace style.

It's a bit like the decoration style of KTVs or bath centers in China in the 2000s and 2010s.

But there are some differences between the two sides. The palace style here is just the style of the details such as reliefs, corner towers and so on in the palace, without any extravagant and magnificent things.

Standing in the lobby of a nightclub, one feels like walking into a certain palace library, very serious.

It was this strange feeling that made Alan feel a little uncomfortable.

He thought Gustav was going to take him to do something exciting and indecent.

When he got there and looked at the name of the store, it was within his expectations. But after entering, everything changed, and it went from being casual to being serious.

This is...

It's like a guy goes to a bar and chats with a lady who looks very worldly. They both drink and agree on a price. When he brings the lady back to the hotel, he zips up her skirt... and it turns out she is wearing a school uniform under her dress. The underwear inside the uniform has no patterns and is made of pure cotton, which doesn't match a set.

It's a very contradictory... very divided feeling.

…

There was no wild dancing in the hall, nor was there the lively atmosphere of the British Bar where a group of men were watching the game with beer in their hands. Instead, it was a bit like a quiet bar, with rows of small tables arranged in a certain pattern. Most people were talking and drinking in a low voice, and there was a singer singing on the stage.

Is this a Swedish nightclub?

This is too plain...

Gustav chose a table in the corner and sat down, snapping his fingers to call the waiter.

"Your Majesty, I am very happy to serve you. What would you like today?"

The bartender was a young man standing next to Gustav and called out to him in a respectful and teasing tone.

"Same old, by the way, change the song for me, let her sing "The Sign", what do you want, Alan?"

"I……"

Alan looked at the scene and blinked.

He had never experienced anything like this before. If he acted too unfamiliar, would this tragic king look down on him?

I'm in Sweden, I just got off the plane, how can I act like I'm a regular at nightclubs, I'm waiting online and I'm anxious...

"I'm the same as always."

The bartender finally saw Alan's appearance, his eyes lit up, and he said with a more enthusiastic attitude than he had towards Gustav: "Sir, I have never seen you before. What do you mean by old look? How about I buy you a drink?"

“…”

It’s not that Alan is arrogant, but he just couldn’t accept being teased by an ordinary person.

In the past, no one, whether in Britain or Wales, dared to speak to him like this?

Now that I'm in Sweden, is that it?

Just do whatever you are told to do, and now you start talking nonsense.

Alan frowned slightly and stared at the bartender for several seconds.

In this short and yet long period of time, the smile on the bartender's face gradually disappeared and his back straightened instantly.

He suddenly felt that the person who came with the king today seemed to have a very strong aura, and the look in his eyes made him feel uneasy.

"OK, OK, you want the same thing as His Majesty the King, right? I'll prepare it right away. Please wait."

…

Gustav looked at Alan, then at the bartender who was walking away, and said with a smile: "Alan, you don't have to be so...relax, we are here to have fun."

"Your Majesty, if this was in Wales, if someone dared to ask me back like he did, or even tease me while I was speaking, I would have him hung up, tied to a telephone pole, or thrown directly into the sea to feed the fish, so I am now very relaxed."

"Well……"

Gustav was speechless after hearing what Allen said. He couldn't imagine the scene Allen described at all. It seemed that he had only felt that feeling when he was young. Later, when his grandfather died and he ascended the throne, this feeling disappeared.

…

"Your Majesty... you... As a foreign minister, I want to remind you that sometimes, it is not a good thing to let these civilians lose their respect for you."

"I……"

Gustav was not angry when he heard what Alan said. Instead, he remained silent and sighed, "What kind of king am I... I am just a mascot that is imprisoned, Alan... This is Sweden, not Britain, let alone Wales."

Gustav straightened up and leaned back in his chair. He stared at the dim ambient light on the ceiling and said, "I only do a few things every year. I preside over the opening of Congress and attend ceremonies to comfort the troops as required by them. The rest... I still visit some countries regularly as required by them. The rest of the time, I am like a king who is off work. Off work, you know? Off work."

"Oh, and I also have to look forward to the allocation of royal maintenance expenses every year. Haha... They don't even allow me to do business. The taxes on the royal family are much higher than those on ordinary people. I am like an employee working for them, and I have to look at the boss's face at any time."

“…”

Just a few words reveal King Gustav's sad past.

This is fucking... It's so sad and makes anyone who hears it cry. It's so tragic.

"Your Majesty... May I ask you... how much alimony do they allocate to you every year?"

Alan was still very curious about this money, the money of the British royal family. He knew the approximate amount. It was a sum of money that could satisfy the entire British royal family to live a life of idleness and do nothing.

Of course...if part of this money was used to repair the garden, it would obviously not be enough. In addition, their consumption is generally high, so the British royal family always complains that the money is too little, and Allen also likes to talk about this in Congress.

But judging from Prince Bertil's "stingy" and "calculating" behavior when he went out a few days ago, Alan always felt that the Swedish royal family seemed to be poorer. Sweden is so rich, it shouldn't be like this.

Now... the biggest party involved is right in front of him. Alan's gossipy soul is burning, and he is ready to ask the party in person how much money he can get every year.

How much money does the Swedish government give them every year to make this family like this?

…

"Me?" Gustav was about to speak when the bartender came to the table with his head lowered, put down two cocktails and a few plates of snacks quietly, bowed to Allen, and then left.

After the bartender walked away, Gustav took a deep breath and said, "The annual alimony will probably be around five to six million pounds. It will fluctuate, but the increase will be very small."

“…”

Hearing this amount, even the well-informed Alan was stunned.

Five or six million pounds, it seems like a lot.

But that's the cost for all members of the Swedish royal family for a whole year.

This includes the maintenance costs of the palace (house), travel expenses (cars, planes, etc.), living expenses for their family of five, wages for all servants, etc.

If calculated based on 6 million pounds, it would be almost 500,000 pounds per month.

This amount of money is definitely enough for ordinary people, but for a monarch, it is really...

The lowest in Europe...

At least in Allen's opinion, it is the lowest, right?

If we take a target for horizontal comparison, let's say Boss Cha, his own expenses in a month are almost higher than Gustav's family's annual alimony. It's no big deal if it's one or two times higher.

Even Alan's own annual living expenses are much higher than the total expenses of Gustav's family of five.

You know, King Gustav's grandfather, the late old king, left him a lot of wealth, which were all palaces built by successive Swedish monarchs. These places don't have to be repaired every year, but at the very least, such palaces should be looked after and repaired every few years, right?

This amount of money has to be saved up bit by bit from their family's alimony.

After deducting this expense, the remaining money... is really only a little bit. The quality of life is probably not even as good as that of the ordinary wealthy class in Britain, and at most can be compared with those of the middle class.

But this is the monarch of a country, and this quality of life is already miserable enough.

…

Seeing Alan's eyes looking at him instantly turned into sympathy and pity, Gustav felt a little embarrassed.

Which middle-aged person can stand being looked at like this by a young person?

"Ah... Alan... I am powerless. If I get too hung up on this expense, alas... you may not understand that in recent years... there have even been calls in parliament to depose me."

"???"

It’s so tragic, and those people are still not satisfied?

At this moment, Alan even began to sympathize with Gustav, but this... this was too much to say.

"But it doesn't matter. As long as my subjects support me, they can't do anything to me. My grandfather once told me that as long as my subjects still support me, I will always be the king. This is the philosophy he got from the East."

“…”

Alan thought about the scene where the bartender had just teased Gustav, and he was not angry at all. Could it be that this guy... regarded this behavior as the support of his subjects?

Sometimes, some philosophies may not be adapted to the local environment if you move to another place. Doesn’t the old king know this?

Compared to this kind of thing, Alan now believes more in the power in his hands.

For example, next year it will be time to elect members of parliament, to elect a seat in the European Parliament. By then, Alan will not need his boss to pave the way for him.

In Wales, Alan wants a seat as an MEP. Will anyone object?

No one!

If he wants it, he will have it. Whoever dares to snatch it from him will not see the next day's sunrise!

It's that simple.

What is the support of ordinary people and what is reaching out to the masses.

Alan doesn't need this stuff at all.

If one day he became as weak as Gustav, not only would he be ridiculed, but given the nature of the Welsh people, they would kill him before they could even start fighting.

In Britain, even ordinary people don't want to be seen as weak or defeated, because that would make people think that you are no longer a good person.

So Alan has always been tough with everyone, except for people like Boss Cha or the Queen, people who are higher than him, then he will give in. As for the others... it's over, it's either you die or I die.

Everyone has different ideas, so the final results are also different. Look at Gustav now, he has given in again and again and has fallen to this point, while Alan... he is still fine.

…

"bite".

Alan raised his glass and clinked it with Gustav's. He didn't make any comment. He could see that Gustav was a little arrogant. After all, he was a man who had seen a lot of things when he was young. When his grandfather was king, he had real power.

At that time he was still a prince, very powerful and majestic.

By the end of his grandfather's reign, there were already signs of weakening of their family's power. Later, when the old king died, Gustav was still young and had just ascended to a high position. He had no prestige or connections, and the weakening began completely.

It has continued to this day, from the initial restriction of rights, to the deprivation of rights, to the succession to the throne, and then to the current consideration of abolition.

This is a step-by-step annihilation, just like boiling a frog in warm water. If you take a step back, you will be pressed step by step, until you have no room to retreat.

For a person who has experienced these things, he would not have any thoughts about them before he gets them, but once he has obtained them or seen them and then lost them, this feeling is the most painful.

Like Prince Bertil, he probably thinks that the throne is meaningless. His father is just like that. Even if the throne is given to his sister, he doesn't care, so...

Plus, he was just a little kid, so it didn't matter at all, because he never got it anyway.

…

"I have saved up some money for the celebration of my 20th anniversary of ascending the throne this year. I want to show them the support of my subjects. I will let them see it. I want everyone in the world to see it!"

Gustav glanced at Alan, as if muttering to himself, or as if encouraging himself.

"Then your majesty, if there is anything you need me for, just let me know."

Alan could only encourage him and let him tinker with it on his own. Everyone has to have some hope, right?

"Alan, I need you right now."

Gustav suddenly looked at Allen and his expression became extremely serious.

“…”

"Your Majesty, please."

"Take good care of Bertil. He is too weak. This won't work, you know? I like Bertil the most. Although they have made a law to prevent Bertil from inheriting the throne, but... in the entire history of Sweden, there have only been four queens. Who would give the throne to a daughter if they already have a son? Huh? They want to humiliate me for the rest of my life. They want me to die with disgrace!"

"???"

Allen couldn't accept such explosive news coming from Gustav's mouth for a while.

This is a bit ridiculous. Hasn't the new inheritance law been enacted?

Gustav is not convinced!

You're in such a miserable state, and you're still thinking about doing these things?