Back where we left off, Lori stared at Clyde, looking down at him with an expression of sympathy, yet seriousness, as she explained to him just what she meant:
"Your fathers adopted Lincoln after he was disowned by our family. From that point on, you became brothers. And thus, you became part of the Loud family as well."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Clyde replied, narrowing his eyes. "When you disowned him, he lost the name Loud, he's not part of your family anymore!"
"Ohohoho, Clyde, silly little Clyde," Lori shook her head while chuckling. "Once a Loud, always a Loud. Even if we're disowned or removed, or change our names or whatever, our blood doesn't change. Our blood doesn't lie. And if we find a new family… then that family becomes part of the Loud family, too."
Clyde raised eyebrow, and Lori provided further information, keeping a calm composition as she did.
"So, let me get this straight." Clyde started, "You and your siblings need an heir of the kingdom to prevent a future war."
"Yes." Lori said dully.
Clyde continued, "And according to you, Lincoln made himself ineligible and it's not because of your overinflated egos preventing you from going to apologize and ask him to come back."
"Could do without the last bit, but more or less." Lori confirmed.
Clyde rolled his eyes, but still continued, "So, since my family adopted him, and he's been with me for years, you think that I can replace him as heir to the throne and thus, prevent a civil war that will happen otherwise."
"Yep." Lori confirmed, resting her cheek on the back of her palm. "So..."
Clyde sighed and closed his eyes, "So, if I refuse, my family will likely lose their house, would be arrested for treason, and you will put a bounty on Lincoln." Lori nodded to all of these statements. Clyde opens his eyes, "And just talking with Lincoln about this is out of the question?"
"Literally." Lori smugly nods.
Clyde gave another sigh, "Alright. When do I start?"
"Huh, I didn't think you'd literally agree to do it right away. I figured you'd attempt to convince me not to go through with this," Lori hummed with a smile. "But I have to admit that this makes both our jobs easier
Clyde rolled his eyes. "Get to the point."
"We'll make the announcement next month." Lori said, folding her arms across her chest. "You'll be free to be with your dads 'till then. You'll move into Castle Loud once the announcement is made."
Then, with no real prompting, Lori teleported right in front of Clyde's eyes, shooting a stern look at him as she added:
"And if you try to run away, we'll find you, and you'll spend the rest of your days in prison while your family is executed, including Lincoln."
Clyde and Lori exchanged looks for a little while, Clyde doing his best to remain calm and composed, all while Lori stared at him with an expression that made it clear she could crush him with a thought. And soon enough, Clyde sighed in response:
"Understood."
"I look forward to seeing you again." Lori said as Clyde walked away. "And remember, this isn't just for your or my benefit alone. This is for Lincoln's benefit as well. So try not to ruin it for him, alright?"
With negotiations finished, Lori folded her arms behind her back and looked away from the door, sporting a pleased smile with a slight hint of relief in it.
Clyde closed the door and let out a sigh as another one of the Loud sisters approached him. It was Lucy, who looked as stoic as ever as she briefly glanced at him, and said in a bored tone while walking past him:
"Congratulations on becoming the head of the household."
Clyde paused on that thought for a moment… before he responded sternly:
"Don't look too happy about it. Not like I'm happy about this either."
"I'm not happy, I'm honest. And besides, why not?" Lucy asked as she stopped on her tracks and turned to look at Clyde. "Through no effort on your part, you're about to become one of, if not the, most powerful lords in the land. A member of the Loud family, whose influence expands all the way through the kingdoms. Why shouldn't you be happy?"
"Because I know my role, Lucy." Clyde answered, shooting a stern look at the gothic sister as he added. "Be a puppet for you and your sisters, look pretty, and help you all further your own agendas. I still can't tell whether I'm betraying my brother, or taking an arrow for him."
"Your brother?" Lucy inquired, having an angry tone in her voice. "What brother are you talking about-?"
"Lincoln." Clyde answered and seeing a noticeable grimace, Clyde continued, "Why does that anger you? He was disowned, and became my brother. Sounds clear cut if you ask me."
With his mind spoken, Clyde walked away, leaving Lucy behind to take a deep breath and continue on her way. She had more important things to think about that day, after all, and she couldn't waste her time talking with someone who was still sore about Lincoln's disownment.
No, there was something much more important, and troubling, to consider…
