I was a prince in the Middle East

Chapter 6 Royal Family's Plastic Brotherhood

The midday sun is so intense it could scorch a camel.

The Maybach glided swiftly and precisely into Prince Bandar's private hangar, which was as large as a small town.

As soon as the car door opened, a rush of cold air, mixed with aviation fuel, top-grade leather conditioner, and a heavy, incense-like scent, hit you, instantly extinguishing the infernal heat outside.

"Phantom 2000! It really is a Phantom 2000-9!"

Turki was like a lit cannonball, the first one to shoot out.

His crisp air force uniform shone brightly under the high-powered spotlight, making one dizzy, and the flight badge on his chest rattled loudly with his hurried steps.

He pounced on the sleek, silver-gray iron bird in a few steps, his hand gently touching the cool metal skin like a mother caressing her lover, his eyes fixed on it, his mouth practically watering.

At the back of the convoy, Walid and Mohammed slowly got out of the car.

Walid glanced at the fighter jet and curled his lip.

Sorry, buddy, I'm coming back in 2026!

That was back in the day when even the J-20 was almost leaving smoke trails, and you're showing me this?
That's it?

Tsk, the worst of the worst!

He didn't even bother to put on a proper "wow" expression.

"Look at those lines! That pure tailless delta wing! Amazing! Our outdated Tornado fighter jets are no match for it!"

Turki excitedly turned his head, spitting almost onto Walid's face, and began to lecture his "Sleeping Beauty" cousin.
"It can be used for defense and has multiple uses!"
Look at this engine! A Snecma M53-P20 turbofan!

Instantaneous turn rate 30°/s, steady turn rate 19°/s, wing loading 234 kg/m…

Blah blah blah, the key data is presented like a menu.

Walid listened, but his mind was already elsewhere.

He could understand Turki's excitement.

In a few months, this cousin will graduate from the Air Force Academy.

According to his father, Crown Prince Salman, he had to go to the Taif base.

In other words, it was to peacefully take over the air force under the current king, to help his father secure his position as crown prince, and to lay the foundation for seizing military power in the future.

But Turki cursed his mother quite a bit in private.

In that wretched place called Taif, there are only outdated Tornado fighter jets!
The Mirage 2000 in front of us is somewhat inferior to the F-15 or the Typhoon, which hasn't even arrived yet.

But how about crushing "Gale"?
It was so relaxing and enjoyable!

but……

Walid thought it was none of his business!
If it's up to him, he should immediately buy the export version of the J-10A, the FC-20!

At $2930 million apiece, with lower maintenance costs, isn't that much more appealing than the F-15, Typhoon, and Rafale, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars?

Just as Walid was still complaining, a deep, cheerful voice interrupted, abruptly cutting off Turki's professional performance:
"Turki, my little falcon, seems quite pleased with my new toy!"

Everyone turned their heads.

An elderly man in his sixties, dressed in an elegant white robe, strolled over, surrounded by several attendants.

He had a dignified face, eyes like a hawk, and walked with an air of superiority.

Prince Bandar ibn Sultan, the master of this place.

“Uncle Bandar!” Turki snapped to attention with a standard military salute, his face radiating genuine respect.

"uncle."

Muhammad also stepped forward half a step, bowed slightly, and performed the proper courtesies.

Walid's mind went blank for a moment, and two memories were instantly activated:
Memories from Walid:

Prince Bandar, born in the 40s, is the eldest son of Prince Sultan, the former crown prince and the eldest of the seven Sudri brothers, born out of wedlock.

With his father's support, his own abilities, and a vast network of American connections, he has long been regarded as the "chief steward" of diplomacy and security within the Sudari faction.

Like his father, Prince Khalid, he is a giant in the arms trade, and they are both competitors and partners.

According to Huang Mao's recollection: In the mid-to-late 2013 period, this old guy faded out of the inner circle.

In 2017, he was brutally purged by Mohammed, and like his father and uncle Alwaleed, he was among those who were "hung up and beaten".

But this old guy ended up in an even worse situation.

His family was wiped out; two of his four sons died, and all his daughters over the age of 12 were taken away for political marriages. The old man had to bear the title of "eldest son of the second generation of the Sudri line" and act as a mascot for Muhammad, standing on stage everywhere.

His knees were broken.

Thinking of this, Walid felt a chill run down his spine.

Weird!

Muhammad was known for being fiercely protective of his own.

The Sudri faction has always been his base, and they have always benefited from his actions after he came to power. So how did Bandar, that old fox, end up like this?
Moreover, judging from the current situation, the powerful prince's attitude towards Muhammad clearly reveals the intimacy and high regard of an elder for a junior.

Prince Bandar's gaze swept past the two princes of the Salman family and landed precisely on Walid, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"Oh? The little lion from the Talal family has come too? What a rare guest."

He looked Walid up and down, his eyes scrutinizing and apprehensive.

It wasn't out of fear of Walid, nor out of fear of Walid's father.

Rather, it's Walid's safety...

Without him.

At this moment, Walid was surrounded by a golden aura—the halo of "God's miracle".

This made Prince Bandar very...annoyed!
Ah, what a "miracle of God"!
After Walid was awakened by acupuncture from Traditional Chinese Medicine four months ago and began his recovery journey, the hashtag #Pray-For-Prince-Waleed has been trending wildly on Twitter!
Outside King Faisal's military hospital, people lit bonfires to keep vigil!
In the square of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, tens of thousands of people spontaneously knelt down to recite the Quran for Walid!
The Ministry of Religious Affairs received 280 million letters praying for Walid in just two days!
why?
They were moved by everything Prince Khalid had done for his son over the past seven years.

Meanwhile, the repeatedly broadcast reports about Prince Walid's "good deeds" in his youth:
Adopting stray cats, dying animals, building girls' schools, providing aid to Gaza...

Prince Bandar was well aware of how much of this glamorous image was backed by public relations maneuvering.

However! After more than seven years of continuous, overwhelming replays and sentimental portrayals, these images have long since transformed from "potential doubts" into "unquestionable facts" in the minds of the public!
The young prince who had been lying in a hospital bed for seven years had been molded in their hearts into a perfect symbol of kindness, purity, and misfortune!

Khalid's public prayers, his displays of grief in the media, and his attempts to cultivate a "benevolent father" image—the core purpose of all these is crystal clear to everyone in the royal family!
It's nothing more than using a continuous performance to silence the naysayers who criticize him for squandering enormous royal medical resources and wasting money on those who have no hope of being saved, thus building an unbreakable moral armor.

but!

To the millions of ordinary Saudis, what they see is not a politician's scheme.

He was a father who had persevered for eight years for his comatose son!

This dedication deeply touched the most basic family affection in their hearts, triggering a tsunami of empathy!
And now, this perfect symbol, which had been dormant for eight years, has been awakened during a family worship service!
In the eyes of those who had already been moved by Khalid's "fatherly love" and who had long regarded Walid as their own child—what is this?!
This is a resilient father's ultimate and moving victory!

This is the 'miracle' that has embodied the prayers and hopes of countless people!
This is the 'miracle' that God has shown mercy to in their eyes!
Although Prince Bandar and Walid's father were rivals, even mortal enemies, he dared not allow anything to happen to Walid on his territory at this moment.

Moreover, what's most disgusting is that the car accident that Walid had back then was also particularly suspicious, and many people in the royal family even believed that he was responsible.

Prince Bandar was furious when he saw Walid there.

If Walid were to lose even a single hair on my head now...

Those fanatical people probably want to tear me to pieces and offer me as a sacrifice to God!

That old bastard Khalid is... utterly disgusting!

But he also understood why his two nephews had brought Walid here.

Who doesn't want public opinion and popular support?

If it weren't for the fact that his daughters were too young to find a suitable match, he would have tried to talk to Khalid and arrange a marriage to turn hostility into friendship.
"Your Highness the Prince."

Walid bowed with his hand on his chest, his movements fluid and graceful, his shoulders and back relaxed and relaxed. Every angle was as precise as a textbook example of court etiquette, so elegant that there was not a single flaw.

I just didn't call him uncle.

Prince Bandar's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

This kid!
His heart ached; beneath that seemingly perfect etiquette lay nothing but icy indifference!

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

He could almost hear his own inner scream: That damn car accident of yours really wasn't my doing! If I had, you would have been dead eight years ago!

But can you say that? No!
He could only swallow his anger and force a smile, maintaining the gentle demeanor of an elder: "Young man, don't be so formal. This isn't the imperial court."

But inwardly I cursed: Damn it, what a cold shoulder...

Forget it, I'll just keep my distance!

He turned his gaze to Muhammad, "Muhammad, take your cousin to the club next door to relax and have some fun. They've got some good stuff today, a peach-themed tour that just landed in from Eastern Europe. If you're late, you won't even get a bowl!"

As he spoke, he winked at Walid in a suggestive manner.

His tone carried the concern of an elder, yet it also had a dismissive air about him. After speaking, he didn't look at the two of them again, stretched out his arm, warmly put his arm around Turki's shoulder, turned around and started discussing fighter jets with Turki, talking as they walked away into the distance.

It was as if Turki was his only distinguished guest that day.

A few seconds later, Walid heard a cold snort.
Turning my head, I saw that my cousin's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

Muhammad glanced deeply at Bandar and Turki's retreating figures, then abruptly turned around and strode away with heavy steps, heading towards the side door of the hangar leading to the clubhouse without looking back.

Walid quickly followed, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mohammed, and lowered his voice.
"Brother, don't take it to heart. Prince Bandar is a veteran of the Air Force, and Turki has been spending a lot of time at military academy. It's normal for them to have common ground when talking about fighter jets."

Ha, this royal family's fake brotherhood...

What's the difference between this and the petty squabbles that happened in the dorms back in college?

Just because I rubbed my shoulders with the dorm leader twice more while taking a bath, the rest of them were so jealous they were like lemons!

Tsk, so gay!

Muhammad paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile that was more like a grimace.

"Common language? Yeah, I don't have one!"

Walid, open your eyes and look around. Which of those who truly hold power and influence in the royal family didn't graduate from top British and American universities?

Which one hasn't spent time in the military or key departments?

"Just because I graduated from a damn lousy domestic university, they all look down on me!"

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, his voice low and deep, barely containing a barely suppressed anger, "Damn it! What the hell is this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Muhammad seemed to have been burned by his own swear words.

He jerked his neck in, his eyes darting quickly around the corner of the hangar, and then lowered his voice to add a sentence.
"O Allah! You are indeed forgiving, and you delight in forgiving. Forgive me!"

The pent-up frustration hadn't dissipated, and now a sense of guilt had crept in.

"hey-hey!"

Walid burst out laughing.

With a stretch of his arm, the two brothers put their arms around Muhammad's tense shoulders and patted him hard.

"Don't worry, brother! God is so busy, He will surely forgive you for this little thing!"

Besides, we're princes, so what's wrong with swearing a couple of times?
Just don't swear inside the Riyadh Grand Mosque on Friday noon!

He changed the subject, looking at me with a sigh of shared misfortune: "Besides, I don't have a degree from a prestigious British or American university either."

Muhammad rolled his eyes at him: "You think you're the same?"
You were born looking exactly like that template!
If I hadn't been in a coma after the car accident, I'd probably be a top student at some prestigious university right now!

He sighed heavily, a sigh filled with bitterness.

“You guys who follow the rules and have bright futures, you have no idea how I feel…”

Walid spread his hands, but a relaxed smile appeared on his face: "What a coincidence, brother, I really understand now."

He pointed to himself, "My situation is the same as yours, and... I'm even worse off than you, okay? My road is completely blocked."

Muhammad was taken aback. Looking at the insightful look on Walid's young face, he suddenly realized that the boy was telling the truth.

He frowned slightly, looking somewhat worried for him: "Now that you mention it... it's true."

These days, you can't even get a chance at those lucrative government or state-owned enterprise positions without a PhD from a prestigious university!

Walid will be 23 tomorrow, but he hadn't even finished high school before the car accident.

Starting high school from scratch now? By the time you graduate with a PhD, you'll be at least in your thirties!

The Talal faction... while wealthy, is, after all, a branch.

Moreover, unlike other tribes, the Ajman tribe, the origin of the Talal lineage, surrendered after being completely annihilated in the Saudi unification war, and the tribe had no military power.

Furthermore, Walid's grandfather, Prince Talal, chose to marry into a prominent Lebanese family, and Walid's father did the same.

From the perspective of blood ties, Walids are inherently inferior to others, and their starting positions are lower.

This effectively blocked Walid's path to advancement within the royal system.

Muhammad shook his head, using his own unpleasant three failed business ventures as a joke to comfort Walid, suggesting that he could actually succeed in business.

As they talked, the two had already reached the side door of the hangar.

Pushing open the heavy, soundproof door is like entering another world.

The clubhouse's outer hall resembles an oversized Arabian tycoon's living room.

The giant crystal chandelier dazzled the eyes, and underfoot was a top-quality Persian carpet that could absorb all noise.

A dozen or so princes dressed in magnificent white robes gathered in twos and threes, holding crystal glasses and smoking thick cigars, talking in hushed tones.

Servants flitted about like shadows, serving coffee, juice, glistening dates, and delicate pastries.

The smoke from the agarwood rose in wisps, mingling with the scent of expensive perfumes, which Walid found a bit cloying.

Yellow Hair OS Mode Startup:

Tsk, I almost forgot about that!

Saudi Arabians, especially the royals and nobles, have an obsession with incense that's practically ingrained in their DNA!

In desert cultures, precious spices have long been a symbol of wealth and status.

Using the finest spices to scent clothing signifies the owner's noble status and their ultimate pursuit of cleanliness and dignity.

After being scented, the fragrance lasts for a long time, creating a low-key yet luxurious atmosphere as you move around. It is more subtle and "sophisticated" than directly spraying liquid perfume, and it can also blend into your personal body odor to form a unique "signature fragrance".

This is way more impressive than spraying on azure or Darjeeling tea!

It's like carrying an invisible "aristocratic certification" with you.

For them, incense is an ingrained social etiquette and a symbol of status.

A delicate silver incense burner was handed to me by the waiter, filled with the finest charcoal.

Even though Walid was extremely annoyed, he could only accept it with a smile.

The waiter carefully placed the precious spice fragments on the charcoal fire.

Walid gracefully lifted the hem of his wide white robe, enveloping it in the rising fragrance.

The movements are deliberate and graceful, allowing the smoke to fully permeate the fabric fibers.

The same was true of Muhammad, who was standing next to him.

Three minutes later, the two men, who were very particular about such things, took the small incense burner out from under their robes.

Walid felt that the action was somewhat lewd.

Muhammad quickly changed his expression, put on a polite smile, and led him forward to greet and introduce each of the uncles and elders of the royal family.

"This is His Highness Walid bin Khalid, the heir of the Talal line, who has just awakened."

"Walid, this is Prince XX..."

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Walid's performance was textbook-worthy.

Princess Mona's elegance and Prince Khalid's composure are perfectly blended in this young body.

Every angle of the hand gesture, every subtle exchange of glances, every tone of voice in a greeting—all were precisely timed to the core of the royal etiquette.

The princes nodded in agreement, readily offering mutual flattery:

"Khalid's good son! Mona has done a great job teaching him!"

"After seven years of slumber, he has awakened with an even greater presence than before! God bless him!"

"The Talal faction has a worthy successor!"

Walid knew perfectly well what was going on.

Behind these nice words lies the elders' tolerance and indifference towards the little brat.

Nobody really saw him as a grown-up prince who could sit at the table and play power games.

In their eyes, he was just a special underage prince, at most a mascot.

After exchanging greetings, the old princes subtly gestured towards the inner hall with knowing glances.

"Alright, alright, young man, don't waste time with us old men, it's boring! Let's go inside! The inner hall is much more lively! There's something fun there!"

Muhammad readily agreed and led Walid through a heavy velvet curtain, stepping inside.

……

(End of this chapter)