He was abstractly aware that King Beast was abdicating in favor of his teenage son, but he hadn't actually.... expected it to have any impact on his life. 

That's maybe a little overstating it but cmon, it wasn't like a new Auradonian king would change things on the Isle that much. They'd still eat Auradon's garbage and it would still be Queenie and Legion and Nat and Nico keeping him safe, not the royalty over in Auradon City who he'd never even see except on the sickeningly wholesome entertainment news channels. 

Except. Except.