Chapter 246 246:Sinister Plan[2]
A sense of dreariness washed over Duke Holmes snapping him out of his drowsiness.
With the way things were, he didn't give a damn if the Empire was in crisis. The only thing that mattered now was to have revenge.
It was like a sixth sense of a parent who was repeatedly telling him that his son's soul wouldn't be in peace until he made the perpetrators behind this incident pay for their crimes.
"In the end, you might just be a chess piece that was going to be discarded at the end."
Duke Holmes stared at Lucas' golden eyes with a cold look and asked,"Are you sure about this?"
"Even though I won't hesitate to bite anyone who had a hand in my son's death, I can't attack without any proof and it's Duke White you are talking about."
"They are the menaces who even controlled the Empire from the shadows centuries ago and no one knew how deep their water is. I am sure they have accumulated quite enough during the Puppet Emperor's reign with ample means to rival that of the Empire."
Lucas tilted his head down a bit and intertwined his fingers. Even if he expected this still he was surprised that Duke Holmes still had enough reason left with him.
He thought that this guy may have already become a mad dog who would bite anyone if one looked at his previous behavior and records.
'At least he is not an idiot or a conceited fool who can't weigh pros and cons.'
Instead of answering immediately, Lucas took a moment to think about the plausible scenarios.
The current Emperor had always been weary of White's trying to curb its power by imposing sanctions and bans but little did he know that White was like an elephant having different sets of teeth.
The amassed fortunes of White were all hidden deeply. On the upper surface, they aren't corrupt and the officials do their duties well. Their business was quite clean and no one could point out a single fault.
However, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Their real power comes from underground.
When investigated properly, one would find 7 out of 10 criminal organizations and mercenary groups linked to them.
Even Omen became their partner though Lucas didn't know when they tied the knot as it happened in the background and if Lucas didn't know the future, he would have thought their ambitions were just to leech off the Empire.
Alas, their greed was too vast to be contained in Cyprus. When chaos broke out, Duke White and Issac made a move crippling the workforce of the world.
Frederick, who was focusing on the frontline, wasn't able to contain the chaos and if he left, the Demons and monsters would delve deeper into the humans.
'I may not cut them at once but I can slowly bite them off and curb their influence.'
Seeing Lucas didn't speak for a long time, Duke Holmes raised his brows and asked teasingly.
"What happened? Thinking of backing out when I talked about evidence?"
Lucas lifted his chin startling Duke Holmes for a moment.
His heart shuddered to see the cold-blooded look on the boy that was devoid of empathy or emotions.
The coldness emanating from those eyes was enough to freeze one soul.
If he hadn't seen this through his eyes, he would never have believed that a boy of similar age to his son could give him a look similar to that of a cold-blooded killer.
Lucas stood up from his seat abruptly under Duke Holmes' curious eyes.
"Further talk would be meaningless since I don't have evidence. Since you want evidence, I will give something irrefutable. Until then please ask your people to keep an eye on these guys." Lucas took out a pen drive from his pocket and put it on the table.
"Start sharpening your knife from now on. If you go against White, you might soon receive help. Until then, take care of yourself. Where there is a way, do not let the hard work of your ancestors get drowned because of the stupid decisions you have taken before. It's time for you to step up and if you can't, just ask others for help."
Lucas turned back and walked towards the door and opened it, leaving with a final parting words.
"Once you extend your hand to ask for help, you will naturally find people who will be happy and willing to do so."
BANG!
The door was closed, casting a deep silence inside.
Duke Holmes, who just sat there with a frozen expression, took a moment to recover. Today's events shook him to the core.
Picking the pen drive, he shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Son, I pity you for choosing such an opponent. If you had just 10%...no, it is the father's fault for not guiding his son properly."
"However, even after that, I don't think you could rival him."
"His thoughts are already terrifying now. Who knows what he will become when he grows up?"
"Haaaa...Making an enemy of someone like him is like ordering a coffin for your own grave.'' Duke Holmes laughed out remembering a golden-eyed man who just looked like this boy but he shook his head.
....
Lucas returned by taking portals.
He didn't go to the Academy but rather entered the Inner City and entered the Princess' Mansion gifted to Julian by the Emperor.
He was blocked by the array of Knights but with the Princess Pass, he was allowed after some verification and Miss Ami also vouched for him making it easier for him to go through.
He entered the inside where Miss Ami was present to lead the way.
"I heard about all the nuisances." Ami said with a bitter smile,"Just hold on for a bit, once Her Highness wakes up, I will make sure to help you."
Lucas stared at Miss Ami's haggard expression. She seemed to be quite tired. Though her words didn't give him much hope, at least it warmed his heart a bit.
"How is Her Highness?" Lucas asked as he followed Miss Ami to the inner chambers.
"She is still unconscious. Her condition has recovered but we do not know when she will wake up."
Lucas knew that it would be any time today when Julian would wake up. What Lucas wanted was to strike at the right moment when she was vulnerable.
He will pass her the cure and exchange some favours. It might not work out well when she is in her right mind so he needs to do it while she is muddled.
"Miss Ami, do you know where Vice-Principal Josh went and when he will return? I might need his help."
"He had gone to look for someone. As to when he will return, I don't even know." Ami shook her head helplessly.
'That means, he had surely gone to look for Principal Douglas under the Emperor's order. I need to make sure he returns as soon as possible otherwise I can't move forward with my plans.'
Lucas and Ami reached the inner room where Julian was resting.
"She is taking a rest inside. Do you want to go and take a look?"Ami asked.
"No, it would be improper." Lucas muttered, folding his arm and leaning back on the wall, making Ami sigh in relief, but in the next moment, her expression changed drastically.
Lucas, about to lean on the wall when Miss Ami, pulled Lucas' arms shaking his body.
"That won't do. You should go and take a look since you are here. I am sure Her Highness would be happy."
"WHAT?" Lucas stared at Miss Ami's expression as she pulled him.
"Miss Ami, are you saying that? Wai-..."
Before Lucas could plead, Ami forcefully pushed him into the room and locked the door from outside.
"Sorry, Lucas, I don't want to do this but it's the Emperor's order," Ami muttered softly while praying that nothing bad would happen inside.
Lucas was about to strike the door but his body froze on realizing where he was.
He turned back and saw a huge luxurious bed in the distance over which Julian lay covered with many blankets and then looked at the door that had been locked.
'Have she gone mad? How can she let a man enter into the room of a woman of such high status? The Emperor would…'
Lucas' thoughts paused for a moment and he controlled his urge to curse aloud.
'Fuck…I am sure it's that bandit king's orders. He always acts against the men chasing Julian, but since Julian doesn't repel me, he must be doing this to find a way to cause trouble for me.'
'If I stared at Julian or went near her, he must surely note all this and relay it to Julian after adding some spice to it.'
Lucas rubbing his chin, looked around the room.
'Hmm! I remember, there is also a secret chamber to hide. What if he is observing me?'
Veins bulge over his head as he realizes the sinister plan cooked by the Emperor.
"Good…Very Good."
Lucas spotted a table near the window and walked towards it. He sat on the chair and pulled out the dairy where the cure was written.
He wrote two more important things and as he wrote them, an evil grin appeared on his face that was enough to send a chill down the spine.
'You want to burn my future. Let's see if you don't get your house burnt into flames.'
'Kekeke!'
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om