Ah.
There it is.
That shift in the air, the slow-burning rage seeping into the Duke’s very presence. It was justified, of course. If Lucavion had a daughter—hypothetically speaking, of course; the thought alone was absurd—he imagined he wouldn’t take kindly to hearing she had nearly been torn apart by some feral creatures in another world either.
But the way Thaddeus’ jaw clenched, the sheer weight of his fury simmering just beneath the surface… it was fascinating.
Lucavion tilted his head slightly, observing, measuring.
’He cares for her. Deeply. Despite everything, despite the circumstances.’
’Interesting.’
Thaddeus exhaled sharply, forcing his composure back into place, though his golden eyes still gleamed with restrained ire. "Then what happened?"
Lucavion hummed. Now that was a question, wasn’t it?
What happened?
It was nothing much.
"Since I had already figured out that it was this little veiled Lady who had been watching me from the ship," he said idly, "I decided to take care of her."
Aeliana inhaled sharply beside him, her entire frame going rigid.
’Oh? Did she think he wouldn’t notice back then?’
’Cute.’
Duke Thaddeus’ gaze sharpened further, golden irises narrowing into something near-piercing. "You knew who she was from the start?"
Lucavion let a small smirk curl at the edge of his lips. "Who knows?"
Aeliana turned to him, her expression unreadable—but he could feel the tension radiating from her, the realization clicking into place.
Ah. It must be unpleasant, being seen when you thought yourself hidden. But well, I had already hinted that from the start. No need to work up, Little Amber.
He turned his gaze back to Thaddeus, watching the Duke process the information.
"There aren’t many ladies who cover themselves with a veil," Lucavion continued, voice smooth, deliberate. "And even fewer who carry such a unique aura." He let the words settle, the weight of them hanging in the space between them.
Thaddeus did not respond immediately. He was calculating, no doubt weighing the implications of Lucavion’s words.
Lucavion could almost hear the thoughts running through the Duke’s mind.
’This boy is too perceptive. But, how? Even if he is somehow aware of Aeliana’s illness, how can he simply notice her this easily?’
Strange.
No—unnerving.
Duke Thaddeus studied the boy before him, his golden eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Lucavion was many things—sharp, calculating, far too composed for someone of his supposed background. But this…
This was different.
The fact that he had noticed Aeliana on the ship, the way he spoke of her aura with such certainty—most would never sense it, let alone identify it with such ease. And yet, Lucavion had. Effortlessly. Casually. As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
That was the first problem.
The second—
He had appeared out of nowhere.
A young man with no recorded history, no noble lineage to speak of, suddenly emerging with unnatural talent, wielding power unlike anything Thaddeus had seen before. A boy with a forged identity, seamlessly slipping into the capital’s undercurrents as if he belonged there.
And then—
The vortex.
The anomaly that should have been an end. That should have devoured them both, erased them from existence. Instead, he had returned with Aeliana alive.
And then there was the power he had used…
That strange, blackened starlight. The moment it had flickered around Lucavion’s body, the mana in the air had trembled. It was not an ordinary force.
No.
It was something far older. Far deeper.
And something about it—
That light… that energy… that sensation—
’Wait.’
The thought slammed into him with the force of a hammer.
’Starlight.’
The Duke’s fingers twitched at his side, his composure wavering for the briefest of moments. He had dismissed it at first, his mind too preoccupied with Aeliana’s safety. But now, standing here, watching the boy, recalling the exact moment that blackened light had flared—
It was familiar.
Too familiar.
That feeling—like standing beneath a sky untouched by time, staring into the abyss of something vast, something infinite.
’That mana… I have felt it before.’
A memory surfaced, slow and unwelcome, clawing its way out from the depths of his mind.
Long ago.
A different battlefield.
A different era.
Before he had become Duke. Before he had built his empire of control.
A night when the heavens themselves had seemed to break—when an energy unlike anything he had known had seared across the skies in streaks of blackened light, like stars burning out before they could shine.
’No…’
His throat tightened.
’It can’t be.’
And yet—
He forced his gaze back to Lucavion, who remained as relaxed as ever, watching him with that ever-present smirk, that damnable patience.
The Duke’s golden eyes darkened.
Lucavion’s smirk widened just slightly, just enough to prod at the tension simmering in the room.
"Mister Duke?" His voice was light, amused. "Are you spacing out? Isn’t it a bit rude?"
Thaddeus’ golden eyes snapped back into focus, narrowing with something unreadable. For a long moment, he simply looked at Lucavion. Studied him.
Then, finally—
"Who are you?"
Lucavion blinked.
Ah. Finally.
The question had been hanging in the air for some time now, unspoken but inevitable. It was a natural reaction—of course the Duke would start questioning him now, after all the little inconsistencies, the unnatural talent, the absurd circumstances.
But—
"What do you mean by that?" Lucavion asked, his tone light, but his gaze sharp.
Thaddeus held his gaze for a moment longer, as if searching for something. Then—abruptly, he exhaled, his expression tightening.
"No, wait." He shook his head, as if shelving the thought for later. "Just continue for now. What happened after that? You wandered around with… Aeliana. Then what?"
Lucavion hummed, dragging out the pause just slightly before responding.
"And then… well, I had fought with the Kraken."
Silence.
A beat passed.
Then—
"Huh?"
Thaddeus’ voice was flat, incredulous.
Lucavion smiled. "Fought with the Kraken."
Another beat.
"…Don’t lie."
"I don’t lie." Lucavion tilted his head, as if mildly offended. "If you don’t believe me, you may ask your daughter."
At that, he turned toward Aeliana, fully expecting a begrudging confirmation.
But instead—
She was glaring at him.
Ah.
Now what was this reaction for?
The Duke caught the shift immediately. His gaze flickered between them, sharp as a hawk’s. "Is that true?"
Aeliana’s jaw clenched. Her fists tightened at her sides.
And then, after a long, slow breath—
"…Yes."
Her voice was quiet. Controlled. But there was something in the way she said it, in the way her amber eyes burned as they locked onto Lucavion’s own.
"But….."
"But?"
"Why are you omitting what had you done before that?"
Lucavion had expected a lot of things.
Irritation. A grumbled confirmation. Perhaps even a begrudging glance in his direction.
But this?
This was something else entirely.
Aeliana was glaring at him. Not just a simple glare—no, no. There was something sharp behind her amber eyes, something pointed, as if she were daring him to say more.
And then—
She smiled.
"He had indeed fought with the Kraken," she said smoothly, her gaze never leaving his. "But he did something to me beforehand."
Lucavion’s smirk twitched, ever so slightly.
"…Ahaha… What are you talking about?" He tilted his head, feigning casual amusement, but the sharp-eyed would notice it—the faintest flicker of unease in his eyes.
Aeliana saw it.
And she took pleasure in it.
"He poisoned me."
Silence crashed over the chamber.
And then—
Boom.
An immense pressure filled the air, heavy and suffocating. It pressed down on the walls, on the very air itself, making the temperature plummet.
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Lucavion felt it immediately.
His breath caught.
His lungs froze.
"Kurghk—!"
The sheer force behind it—it was suffocating, unnatural. He had fought powerful people before. He had faced the Knight Commander. But this—
This was on another level.
Duke Thaddeus’ golden eyes burned with fury, his expression carved from ice.
"You poisoned my daughter?"
The words were low, edged with something ancient, something lethal.
Lucavion gasped, his throat constricting under the force of the Duke’s mana. He forced himself to stand, to remain composed, but every breath felt like drowning.
Damn.
He’s controlling the very air around me.
Thaddeus took a step forward, and the weight of his presence grew heavier. The pressure tightened around Lucavion’s lungs, his vision flickering at the edges.
But then—
A sound.
Soft, barely there.
A chuckle.
Lucavion strained to turn his head, and there—
Aeliana.
Smirking.
Not out of cruelty. Not out of mockery.
No.
There was something almost satisfied in her expression. As if she was enjoying this.
Thaddeus caught it, too. His golden eyes flickered to his daughter, narrowing in confusion.
Why?
Why does she look like that?
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She should be furious. She should be demanding an explanation, demanding revenge.
And yet—
It didn’t feel like she was condemning Lucavion.
No.
It felt like she was playing along.
For the first time since the conversation began, the Duke hesitated.