Chapter 245 245:Sinister Plan
A day ago….
"Are you close with Duke Holmes?"
Jenny stared at Lucas with an inexplicable gaze and replied,"Yes, I am."
"So, do this. Arrange a meeting with him." Lucas asked.
"I can't do this. His condition is a bit worse. I don't think he is in the same state currently."
"Can't you contact his servant? Ask them to allow me to pass through." Lucas spoke in a leading tone.
"Can't you just go and meet him? Why are you asking me to make a way for you?" Jenny asked with a confused expression.
"Do you think that guy would meet me if I appeared before his doors? He already hates Commoners and if you add me, his son's former rival, to the equation, he would just kick me out."
"What are you going to do?" Jenny asked suspiciously.
Lucas stared straight into Jenny's eyes.
"David...Omen...After what had happened and what we had to go through, I can't let it go. I plan to unite forces of people who have been harmed by them. Ezekiel isn't the only one who suffered and he won't be last." Lucas walked closer towards Jenny and raised his palm.
"Join me Jenny, and I will make sure you will have your revenge. However, I am also looking for benefits and want a strong person under my wing. I do not want to force you against your will until you have your revenge. Until then we can work together. I will treat you well." Lucas spoke and added,"I will make sure that David will pay for his sins."
With a diamond bloodline and Marquise house backing her up, Jenny also had good prospects but originally she was swept up with Ezekiel, made many wrong decisions and faded into the background.
It took some time for Lucas to get back on track and change his subconscious thoughts about treating people without prejudice due to their character set in the book.
A living entity is a miraculous being that is capable of learning and self-growth. Ezekiel's rivalry with Frederick had forced Jenny to a wicked stage and a rivalry against Rose that intensified to the point of territorial warfare in the 2nd year but now with such a loss, Lucas could see the maturity in Jenny. Except for the fact that she had lost light, she had now grown up a lot and who knows whether she would end up a broken villain harming others if not taken care of properly.
For a person with emptiness, anything that can fill their heart is a life-saving straw. And the goal of revenge for now might fill her heart.
It was a rare moment for him as he genuinely wanted her under his wing and he was not manipulating her with false hopes.
As for David, that guy also had a beef with him and he knew he would be targeted by that bastard.
"Are you serious right now?"
Jenny was taken aback seeing the sincerity in Lucas' eyes. Her mind became blank and her mind stagnated unable to decide anything.
"I am not joking, Jenny. I acknowledge your skills as well as Ezekiel's. If he had looked a little bit out of his shell of arrogance, he might not have given David a chance to do this."
Jenny took a deep, heavy breath and stared at Lucas who was waiting for a handshake to seal the deal.
"Please, give me some time."Jenny pulled back at the last minute. Though her mind whispered to her to accept this after such grief, she had become a bit cautious and should take her time to think things through.
And how can she believe that this guy can rival Omen and corner them? About the help, she could help him as it wasn't something significant.
"You can have your time. I understand but help me meet Duke Holmes, I have to meet him."
"I can do that." Jenny answered indifferently and started arranging things.
........
At the current time.
The disheveled Duke Holmes sat with a drooped hunched back. Strands of grey hair could be seen over his head.
Just in a few days, he seemed to have aged a lot.
Lucas who sat across from him could only sigh. It seems one of the noble houses might fall soon if things were left to fate.
Lucas' eyes gleamed as he caught on something.
'House Steel is in bad shape. Holmes is way worse. And some noble heads died in the tournament.'
'Fuck, doesn't that mean the Empire would soon be in chaos with many noble houses disintegrating?'
'Is this what Omen or White aimed for?'
Lucas' whole body was drenched in cold sweat and his scalp became numb due to the sudden realization.
"So, what do you want to say?" Duke Holme's cold voice reverberates.
"My condolences for your loss."
Duke Holmes' eyes moved a bit. He took down a bottle and filled up a cup.
"Is this why you came here? to waste my time?"
A strong coercion erupted from his body striking Lucas who just remained unfazed by the pressure.
He could feel his bones getting crushed and his shoulders being weighed down by a huge weight, still, it was nothing compared to the pressure Future Lucas or Harris gave him.
A hint of surprise flashed in Holmes' eyes that made him sober up a bit.
As a hint of recognition for a guy who managed to surprise him and as someone whom his son had thought of as an opponent, Holmes gave Lucas a drink.
Lucas wanted to refuse as he wasn't good with alcohol but he didn't want to hit the man's face in such a state.
Taking a sip, he got straight to the point.
"Sir Holmes, I came here for help. If possible, I want to make a deal."
Pfft!
"You want to help, you want to make a deal. What do you want from this man who can't even protect his son and wife? Others see me as Duke, someone of nobler status but I can't even consider myself a man after such failure. Moreover, it was one of my wrong choices that had led to my son's death and here I am, wasting time drinking and trying to drown my sorrow and guilt." Duke Holmes laughed heartily but Lucas could see tears in the man's eyes making him uncomfortable.
'Damn, this is already the third sad depressed guy I have met that has been fucked up by life. It's uncomfortable seeing a grown man shedding tears.'
"Shouldn't you take revenge for your son's death? You can't let his death be meaningless."
Duke Holmes paused a bit and his eyes were set blaze.
"Do you think I didn't try? Those fucking Arts along with all those noble families just vanished as if they had never existed. I can't seem to find a way for them. As per Omen, where the fuck can I find them!" He screamed crushing the wine glass and then laughed.
"I might have gone insane. I might look pathetic in your eyes and seem to have fallen to the point that now I am discussing things with a child who has yet to step into society. Moreover, you aren't noble or someone with great power."
"Hahahah--"
Duke Holmes's crazed laughter was suddenly cut in the middle by Lucas' words that riled his heart.
"What if I can help you find Art?"
The question came like a punch smashing Duke Holmes and he almost stood up in shock.
"You can?"
If he heard this previously, not only he would have sneered at Lucas but also spat at him for being an idiot who is trying to put his nose where he didn't belong but now like an ant clutching a last straw to avoid drowning, Holmes asked excitedly with a great anticipation.
"Before I answer that, I want to ask you something?" Lucas raised his eyes and locked his gaze at Duke Holmes.
"What sort of deal did you reach with White and Arts behind the scenes?"
His sudden question hit him in the guard.
"I can't answer that. I had taken a vow."
"I know that much." Lucas said.
"You can't say but you can nod."
A mischievous smile formed over his lips.
"Is it about power, territory, secret organization, dividing the Empire by creating chaos and striking Roy-...."
Lucas didn't need to finish his sentence as he already had an answer from Duke Holmes's bewildered reaction to his last words.
"I got it. Now that you said that, I am now almost sure that White had a hand in the disappearance of the Arts and noble families that had vanished out of nowhere."
"Did White silence them to keep the matter shielded?" Duke Holmes asked with a frown.
"No, it is unwise and a waste of manpower. Why go through such troubles when you have a chance to increase your prestige? With many strong people disappearing from the eyes and going into shadows, White would have gained a lot and you out of all of them were made the scapegoat."
Duke Holmes felt his heart stabbed and pierced by Lucas' blunt words. He would have never imagined that the very commoner whom he hates to the core, would not only be sitting before him but also manage to find things he couldn't guess.
No, it was just that, it's just he had become too dull and wasted himself in alcohol unable to see this punny thing.
With no heir and being the weakest Duke, the people under him would try to get over him and many pairs of greedy eyes would already be eyeing his fall.
The moment he show weakness, he would hbe been swallowed and the House of Holmes would cease to exist.
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