Plan ; Agreement - 10

Alpha was silent for a moment, she raised her eyebrows, her forehead wrinkled, she was obviously surprised to hear those words from Lucian. The scandal that led to the Crown Prince had indeed been circulating, but had been silenced long ago. Most people considered it nothing more than a cheap rumor used to bring down the good name of the imperial family.

She paused for a moment, then looked down for a moment, as if thinking back to Lucian's earlier words. "The Crown Prince?" she asked, her tone of voice filled with caution. 

"Of course, who doesn't know about those rumors. But what does that have to do with our current conversation?"

Lucian remained as calm as before keeping his smile on his lips, he sighed for a moment then lowered his head. A small grin appeared on his face this time.

"Think about it, why did he make that accusation to Duke Florance." he said, while looking at Alpha meaningfully, for the guild servent who cooperated with Duke Florance, they did not carelessly ignore this rumor.

And the reason? It was quite easy to guess. Power struggles are common in territories with monarchies. Overthrowing one power in order to strengthen one's own position is a classic and common move in this kind of power system.

Alpha squinted behind her mask, then moved her body slightly forward. "Don't tell me... diversion?" she said quietly, but there was clear doubt mixed with surprise in her tone.

Lucian snorted for a moment, and smiled faintly. "Bingo."

"He did that because he wanted to divert the rumor that the current crown prince was not the Emperor's biological son."

"So you're saying the rumors are true?" Alpha asked with a confused expression, trying to understand what Lucian was saying.

"It's true, but I guess I should pretend not to know this." Lucian thought to himself, trying to keep his face calm.

The words he was saying right now were not mere conjecture, but this issue had also been mentioned in the game's story. Lucian remembered it clearly, back when the main story was just beginning, when the protagonist was summoned to this world, rumors about the Crown Prince's royal blood spread quickly among the people and the low-level nobles.

The rumor smoldered for some time, forming a dangerous spark of unrest. In that game, Duke Reynald Florance was one of the characters who came close to revealing the rumor, he collected some evidence supporting that opinion, Lucian also believed that opinion was sought after by this guild.

However, the opinion evidence he gathered was lacking, and he was unfortunately accused of being a traitor to the country. The evidence he had was not strong enough, and the imperial investigators managed to silence him in a legal way.

"Well, that's what I said," Lucian said casually, his shoulders shrugging slightly as if to indicate that all of this was just an afterthought. "Of course that sounds like a personal opinion from me."

"But think about it... how the public will react after learning about this." he explained again, then looked at Alpha seriously. He then raised his hand slowly, then raised his index and middle fingers simultaneously.

"It will split into two factions. The first faction is, of course, those who remain loyal to the Crown Prince. But the second faction... those who are beginning to doubt the royal bloodline. And who will they look to? Who can they see as an alternative?"

Lucian brought his fingers together, then pointed them downwards, emphasizing the next sentence.

"People will start turning to Duke Florence. The previous crown prince." He continued with a faint smile.

He then shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, his demeanor looking relaxed at the moment. "Of course, if Duke Florance's supporters increase this will be a threat to him."

Hearing this, Alpha gritted her teeth slowly while clasping her hands. Her expression turned serious, realizing how much of an impact the information she was hearing at the moment had.

After hearing this from you," Alpha said finally, her gaze straight at Lucian this time, "it all seems to make sense. Thank you, sir. We'll try to reinvestigate this case."

Lucian remained silent for a moment, just nodding slowly. But behind the calmness of his face, his mind spoke differently.

 "I feel guilty saying this," he thought to himself, his gaze fixed on the man before him. "Even without my help, they'll get the evidence they collected, just like in the game. I just made it a little faster."

"I don't need any thanks," Lucian said in a flat tone, his eyes remaining fixed on the Alpha. "In return, I want the results of my previous request."

He shrugged his shoulders slightly in a manner that seemed relaxed, though his words were actually stressful. "You can write to me if you find it."

Alpha nodded slowly, "Sure," she replied in a calmer tone, though there was still some lingering tension. "I'll send you a letter as soon as I have the information you want."

A smile on Lucian's face at this point, he stood up from his seat, adjusting his body position with a casual gesture. "Alright then, I look forward to it."

He stepped towards the door, the sound of his steady steps filling the quiet space that was previously only decorated by heavy conversation.

"It seems I've left my servants alone out there for too long," Lucian added as he glanced briefly at the door, then resumed his steps. He paused for a moment in the doorway, as if remembering something that still needed to be done.

"Oh, there's one more thing I want to ask," he said, his voice sounding more serious, his eyebrows slightly raised to signify the importance of the question he was about to ask.

"Do you know about summoning magic that can summon people from another world or something?"

Alpha was a little surprised at the question, and after a few seconds of silence, she responded calmly. "Summoning magic is a common thing, especially for a witch. However, I've never heard of summoning magic that can summon humans, let alone from another world."

Lucian leaned his body against the door, his eyes remaining focused on Alpha, as if trying to dig deeper. "Is that so?" he asked in a teasing tone, fishing for further reactions.

Alpha furrowed his brow for a moment, suspecting that there was something more to it than a simple question.

"In that case, please forget what I said before," Lucian continued in a more casual tone, as if he didn't really care if his question left a less than clear impression.

With that, Lucian stepped out of the room, Alpha then removed the mask she wore earlier, letting her long hair down, she still remembered Lucian's last words before leaving this room, but she tried to forget them. Magic that could summon humans from another world? That sounded impossible.

The room was now silent again, only the sound of distant footsteps echoing between the two. Alpha leaned against the table, still musing about all the information he had just gotten.

"It turns out you're here, big brother," a soft but curious voice sounded from the door. Alpha turned her head, seeing a man who had just emerged from the shadows. "Didn't I tell you to leave before?" said Alpha in a slightly sharp tone, though there was a sense of fatigue in it.

A man with flowing blue hair, with sharp bright yellow eyes, stepped forward. He was Duke Reynald of Florence. "I wanted to go home, but when that man mentioned my name, so I put it off," Duke Reynald said with a faint smile, as if not bothered by the situation.

Reynald leaned back in his chair casually, but his eyes remained fixed on Alpha. A faint smile was etched on his face, but his gaze was full of something hard to interpret - warmth mixed with caution.

"I appreciate your intentions, but aren't you pushing yourself too hard, Schnee?" he said, his voice remaining calm but carrying undeniable authority. "I just want you to live your life like any other girl your age, not worry about me all the time."

Schnee took a deep breath, trying to contain the emotions churning inside her. "I can't just watch them get rid of you, big brother." Her voice trembled slightly, though she tried to hold it in.

 "They already took everything from you, and now they still want to erase your existence. It makes me..." She clenched her fists, her eyes beginning to heat up. "Angry. So angry!"

Reynald raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Schnee, you're too serious," he said in a light tone, but there was firmness in his voice. "As long as you're by my side, I don't care how others look at me. I'm still here, still standing. That's enough, isn't it?"

He looked at his sister with an expression that was almost mocking, but behind it was a distinctive gentleness-as if to say that he understood, but also did not want Schnee to bear an unnecessary burden.

"By the way, that second Young Master of the Hale family, seems like an interesting person. I'd like to talk to him in the future." Lucian smiled slightly, thinking of the potential relationship they could build.

Lucian exited the room with a faint smile, his steps steady and confident. "Once two islands are rowed," he muttered, as if praising the steps he had taken.

***

"Reynald Florence, he's quite an important character in the game," Lucian thought with a smile. "If you have a connection with him, that's a very good advantage, plus working together with the Servent Guild. Ah~ this is called the privilege of someone who knows the future."

Lucian felt as if he had the upper hand, understanding the steps of others before they even thought of what to do. As Lucian stepped calmly, suddenly a wine cup flew past his head, almost hitting his hair.

"Hey, do people here have bad habits when drunk?" Lucian commented while nimbly dodging the flying cup, his voice flat yet full of curiosity.

In front of him , a gambler appeared to be floating, his body seemingly lifted uncontrollably. His eyes were half-closed, perhaps due to the influence of alcohol or his confusion. In front of him stood Natty, calmly moving her hands as if controlling the gambler.

"How dare you touch me, you crazy person!!" shouted Natty, her expression full of anger, while her hand remained extended in the air, her telekinetic power still strong.

"Huh," Lucian sighed, holding his head a bit tiredly. "Can't she just wait quietly?" he muttered, feeling annoyed by the sudden commotion.

Lucian started to approach Natty with a casual stride, though he still seemed a bit disturbed."I'm back, Natty. Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long," said Lucian in a calm tone, trying to ease the existing tension.

"Young master?!" Natty exclaimed, her reaction immediately turning into surprise as she was startled to see Lucian returning. The gambler who had been floating suddenly fell to the ground hard as soon as Natty released her telekinetic power.

"Wow, here it is, even though it's trivial. Natty's ability is really good for a buff," Lucian thought with a small smile, admiring his servant's abilities even in a slightly chaotic situation.

"I guess I've been away from the mansion too long, so how about we head back now?"

"Y-yes, young master," Natty replied quickly, her expression becoming more serious, as it usually did when Lucian gave her a command. Lucian nodded slowly and stepped toward the door, while Natty quickly followed behind him. The two of them left the place, intending to return to the Hale mansion before the day got too dark.