The Great Gamble

As I was eliminating the unsuitable or difficult ones to deal with, one particular character came to my mind.

If I had to describe them, currently they are undoubtedly one of the strongest Knights of the Empire, yet unknown.

Unknown because, they hide their strength, in order to avoid unwanted attention.

And they haven't died once till the upcoming Great War, if I recall correctly.

Well, the only problematic thing I would say about them is they are a psychopath type.

You might think that this method has even lesser chance of working out than the other ones which I eliminated at first.

However, the thing is that person is very well know to me as well as the owner of this body, Lucian Kingston.

That fact alone increases its feasibility single handedly.

Well, she is none other than Lucian's half sister,

Xantheve Kingston.

A name as rare as the person who bore it.

Apart from her monstrous strentgh, the thing that makes her suitable is she is a family member.

You can always negotiate and persuade a family member to help you.

Then, why didn't I choose Lucian's father, who is definitely stronger than her at this point in the novel.

Well, first of all he seemed really hard to deal with when I conversed with him earlier.

And secondly, he would die too in the second or third arc of this story.

Therefore, the most suitable person to bind with is definitely Xantheve.

But, it's not as easy as it seems.

As I said before, she is one of the strongest Knights in the empire, "yet unknown", because she hides her strength to avoid unwanted attention.

Such type of persons work on their ideologies.

They follow their own philosophy and pursue a single greater goal, to affect the entirety of humanity or the world.

In my opinion, they can have their own stories with them as the protagonist.

She is such type of a character.

Hence, even thinking about negotiating with her is scaring the shit out of me.

However, I know her character well from the web novel, due to which I am aware of her ideology and goal too.

Thus, I have some plans on how to persuade her in this matter.

As I was thinking of visiting her before leaving for the academy, a familiar knock was heard.

"Come in.", I said, recognizing it's the maid, Elara.

"Young master, we have a visitor, waiting at the hallway for you."

She said, her expression never faltering.

I had no idea about this development, so I quickly changed into a suitable wearing and made my way towards the hallway.

It's not like Lucian had many friends who would visit him while he is sick or injured.

Even if it brought political benefits, most of the 'get well soon' messages were brought through messangers.

So, who the hell could it be?

***

I reached the hallway, my mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Xantheve.

But when I stepped inside, my train of thought came to an abrupt halt.

Sitting elegantly on one of the velvet chairs was a young lady—her posture flawless, her presence commanding.

She was the kind of noblewoman whose aura alone could silence an entire ballroom.

Long, chestnut-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with the ice-blue eyes that met mine the moment I entered.

Sylphyre Valtor.

Lucian Kingston's fiancée.

Or rather… the ex-fiancée in the original story.

I hadn't expected to meet her so soon. In Regressed Hero of the Knight's Academy, Eleanor Valtor was a major character, known for her unwavering sense of justice and keen intellect.

She was one of the protagonist's key allies—and a part of his harem.

And her impression of Lucian Kingston?

Utterly abysmal.

In the novel, their engagement had been purely political, arranged between their families.

But Lucian's vile reputation had made her despise him.

When he died, she hadn't shed a single tear. In fact, the engagement had been annulled so quickly it was as if it had never existed.

And now, here she was, very much aware that I was alive.

She glanced at me, her expression unreadable.

Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, she stood up.

"Elara," she addressed my maid without looking away from me, "you may leave us."

Elara hesitated for the briefest second before bowing and stepping away.

The silence between us stretched uncomfortably.

I had to say something.

"…Sylphyre." I greeted her, keeping my voice neutral.

"Lucian." Her tone was crisp, polite, yet laced with something colder.

She studied me carefully, as if searching for something.

Then she spoke again, her words carrying an unmistakable weight.

"I heard you nearly died."

Her eyes bore into mine. Not with concern. Not with relief.

But with suspicion.

I exhaled. So she had already caught onto something.

This was going to be troublesome.

I took the opposite seat as she poured two cups of tea for both of us and offered one to me.

"Thought I would have to wait for an hour or two.", she told me, remaining expressionless.

It makes sense though.

Neither Lucian nor Sylphyere had any positive

opinion of each other.

Lucian was a scum for sure, but he didn't like the way Sylphyre looked down on him due to him being talentless.

But due to the political engagement, Sylphyre had to maintain some courtesy with him.

Lucian always took advantage of his family being in higher status than Sylphyre's to harass her.

She must have come here to visit me due to her father's orders.

And according to Lucian's usual behavior, it wouldn't have been strange at all for him to make her wait for an hour or two.

I accepted the teacup with a light nod, though I didn't immediately drink from it. A small but deliberate gesture—just enough to show I wasn't fully comfortable around her yet.

Sylphyre took a slow sip of her own tea, her ice-blue eyes never leaving me.

"So?" she said finally, setting the cup down with a soft clink. "What happened to you?"

I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other. My mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle Sylphyre.

She was sharp. If I acted too different, she would notice. If she got suspicious, she would start digging.

I couldn't let that happen.

So, I had to act like Lucian Kingston—the arrogant noble who thought he was above everyone.

I scoffed, picking up my teacup but not drinking from it.

"What do you think happened, Sylphyre?" I said, sounding annoyed. "Do you expect me to explain myself like some weak commoner?"

She didn't react much, but I noticed the small tilt of her head. She was paying attention.

"I expected something more than childish deflection," she said, her tone cold. "But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

I tapped my fingers against the cup. "I don't owe you an explanation. Whether I almost died or not doesn't change anything."

"It does if it affects our engagement," she said.

So that was why she was here.

I sighed, pretending not to care. "If you want to break it off, just say so. It's not like I asked for this arrangement."

She let out a slow breath, as if talking to me was tiring.

"Unfortunately, my father has other ideas."

I already knew that, but hearing her say it confirmed she wasn't here by choice.

"So?" I said, setting the teacup down. "Did you just come to check if I'm still alive, or is there another reason?"

She traced the rim of her cup with her finger.

"If you had died, our engagement would have been canceled right away," she said, her voice emotionless. "But since you survived, my father wants to observe you first."

I frowned inside. Observe?

That meant she would be watching me closely.

"I don't care what your father wants," I said, leaning forward. "If you want to end this, just do it. Tell him you hate me, that I'm awful, that you'd rather marry a pig."

She raised an eyebrow. "You seem eager to get rid of me."

I shrugged. "I just don't see the point in pretending. You hate me. I don't care about you. Why waste time?"

It was a bluff, to see her reaction.

But, I knew that even if she wanted to get rid of the engagement, her father would never allow to do so.

From my point of view, I also don't see the point in this engagement.

She seems like the irritating type to deal with.

Moreover, if worse comes to worst, and I fail in saving myself within a week, the engagement would be annulled by default.

Cancelling it right now would be beneficial for both of us.

"How about cancelling the engagement right now?", I suggested.

" What? ", she was dumbfounded by my proposition.

"I have a way to persuade your father to agree to cancel this engagement. How about it?"

Sylphyre frowned, her ice-blue eyes narrowing.

"You? Persuade my father?" she repeated, her voice filled with doubt.

I smirked. "What? You don't think I can?"

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "I find it hard to believe that someone like you has any leverage over my father."

She wasn't wrong to doubt me. Lucian Kingston was a spineless noble who relied on his family name to throw his weight around.

But I wasn't him.

Still, I had to play this carefully.

And thus, I told her my plan on how we can accomplish it without fussing over much.

"Are you sure, it would work out?, an unusual response from Sylphyre.

She would have tried to find loopholes in this plan, but she took it positively, which made things easier for me.

Because I found a way to delay my death through her.

" I would make sure this works out, but upon one condition.", I made myself clear.

"What condition?", she asked anxiously.

" Well..... "

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A/N :

Please comment down your thoughts on this chapter if anyone's reading.

Next chapter : Magic, Knights and, Academy

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