Chapter 138 - 65: You Can Do Anything

Chapter 138: Chapter 65: You Can Do Anything

"I never thought... I would have a future."

His words echoed in Lilia’s mind.

In the previous timeline, perhaps because she had been by his side, Lucian hadn’t shown much negative emotion, let alone said anything so close to despair about having no future in front of her. But in this timeline, Lilia suddenly realized that from Lien to Ovis, he seemed to have always been lonely. He had no friends by his side, only allies with aligned interests.

Those who stood behind him in silent support were either subordinates who needed him to lead them to victory, or Duke Williams, who only cared about him completing his revenge and nothing else. He had forced himself onto an extremely isolated path, like a lone wolf wandering by itself.

"You must be tired from walking." Lucian didn’t give Lilia a chance to delve deeper into her thoughts. He lifted his chin toward a street corner not far away, where a carriage was already waiting. "To my place?"

"Okay," Lilia nodded.

The two of them took the carriage to Lucian’s residence in Adrian. After entering, Lilia looked around.

Because of the butterfly effect, the Viscount Mansion in this timeline was vastly different from the last. It was a bit smaller, and the interior decoration seemed somewhat perfunctory. It was as if Lucian didn’t actually consider this place his home, but merely a temporary stopping point.

Lilia vaguely remembered that in the previous timeline, their residence in Adrian had been personally selected by the two of them. Everything—including every piece of furniture, every set of plates, and even every flower planted in the garden—was a joint decision made after they discussed it. That place had been full of the traces of their life together.

But the current Viscount Mansion looked so cold. Although it was still magnificent and grand, it felt like an exhibit in a museum. Aside from serving to display the Viscount’s status, it completely lacked the warmth a home should have.

Lilia withdrew her gaze without a word and followed Lucian to the dining room.

Just as Lucian had said, a sumptuous breakfast was already laid out on the dining table. Among the spread were pancakes and maple syrup commonly seen in Ovis, toasted bread and bacon from the Lien Kingdom, soft bread and hot chocolate from the Light Kingdom, and roasted meat with rye flatbread from the Hess Empire.

Lilia blinked, not expecting him to have prepared such a comprehensive feast. At Lucian’s gesture, she took a seat.

"Try it and see how it tastes." Lucian sat across from her. "The chef of the Viscount Mansion is a local of Ovis, so he made these by imitating the specialty breakfasts of other regions. I hope the taste isn’t too strange."

"It’s fine." Lilia wrapped a piece of roasted meat in a lettuce leaf and stuffed it into her mouth. "It’s delicious."

She didn’t have any obsession with food having to be perfectly authentic. As long as it tasted good and the combination wasn’t too weird, she could eat happily. As for why she chose the roasted meat first... she had tried the specialty breakfasts of the other three countries before, and they had been incredibly authentic. The breakfast of the Hess Empire, however, was a first for her.

It was heavily spiced, with chili, black pepper, and cumin... With one bite, the rich aroma of fat instantly burst forth, providing an incredibly hearty sense of satisfaction.

There was a lot of food on the table, but the portion size of each dish was relatively small, just right for the two of them. Once they were mostly finished, Lilia picked up the last remaining cup of hot chocolate. She thought for a moment before speaking up. "At present, the situation on my end has basically stabilized. Until Lien finds a way to deal with the Magic Crystal Bombs, they probably won’t act rashly."

Lucian nodded. "After fighting a war for so long, Lien definitely has suffered its own drain on resources."

He didn’t know why the people of the Lien Kingdom were able to summon demons, but he was certain that given the insatiable greed of demons, they couldn’t possibly charge into battle for the Lien Kingdom without demanding any compensation.

For nearly a year, the Lien Kingdom had seemed invincible and exceptionally fierce, only suffering a major loss at Lilia’s hands. But in reality, their resources might have already been hollowed out by the demons.

That kind of power was a double-edged sword. If used well, it could annex Ovis and Light. But once it spun out of control, it would only devour itself.

Ever since finding out that demons were related to the Lien Kingdom, Lucian had also reminded the Duke Williams Mansion to pay closer attention. The intelligence they sent back indicated that the Lien Kingdom was currently hunkering down to recover, with no intention of deploying troops again for the time being. This also aligned with Lucian’s guess.

"Therefore, now is the best time to resolve the problem," Lilia said. "What are your thoughts?"

Lucian was already prepared. "The several heirs of Ovis are the most incompetent of fools. If it weren’t for the backing of the noble factions, taking them down couldn’t be any easier. And that includes the King...

"A guy who didn’t even dare to speak up when his own son and concubine were schemed against and killed by the nobles—what kind of political maneuvers could he possibly have? He is nothing but a paper tiger.

"The ones who are truly difficult to deal with are those veteran nobles. They usually vie for power and profit, but when necessary, they will close ranks to protect themselves. The forces behind them are deeply intertwined and complex. Uprooting them completely is almost impossible.

"The only way is to offer them enough benefits to satisfy them. Or make them afraid."

"No, that’s not what I wanted to ask," Lilia said. "If you want to be the King of Ovis, then the next step is indeed to start with those nobles.

"But if all you want is revenge... there is actually no need for so much trouble."

Lucian froze for a moment, seemingly not understanding her words.

Lilia explained, "After so many years, you must have found some clues about the murderer, right?"

"The murderer is Colin, or at least he is involved. He definitely knows the truth about the fire back then." Lucian frowned. "But he is a Prince, and one supported by quite a few nobles at that. I have no way to strike at him."

It was exactly because of these concerns that, in the face of Colin’s repeated assassinations and probes, he had chosen to endure it silently, waiting to launch a counterattack only after he amassed enough power and influence.

"That might have been the case before," Lilia said. "But now, everything is different."

Lucian looked up at her. Sunlight streamed through the window, draping the girl before him in a layer of brilliant golden gauze. Her smile was faint but incredibly firm, just like the words she spoke next.

"With me here," Lilia said, "you can do anything you want to do."

Lucian felt as if his heartbeat had skipped a beat. He lowered his eyes, suppressing the inexplicable fluttering in his chest.

"It sounds like I’m your kept man." Lucian leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed. "As a cooperative partner, isn’t this condition a bit... too generous, Princess Lilia?"