Chapter 144 - 71: I Want to Chat With You

Chapter 144: Chapter 71: I Want to Chat With You

Past midnight.

Lilia and Lucian returned to the Viscount Williams Mansion.

A heavy silence hung in the air.

Lucian escorted Lilia to the door of her room. He tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a seemingly relaxed smile. "There shouldn’t be any more unexpected situations tonight. You can get a good rest."

When they broke into Colin Reinhardt’s residence, they used magic to conceal their tracks. No anomalies would be discovered in the short term, but once Colin broke free from his bindings, or the maids in the bedchamber regained their senses and went out to seek help, the matter would quickly come to light.

Lucian didn’t think Colin would keep their secret. The King would definitely send someone over to question them, but none of this was something Lilia needed to worry about. She had already done enough for him; all she needed to do now was get a good rest.

Lucian returned to his bedroom. He originally wanted to call the butler in to discuss how to handle the subsequent difficulties from the King and the Queen’s maternal family.

But after sitting at his desk for a while, he couldn’t concentrate at all.

For him, everything that had happened today was too surreal.

Colin had confessed to his crimes, and the truth behind his mother’s death had finally been uncovered. With Lilia’s help, getting revenge on them didn’t seem... quite as difficult as he had imagined.

These were all good pieces of news for him. In fact, ever since he returned from the Royal Palace, a ball of anger had been pent up in his chest, wanting to make those nobles who committed heinous acts pay the price. But after the anger came an empty bewilderment.

Lilia’s previous question resurfaced in his mind—

"What exactly is it that you want to do? Aside from revenge, what is the meaning of your life?"

Lucian put down his pen and leaned back against the armchair.

He raised his right hand, pressing the back of it against his forehead.

From his upside-down perspective, the candle’s flame continuously flickered downwards, like a trapped bird.

An unknown amount of time passed.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. A knock came from the door.

Lucian snapped back to his senses and sat up straight again. "Come in."

CREAK...

The door was pushed open, and a black-haired head peeked in. It was Lilia.

Lucian stood up. "Is something the matter? Are you not used to the room, or..."

The door swung open completely. Seeing the girl in full view, Lucian was suddenly left speechless. She must have just taken a bath. Dressed in a light-colored silk nightgown, she was hugging a down pillow she had grabbed from her bed. Right now, she didn’t possess a shred of the bearing expected of a Crown Prince of a nation, nor the imposing aura she had displayed in Colin’s bedchamber. She looked just like an ordinary young girl.

"No, I don’t mind the room," Lilia replied. The guest room was in excellent condition, and she wasn’t picky about where she slept. It was just... She blinked. "I wanted to chat with you for a bit."

Lucian fell silent.

"Chatting isn’t a problem, but..." He glanced at the pillow in Lilia’s arms and couldn’t help but laugh. "What is that for?"

Lilia didn’t answer. She reached back to lock the door and climbed onto his bed. Then, taking charge like she owned the place, she patted the empty space beside her. Her meaning was obvious: come over, lie down next to her, and keep her company.

"You..." Lucian smiled, his expression somewhat helpless. For the first time, he found himself at a loss for words. "Don’t you think this is a bit too fast?"

"But we’re an engaged couple." Lilia looked at him with righteous confidence. "Isn’t it perfectly normal to lie in bed and chat?"

She thoroughly defeated him with just two sentences.

"...Alright."

An engaged couple. Lucian chewed over the term in his mind. When she had mentioned it to the King that morning, it hadn’t really felt real to him. But now, seeing the girl in her nightgown, lying on his bed as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Lucian suddenly felt... as if his life had been tied to someone else’s. And he didn’t dislike the feeling.

Lucian went to grab some clothes, not forgetting to instruct her, "Wait a moment, I’m going to take a shower." He paused. "If you get bored, there are books on my desk. You can read whatever you like."

"Mhm." Lilia gave a perfunctory response and waved her hand, signaling him to hurry up.

The bathroom door was closed and then opened again.

When he came back out, Lucian had changed into light-colored pajamas. The color was strikingly similar to what Lilia was wearing. Lilia hadn’t touched the books; instead, she was sitting on the bed, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him.

Noticing her gaze, Lucian paused his footsteps for a moment. "...The clothes were prepared by Laura. Laura is..."

"I know," Lilia interjected. "The maid you brought over from the Lien Kingdom."

Lucian smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "You even know that?"

"I told you, I know you very well," Lilia said.

Did she really know him very well? Or had she simply investigated him thoroughly? But Lucian didn’t care about that anymore. He looked at Lilia, making sure she showed no signs of aversion, before finally climbing onto the bed.

Lilia blew out the nearby candle. The only light left in the room was the soft, lustrous glow of the moon.

Perhaps because the atmosphere was just right, or perhaps because the girl’s breathing beside him was so soft it tickled his ears, Lucian lowered his voice. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Your childhood." Lilia rolled over, resting her head on her crossed arms. "I want to hear about what happened when you were little."

Lucian stared at the ceiling, saying nothing.

Neither did Lilia. She just watched him quietly, as if entirely certain that he would tell her anything she asked.

"Actually..." Lucian spoke up. "My memory isn’t all that clear.

"My mother’s name was Diana. Diana Williams.

"Unlike my father, who only knew how to drink, she was a true genius in magic.

"She had a strong mind of her own since she was young. Even though my father was older than her, most of the time, whenever there was trouble, my mother was the one making the decisions.

"At eighteen, she graduated from Lien Academy and wanted to explore the outside world while she was still young.

"She disliked the posturing of nobles, and she hated bouncing between aristocrats with their fake masks just to maintain the family’s honor and glory.

"So she left Lien and traveled to many places.

"She was like a free bird, flying over mountains, rivers, and every city across the land.

"She never should have been bound by anyone. That is, until she came to Ovis, until... she met the King of Ovis.

"As a King, that man was certainly outstanding.

"My mother was drawn to him while he was traveling incognito. She thought she had found the love of her life, her soulmate."

Lucian gave a soft chuckle. "But in reality, he was nothing more than a liar."

Lilia looked at him, gazing at his exceptionally handsome yet extraordinarily fragile face in the moonlight.

She asked, "When she realized that everything was completely different from what she imagined, didn’t she ever think about leaving?"

"She did." Lucian turned on his side, meeting Lilia’s gaze. "Of course she thought about it."

A smile touched the corners of his mouth, and his expression seemed quiet and peaceful. Yet, his eyes were filled with a shattered agony.

"But by then, she already had me."