Chapter 35 - 34: The Real Her

Chapter 35: Chapter 34: The Real Her

"Excuse me, but may I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Opposite them, the young man’s smile was gentle and extremely charming. The pitch of his voice trailed up slightly at the end, as if carrying a hook. Caius’s expression grew even fouler.

Lilia gripped Caius’s clothes, tilted her head, and peered over his shoulder to look at the young man.

Caius was already quite tall, with the top of Lilia’s head barely reaching his shoulder. However, perhaps because he was two years older than them, Lucian was even taller than Caius.

To meet Lilia’s gaze, Lucian lowered his head slightly. His somewhat long blonde hair obscured his brows and eyes just a bit, making his lake-green pupils seem even more gentle and affectionate, like a hazy mist of rain.

Faced with such a face and such a pair of eyes, it seemed impossible for any girl to refuse his request.

Lilia blinked. "Take a guess."

As her words fell, Lucian froze. Caius’s mood, however, shot up like a roller coaster on an ascending track, brightening up instantly.

"I already told you, she has no interest in your name," Caius said, carrying the haughty pride of a victor.

He ignored Lucian and grasped Lilia’s hand right in front of him. "The instructor said we need to arrive ten minutes early. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late."

Lilia nodded, allowing him to hold her hand as they turned around and headed toward the training grounds together.

The crowd of spectators had already mostly dispersed when the match ended. After all, no one dared to stick around and gossip about two nobles, especially when both of their families held much higher status than their own.

"Hey, Lucian." A few figures gathered around him. "You actually lost. To lose to a lower-grade brat... it’s unbelievable."

"It was two against one, and Lucian didn’t expect that girl to rush out suddenly. It’s normal that he lost."

"Lucian, tell the truth. Did you hold back because you saw how pretty that girl was?"

"You didn’t hurt a single hair on her head despite attacking several times. Isn’t that obvious enough?"

Listening to his classmates’ teasing, Lucian smiled faintly. "Intentionally holding back and losing the match? Do you guys think I’m that kind of person?"

The group fell silent.

That was true. During the Four Great Academies Exchange Tournament last year, the Ovis Empire Princess who stood until the end in the arena was also stunningly beautiful, yet they hadn’t seen Lucian lighten his strikes at all. This guy looked affectionate and soft-hearted, but in reality, he didn’t have the slightest intention of showing tender affection for women. Those girls in their grade must be truly blind to have a secret crush on him.

"Right, what were you talking about with those two lower-grade students just now?" a classmate asked curiously.

"Nothing much. Just saying hello after the match," Lucian said casually.

His companions looked completely unconvinced. If they weren’t mistaken, Lucian’s final expression had been quite a spectacle. If he was really just saying hello, would he have reacted like that?

Lucian didn’t elaborate. "Was that Caius, the only son of the Beaumont family whom you guys were discussing yesterday?"

"That’s right."

"I had only heard that his talent was high in the past, but seeing it today, it’s more than just high. It’s simply absurd."

"Lucian, are you feeling a lot of pressure now? Who knows, maybe he’ll replace you next year, make his mark in the Four Great Academies Exchange Tournament, and become the new leading figure of Lien Academy."

Lucian smiled. "Each generation is stronger than the last. That’s a good thing."

"Then..." He paused for a moment. "Who is the girl beside him?"

His classmates once again fell into silence.

"Hey, Lucian, you didn’t want to ask this question right from the start, did you?"

Faced with his companions’ suspicion, Lucian simply smiled without saying a word.

They finally understood. So Lucian had been hitting on that girl just now! But from the looks of it... he got rejected? This was truly a rare sight.

"Her name is Lilia, Lilia Sifris," a young man explained. "She’s also quite famous in Lien Academy, but she spends most of her time following Beaumont around. It’s normal that you don’t know her."

"Following Beaumont around?"

"Yeah, she’s Beaumont’s study companion. Naturally, she’s inseparable from him."

A study companion... So she was a commoner.

Lucian didn’t say anything, but someone nearby couldn’t help saying, "A study companion? A study companion can actually study in Class A? Can those snobbish little brats tolerate her? Didn’t we just hear a couple of days ago that a commoner who transferred to Class A was forced to drop out?"

"That just shows she has her ways. Didn’t you see just now? That boy from the Beaumont family doesn’t treat her like a study companion."

"Could it be... they have that kind of relationship?"

"It’s hard to say." The young men gathered together, revealing knowing smiles.

"Enough." Lucian’s tone turned cold. "Let’s go back to class."

His companions immediately fell silent. They could sense that Lucian was in a bad mood, but they didn’t know the reason. It couldn’t possibly be because they were just discussing that commoner study companion, right? Before they could figure it out, Lucian took the lead and walked toward the classroom.

The day’s classes quickly came to an end.

Queen District.

Lucian pushed open the front doors of the Duke Mansion.

However glorious the Williams family was in the past, that was how desolate they appeared at this moment. The once-bustling Duke Mansion was now reduced to an empty shell. In the glow of the setting sun, it sprawled in a corner of the Queen District like a corpse, resembling a puddle of festering blood that hadn’t yet been wiped away.

Upon entering the house, an elderly maid immediately came out to greet him. "Young Master, dinner is ready. Please proceed to the dining room."

"Where is my father?"

"The Duke... is still in his room."

"He hasn’t come out all day?"

"Yes... he hasn’t come out all day."

Lucian nodded, indicating he understood. He didn’t eat immediately; instead, he took a meal tray up to the master bedroom on the second floor.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

He knocked lightly three times but heard no response.

"Father," he said, his voice cold. "It’s time to eat."

CRASH!

A muffled crash came from inside the room, likely the sound of a wine bottle shattering against the floor, carrying a strong sense of expulsion. Lucian knew that his father was telling him to get lost.

He remained silent for a moment. Setting the meal tray down by the door, he gave one more reminder before turning away.

After finishing his dinner alone, Lucian glanced at the master bedroom on his way upstairs and noticed the meal tray was gone.

His face remained expressionless as he returned to his own room.

After washing up, he lay in bed. Staring up at the slightly mottled ceiling, Lucian suddenly recalled this morning.

The girl had glided through the air above his head, her long hair dancing and her clothes fluttering like a bright and free spring breeze.

In the mouths of his classmates, she was a commoner maid clinging to the powerful, desperately trying to climb the social ladder by any means necessary, but Lucian didn’t think so.

He didn’t dislike ambition; he just felt that wasn’t the real her. He had seen the real her.