Chapter 37 - 36: The Duke’s Banquet

Chapter 37: Chapter 36: The Duke’s Banquet

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Someone knocked on Lucian’s door. He sat up in bed. Instead of inviting the person in, he opened the door and stepped out.

Outside, a middle-aged man in his thirties stood with his head bowed. He bowed to him and said, "Mr. Lucian, the investigation you ordered is complete. Here is the report."

Lucian gave a slight nod and took the report. The content was brief, amounting to only two or three pages. The subject’s name was printed at the very top, accompanied by a photograph that had clearly been taken secretly.

In the picture, a black-haired girl walked along the main road of Lien Academy. The breeze lifted the hair at her temples, revealing a delicate, nearly perfect profile. Beside her, another figure stuck close to her side. As if sensing something, the figure had glanced toward the camera; the gaze captured in that split second was dark and ferocious.

Lucian completely ignored him, his eyes locked onto the girl in the center of the image.

Lilia Sifris.

Born in the Lien Kingdom, in a small town called Ernst. Her parents were ordinary workers with no power or influence.

Her Magic Talent was C+, the lowest in Lien Academy, but her grades were excellent. She had maintained first place in her year since enrollment.

She was Caius’s study companion and was practically inseparable from him on a daily basis, rarely going out alone. The two had separated for a period of time three weeks ago but quickly reconciled. The exact details of what happened remained unknown.

She was very popular at school, with many claiming to be her best friend.

The Beaumont family took good care of her. They had once brought her to a banquet hosted by the Royal Family, which proved that her status within the Beaumont family was definitely not just that of a maid.

Furthermore, the youngest son of the Freg family had repeatedly shown his affection for her, but she had never responded. Not long ago, Griffin Freg was attacked on his way to school. Many privately speculated that the culprit was Caius.

Caius.

Lucian looked at this piece of information and could not help but fall into deep thought.

He thought of their duel that afternoon. He remembered Caius’s nervous expression when Lilia rushed out, and the way the guy had unhesitatingly shielded her when he asked for her name.

Sure enough, he was guarding his "food."

However, the "food" he was protecting seemed to have a mind of her own.

As he was thinking, a heart-wrenching fit of coughing echoed from the direction of the master bedroom at the end of the hallway.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment. "Mr. Lucian—"

"It’s fine. You did well." Lucian put the report away. "You may leave for now. I will find you if I need anything."

"Yes, sir."

After the man left, Lucian approached the master bedroom.

This time, he didn’t knock. Instead, he used a key to unlock the door directly.

The moment the door was pushed open, a tangled stench of alcohol and tobacco rushed out, as thick as heavy smog in the sky.

On the bed, the coughing figure sensed something. He grabbed an empty wine bottle nearby and hurled it over, roaring hoarsely, "Get out! Get the hell out!"

Lucian stepped sideways to dodge it, his movements alarmingly practiced.

"I will attend Duke Englis’s banquet next week as the heir to Duke Williams," Lucian said softly.

The man on the bed hunched over, making it impossible to see his face or expression.

After a long moment, he let out a couple of laughs. The sound rolling from his throat resembled a broken bellows. "You’ve been the Williams heir for a long time. Since when do I get a say in these matters?"

"In that case, I will take that as your agreement." Lucian did not say much else.

He turned to leave. As the door began to close again, he still left behind a few words.

"I have not forgotten the past for a single moment.

"Perhaps you don’t believe it, but that is the meaning of my existence.

"Everything I am doing now is for that very reason."

Inside the room, no one answered.

CLICK. The door shut, once again separating their two worlds.

That was right.

Lucian looked out the pitch-black window. Everything he did was for that reason. Therefore, he had to gain the support of the Beaumont family. No matter the method.

Meanwhile.

At the Beaumont Earl Mansion.

"A banquet?" Lilia asked curiously at the dining table.

"That’s right. It’s a banquet organized by Duke Englis to celebrate his daughter’s sixteenth birthday," Lady Beaumont smiled from across the table. "Lilia, you are about the same age as Miss Englis, so we have decided to bring you along."

Lilia nodded, as well-behaved as always.

Since coming to the Beaumont family, she had actively or passively attended several banquets and had summarized some patterns.

Generally speaking, the scale of a banquet and the lineup of attending guests were determined by the host’s status. There was naturally a world of difference between a banquet hosted by the Royal Family and one hosted by an ordinary Baron.

Lilia had heard of Duke Englis’s name. He was considered a highly prestigious, old-money Noble within the Lien Kingdom. In politics, he had always been strictly impartial. Many Nobles had tried to pull him into their camp, only to leave empty-handed.

For the Beaumont family to start preparing so early, it wasn’t impossible that they wanted to win over this Noble... However, none of this had anything to do with Lilia.

What she focused on more was that the Beaumont couple seemed to value her even more now.

A few days ago, Lady Beaumont had approached her privately to ask for her opinion on the younger generation of Noble scions.

Yesterday, a maid leaked some news to her, saying that a Baron had sent an invitation for her to visit his manor, but the Countess had declined it on her behalf.

Afterward, she accidentally overheard the Earl Couple discussing the matter. They said that the Baron’s status was too low, and even if she were to interact with suitors, they had to choose carefully.

Today, the Countess specifically mentioned that she should get along well with Miss Englis...

From these details, it could be seen that the Earl Couple seemed to have developed new expectations of her.

Based on Lilia’s understanding, Caius was supposedly the eldest son of the Beaumont family. However, despite living here for several years, she had never seen a second child.

When others mentioned Caius, they mostly used terms like "only son" or "sole heir." This proved that the Beaumont family’s composition was indeed simple, consisting only of the Earl, the Countess, and Caius.

Since ancient times, marriage had been one of the most common and effective ways to connect two families. As the only son, Caius’s marriage could not be easily sacrificed.

But Lilia was different.

Over her many years at Lien Academy, those Nobles had long since noticed her special status in the Beaumont family, which was why that Baron she had never even met invited her to tour his manor.

It was because he felt that as long as he won Lilia’s favor and married her, he would gain the Beaumont family’s support.

The Beaumont family clearly harbored similar thoughts.

After all, support was mutual. This upcoming banquet was perhaps meant to push her to the forefront.