Chapter 48 - 47: Isn’t It Normal to Be Possessive of a Partner?

Chapter 48: Chapter 47: Isn’t It Normal to Be Possessive of a Partner?

"Are you very popular at school?"

It was a question that seemed completely unrelated to the current topic. However, almost the instant he heard it, a scene flashed through Lucian’s mind.

It was from earlier that evening in the carriage, when Caius had mocked his popularity with women, claiming his private life was a mess and that he maintained ambiguous relationships with multiple women at once.

At the time, he had deliberately paid attention to Lilia’s reaction, only to find she didn’t seem to care at all. Her indifference meant she harbored no special feelings for him. That realization had left Lucian feeling deeply frustrated.

But now...

Smiling, Lucian played dumb despite knowing exactly why she asked. "Why do you ask?"

"Forget it if you don’t want to say." Lilia turned to leave.

Lucian had only wanted to tease her a little out of habit. He never expected Lilia to go against common sense and completely flip the table on him. In a panic, he grabbed her wrist. "Lili!"

Forced to stop, Lilia didn’t turn around.

Lucian looked at her back. "Are you angry?"

"I’m not angry."

"Then you’re in a bad mood."

Lilia tilted her head, glancing at the increasingly radiant smile on his face. "Does it make you happy that I’m in a bad mood?" Her tone was as calm as ever, yet it carried a rare hint of impatience. "Is there anything else? If not, I’m going back inside."

Lucian said, "You still haven’t answered my question. Are you free this Sunday?"

"You haven’t answered my question either," Lilia replied. "Shouldn’t this sort of thing be a matter of give and take?"

"All right." As if having confirmed something, the smile on Lucian’s lips became even more pronounced. "It seems you really do care."

This time, he didn’t beat around the bush. "I do have good popularity. I know most of the students at Lien Academy."

Lilia’s gaze was dark and steady as she looked at him, quietly waiting for him to continue.

He didn’t make her wait long. "However, Caius’s accusations are entirely false. They are nothing but slander and defamation."

"...So, you don’t frequently hang around with different women."

"Of course not."

"Nor do you accept anyone who throws themselves at you, like the rumors say."

"Accept anyone?" Lucian leaned a little closer to her. "Is that the kind of person you think I am?"

"Yes." Lilia nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

Lucian choked slightly on his words, sighing helplessly. "I’m innocent."

"You know how it is. Outstanding people never lack rumors, much like yourself." Lilia was entirely unaffected by his grievance. "We are talking about you right now. Don’t change the subject."

"Yes, yes, yes," Lucian laughed. "It’s my fault." He watched the girl’s slightly softened expression. "Are you feeling better?"

"I suppose," Lilia said mildly. "It depends on your future performance."

"As you command." Lucian’s gaze shifted downward.

He was still holding Lilia’s wrist. The girl’s skin was fair and delicate, offering a completely different sensation from a man’s. It was as soft as a cloud, making him reluctant to let go.

He showed no intention of releasing his grip, either. "I’m very glad you asked me about this."

Questioning him meant she cared. It meant that in Lilia’s heart, they were more than just a cold, transactional partnership. This brought him immense joy, as if the whole world had suddenly grown brighter.

Lucian knew this was wrong. Emotions and interests were never compatible. He shouldn’t harbor unnecessary expectations for this relationship... nor should he allow his feelings to be swayed by Lilia’s every move.

But... at this moment.

Lilia had fully turned around, and the two were now face to face. Due to their height difference, Lilia had to tilt her head up to look into his eyes.

As if knowing exactly what he was thinking, the girl said earnestly, "You’re right. I actually care a lot—I care terribly.

"I’m not a very generous person to begin with, so it’s perfectly normal for me to feel possessive over my partner, isn’t it?"

Lucian chuckled. "That’s right. It’s normal. It’s very normal. In fact, it couldn’t be more normal."

Slipping his hand downward, he traced from Lilia’s wrist to her palm. He supported the girl’s hand, pressed his thumb against her knuckles, and rubbed over them heavily.

Lilia stared at him. "...I feel like you want to bite me."

"Why would I do that?" he replied, though he had indeed been stirred by her mention of "possessiveness," fueling a faint impulse to leave a mark on that fair, slender hand.

"Give and take." Lucian raised his eyes. A lingering, unsuppressed dark fire smoldered in the depths of his gaze, making him appear highly aggressive. "It’s time for you to answer my question."

Lilia naturally wouldn’t go back on her word. "Remember to come pick me up."

"What time?"

"Whatever works for you."

"Then at nine in the morning, at the entrance of the Earl Mansion. Be punctual."

"No problem," Lilia readily agreed. Seeing that he was still gripping her hand, she tried to pull away. "I need to go back."

"In a rush to see Caius?"

Lilia fell silent. She began to wonder if she shouldn’t have said all that earlier. It felt as if her use of the word "possessive" had completely flipped a switch inside him, awakening some strange, dormant trait.

If Lilia hadn’t heard the system prompt for [Favorability increased] right after saying it, she never would have had the patience to stand there and entertain this back-and-forth. Fortunately, Lucian always had a good sense of boundaries and wouldn’t throw a tantrum over groundless speculations.

After telling her to "get some rest early," he released her hand. He watched Lilia turn and leave, his gaze lingering until her figure was cut off by the grand doors and completely disappeared from his sight.

Inside the Earl Mansion.

It was rare for Lilia not to see Caius on the second floor. After talking outside with Lucian for so long, she had fully expected to walk in and find Caius standing on the landing, glaring at her gloomily. She had even prepared her excuses, yet surprisingly, he wasn’t there today.

"Miss Lilia," a passing maid greeted her.

Lilia gave a slight nod. "Where is Caius?"

"Young Master Caius returned to his room after dinner," the maid replied. "Do you have any instructions, Miss Lilia?"

"No." She was just curious and asked in passing.

It was a good thing for her that Caius was no longer paying attention to her. It would be best if he never arbitrarily interfered in her affairs again from now on, to avoid any uncontrollable accidents like what had happened with Victor.

With these thoughts in mind, Lilia returned to her room.

Meanwhile. Inside Caius’s room.

His window faced the main entrance of the Earl Mansion. Looking down from there, he had a panoramic view of the entire area.

When Lilia and Lucian were talking, he had been watching the entire time. He watched as that blond bastard took Lilia’s hand, his eyes dark and murky, as if he wanted to devour the girl standing before him whole.

Even though the entrance was now completely empty, Caius still hadn’t moved from the window. His fingers were tightly hooked into the crevices of the windowsill’s stonework, gripping with such force that his fingernails were on the verge of cracking.