Chapter 54 - 53: The First Puzzle

Chapter 54: Chapter 53: The First Puzzle

Lucian looked at her. "Stay for the night?"

Lilia nodded and said in a serious tone, "Lady Beaumont said it’s too late, and the journey back wouldn’t be safe.

"There are plenty of guest rooms in the manor, and they were just cleaned yesterday, so you don’t have to worry about a place to sleep.

"We both have classes tomorrow, so we can just go to school together."

Listening to this rapid-fire string of reasons, Lucian nodded in amusement. "It’s late, it’s unsafe, there are plenty of guest rooms, and we can go to school together tomorrow."

It all sounded perfectly reasonable, but they were nothing more than excuses. Lady Beaumont had only one objective in inviting him to stay, and that was to create an opportunity for him and Lilia to spend time together. She really had gone to great lengths.

Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Lilia asked again, "So, are you going to stay?"

"Of course. I would be honored to accept."

Lilia taking the initiative to pass on the Countess’s invitation proved that she had already tacitly agreed to the proposal. How could Lucian possibly be a wet blanket at a time like this?

"Is this a reward for my good behavior today?"

Guided by Lilia, Lucian arrived at a guest room on the second floor. Lilia took out a key to unlock the door. Hearing his words, she turned back and let out a soft "Hmm?" to express her confusion.

"I’m talking about Declan Marlo," Lucian said. "I assume I showed up right on time?"

Lilia understood.

"Isn’t that what a gentleman is supposed to do?" She pushed the door open. "Bailing a lady out of a difficult situation."

"Fair enough." Having his comment effortlessly deflected, Lucian wasn’t disappointed. "I thought you agreed to let me stay because you were satisfied with my performance tonight. I guess that wasn’t the case after all."

"...I already told you, it was Lady Beaumont’s idea."

Lilia and Lucian entered the room together. Just as Lilia had said, the guest room had been cleaned only yesterday. The bedding was fresh, and incense was burning. At a glance, it looked spotless and cozy, easily rivaling the bedrooms in the Earl Mansion.

"There’s a brand-new nightrobe and bath towel in the wardrobe, and the washroom is fully stocked with toiletries," Lilia said. "If you need anything else, you can tell the maid outside."

Lucian murmured an acknowledgment to show he understood. However, after going over the arrangements, Lilia didn’t leave immediately.

Lucian stood by the bed and raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything else?"

"It’s nothing, just... I really should thank you for what happened tonight."

Lucian smiled. "It was nothing."

"Did Marquis Malo give you any more trouble afterward?"

"Are you worried about me?"

Seeing Lilia stay silent, Lucian didn’t mind. "Don’t worry, Declan Marlo is very easy to fool. As long as you give him a problem he can’t figure out, he’ll rack his brains over it all night. Naturally, he won’t have the energy to bother anyone else."

Lilia nodded. It was true. That guy seemed like he had a one-track mind; his emotions came and went quickly. Someone like him probably lived a very happy life, considering his brain capacity didn’t allow him to process overly complex emotions or problems.

"You seem to know him very well," Lilia said.

"Who?" Lucian looked at her. "Declan Marlo?" He chuckled. "I wouldn’t say I know him well; it’s just that he’s exceptionally easy to read."

"I see."

"Why ask about this all of a sudden?"

Faced with Lucian’s question, Lilia narrowed her eyes into a smile. "You seem to be hiding a lot of secrets."

Lucian fell silent for a moment before replying without denial, "Everyone has secrets."

"True." Lilia agreed with that.

Leaving others aside, even she had many secrets she hadn’t told Lucian—secrets she absolutely couldn’t tell him. Partners needed to be completely honest with each other, but that kind of honesty also came with conditions. Lilia wouldn’t demand that Lucian lay all his secrets bare in front of her when she hadn’t come clean about everything herself. That wouldn’t be fair.

Lucian had already prepared himself to be interrogated, but he hadn’t expected to receive such a response. In the past, whether it was proposing an alliance or demanding that he stand by her side, Lilia had always been so blunt with him that it was hard to parry. Now that she had suddenly taken a step back and chosen not to press the issue, Lucian found himself slightly unaccustomed to it.

Realizing what he was thinking, Lucian gave a somewhat self-deprecating and helpless smile. "Aren’t you going to ask what those secrets are?"

Lilia countered, "Would you tell me if I asked?"

As her words fell, Lucian thought seriously for a long time. "...Perhaps."

Lilia tilted her head, genuinely curious now. She had thought she would receive a firm, definitive no, but she hadn’t expected this. "What do you mean, ’perhaps’?"

"I’m not opposed to telling you everything," Lucian answered truthfully. "But I’m just not sure if this is the right time."

Lilia was his partner, but even among partners, there were degrees of closeness. If she learned everything, would she steadfastly stay by his side to the end, or would she choose to leave after seeing the hardships and obstacles that lay ahead? Lucian wasn’t sure. Therefore, he didn’t dare to say anything. At least... he didn’t dare to right now.

Lilia nodded. "Understood."

It just meant his Favorability wasn’t high enough yet. It made sense. They called it an alliance, but their partnership was still merely superficial. While Lilia could be certain she would absolutely never betray him—since staying loyal to the very end was the most basic requirement to reach the desired ending—Lucian didn’t know that. It was only natural for him to hesitate over whether he could trust her.

If anything... for him to be willing to tell Lilia that he was hesitating was already a profound display of trust.

Lilia smiled and said, "Then I suppose it’s my turn to solve a riddle this time."

Lucian raised his eyes to look at her. "...Solve a riddle?"

"Yeah." The girl leaned against the cabinet, tilting her head slightly. Her smile carried a hint of mischievousness, like a little fox who had just thought of a wicked idea. "The first riddle from Mr. Williams."

That phrasing... sounded incredibly familiar. It was the exact wording he had used to tease Lilia before. Now, it was being used against him.

Lucian couldn’t help but laugh. "This riddle isn’t like yours; it might be very difficult."

"That’s okay." Lilia smiled back at him. "If I really can’t solve it, I can always ask you for a hint."

"But I might not give you one."

"Hmm, then I’ll just trade you for it with something else."

"Like what?" Lucian crossed his legs, his posture relaxed and casual. "There aren’t many things that could tempt me."

"You’ll know when the time comes." Lilia kept him in suspense, as usual.

However, unlike before, she hadn’t actually figured out what kind of offer would tempt Lucian. But she had confidence in her own riddle-solving abilities. As long as she set her mind to it, she would always find the answer.

Lilia walked over to the door. "Then it’s settled. Good night, sweet dreams."