Chapter 64 - 63: Heart-to-Heart Talk

Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Heart-to-Heart Talk

As his voice faded, the man’s breathing gradually leveled out. Lilia watched him for a moment before turning her gaze toward the outside of the cave.

Wild grass obscured most of the reasonably spacious entrance. Without a careful search, it would be difficult to spot this hidden opening. He had said they would be in danger if the search party found them, but Lilia wouldn’t believe his words so easily. Just as she didn’t believe he would work for an employer without knowing their identity at all. His current silence was nothing more than a bid to gain more leverage for future negotiations with the Beaumont family.

A mercenary was a mercenary, after all—scheming more than anyone else.

Lilia hugged her legs tightly. The cave was damp and cold, and wearing only a dress, she had to curl up to retain any body heat. Based on her deductions, even if the mastermind’s subordinates were mingled within the search party combing the mountain, they likely wouldn’t dare make a move against her. Now that their plan was exposed, killing her would yield no benefit and would only draw the hostility of the Beaumont family.

Therefore, Lilia was certain: as long as the search party found her, she would be safe.

CRACK, SNAP...

Faint sounds drifted from a distance, mixed with the heavy breathing of a wild beast. Lilia instinctively held her breath, trying to minimize her presence. It was dangerous here.

And so, Lilia looked back toward the depths of the cave. Exhausted from blood loss, the man had closed his eyes and appeared fast asleep. However, his grip on the dagger remained ironclad, leaving no doubt that he would snap awake at the slightest disturbance.

Before Lucian found her, he couldn’t die just yet.

Inside the abandoned ranger’s cabin.

Lucian picked up the severed rope from the floor. The cut was clean and decisive, with traces of blood still clinging to the frayed ends. Every sign indicated that the person who took Lilia was a ruthless character who could kill without batting an eye.

"Mr. Lucian." The butler knocked and entered. "The body at the door has been examined. The time of death was recent. The identity is unknown, but Marquis Malo claims not to know him."

"Of course he wouldn’t know him." Declan Marlo simply didn’t have the brains for this. "Have you asked Prince Theodore?" Lucian said.

"We’ve sent someone to contact him. There should be results soon."

Lucian gave a slight nod. None of that mattered for the moment. What mattered was that they had to find Lilia as soon as possible. This forest wasn’t safe; every passing second she spent here increased the likelihood of her running into danger.

"What about Beaumont’s side?" Lucian asked.

"They have been notified," the butler replied. "However, our men didn’t get to see Count Beaumont. They were intercepted by Mr. Caius."

Lucian fell silent for a moment. "What did he say?"

The butler thought for a moment before shaking his head. "He didn’t seem to... show any reaction. He merely said he understood."

No reaction whatsoever... That was highly abnormal. Given how much Caius cared for Lilia, he should have mobilized everyone for a full-scale search the moment he learned of her disappearance.

Forget it. Lucian had never been able to read that guy’s mind anyway.

"Continue the search," Lucian said, tossing those trivial matters aside. "Conduct a carpet search. Leave no stone unturned."

"Yes, Mr. Lucian." The butler bowed and retreated.

After he left, Lucian’s grip on the rope gradually tightened.

He thought, "Lilia, wait for me... I will definitely find you."

AWOOO—

As the night deepened, the howling of wild beasts grew increasingly frequent. Over the course of the afternoon, Lilia had scooted further into the depths of the cave several times, as if putting a little more distance between herself and the entrance would lower the chances of being discovered by predators.

The further back she moved, the closer she got to the man. His head hung low, and his eyes were shut tight. His pitch-black eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes, trembling constantly with his rapid breaths, making him look pitiful and fragile. Every now and then, Lilia could hear his muffled groans. Clearly, even in his sleep, the agonizing pain from his wounds continued to torment him.

The howling outside the cave drew nearer. Lilia took a deep breath, forcing her wildly pounding heart to calm down. She leaned in a little closer, leaving mere inches between her and the man. She could even vaguely feel an unnatural wave of heat radiating from him.

Hesitating for a moment, Lilia gently pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. He was burning up. The wounds must have gone untreated for too long, leading to infection and a fever.

Lilia thought for a moment. She had a clean handkerchief in her pocket. By pouring a little cold water from her flask onto it, she could make a simple cooling compress. Just as she tried to pull back, someone fiercely grabbed her wrist. Driven by pure reflex, the man’s grip was bone-crushingly tight, nearly snapping her wrist.

Lilia knitted her brows. "...It hurts."

Hearing her voice, the man finally began to wake up. His vision struggled to focus before locking onto the delicate face hovering so close to his own. He stared for a long time. The pressure on her wrist loosened slightly, but he still refused to let go—as if he feared his precious cargo would run away.

"What are you trying to do?" The man’s voice was hoarse from the fever, yet it carried his usual icy edge. "Kill me?"

"You have a fever." Lilia pulled the handkerchief from her pocket, her expression innocent. "I was just trying to help bring your temperature down."

Silence stretched between them. The man sneered coldly, leaving it unclear whether he believed her or not.

"I don’t need it."

Judging by that response, it was highly likely he didn’t believe her. Since he outright rejected the help, Lilia had no interest in doing a thankless task anyway. With her wrist still trapped in his grasp, she had no choice but to sit down beside him.

After a brief silence, the man broke the quiet. "Why didn’t you run while I was asleep?"

"I was afraid of being eaten by the beasts outside," Lilia replied with utmost honesty.

The man was momentarily stunned before he couldn’t help but let out a low, muffled chuckle. As he laughed, he seemed to agitate his wounds, and his face grew even paler.

Lilia hesitated before asking, "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine." The man leaned against the cave wall. "A mercenary’s life is cheap. A little wound like this is nothing."

"Speaking of which..." Lilia turned to look at him. "I still don’t know your name."

"To people like us, names aren’t important."

"Oh." Lilia didn’t seem disappointed. "Then why did you become a mercenary?"

"Do I need a special reason?" The man smiled. "Because I need money, and the mercenary trade is the fastest way to get it."

"With the drawback being that you could lose your life at any moment?"

"Risks and opportunities always coexist. I would have thought a top student from Lien Academy would understand that principle better than anyone."

"The students at Lien Academy aren’t actually that different from you."

"No... the difference is massive." The man looked at her. "At the very least, you didn’t grow up starving, nor did you have to watch your parents and relatives die one by one, all for the sake of a few damn coins."