Chapter 69 - 68: I Will Always Stand by Your Side

Chapter 69: Chapter 68: I Will Always Stand by Your Side

Lilia quickly finished her sandwich, finally soothing her empty stomach. Cupping the warm milk in her hands, she took small, careful sips.

"Lucian."

"What’s wrong?"

"Remember what I said before about solving your puzzle?"

Lucian’s gaze deepened. "I remember," he said. "So, have you figured it out now? Have you found out... what my secret is?"

Lilia didn’t answer immediately. She was thinking, slowly sorting through the information she had gleaned from the recent kidnapping.

First, it was certain that someone wanted to sabotage the collaboration between Lucian and Beaumont by targeting her. The identity of the mastermind was unknown, but the informant killed by the kidnapper had referred to him as "His Highness." Marquis Malo wasn’t involved in the kidnapping. He was close to Prince Theodore, and the two appeared to be in a friendly, cooperative relationship. As the Second Prince of the Lien Kingdom, Theodore was fighting for the right of inheritance against his older brother, Prince Reed. The current situation remained unclear, and the major nobles had yet to take sides. Combined with the fact that Lucian had been to Ovis and stayed there for a long time... it was easy to make the following deductions.

First, since the mastermind wasn’t Marquis Malo, it was highly likely to be the First Prince, His Highness Reid Augustus, who was hostile to him and Theodore.

Second, His Highness Reed orchestrated this kidnapping not to target Lucian, but—just as the kidnapper had said—to sabotage Lucian’s collaboration with the Beaumont family.

Third, the relationship between Lucian and Marquis Malo might not be as hostile as she had initially thought; they might even be in the same camp. Otherwise, Marquis Malo couldn’t have been cleared of suspicion so quickly... unless Lucian had been negotiating with him right when he learned of Lilia’s kidnapping.

With these deductions, everything became clear.

Lucian was very patient. While Lilia thought, he didn’t rush her, simply waiting in silence. His expression remained unchanged, but his hands, hidden beneath the table, quietly clenched. It betrayed the fact that he wasn’t as relaxed and composed as he appeared. He was nervous. It wasn’t that he feared Lilia would expose his secret, but rather... he worried about the choice she would make after learning it. Even so, he didn’t believe she could completely uncover his background with such a severe lack of information.

Under his watchful gaze, Lilia slowly looked up. "After you graduate, are you planning to leave Lien?"

Lucian fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. "Where do you think I’ll go?"

"Ovis." Lilia’s answer was without hesitation. "You’ll go to Ovis."

"Why?" Lucian asked again.

This time, Lilia shook her head. "I don’t know. But it’s probably not to revitalize the Williams family—or rather, not *just* to revitalize the Williams family."

Lilia had come to this conclusion because going to Ovis for a deep collaboration with Marquis Malo wasn’t the only way to return Williams to its former glory. Yet everything Lucian had done so far... made it seem as though going to Ovis wasn’t a means to an end, but his ultimate goal.

"This is all I could find," Lilia admitted honestly. "Is it still not enough?"

Lucian lowered his eyes, smiling faintly. "It’s indeed not enough."

Although she had expected it, hearing this response still made Lilia puff out her cheeks. She bit the rim of her glass, then suddenly thought of something and raised her hand just before Lucian could speak again.

"...What is it?" Lucian asked.

"I’m requesting a hint," Lilia said. "We agreed before that if I really couldn’t find any clues, I could ask you for a hint."

Lucian remembered and smiled. "Then have you thought about what you’ll trade for it?"

"You really refuse to take the slightest loss." Lilia sounded a bit dissatisfied, but she didn’t break the rules of the game. She thought and thought... Currently, it seemed she truly had nothing to offer that would tempt him. After frowning for a moment, she decided to stop torturing herself. She looked at the young man across from her. "What do you want?"

It was a very clever response. Cunning, but effective.

"What do I want..." Lucian hadn’t expected her to kick the ball back into his court. He was about to make things difficult for her again by saying he didn’t want anything, but a sudden thought crossed his mind.

No, he realized he did have something he wanted. And that thing... only Lilia could give it to him.

Beneath the table, Lucian clenched his fists tighter—so tight he could clearly feel the pain of his nails digging into his flesh. It was sharp, but enough to help him barely maintain his rationality.

"If..." he started slowly. "If, after graduation, I truly leave Lien and go to Ovis..."

Lucian looked up, meeting the girl’s eyes. Suppressing his frantic heartbeat, he used the calmest tone possible to conceal how much he cared about her answer. "Would you be willing to come with me?

"It might not be a pleasant journey.

"You would have to give up everything you have in Lien and set foot in a completely unfamiliar land.

"Your lifestyle, your social circles, and even the future plans you’ve long since made—all of it would be turned entirely upside down."

Lucian listed them one by one, detailing the prices she would have to pay to make this choice. He didn’t know what Lilia was thinking. He only knew that as he spoke those words, his heart was inching its way into a freezing, bone-chilling abyss.

He already knew the answer, didn’t he? She had told him before. Commoners weren’t like nobles; they didn’t have countless opportunities for trial and error. There was only one path forward for her. She had sacrificed so much to get to where she was today... How could she possibly give it all up just because of a few words from him?

As Lucian spoke, he suddenly fell silent, not even daring to look into Lilia’s eyes. He was terrified. He dreaded hearing the words "I wouldn’t" come from her mouth. Only now did he realize... just how desperately he didn’t want Lilia to leave. Not just for the sake of his interests, but even more so because...

"Why wouldn’t I be willing?" the girl’s clear voice rang out.

Lucian froze, then abruptly snapped his head up. His lake-green eyes trembled slightly, filled with disbelief and... a deeply suppressed tide of excitement and ecstasy.

"What... did you say?" he asked cautiously, needing to confirm.

"I said I’m willing." Resting her hands flat on the table, Lilia smiled. "I’m willing to go to Ovis with you."

"...Why?"

"Haven’t I said it before?" Lilia blinked. "To me, you are the best choice.

"No matter what happens, I will always stand by your side."