Chapter 57: 57 — Royal Banquet (4)

Lucian sat on the seat beside the king, uncomfortable under the occasional glances filled with evident disgust from the crowd of nobles.

I hate this.

He thought, lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Lift your head, Lucian," the king commanded, causing Lucian to jerk his head up, eyes wide.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he replied, wary of having committed yet another ’mistake.’

"Look at them. See how much they hate you?"

Lucian remained silent, unsure how to respond.

[Does this old man really want me to say: I can see how much they hate me?] Keal scoffed in his mind. [Why not kill him? You could become king easily.]

Lucian ignored Keal’s usual banter. It had been a long time since he’d assisted with such a grand banquet, and he couldn’t understand why the king wanted to hold a lavish reception when he loathed him just as much as the nobles present in the hall. He was now immune to their hatred, but their sudden change in behaviour puzzled him. Those who once tried to belittle him now seemed oddly eager to be near him.

"Answer me when I speak to you," the king snapped, expecting a reply from the dark-haired young man.

"I... apologize."

"Princess Arisia asked about you recently. Haven’t I told you to keep your distance from her? You tainted—"

The king’s words were cut short as he sensed the eyes of a few onlookers on him. He wiped away his frown with a casual sweep of his hand across his face.

"I haven’t contacted her at all, Your Majesty. Not in the past ten years, and I doubt I will ever see her again," Lucian said, his voice edged with barely contained fury.

"Insolent child," the king retorted, taken aback by Lucian’s unexpected coldness. Normally, he would keep quiet and lower his head.

"Have you forgotten your place now that you’ve married some princess?" Valerian mocked, his tone dripping with scorn.

Lucian noticed Valerian’s gaze linger on Cynthia for a moment, causing him to quickly avert his own. He knew all too well that no matter where he looked, the king would...

A shiver ran down his spine as dark memories surged forth.

"... you’re the one who asked me to marry her. I obeyed your orders, as I always have. So please... don’t do this."

"Don’t do what?"

"Make it seem as if I asked for this marriage." Lucian turned his gaze to the king, his eyes unwavering.

Valerian scoffed, and then a soft chuckle escaped him.

"You are so naive. Have you forgotten what happened to your mother? Who says she won’t betray you, and unalive you, just like her knights killed your mother?"

Lucian caught a glimpse of Cynthia leaving the banquet hall, dragging a familiar figure along with her toward the terrace. He shifted his gaze back to the king.

"I can fight," he replied, refusing to succumb to the king’s usual taunts.

Valerian’s relentless provocation had stirred his anger and hatred toward Eldoria, but it seemed to be failing this time.

It must be because of that girl.

Valerian thought, the memory of Cynthia’s behaviour toward him igniting a simmering rage.

"If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave. As you said, everyone here despises me," Lucian said, rising from his seat. He glanced at the queen, who glared at him with repulsion.

Taking Valerian’s silence as permission, Lucian descended from the throne. He scanned the hall for Cynthia, desperate to leave this wretched place as quickly as possible.

"She must still be on the terrace," he reasoned.

He rushed through the crowd of people dancing at the center of the hall, heading towards the terrace where he had seen Cynthia enter.

"Brother!" An unfamiliar voice called out, yet a familiar small and frail-looking figure headed Lucian’s way.

His steps froze, unable to move a muscle at the sight of the blue-haired young lady. Although he had forgotten her face, her voice had changed, and above all, she was no longer the small little girl he remembered, Lucian could recognize her in a heartbeat— his half-sister, Princess Arisia.

Arisia held his hands, putting them together. Her emerald eyes twinkled with excitement.

"I’m so lucky to have run into you!"

"Your Royal Highness..." Lucian tried to bow however, Arisia held his shoulders with all her might to stop him from doing so.

"Let me greet you... it would be rude if I didn’t," Lucian gently smiled.

"No. It is a waste of time. I don’t have the time for that, brother," Arisia’s smile dropped momentarily but she quickly curled her lips into a brighter grin.

Lucian understood what she meant, noticing the pain her smile contained. He coughed to clear his throat before speaking.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t allowed to attend banquets," he said, trying to change the subject.

"I snuck in..." Arisia chuckled nervously, looking up at the taller young man. It was the first time she had done such mischief.

"His Majesty will be furious if he finds out—" Lucian sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead in a sense of frustration.

"But I really want to see you," Arisia’s voice cut him off in the middle of his sentence.

Lucian remained silent for a second, before curling his lips into a faint smile.

"Is that so?"

"I sent you a letter but you have never replied to it. Did you not receive it?"

"Ah... I did. I was... busy," he lied.

He didn’t want to dishearten her by telling her that the king forbade him from interacting with her completely ever since he left for the battlefield. He couldn’t accept the fact that his daughter treated him, a half-blood as her older brother, equal to Valen, the crown prince.

"Of course, you must be busy..."

Seeing that despite his lie, she looked disheartened, he pulled his hands away from her and placed them on her wrists.

"She is so thin," he thought, looking at her frail-looking arms.

"You can visit me soon if you want. Just... be careful to not get caught," he whispered against her ear, looking at Suyou who followed Lucian’s every movement closely.

Arisia smiled at his words and nodded quickly.

"I will figure out a way to bring you. Just wait a little, alright?" Lucian gently patted her head, smiling at her.

She hadn’t changed although ten years had passed. Must be because she didn’t go out and meet those corrupted people as often as I did.

"I need to go, brother. Father must be looking for me. Suyou," Arisia glared at the turquoise-haired man before turning back to Lucian, flashing a smile. "He kind of told the king that I was here."

Lucian glared at Suyou intently. The anger was evident on his face.

If he had a single brain cell he’d know that was a terrible idea.

Lucian took one last glance at Arisia before swinging open the doors to the terrace before him.

There, he saw Cynthia standing in front of the railing, staring blankly ahead, as if she were watching something beyond the dark scenery. He had observed her for the past few months, and she seemed to be spacing out often.

Although to others it seemed like she was leading most of the conversations during their few dinners together, she barely ate her food, staring at it absentmindedly instead. She appeared lost in thought, and only when she heard the maids’ footsteps would she glance up at Lucian and smile his way, trying to make conversation.

His words caught in his throat as he tried to ask her what was wrong. Tonight, she seemed strangely... empty.

"What are you doing here? I’ve been looking for you everywhere," he stated, finally able to speak.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read