Chapter 1185: The Truth [Part 5]

The woman in blue barely had time to move before he closed the distance.

His first punch went straight toward her face.

She twisted aside.

Lux followed with a second.

She caught his wrist. Her grip was strong. Far stronger than an ordinary noblewoman’s.

She smiled. "Did you think I’d be helpless?"

Lux smiled back. "No."

He drove his knee toward her stomach.

She blocked with her thigh and shoved him backward.

Lux stumbled half a step. Then laughed. "I was hoping you wouldn’t be."

The woman attacked.

Her palm shot toward his throat.

Lux caught her wrist, twisted his body, and attempted to throw her over his shoulder.

She shifted her weight at the last second.

Both crashed into a banquet table.

-CRASH!

Crystal glasses exploded.

Silverware scattered.

Lux rolled across the tabletop and landed on the other side.

The woman followed.

Her elegant blue gown swept through the air as she kicked toward his head.

Lux ducked.

Her heel smashed into a silver wine bucket.

Lux winced.

She hissed.

He grinned. "Beautiful shoes. Terrible investment."

She grabbed the wine bucket and hurled it at him.

Lux caught it. Then immediately threw it back.

She dodged.

The bucket struck a pillar.

Lux rushed forward.

This time, he didn’t aim for her face.

He kicked her supporting leg.

She stumbled.

Lux seized her arm, pulled her toward him, and slammed his shoulder into her chest.

The impact sent her backward into a chair.

Wood shattered.

She fell.

Lux approached. "Now, Your Majesty, shall we discuss your resignation?"

A broken chair leg flew toward his face.

Lux tilted his head.

It missed by inches.

The woman sprang upward, swinging another piece of wood like a club.

Lux blocked with his forearm.

Pain shot through his arm.

He gritted his teeth.

Right. No demonic durability. No regeneration. Just pain.

Annoying, very human pain.

The woman swung again.

Lux stepped inside the attack, caught her elbow, and slammed his forehead against hers.

Both staggered.

Lux blinked. "F*ck."

The woman clutched her forehead. "You barbarian!" She screamed and lunged.

Lux caught her around the waist.

They crashed against another table.

He twisted, attempting to pin her arms, but she hooked her foot behind his ankle and pulled.

Both fell.

Lux landed on his back.

The woman immediately climbed over him, grabbing his collar.

Her knee pressed against his abdomen as she leaned down with a vicious smile. "Well, Duke..."

Lux looked up at her.

Even wearing Aurelia’s face, she had somehow managed to reproduce Kaelmor’s most irritating expression.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Lux considered the question.

A beautiful woman straddling him.

A ruined ballroom.

Several bruised ribs.

An immortal king’s personality trying to murder him.

"Not my strangest date."

Her expression twitched.

Lux seized her wrists.

Then rolled.

The woman yelped as their positions reversed.

Lux pinned her arms against the marble floor. "Unfortunately, sweetheart, you’re not my type."

She struggled.

Lux leaned closer. "I prefer women who aren’t secretly ancient kings."

"GET OFF ME!"

"See? Terrible chemistry."

She drove her knee upward.

Lux barely twisted aside.

The impact struck his thigh.

Pain flashed.

He released one wrist, caught her leg, and shoved himself backward before she could strike again.

They separated.

Both breathing harder.

Both glaring.

Then the woman smiled.

"You’re wasting your time."

Lux wiped blood from his split lip. "Probably."

"You can’t kill me here."

"I suspected."

"And even if you could, she would still be trapped by her own guilt."

Lux slowly straightened.

The same insistence.

The same smug certainty that Aurelia’s guilt was sufficient to maintain the prison.

He glanced toward the real Aurelia.

Lullaby was holding her trembling hands.

Yue stood protectively beside them.

Neither woman was being attacked.

The shadows remained motionless.

Lux looked back at his opponent. "You know..." He rolled his aching shoulder. "...I’ve been thinking."

The woman sighed. "How unfortunate."

Lux smiled. "You said your job is to keep her here. But you also said she doesn’t want to leave."

The woman’s expression became slightly guarded.

Lux noticed immediately. "Which raises a rather interesting question."

He picked up a fallen silver candlestick. Heavy. Solid. Excellent balance. Much better than the knives. "If she’s already imprisoning herself..." He rested the candlestick against his shoulder. "...why does she need you?"

The woman’s smile disappeared.

Lux’s grin widened.

The woman glanced toward Aurelia.

But Lux caught it. He lowered the candlestick. "Because she might change her mind. Because one day, she might decide that being hated is better than living a lie."

The woman took a step backward.

Lux advanced. "And if she does..." He smiled. "...your job becomes considerably more difficult."

The woman suddenly lunged.

Lux was ready.

He stepped sideways, caught her wrist, and struck the candlestick against her forearm.

She cried out.

The improvised weapon slipped from his hand during the struggle, but Lux used the opening to seize her shoulder and drive her backward.

They crashed into a pillar.

He pinned her there. "Tell me something, Your Majesty."

She bared her teeth.

Lux leaned closer, his expression turning cold. "If Aurelia finally accepts what happened to Celestine..." The woman’s eyes widened. "...what happens to you?"

For the first time... The false Aurelia looked afraid. And Lux knew he’d finally found something worth exploiting.

He grinned. Then, without turning his head, he glanced toward Lullaby and Yue.

A slight tilt of his chin toward the trembling Aurelia. A brief movement of his eyes.

That was all.

Fortunately, his women weren’t idiots.

Lullaby understood immediately. She gently took Aurelia’s hands, while Yue moved closer, positioning herself protectively beside them.

They needed to make Aurelia face the truth.

And Lux? Well, he had a particularly annoying distraction to entertain.

The false Aurelia noticed the exchange. Her expression twisted. "You..."

Lux smiled innocently. "Me?"

"You think you can ruin everything?!"

"Oh, sweetheart. Ruining a king’s plans is practically my favorite hobby."

She screamed and lunged.

Lux barely sidestepped her first punch before she swung a broken chair leg toward his temple.

He ducked, caught her wrist, and drove his shoulder into her stomach.

They stumbled across the marble.

The woman snarled, twisting free and kicking him backward.

Lux skidded, then straightened his torn coat. "Careful, Your Majesty. People might think you’re jealous."

Her eyes burned with hatred.

Lux’s grin widened. ’Keep looking at me, you bastard. And don’t you dare notice what they’re doing behind you.’