Chapter 135 - - 135 - What Should I Do to Bring Him Back?

Chapter 135: Chapter - 135 - What Should I Do to Bring Him Back?

Lucien did not turn around, his tone entirely indifferent. "What is it?"

Rena looked at his back, her hands tightening against her dress as she spoke. "Why do you hate me so much?"

Lucien turned around slowly, his dark eyes fixing on her face without a trace of warmth. "Trust me, I don’t hate you. If I did, I would have already gotten rid of you."

Rena flinched at the sharpness of his words, but she stepped forward, her fingers tightly clutching the fabric of her skirt. "But if you don’t hate me, then why did you immediately reject the idea of marrying me?"

"I don’t see any reason for you to marry me," Lucien replied, his expression unchanging. "If you really want to marry someone, find someone else."

"Please, Lucien," Rena choked out, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at him with desperate pleading. "I understand now what it feels like to be falsely accused. Please, just listen to me... I’m sorry."

Lucien remained unmoved by her tears. "I know that you understand how I felt back then. But does that mean I have to marry you now? And why would you even want to marry me? You can live here, completely protected by the Vale estate. I have already declared war against the ten families just to save you. I don’t see a single reason for you to marry me. If in the future you love someone or find someone better, marry that person."

"Why are you punishing me?" Rena sobbed, her hands shaking at her sides.

"Punishing you for what?" Lucien said, shaking his head slightly. "I don’t think I’m punishing anyone, Rena. You have been given the freedom you always wanted. You wanted to marry my brother, but he chose someone else. And now you want to choose me... for what? So that you can feel better in front of my brother? I truly don’t understand your desire and obsession with marriage."

Rena took a ragged breath, her voice barely above a whisper. "But maybe... maybe I want to marry you because I’m in love with you."

Lucien paused for a second before bursting into a short, cold laugh. "Haha... really, Rena? Imagine when you came back to this estate, if you saw me and I was the exact same Lucien as I was back then—trying to make you happy, agreeing with everything you said, begging for your attention... tell me, do you see yourself saying those same words to me? Trust me, if I didn’t have power now, you wouldn’t even bother to look toward me. Just like years ago."

Rena stood frozen, her chest heaving as his words pierced through her defenses. Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, and she raised her voice, crying out in raw agony. "Then what should I do?! What should I do to win your trust once again?! I want everything like before! I want my old Lucien back... what should I do to bring him back?!"

Lucien looked at her weeping figure for a quiet moment, his gaze remaining cold and detached. "I’m sorry, Rena. I wish I had answers for you, but I’m afraid I won’t even be able to give you my time. Good night."

Without waiting for another word, Lucien turned and walked away, disappearing down the dimly lit hallway.

The moment his footsteps faded, Rena’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto her knees on the hard stone floor. Heavy, breathless sobs wracked her body, her mind spiraling into complete chaos. She had sacrificed almost half her life supporting Riven Vale, giving him everything, only for him to abandon her family and choose another woman. Desperate and broken, she had returned to the Vale estate, clinging to the hope that Lucien would accept her.

In the past, Lucien had never actually held a romantic crush on her or loved her in that way; they had simply been extremely close, trusting friends. Yet, to make Riven happy back then, she had helped destroy Lucien with false accusations, telling everyone how useless, pathetic, and weak he was. And after all those years of betrayal, she had crawled back, foolishly believing he would open his arms to her.

She was a girl abandoned by her own branch family, cast aside by the man she loved, and rejected by the world. Now, when she returned, Lucien was providing her with everything—wealth, security, respect, a noble family to live with, and he was even marching to war against ten great houses to protect her. But the only things he refused to give her were his time and his love.

"Rena..."

A gentle voice broke through her weeping as Aria Vale hurried down the corridor. Reaching her side, Aria knelt on the floor and pulled her weeping relative into a warm embrace, trying her best to console her.

Rena clutched onto Aria, her heart heavy with desperation. The core reason she was so stubbornly set on marrying Lucien was simple: she desperately wanted a place where she belonged. Right now, residing in the Vale estate, she felt like nothing more than a pitied guest living on charity. But if she could marry Lucien, she believed that perhaps, over time, he might grow to care for her. She could truly call his mother and father her own, finally anchoring herself to something real and lasting.

Lucien, however, saw the world through a much darker lens. To him, every relationship was a transaction, and he instinctively looked for hidden motives behind every gesture. Even though he possessed the Origin Heart—a power that allowed him to instantly detect lies—he knew that even the most profound abilities could not peer into the deep, unreadable depths of a person’s hidden thoughts. And above all else, Lucien feared the unknown.

A few days later, the carriage convoy from Azurefall finally arrived back in the capital of Valtheria. Erion, Elaria, and their mother Elda made the journey safely, accompanied by Anne, Princess Verna, and Norrik.

Upon their arrival, they immediately went to the royal palace to report the final outcome of the mission to Queen Cynthia. Inside her private audience chamber, the queen listened intently as they detailed the entire sequence of events that had transpired in Azurefall.

When Queen Cynthia heard how Lucien had systematically manipulated the political factions, framed Prince Andrin, engineered the fall of Prince Rumil, and placed Princess Lysandra on the throne, she was thoroughly stunned. A cold wave of shock washed over her as she realized the true depth of Lucien’s terrifying intelligence. He was far from an ordinary realm master. She was delighted with the incredible results he had delivered, but he had exceeded her expectations to a degree that almost frightened her.

"So, where is he?" Queen Cynthia asked, leaning forward on her throne and looking around the room.

"He might already be back," Anne replied, resting a hand on her hip.

Queen Cynthia raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But he was with you guys, right?"

Anne flushed slightly, clearing her throat in embarrassment. "Yeah... but that bastard was busy sleeping with women—I mean, he was busy planning something important, and he said he would find other means to come back on his own."

Before the queen could question her further, the heavy double doors of the chamber swung open. Lucien strolled casually into the room, stepping up beside the group as if he had been traveling right along with them the entire time.

"It is good to see you in good health, Your Highness," Lucien said smoothly. He dropped elegantly onto one knee and took her hand, placing a refined kiss upon the back of her fingers.

Queen Cynthia blinked, glancing back and forth between them. "Anne... you just said he wasn’t with you?"

"I—yeah..." Anne stammered, her mouth twitching in annoyance.

Lucien rose to his feet, turning toward Anne with a faintly mocking smile. "Oh, Anne, I was inside the carriage the whole time. In the treasure box. Didn’t you check?"

Anne leaned in close, her teeth gritted as she whispered furiously under her breath, "You bastard! You could have just told the truth that you used your spatial skills to teleport here!"

"Where’s the fun in that?" Lucien whispered back softly, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. "So, how was the journey, my bitch?"

Queen Cynthia watched their brief exchange before speaking up, her tone full of genuine praise. "Lucien, you did exceptional work. I am deeply impressed."

Lucien turned back to the queen, offering a flawless, humble smile. "It was the order of Your Highness. How could I have possibly failed?"

"Your official rewards have already been transferred to the Vale estate," Cynthia said, her eyes lingering on him with a sharp, calculating look. "As for you personally... I want to speak with you in private. Preferably tonight."

Lucien bowed his head respectfully. "As you wish, Your Highness."

With the audience concluded, the group dismissed themselves from the palace. Lucien personally escorted Erion, Elaria, and Elda toward the Vale estate to settle them into their new home.

When they arrived at the estate grounds, the entire Vale family had already gathered in the central courtyard. Set in the middle of the stone paving were five extremely large, iron-bound chest boxes sent directly by Queen Cynthia. The queen did not want Lucien to feel that his monumental efforts were taken for granted, and she was doing everything in her power to keep him firmly bound to her side—especially after receiving intelligence that Princess Lysandra of Azurefall had shown intense romantic interest in him. She could not afford to lose such an asset.

When Lucien walked up, he noticed that despite the family’s curiosity, not a single one of the chests had been opened yet.

Rosebeth Vale stepped forward, adjusting her silk shawl as she looked at him with an intrigued smile. "What is all this, Lucien? The royal guards personally came here to deliver these chests."

"Yeah, they were being very careful about them," Aria added, leaning over one of the heavy brass locks.

"It’s my reward for my work," Lucien replied casually.

Aria pried open the heavy lid of the nearest chest, and her breath caught in her throat. Inside, bright golden coins and glowing, high-tier artifacts reflected the sunlight. "What?! This much?!" she gasped in shock.

"Yeah, the work was equally hard, but still, it’s quite a lot," Lucien noted, barely sparing the treasure a second glance. He looked around at his staring family members and waved his hand dismissively. "Why are you all just looking at them? Open them up and see what’s inside. Take whatever you feel like taking. I don’t think there is anything important in there for me."

Leaving his stunned family to sort through the royal fortune, Lucien turned and made his way back to his private quarters.

The moment he pushed his door open and stepped into the quiet room, a shadow shifted near the corner. Celbeth stepped out from the dark, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her eyes swept over him, a sultry, hungry look flickering in their depths as she took in his presence.

"Finally, you have time for me?" Celbeth asked, a slow, alluring smirk spreading across her lips as her voice dropped into a low, purring tone.

"Yeah. What happened?" Lucien asked, closing the door behind him and locking it with a quiet turn of the key.

Celbeth pushed off the wall, stepping closer with slow, deliberate grace. Her body practically radiated heat, her gaze fixed entirely on him as she looked up into his eyes. "I think after everything that has happened and how much we have grown, it’s time for our next step. We already rule over three large cities, and the church is firmly on our side. Maybe it’s time we build a true power base."

Lucien didn’t answer with words right away. He stepped directly into her space, closing the distance between them until her chest pressed against his. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against his hips. He leaned down, burying his face into the side of her neck, taking a deep breath of her intoxicating scent before slipping his hands beneath her dark robes. His large, warm palms slid up her ribs, uninhibitedly reaching up to cupped her soft, bare breasts.

"A power base..." Lucien murmured against the sensitive skin of her collarbone, his fingers kneading her supple flesh with heavy, possessesive pressure. "I think we definitely need one... Wow, yours are so soft."

Celbeth let out a breathy gasp, her back arching into his touch as a shudder of pure arousal rippled down her spine. A wide, deliciously wicked smile spread across her flushed face. She threw her head back against his shoulder, letting her hands slide up his arms to grip his shoulders tightly as his thumbs brushed over her hardening nipples.

"What do you mean by ’yours’?" Celbeth purred, biting her lower lip as her hips swayed instinctually against his growing hardness. Her eyes glinted with deep, teasing amusement as she leaned her head back to meet his gaze. "How many women have you dual cultivated with while you were away?"

Lucien slid both hands deeper inside her silk robe, completely parting the fabric to bare her upper body to his sight and touch. He squeezed her breasts firmly, pulling her so close that not an inch of space remained between their bodies, feeling her heart hammering wildly against his chest.

"Hmm... a power base," Lucien whispered, his lips brushing against hers, tasting her breath before trailing down her jawline. "I think I already have an idea of where I can find one."