Chapter 145 - - 145 - Secrets in the Royal Library

Chapter 145: Chapter - 145 - Secrets in the Royal Library

The crowd erupted into an absolute frenzy.

Not in cheers for Varen.

But in absolute horror.

"The prince destroyed the arena!"

"He could have killed us!"

"She didn’t even attack—he just lost control!"

"The princess was the only one behaving with honor!"

Shouts echoed wildly across the spectator stands as smoke and dust hung heavy in the air. Zaria looked at her brother, who stood amidst the rubble, his face pale with shock and sheer exhaustion. His hands trembled, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he stared at the destruction he had caused.

"Are you finished, brother?" Zaria asked quietly, her voice cold and steady.

He didn’t answer.

She turned and walked away, her footsteps light and controlled as she stepped carefully over the shattered stone. The crowd watched her go in stunned silence, nobody daring to utter a single word.

High above the arena, seated in the royal box, Queen Veyra’s expression was carved from solid ice. Her knuckles turned white against the armrest of her gilded throne, her dark eyes tracking Zaria’s exit with suppressed fury.

The aftermath was everything Lucien had hoped for.

In the hours that followed, Queen Veyra publicly reprimanded Varen for destroying the arena. It was nothing more than an act of political theater to appease the panicked populace, but it served to thoroughly humiliate the Crown Prince nonetheless. In private, behind closed doors, she was absolutely furious.

Lucien watched from the quiet shadow of his balcony as messengers scurried back and forth between the high palace and the noble quarters below. The court was in absolute chaos. Half the nobles were openly praising Zaria’s restraint and honor, while the other half were frantically scrambling to distance themselves from the tarnished, unstable Crown Prince.

However, Queen Veyra—who had been painstakingly planning for this year’s succession—was not the type of woman to accept defeat this easily. She held the real power in the kingdom right now, and she would definitely try something drastic to buy time and turn the tables back in her favor.

And just as Lucien anticipated, it happened.

A subtle ripple disturbed the shadows behind him, and Vex appeared silently at his side. "The Queen is moving up the timeline," she reported in a low voice.

"I assumed she would," Lucien said smoothly, his eyes never leaving the chaotic palace courtyard below.

"The Council of Succession will be held in three days," Vex continued, her tone grave. "The King will be asked to officially name an heir."

Lucien nodded slowly, a dark calculation settling in his mind. "She’s bribed enough officials to ensure Varen is chosen. She wants to make it official before Zaria’s influence grows any further. Moving the timeline ensures Zaria won’t have the time to make connections or convince the neutral houses to join her side."

Vex frowned slightly. "Can she really pull that off? The King hasn’t spoken a word in years."

"She’s been ruling through him for a long time. Forging his decrees, sealing his documents. He’s been in ’seclusion’—probably poisoned or suppressed under a powerful enchantment." Lucien’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "A powerful cultivator, kept completely docile while his wife rules the realm in his name. It’s not a new trick."

Vex studied his side profile closely. "You think the King is still alive?"

"He’s alive," Lucien replied without hesitation. "The only question is whether he’s lucid." He turned away from the balcony, stepping back into the dim interior of the room. "I’m going to find out."

midnight approached, the city slowly fell into silence. Lucien waited patiently for the whole capital to sleep before making his move toward the palace to hunt down the information he needed.

When he arrived, the royal library was dead quiet.

Lucien moved through the grand wards as if they weren’t even there. To any ordinary intruder, the palace’s defenses were terrifyingly impressive—layered defensive formations, subtle detection arrays, and hulking guardian constructs patrolling the corridors. But Lucien was used to breaking into far more dangerous places. Armed with his Shadow Predator ability, traveling through the dark at night was as effortless for him as taking a casual walk in a park.

He melted from the shadows into the grand library. The space was enormous, lined with towering wooden cabinets holding thousands of ancient, dusty books and private ledgers.

Deep in the back, behind a locked door protected by blood-seals, lay the library’s restricted section. This was where the kingdom’s most sensitive records were kept: bloodline registries, secret succession laws, and, tucked away inside a heavy, locked cabinet, the personal journals and health logs of the royal family.

He found what he was looking for within an hour.

The hidden records confirmed his suspicions completely. King Kavor had been an exceptionally powerful cultivator—Mid Spirit Forge Realm, according to old military reports and court logs. But six years ago, he had suddenly entered "seclusion" citing declining health. There had been no public appearances since. No royal decrees spoken in his own voice. Everything had been filtered strictly through Queen Veyra.

Even more interesting were the old medical records he uncovered beneath a double-sealed drawer. A royal physician had written detailed notes describing "unusual lethargy" and severe "spiritual suppression" in the King’s condition. However, those initial diagnosis notes had been abruptly struck through with heavy ink and replaced with simple, benign explanations of natural illness.

Someone had deliberately edited the official records.

Lucien pulled out a blank jade slip, channeling a pulse of astral energy to copy the relevant pages into its memory. Once finished, he moved smoothly to the vault records.

The Veylcrest Vault—the supreme royal treasury—required a genuine royal bloodline key to open. No amount of brute force or stealth could unlock it; only a true member of the royal family could authorize entry.

That’s why I need Zaria on the throne, Lucien thought to himself, his fingers skimming over the aged parchment. Not just to use her as a political pawn, but because the vault won’t open for anyone else.

As he flipped through the oldest section of the treasury logs, he discovered something unexpected: a subterranean chamber located deep beneath the vault itself, dating back to an era far older than the kingdom itself. The ancient records were fragmentary and heavily worn, but they clearly mentioned a dormant "guardian" and a "primordial legacy."

Lucien smiled, feeling the chill of ancient power off the text. Beneath the mundane riches of the royal family lay something far more valuable.

He pocketed the jade slip into his robes, dissolved back into the shadows, and slipped out of the palace unnoticed.

He returned to the safe house, where Zaria and Vex were waiting anxiously in the dim candlelight.

Lucien stepped forward into the warm light, his expression entirely calm as he prepared to inform them of what he had uncovered.

"The Council of Succession is in three days," he said, closing the heavy door behind him with a quiet click. "The Queen has bribed enough officials to ensure your brother wins. We need to change the game." A slight, confident smile touched his lips.

Zaria’s expression was grim. She sat at the center table, resting her hands tightly in her lap. "How? She’s been planning this for years. How am I supposed to convince the nobles to support me in just three days?"

"You don’t need the nobles to win," Lucien said smoothly. "One person is enough, and that’s your father." He reached into his robe and tossed the glowing jade slip onto the wooden table between them. "He’s not in seclusion by choice. He’s been poisoned—probably by the Queen herself. If we cure him, he’ll be lucid enough to name you as his rightful heir."

Vex leaned forward and picked up the slip, channeling her energy to scan its contents. As the hidden records flashed through her mind, her eyes widened in shock. "This is..."

"Evidence," Lucien interrupted smoothly. "Enough to bring down the Queen if we play it right." He pulled out a chair and sat down across from Zaria. "But we’re not going to expose her publicly just yet. We’re going to use the King to legitimize your claim. Either by force, or through my own methods. Publicly. Undeniably."

Zaria stared at him, her chest rising and falling heavily. "You’re talking about treason."

"No, it’s not treason. I’m talking about justice," Lucien met her gaze, his tone completely unbothered. "There’s a difference—you just have to write the history books afterward. After you become the queen, you can write whatever you want as the winner."

A heavy silence hung over the room. The flickering candle cast long, dancing shadows against the walls as Zaria processed his words.

Finally, Zaria nodded slowly, her hesitation melting away into dark resolve. "What do we need to do?"

"First, we need to get into the King’s private chambers. He’s guarded around the clock by the Queen’s personal cultivators—elite, well-trained fighters," Lucien said, his grin widening slightly. "For me, that’s not a problem."

"And then?" Vex asked, watching him closely.

"Then I cure him. And we have a conversation." He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "One way or another, your father will name you heir. Or he’ll be replaced by someone who will. It’s not complicated to understand."

Vex frowned, a look of genuine hesitation crossing her face. "You’re talking about killing the King if he doesn’t cooperate? That really is treason."

"I’m talking about options here," Lucien’s voice remained completely mild, almost conversational. "Preferably, he cooperates. But if he doesn’t..." He gave a slight, indifferent shrug. He shifted his gaze back to Zaria. "It’s your choice whether you want to be bound by morality and live like this. But don’t think you can stop now after coming this far. If Prince Varen becomes the new ruler, his very first order will be to execute you—trust me on this. Or, you can avoid that fate, take the throne, and enjoy your life as the ruler."

Zaria looked at him for a long moment, her dark eyes searching his face. "You’re dangerous," she murmured softly.

"Trust me, I am," Lucien replied without a shred of denial.

She stood up from the table and walked toward him, stopping close enough that he could smell her perfume—a rich, pleasant scent, earthy and faintly sweet. She looked down at him, her tone dropping into something far more personal. "When this is over—when I’m on the throne—what happens to us?"

"That depends," Lucien said quietly.

"On what?"

"On whether you try to betray me." He held her gaze with unflinching intensity. "I don’t break my tools. But I don’t let them break me either."

She studied his face, looking for any trace of hesitation or bluffing. Finding none, a slow, alluring smile spread across her lips. "I’m not going to betray you, Lucien."

"Then you can enjoy it. I would protect you."

She leaned in even closer, the sweet warmth of her perfume filling his senses. Lucien stood up, closing the remaining distance between them. Ever since their kiss the previous night, an electric sexual tension had been mounting steadily between them. Zaria was falling for him—the strong, handsome man who had suddenly appeared to save her from obscurity. Deep down, she knew it was likely part of a calculated plot, but at this point, she didn’t care. In just a few short days, he had shown her a life she had never thought possible. These past few days had been the absolute best days of her life.

Her lips parted slightly in anticipation. Lucien leaned down and kissed her deeply, pulling her soft body tight against his chest. Their tongues collided, hot and demanding, wet saliva mixing in a passionate, desperate exchange that left her gasping for air. The sheer intensity of the kiss made her throat dry and her body burn with desire, before both of them reluctantly pulled away, stopping themselves just short of taking things even further right then and there.

Ever since Zaria had broken through to become a Realm Master, her physical desires and primal needs had been growing far more desperate, demanding satisfaction that she was barely keeping under control.

"When do we move?" Vex asked, watching the two of them from the table with a sly, knowing smile on her face.

Lucien cleared his throat lightly, turning his attention back to business while keeping one hand rested lingeringly near Zaria’s waist. "Tomorrow night. The King’s chambers are heavily warded against intrusion, but the bloodline wards are keyed directly to royal blood. You can walk right through them." He paused, looking over at Vex. "Vex will handle any guards who aren’t fooled by our approach. I’ll handle the poison."

"And my father?" Zaria asked, her voice breathless but steady.

"That’s up to him," Lucien’s voice went completely flat and cold once more. "If he’s reasonable, he lives. If he’s not..." He let the sentence hang unanswered in the air.

Zaria nodded slowly. She didn’t flinch or look away.

She’s learning, becoming more pragmatic, Lucien thought to himself, feeling a surge of satisfaction as he looked at her dark resolve. Good.