Chapter 133 - 60: The Prince’s Visit

Chapter 133: Chapter 60: The Prince’s Visit

"Young Master Lucian, Prince Colin is here for a visit."

The butler of the Viscount Mansion knocked on the bedroom door.

Lucian had already reclaimed his identity and was now the Sixth Prince of Ovis. However, to these servants who had followed him from the Duke Williams Mansion, they were still more accustomed to the title "Young Master Lucian." Lucian himself didn’t care about the "Your Highness" title. As long as they weren’t in front of outsiders, he usually wouldn’t make them correct themselves.

"Understood." Lucian casually picked up his coat. "Why do you think he’s visiting so suddenly?"

"He probably wants to check on your condition," the butler thought for a moment and replied.

"Are you saying he was the mastermind behind the last assassination attempt?"

"Even if he isn’t the mastermind, he must have known about it." The butler’s eyes turned cold. "Otherwise, he wouldn’t be visiting right after you were attacked."

On the surface, the princes of Ovis seemed very affectionate toward Lucian, their suddenly emerged blood relative. However, various details indicated that they actually heavily ostracized him. During the banquet a week ago, they had held glasses of red wine and chatted with him cordially. But for an entire week after that, they hadn’t so much as glanced at him, let alone made any pretentious attempts at small talk.

The same was true for the nobles.

Lucian had recently risen to prominence and indeed achieved quite a few accomplishments. But over the years, those nobles had long established their own fixed factions and placed much more trust in the heirs they had watched grow up. Toward Lucian—a wild card who had just returned from another country—they maintained a wait-and-see attitude, neither getting too close nor staying too far away. The only ones who had reached out to him were a few minor nobles who hadn’t even found their own footing in Adrian. Lucian had simply humored them with a few words before sending them on their way.

Aside from not being accepted, Lucian had also encountered three assassination attempts this past week.

The first time was when Lucian stayed overnight at the Royal Palace at the King’s request. An assassin infiltrated his room that very night. The attacker had prepared thoroughly, but still misjudged Lucian’s strength and vigilance. After being captured, the assassin committed suicide on the spot.

The second time was also in the Royal Palace. Having gained experience from their previous failure, their plan this time was much more meticulous. However, Lucian had similarly heightened his guard. After a brief skirmish, the attackers not only failed their assassination attempt but were captured by Lucian instead. Lucian locked the assassin in the basement, completely eliminating any possibility of suicide, and assigned men to keep a strict watch over him. After interrogation, it seemed the assassin knew absolutely nothing, nor did he have anything on his person that could prove his identity.

Lucian didn’t kill him because of this. Instead, he declined the King’s offer to arrange a residence for him in the Royal Palace and brought the assassin back to his Viscount Mansion.

On the very night he brought the assassin back, Lucian was attacked by another group of assassins. This time, they were clearly coming for the captive. The mastermind behind the scenes had likely given them a strict ultimatum: either take the man away or kill him directly. Because he had left the Royal Palace, these people were much bolder. The number of men deployed even exceeded the total of the previous two attempts combined.

This time, Lucian suffered minor injuries during the battle. His right shoulder blade was nearly pierced by a sharp weapon. But in return, he gained more intel.

The Second Prince, Colin, was likely here for this exact reason.

Lucian looked at the coat in his hands. "He knew about this latest operation... but what about the last one?" His voice was very soft, betraying no extra emotion.

The butler standing at the door, however, felt a complex mix of emotions. He had not personally experienced that great fire twenty years ago, but it had tangibly affected everyone in the Duke Williams Mansion. Because of his sister’s death, the Duke drank heavily all day and sank into a deep depression. Whenever he faced Young Master Lucian, he would constantly sneer and mock him, resorting to beatings or verbal abuse.

Young Master Lucian had lost his mother, and his childhood was spent under such immense pressure. On the surface, he didn’t say anything and seemed to care about nothing, but those close to him could always see more than others. They knew... he had actually been living in hatred this whole time.

Whether it was studying at Lien Academy, using Prince Theodore to return to Ovis, or volunteering to lead troops to support the Light Kingdom when the demons appeared... everything was for the sake of revenge. After the age of six, Lucian’s life had lost its meaning. Or rather, since a long time ago, the only meaning left in his existence was revenge.

Sometimes, the butler even felt that... the person standing before him wasn’t a complete human being, but a pure instrument of vengeance disguised as a human. After his revenge was complete, would he go on to live a good life? Or... would he choose to die because he had lost his reason to exist?

The butler couldn’t even be certain of this.

Perhaps noticing his prolonged silence, Lucian cast a glance at him.

The butler reined in his thoughts. "We haven’t found any evidence linking His Highness Colin to the assassination attempt in the past, but..." He paused. "But this extremely arrogant style does indeed seem like his handiwork."

Lucian curled his lips. His usually gentle smile looked devoid of any warmth at this moment.

Arrogant... Right. That guy was very arrogant.

He had only just revealed his identity, and the man couldn’t wait to make a move against him. The assassin had just been captured, and he immediately sent so many people over to silence him. That guy didn’t even bother to consider whether moving out of the Royal Palace was a trap deliberately set for him. He probably felt that as long as his forces were strong enough, he could ignore all schemes and tricks.

For someone like that to have set that great fire... it made perfect sense.

"Let’s go." Lucian draped his coat over his shoulders. "Since he’s here, let’s go meet him. Let’s see... just what he intends to do this time."

In the reception room.

The maid, Laura, had already brewed black tea and respectfully placed it in front of Prince Colin. Colin picked up the silver teacup and sniffed it lightly.

This was the Viscount Mansion. All the utensils here, as well as the liquor, tea, and pastries used to entertain guests, were naturally only items befitting a Viscount’s status. For a prince like Colin, who was born in the Royal Palace and grew up surrounded by gold and jewels, they were indeed lacking in class.

He scoffed, set the teacup down, and looked around instead. Because he had only recently established a foothold in Adrian, Lucian didn’t own any property. This place had been rented at a high price through the introduction of Marquis Marlo. As an old house, even though it was usually well-maintained, in Colin’s eyes, it exuded a sense of shabbiness everywhere.

"What newly appointed Viscount? What rising star of Adrian? So he just lives in a dump like this," Colin thought to himself. "And this black tea used for guests... even my servants wouldn’t drink something so inferior.

"As for those so-called military achievements... didn’t he just take an army for a spin around the Light Kingdom? It’s not like he forged any real reputation.

"If that task had been given to me, I definitely would have done it better. I really can’t understand why Father values him so much and couldn’t wait to officially acknowledge him."