Lucian nodded with an awkward expression.
Judging by the rumors, it seemed an image of him as a schemer—someone who had hidden his claws while harboring ulterior motives—had attached itself to his name.
'Well, I suppose if you stay holed up for ages and then suddenly emerge and shake the whole house, people are bound to think you were plotting something all along.'
In truth, the only thing that had changed was the soul inhabiting his body.
Feeling uncomfortable, Lucian glanced around and quickly changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, there are quite a few people around our age here. I had no idea there were so many young heads of houses in the Empire."
"That can't be right. Most of them aren't heads of their houses. They're heirs sent as proxies, or one of several sons still in the midst of succession struggles."
"What? Not just one or two—are all of these people representatives?"
"For the same reason as you, of course."
The same reason?
At Nigel's meaningful words, Lucian blinked.
Don't tell me this man had known his identity all along and was just playing along?
Seeing the look in Lucian's eyes, as if telling him not to feign ignorance, Nigel smiled and continued.
"With His Highness the First Imperial Prince acting as commander, if the head of a house comes personally, there's a high chance they'll be mistaken as part of his support base. Sending at least an heir or another child gives you room to make excuses later."
"Ah, I see. Even if someone tries to tie them to the First Imperial Prince as supporters, the absence of the actual head makes it easy to deny afterward."
"Everyone thinks the same way in the end. You and I included, wouldn't you say?"
Nigel sent him a look seeking agreement, but Lucian had nothing to say in response.
In truth, the reason Lucian had come here was almost the complete opposite of theirs.
'One side sends their children as proxies to use them as plausible deniability, while the other side turns a child into a proxy precisely to bind the children together.'
The sheer irony of it made a bitter smile creep onto his face.
Still, denying it outright would only create suspicion, so Lucian was just about to nod along perfunctorily—
"Isn't it terribly rude? To receive His Majesty the Emperor's edict and still scurry about looking for ways to slip out of it. They call themselves heads of noble houses—truly a disgraceful sight."
A deep, dignified voice suddenly spoke from behind them.
At the sweeping insult aimed at all the heads of houses who had sent proxies, Nigel bristled and turned around.
He himself was one such proxy, so it was no different from an insult to his own house.
But the moment Nigel saw who had spoken, his face drained of color.
"T-that is—! No, I mean…!"
"Oh dear, calm yourself. Isn't this a gathering where we're meant to hide our identities? It wouldn't do for me to receive formal greetings here."
The middle-aged lord waved his hand with an indulgent tone.
Yet for all the gentleness in his voice, the gaze he cast downward was arrogantly condescending in the extreme.
Lucian swiftly identified the intruding lord.
'Dark blue hair and beard, and an eagle emblem at his waist.'
That alone was more than enough to know who the man was.
There was only one great house in the Empire with dark blue hair—and fittingly, that house's symbol was an eagle.
'House Logran, the Marquis.'
Once he knew that much, it was only natural to infer the identity of the man standing before him as well.
Bernhardt Logran—the current head of House Logran, Marquis Logran himself.
An enemy of Grand Duke Sigmund and the leader of the aristocratic faction.
"And now… who might this fellow be?"
One of the figures who truly moved the Empire looked Lucian up and down, stroking his chin.
米米
At the marquis's suggestive gaze, Lucian let out a faint chuckle.
Who was this fellow, indeed.
'It may be our first meeting in person, but there's no way you don't know who I am.'
Even if Lucian didn't know the marquis, the marquis certainly knew Lucian.
As the head of House Logran, his information network would be among the best in the Empire.
And Lucian was the very man who had utterly shattered the marquis's schemes.
Even setting aside the need for intelligence, sheer anger alone would have driven him to investigate Lucian thoroughly.
'So pretending not to know me—does he want to see me bow first?'
Dark blue hair and beard aside, the man was even wearing an eagle ornament at his waist.
He had no intention of hiding who he was.
He clearly wanted Lucian to recognize him and bow in acknowledgment.
Even if their houses were of equal standing, a Third Young Master and a reigning head stood on different rungs.
But Lucian had no intention of dancing to the marquis's tune.
"How rude. And who might you be, to brazenly butt in and insult other heads of houses like that? Judging by your age, you look like someone who's been taught proper etiquette well enough."
"What…?"
At Lucian's words—little different from outright abuse—the marquis froze on the spot, while Nigel's complexion turned as white as a sheet.
In the frozen atmosphere, Nigel was the first to recover his senses and grabbed Lucian's shoulder, shaking it.
"M-my lord! This man is—!"
"Ahem! Have you forgotten that His Highness the First Imperial Prince ordered us to conceal our identities? It's one thing if I make a mistake, but deliberately revealing it would be openly deceiving the imperial family. You absolutely must not say it."
At that, the marquis's face twisted like a demon's.
'This damn brat really is going to pretend not to know me to the very end!'
Just moments ago, the marquis had insulted the heads of houses who had sent proxies, saying they were looking for ways to wriggle out even after receiving an imperial edict.
If he now revealed his own identity in violation of the First Imperial Prince's command, it would be like spitting on his own face.
No matter how many hints he dropped, if the other party was determined to feign ignorance, there was nothing he could do.
"What's wrong? Why have you suddenly gone silent? If you have something to say, then say it."
'Damn it all.'
At Lucian's brazen defiance, Marquis Bernhardt ground his teeth.
He had wanted the boy to bow of his own accord, but at this rate he'd be forced to keep being addressed so informally by some green youngster.
If only the other were a head of a house, at least their standing would be equal—but he wasn't even an heir, just a mere Third Young Master.
Mask or no mask, continuing an equal conversation like this would mean enduring a lasting humiliation.
"…My apologies. It seems I made a mistake. Still, I appear to be considerably older than you—could I at least ask for a modicum of respect?"
The marquis's tone shifted from casual familiarity to formal politeness.
It was an unspoken signal: I'll show you respect, so you show me the bare minimum of courtesy in return.
Lucian promptly nodded and adjusted his tone.
"You're quite right. I spoke rudely because I was displeased. Please accept my apology."
"No, I understand. I did intrude rather abruptly, so it's only natural you'd be upset."
Damn it all.
The marquis wore a bright smile, but inside he was spewing curses.
He had meant to make the other bow first, yet here he was lowering himself and even receiving polite speech in return.
"Ahem! To be honest, the reason I approached you like this is because I wished to speak with you as well. A certain issue has come up recently, and I thought I'd hear another person's opinion."
"May I ask what sort of issue it is?"
"It's nothing much. A sword owned by an eagle was taken by a lion, who then lavishly set it with jewels. Now that its value has changed, the lion claims it as his own. So tell me—whose sword do you think it is?"
It was a strange metaphor, but Lucian immediately understood what he meant.
The eagle and the lion were the respective symbols of House Logran and House Valdeck.
The sword referred to Felicia, and the lavish jewels symbolized her status as the Sword Saint's disciple.
'So Felicia was originally House Logran's property? And since I took her into House Valdeck on my own, you want her returned? You've got some nerve.'
Most people, upon hearing that metaphor, would say that no matter how many jewels were added, the sword still belonged to its original owner.
What the marquis was demanding was clear: Hand over Felicia, now that she's become the Sword Saint's disciple.
Considering the mistreatment Felicia had endured until now, it wasn't even laughable.
"Well, if the eagle truly cherished the sword, then the lion would indeed be a thief. But if the lion took an item that had been half-abandoned like trash and adorned it, then demanding it back is a different matter altogether, isn't it?"
"No, I don't see it that way. Whether the sword was cherished or not, it was originally the eagle's possession. The moment it was taken without the owner's permission, the lion forfeited any claim to ownership."
"I wonder whether the sword would even favor its original owner. If it's truly such a famed blade, it would choose its master of its own accord."
"It's sheer insolence for a mere tool to choose its owner at will. Whatever the sword may say, it's enough that the owner knows how to use it properly."
"Is that so? Hahahaha!"
"Indeed. Huhuhuhu!"
Invisible sparks flew between Marquis Bernhardt and Lucian.
Caught squarely between the two of them, Nigel broke out in a cold sweat under the crushing weight of the exchange.
For a long while, nothing but dry laughter echoed back and forth, until Lucian spoke in a lightly amused tone.
"There's actually a very simple solution."
"A solution? And what might that be?"
"Isn't the eagle one who didn't even know whether the sword existed or not? Then just take any old stick, wrap it in cloth, and tell yourself that is the sword. After all, it was a blade you never used to begin with—what difference does it make?"
"The famed sword will be put to good use by the lion who recognized its value long ago, so there's nothing to worry about. Isn't that the ultimate solution—one that benefits both eagle and lion?"
The smile vanished from the marquis's face.
To him, it sounded like pure mockery—someone who never even recognized the sword's worth now spouting nonsense.
After a brief pause, the marquis glared sharply at Lucian and spoke.
"And what if the eagle refuses? What if he insists on reclaiming his sword? What if, even if it means both sides are drenched in blood, he chooses to fight the lion?"
Lucian replied coolly, a cold smile on his lips.
"Then the eagle will have to come to the lion's den. If the sword had been cherished and held close, the lion might have gone to the eagle's nest—but circumstances have changed. I do wonder how much strength an eagle can muster in the lion's front yard."
The moment Lucian finished speaking, both he and the marquis came to an abrupt halt.
No longer bothering to hide his hostility, killing intent gathered in the marquis's eyes.
After staring at Lucian for a long moment, Marquis Bernhardt turned his back and muttered,
"We'll see soon enough."
It was unclear whether it was a soliloquy or a warning.
After the marquis departed, Lucian let out a scoffing chuckle and murmured to himself.
"So I get to watch the eagle end up covered in blood? Greedy, for someone who couldn't even recognize a treasure."
"M-my lord…"
Nigel, drenched in cold sweat, called out to Lucian in a trembling voice.
Having heard the entire exchange just now, there was no way he hadn't guessed Lucian's identity.
Lucian waved both hands with a wry smile, as if it were nothing.
"Calm down. I'm not angry."
"I—I mean… I was rude to you, my lord…"
"I told you I'm not angry. That's just how this kind of amusement goes. By tomorrow night, everyone will have forgotten it."
"Th-thank you. Truly, thank you."
"For what? I enjoyed myself."
After giving Nigel's repeatedly bowing shoulder a light pat, Lucian headed back to his tent.
Now that his identity had effectively been exposed, there was no way he could continue chatting as casually as before.
Lucian had just arrived at his tent and removed his mask when—
"Third Young Master, was it really all right to provoke the marquis like that? Given his personality, he won't let this slide."
Raymond, who had been silently observing from behind the whole time, stepped closer and whispered.
Lucian tossed aside his hood and shrugged at Raymond.
"Let me ask you one thing. Between a man who lets himself be dragged around by his enemy, hoping—begging—not to be touched, and a man who steels himself for a fight and lands the first blow… which one is more worth serving, in your eyes?"
At Lucian's words, Raymond blinked blankly for a moment, then slowly broke into a deep smile.
He bowed exaggeratedly and replied in a tone laced with amusement,
"It is truly an honor to serve someone so worth serving."
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : https://shinchangreat.sellfy.store/