Lucavion shook his head, exhaling softly.
“There’s no need to dwell on the past anymore,” he said, voice even.
Thaddeus’ golden eyes snapped to him immediately, a glare sharpening his already severe expression.
“No need?” His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of a storm on the horizon. “That’s easy for you to say.” His jaw tightened, his grip against his chair firm. “It wasn’t your loved one who lost their life.”
Lucavion didn’t flinch. He didn’t shy away from the anger radiating off the Duke like a furnace barely restrained.
Instead—
He nodded.
“That’s correct.”
His words were calm. Simple.
And that—
That only made the weight in the room heavier.
The Duke was feeling too much at once.
Too many emotions, all crashing together, all clawing at him.
Because if this was true—
If those things—those damned things from the sky—had been the reason for her death—
If it wasn’t just fate, or misfortune, or some cruel sickness—
But something inflicted.
Something done.
His breathing slowed.
And then—
His voice came low, steady.
“These things… the ones you’re talking about…” His gaze burned into Lucavion’s. “Are there more of them out there?”
Lucavion smiled.
The kind of smile that wasn’t playful. Wasn’t teasing.
The kind of smile that meant he already knew what Thaddeus was thinking.
“There are.”
Silence.
The Duke’s fingers curled into a fist.
His blood—his very soul—burned.
With anger.
With the need for something more than just understanding.
With the need to do something.
Because this—
This was something he could direct his fury toward.
Something he could destroy.
And Thaddeus Duchy had never been the type to simply let things go.
Lucavion’s dark eyes glimmered with something unreadable as he tilted his head slightly.
“Does that mean you believe me now?”
His voice was light, but the question wasn’t casual.
It wasn’t a taunt.
It was a test.
Thaddeus met his gaze, golden eyes unflinching.
They stared at each other, neither backing down, the weight of everything unspoken pressing into the silence.
The Duke let the moment stretch, let himself study the young man before him.
Lucavion.
‘This boy… No. Not just a boy. A force of his own.’
At first glance, he was nothing more than a rogue—a skilled, troublesome swordsman who had shaken the empire for a brief moment before history moved on without him.
And yet—
No ordinary man carries the power to alter the tides of fate.
From the moment he had stepped into this room, Lucavion had moved like someone who was always ten steps ahead.
Confident, but not arrogant.
Mischievous, but never reckless.
And above all—
He never speaks without purpose.
The more Thaddeus listened to him, the more he realized—
Lucavion’s words weren’t just ramblings of a man looking to sound impressive.
They were calculated.
Measured.
As if he already knew the exact weight of each revelation before he said it.
And yet, for all his composure—
There is something dangerous about him.
The way he smirks, the way he weaves between humor and absolute certainty.
Like a man who has nothing to fear.
Or—
Like a man who has already lost too much to be afraid of anything anymore.
And Thaddeus—
He had spent enough years in war, enough years among men who carried scars both visible and unseen, to recognize someone who had been shaped by loss.
‘You’ve suffered something, haven’t you, Lucavion?’
But that wasn’t the question at hand.
The question was—
Did he believe him?
Thaddeus exhaled, letting his thoughts settle into a single, undeniable conclusion.
“Yes.”
His voice was firm. Unwavering.
“I believe you.”
Lucavion blinked, just once, before his smirk returned, small but present.
“Oh?”
Thaddeus didn’t let himself be pulled into whatever game Lucavion was playing.
“I’ve seen too much. Heard too much. And everything you’ve said so far aligns with what I have seen and what Aeliana has confirmed.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Doubting you any further would not only be foolish—it would be dishonest.” Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
He let his words settle before continuing.
“And I do not intend to be dishonest to the man who saved my daughter’s life.”
Lucavion chuckled softly at that, shaking his head. “Hah… How formal, Mister Duke.”
Thaddeus exhaled sharply through his nose.
“Humph.”
A short, low snort. Not quite amusement, not quite irritation—just something in between.
Then, with measured steps, he walked forward.
Closer.
Until he was standing directly before Lucavion.
The difference in their stature was clear—Thaddeus, the towering Duke, golden-eyed and imposing. Lucavion, ever at ease, leaning slightly, as if none of this weight truly reached him.
The tension in the room did not dissipate.
If anything, it sharpened.
Thaddeus looked down at him, arms folding behind his back.
“Now…”
His voice was low. Controlled.
“Tell me why you have revealed all these things to me.”
Lucavion smiled.
Not his usual smirk.
Not something mocking or playful.
A small, knowing smile.
Like he had been waiting for this question.
Like it was always going to come.
The room was silent, the air thick with the weight of expectation.
Then—
Lucavion leaned forward just slightly, dark eyes glinting with something unreadable.
“Why, indeed?”
Thaddeus’ gaze did not waver.
He had expected a vague response. Something evasive.
But that didn’t mean he would accept it.
“What is your goal?” His voice was steady, sharp. “For what reason have you come here?”
Lucavion shrugged, his posture as relaxed as ever.
“I came here to deal with the thing my master told me to.”
Thaddeus’ golden eyes narrowed.
“That may have been a reason.” His tone darkened slightly. “But that is not the only reason, is it?”
Lucavion stayed still.
Then—
A quick glance.
Not at the Duke.
At Aeliana.
It was fast, fleeting, but it was there.
And Thaddeus caught it.
Lucavion’s smirk returned, just slightly.
“Indeed, it’s hard to deceive you.” He exhaled, tilting his head slightly. “Not that I tried.”
Then—
He uttered a single word.
A word that made the tension in the room shift.
“Since I came forward as honest, I want a favor from you.”
Thaddeus’ expression darkened.
He knew this was coming.
“You have saved my daughter.” His voice was low but absolute. “If it is within my power, I will do my best to honor your request.”
Lucavion’s smirk widened slightly. “That’s just as expected from you, Mister Duke.”
Saying that, he turned his head, his dark eyes shifting toward the window.
Outside, the sky was stretching into evening, the last remnants of sunlight painting the horizon in deep golds and purples.
And then—
His voice came quiet, smooth, yet undeniably firm.
“I want you to become my guardian.”
Silence.
Heavy. Immediate.
Aeliana stiffened.
Thaddeus remained still.
Then—
His golden eyes burned.
“…What?”