Alpha fell silent for a moment. He raised an eyebrow, his brows furrowing deeply; he was clearly taken aback by Lucian's words. Rumors implicating the Crown Prince had indeed circulated once before, but they had been silenced long ago. Most people dismissed them as nothing more than cheap gossip, fabricated solely to tarnish the Imperial family's name.
He paused again, lowering his gaze as if replaying Lucian's words in his mind. "The Crown Prince?" he asked, his voice laced with obvious caution.
"Of course, who hasn't heard those rumors? But what does that have to do with our current discussion?"
Lucian remained as composed as ever, a smile still playing on his lips. He let out a short breath and tilted his head slightly downwards, a faint, knowing smirk forming on his face.
"Think about it. Why would he accuse Duke Florance of all things?" he said, looking at Alpha meaningfully. For the Servent Guild, who were in league with the Duke, such rumors were not something to be taken lightly or ignored.
And the reason? It was surprisingly simple. Power struggles were an inevitable reality in a monarchy. To overthrow one authority to secure one's own position was a classic, almost textbook move within such a system.
Alpha narrowed his eyes behind his mask and leaned slightly forward. "Don't tell me... it was a distraction?" he spoke softly, yet his tone betrayed a mix of doubt and sudden realization.
Lucian gave a short huff of amusement and smiled thinly. "Bingo."
"He did it to divert attention from the fact that the current Crown Prince... is not actually the Emperor's biological son."
"So you're saying the rumors are true?" Alpha asked, looking genuinely confused, struggling to process the revelation.
'It is true,' Lucian thought to himself, keeping his face perfectly neutral. 'Though I suppose I should act like I don't really know for sure.'
What he had said wasn't mere speculation; this plot point had been explicitly mentioned in the game's storyline. Lucian remembered it clearly. Right at the beginning of the main quest, when the protagonist was first summoned into this world, rumors questioning the purity of the Crown Prince's bloodline spread like wildfire among the commoners and lower nobility.
The issue burned hotly for a while, sparking dangerous waves of unrest. In the game, Duke Reynald Florance was one of the key figures who had come dangerously close to exposing the truth. He had gathered evidence supporting the claim, evidence Lucian was certain this guild was also searching for.
However, his proof was ultimately deemed insufficient. Tragically, he was branded a traitor to the nation instead. With weak evidence to defend himself, the Imperial Inquisitors managed to silence him through legal means.
"Well, that is what I believe," Lucian said casually, shrugging his shoulders slightly as if it were all trivial knowledge. "Naturally, this is just my personal opinion."
"But just imagine... what would the public reaction be if this were proven?" He continued, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Alpha seriously. Slowly, he raised his hand, holding up his index and middle fingers together.
"They would split into two factions. The first, of course, would remain loyal to the Crown Prince. But the second... they would begin to doubt the royal lineage. And who would they turn to then? Who would they see as a viable alternative?"
Lucian pressed his two fingers together and pointed downward, emphasizing his next words.
"The people would naturally look toward Duke Florance. The former Crown Prince." He added with a slight smirk.
He shook his head and shrugged again, maintaining his relaxed demeanor. "Naturally, if the Duke's support grows, he becomes a direct threat to the reigning power."
Watching him speak, Alpha gritted his teeth slightly and clenched his fists. His expression turned grave as he finally grasped the sheer magnitude and implications of what he was hearing.
"After hearing this from you," Alpha said finally, looking straight at Lucian, "everything finally makes sense. Thank you, Sir. We will reopen the investigation and look into this matter again."
Lucian remained quiet for a moment, simply nodding slowly. But beneath his calm exterior, his thoughts were racing.
'I feel a little guilty saying all this,' he thought, keeping his eyes fixed on the man before him. 'But even without my help, they would have found the evidence eventually, just like in the game. I'm just speeding things up a bit.'
"You don't need to thank me," Lucian replied flatly, his gaze intense. "Instead, I want the results regarding my earlier request."
He shrugged casually, though his words carried an undeniable weight. "Send me a letter the moment you find what I'm looking for."
Alpha nodded slowly. "Of course," he answered, his voice steady now, though the tension remained. "I will dispatch a letter as soon as I have the information you desire."
A bright smile spread across Lucian's face. He stood up, stretching his body languidly. "Very well then. I'll be waiting."
He walked toward the door, his firm footsteps echoing in the quiet room that had just been filled with such heavy conversation.
"I suppose I've kept my servant waiting outside long enough," Lucian added, glancing briefly at the door before pausing at the threshold, as if remembering something important.
"Oh, there is one more thing I'd like to ask," he said, his tone shifting to something more serious, his eyebrow raised slightly to indicate the importance of his question.
"Are you familiar with summoning magic? The kind that can bring people from other worlds, or something similar?"
Alpha looked surprised by the question. After a few seconds of silence, he responded cautiously. "Summoning magic is common enough, especially among mages. However, I have never heard of magic capable of summoning humans, let alone from another world entirely."
Lucian leaned against the doorframe, his eyes never leaving Alpha's, as if searching for something deeper. "Is that so?" he asked playfully, trying to gauge Alpha's reaction further.
Alpha frowned slightly, sensing there was more to the question than met the eye.
"In that case, just forget I asked," Lucian said casually, waving it off as if it were of no real consequence.
With that, Lucian stepped out of the room. Left alone, Alpha removed his mask, letting his long hair fall loose. He tried to push aside Lucian's final question, finding the concept absurd. Magic that could summon people from other worlds? It sounded impossible.
The room fell silent again, save for the fading sound of footsteps. Alpha leaned against the table, still processing the avalanche of information he had just received.
"So this is where you are, Brother," a soft yet curious voice came from the doorway. Alpha turned to see a man emerging from the shadows. "Didn't I tell you to leave earlier?" Alpha asked, his voice sharp, though laced with exhaustion.
The man had flowing blue hair and piercing golden eyes. It was Duke Reynald Florance. "I was about to go home," he said with a faint smile, seemingly unbothered, "but when I heard that man mention my name, I decided to stay a while longer."
Reynald leaned casually against a chair, his eyes sharp as they studied Alpha. A gentle smile graced his lips, but his gaze held a complex mix of warmth and vigilance.
"I appreciate your concern, but aren't you pushing yourself too hard, Schnee?" His voice was calm but carried undeniable authority. "I just want you to live your life like any other girl your age, not spend your days worrying about me."
Schnee took a deep breath, trying to steady her swirling emotions. "I can't just stand by and watch them cast you aside like this, Brother." Her voice trembled slightly despite her efforts to control it.
"They took everything from you, and now they want to erase your very existence. It makes me..." She clenched her fists, her eyes glistening. "Furious. So incredibly angry!"
Reynald raised an eyebrow and let out a soft chuckle. "Schnee, you take things too seriously," he said lightly, though there was firmness in his tone. "As long as you are by my side, I don't care what others think of me. I am still here, still standing. Isn't that enough?"
He looked at his sister with an expression that almost seemed teasing, yet beneath it lay genuine affection—conveying that he understood, but didn't want her to carry unnecessary burdens.
"By the way, that second young master of the Witte family... he seems like an interesting man. I wouldn't mind having a proper conversation with him sometime." Reynald smiled faintly, already seeing the potential in forming a connection.
Lucian walked out of the building with a satisfied smirk, his steps confident and assured. "Kill two birds with one stone," he muttered to himself, pleased with how things had unfolded.
'Reynald Florance, he's a pretty important character in the game,' Lucian thought, grinning. 'Having a connection with him is a massive advantage, not to mention getting in good with the Servent Guild. Ah~ this is the privilege of knowing the future.' He felt on top of the world, able to predict everyone's moves before they even made them.
As he walked calmly down the corridor, a wine cup suddenly went flying past his head, narrowly missing his hair.
"Hey, do people here have a habit of throwing things when they're drunk?" Lucian commented flatly, dodging the projectile with agile movements.
Ahead of him, a gambler was literally floating in the air, his body suspended as if by an invisible force. His eyes were half-lidded, probably from alcohol or confusion. Standing before him was Natty, her hand extended as she effortlessly controlled the man's movements.
"How dare you touch me, you maniac!!" Natty shouted, her face flushed with anger as her telekinetic power held the man firmly in place.
"Haa," Lucian sighed, rubbing his temple in exasperation. "Can't she just wait patiently?" he grumbled, annoyed by the sudden commotion.
He approached her with his usual relaxed stride, ignoring the chaos. "I'm back, Natty. Sorry to keep you waiting," he said in a calm voice, trying to defuse the situation.
"Young Master?!" Natty exclaimed, her anger instantly replaced by surprise. The moment she released her power, the floating gambler dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.
'Wow, even though that was trivial, her ability is amazing for support,' Lucian thought with a small smile, appreciating his servant's prowess even in such a messy situation. "I suppose I was gone for too long. How about we head back home now?"
"Y-yes, Young Master," Natty replied quickly, her expression returning to its usual professional seriousness.
Lucian nodded and headed for the exit, with Natty hurrying to follow close behind. Together, they left the place, intending to return to the Witte mansion before the night grew any darker.