'I need to stop her from going to the South without me,' thought Lucian as he returned from the training grounds back to his room. 'The more power she accumulates, the worse it will be for me.'
He had to make preparations to keep her around him somehow.
Mulling over it, Lucian entered the courtyard, where he saw two of his people lounging on the grass near the fountain.
Vice Cansan was laying in the sun, letting it dry his long hair. He seemed very relaxed despite wearing his usual outfit of loose trousers and a revealing shirt that barely hid his muscular frame.
His female underling was sitting cross-legged beside him, feeding him berries, both acting like lovers on vacation, completely ignorant of any problems beyond the estate walls.
Mumbai sat up and looked over at Lucian. She was a tiny, pretty girl with green hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her brown eyes sparkled mischievously and she wore a bright smile, but underneath she held an ominous aura.
As if sensing danger, Vice Cansan immediately straightened his posture. "Boss!" he waved at Lucian.
"When did you arrive?" Lucian asked.
Vice Cansan was in charge of the distribution deals in the Diamante Kingdom territory, and was stationed close to the city.
"Last night," Vice Cansan answered cheerfully, "The news about your engagement spread like fire, Boss. Congratulations! You finally settled down and became a married man! Just like you always─"
Lucian lifted his gaze, causing the man to shut up and cough awkwardly.
"Don't mention past things," Lucian said, "It's dangerous to speak of it here."
"Oof," Vice Cansan breathed out, and looked around the garden, seeing nobody. He took another glance at his surroundings, and noticed a curtain on the second floor move, " ...Boss, is this place haunted? I swear I saw something move up there..."
Lucian didn't bother to turn around to check, knowing that the one who was spying on them was Celine, who was hiding behind the curtains.
"Mm, yes," he nodded slightly, "Beware of a woman in a white dress. If you hear a cry at midnight, you cannot scream. If you scream, you will die a painful death..."
Vice Cansan hid behind Mumbai, who patted his head. He then poked his head out to ask, "Mumbie, you take care of the ghost, okay? I can deal with anything but ghosts. I hate ghosts..."
Mumbai nodded quietly.
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Lucian invited both of them to his room, which had become his office, and sat at the desk, "How is the shipment going?" he asked.
Vice Cansan handed him a folder, taking on a more serious approach, "Smooth sailing. It should reach the next destination in two weeks. We've been working on a new route, and we will be able to make the deliveries much faster."
"And cheaper, too," Lucian said as he read the papers, "Since you said that you can deal with everything but ghosts, how about a few noble houses that specialise in weapon production?"
"Umm...depends on what you want me to do with them," Vice Cansan answered carefully. "Weapon production usually includes dealing with military and royal officials, and you know how they are."
"How are they?" Lucian asked with a side smile.
"Annoying," Vice Cansan replied, "Always trying to stick their noses into your business."
"Then I guess it would be best if we don't venture too far into it," Lucian said, "Just a few parts here and there. Nothing major."
He handed Vice Cansan the blueprints to the new weapon he received from Duke Rochefort and explained the plan.
"Lady Celine is heading to the South in a week," Lucian started, "And whatever she is going to do there, is going to affect the whole kingdom. I'll be going with her, so I need you to stay here in my place…"
After a while, Vice Cansan widened his eyes, "Is this what they call future son in law favoritism?" he asked excitedly, "You've got a big catch, Boss. You're moving up in the world."
"I think it's just a cover up for whatever the hell she's going to do down there," Lucian said, "To keep the public busy, and from investigating further. Start the production and be ready to deal with lots of bad rumors. There are already rumors of me being a pirate lord. Wipe them out."
"Will do," Vice Cansan said, his hand on his heart. "Good luck on your journey. My heart will be with you, Boss."
Chuckling, Lucian turned his attention to Mumbai, "I will leave him in your care. Don't let him go too far, and if he does, don't hesitate to bring him back to his senses. With a hammer if you have to."
"I'll knock some sense into him, if needed," Mumbai bowed her head in acknowledgment, "You can count on me."
Vice Cansan pouted and threw an innocent look at Lucian, "I thought you were going to ask her to protect me from harm."
Lucian tidied his desk, "You're the Vice, you protect her. That's the way things work here. If you can't do that, you're not fit to be a Vice."
Vice Cansan groaned and leaned his head on Mumbai's shoulder, "Why can't the world be a nicer place, Mumbie?"
Mumbai gave him an unimpressed look, "Because then, the world would be ruled by idiots like you, silly."
Smiling at their interaction, Lucian invited them for dinner that night, and then the rest of the week he spent getting everything in order.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
I will slowly add the power system and lore from my remake to this version. You might get confused without the context since I will not go into detailed explanations as in the remake. I recommend reading the first 11 chapters to get the basics. (゜ロ゜)
This one will only contain a few snippets of powerbuilding, and will mainly focus on Celine's and Lucian's relationship.
The Remake contains Lucian's path to power, including him collecting his Vices along the way.
I'm still new to writing action and powerbuilding so any feedback will be appreciated. (*｀▽´*)
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