The Hidden Monster of House Vale

Chapter 94: Chapter - 94 - The Road to Azurefall

Very far away, a man was crossing a land of flowers. The path stretched endlessly before him, long and arduous, and he had been walking for days without rest—constantly, without water or food. But he needed none of it, for he was a realm master. Not a very strong one, but a realm master nonetheless. He walked without stopping, the only thought in his mind burning like a fever: to prove himself innocent. And if that failed, he would seek the help of other countries already opposed to Valtheria.

”Just a little further. A little more, and then I’ll reach her,” said Prince Andrin.

”I was happy with my life. Anne was happy with me. But then this Trial of Imperial Succession came, and I met that bastard Lucien.” His voice dripped with anger, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

”I did so many things for Valtheria, yet they accuse me of mass murder—of killing people. How stupid.” He thought back to the past, to everything he had sacrificed, everything he had given.

”I won’t forgive you, Lucien Vale. I won’t. I’ll make sure you die a painful death by my hand.” He gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with hatred as he pressed forward through the fields of flowers.

In a guest room of the Vale Estate, Lucien sat in conversation with Princess Verna and Anne, who had come to ask for his help in capturing Prince Andrin once again.

”So his plan is to meet the Emperor of Azurefall and make a deal?” Lucien asked Anne.

”Yeah, that’s what I got from my shadow agent. Considering his mental state right now, the chances are he would like to seize Valtheria by getting help from Azurefall—and then become a vassal state for Azurefall,” Anne replied.

Lucien was in deep thought. Usually, taking out people like Andrin was no big deal, but if he reached Azurefall and asked for help, then the worst could happen. Millions of realm masters would attack together. Valtheria wasn’t as big as Azurefall—in fact, Azurefall might be medium-sized, but the rulers of Azurefall were called Emperor and Empress, titles more powerful than a queen or king. So every step should be taken into consideration. And if Andrin didn’t reach Azurefall, that would be the best-case scenario. But knowing that a few days had already passed, he might be much closer to Azurefall than they would like.

Lucien thought through all of this while staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, a question came to him.

”If I’m not wrong, then he’s visiting Azurefall simply because Azurefall and Valtheria don’t have a good relationship, right?” asked Lucien.

”Yes. I don’t know why Brother is going there—they could execute him since they don’t like people from Valtheria,” said Princess Verna.

”There is a third person. Someone who is a mediator between them—someone not from Valtheria and not from Azurefall, but who has a good relationship with Prince Andrin and Azurefall’s ruler. This mediator is a key person. So, does anyone have any idea who that mediator is?” asked Lucien.

”His childhood friend,” said Princess Verna after thinking for a moment.

Then she continued, ”She was the daughter of one of the ministers from Valtheria, but due to political pressure, she had to settle in Azurefall. After that, she worked hard and now she has a very good position in Azurefall. Brother was in contact with her this entire time—he would go once a month to meet her. She works for Azurefall and lives in Azurefall.”

”Oh, Azurefall. If I’m not wrong, then Azurefall is the land of elves, right?” said Lucien with a smile—something he already knew.

”Yes, it’s the land of elves, and this is also why they hate humans. It’s also the reason she and her father had to leave Valtheria. But they have a very good relationship with Father and Brother,” said Princess Verna.

”Did you know someone in Azurefall?” asked Anne curiously, seeing Lucien’s smile.

”Yeah, but it’s been a while since I met her,” said Lucien.

”So whatever we have to do, we need to do it fast. If Prince Andrin reaches her, it’s over,” said Anne.

”Princess Verna, do not be worried. We will find him before he reaches Azurefall,” said Lucien with a warm smile.

Norrik, the bodyguard of Princess Verna, stood beside her and thought, He’s not that bad of a guy as people were making him out to be. He’s quite good and cooperative—talking to Anne as if she is equal to him, even though Anne and I are just retainers.

”By the way, do you know where she lives? If we reach there first, then we can catch Prince Andrin as fast as possible,” said Lucien.

”Yeah, since we were childhood friends, we knew each other quite well,” said Princess Verna.

”Well then, we should depart now. Every second wasted here means Prince Andrin is one step closer to Azurefall,” said Lucien.

”Yes, you’re right. We need to depart now. Princess Verna, maybe you should go back to the palace now—from here on, Lucien and I can handle everything,” said Anne.

”No, I’m planning to come with you. I know what my mother expects from me,” said Princess Verna.

”But going to an enemy country as a princess is a bad idea. If people realize who you are, they’ll try to capture you, and it can ruin the reputation of Valtheria’s royal family,” said Anne.

”Not if we disguise ourselves,” said Norrik with a bright smile.

”Yeah, if we disguise ourselves, no one will realize that I’m a princess,” said Princess Verna.

”Agh, normally I should stop things like this, but I think it’s a good opportunity for Princess Verna to learn about the empires,” said Anne while smiling.

”Then Princess Verna and I will go back to the palace and take whatever is necessary with us,” said Norrik with a smile.

”That’s a good idea,” said Anne, seeing them off.

As soon as they were gone, her face became neutral. Lucien was still in the room. He came behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

”What are you doing, you bastard?” said Anne.

”Nothing. Just trying to feel what Prince Andrin used to feel. So, are you sure you’ll be able to capture him? He used to be your lover, you know,” said Lucien with a smile, as if mocking her.

”Maybe. I know he used to be my lover, but at the same time, Princess Sylvie is my childhood friend. She never betrayed me, but I did betray her—and Prince Andrin betrayed me. So yeah, I don’t have any reason to save Prince Andrin, especially when he is now an enemy of Valtheria,” said Anne.

”Oh, so that’s your goal... revenge,” said Lucien, giving her a playful tap on the shoulder. ”You want to pay him back for what he did, and you’ll use this incident as an excuse, right?” He said it as if he could see through her soul.

”You bastard, you’re messing with me way too much. And yeah, you’re right. But what’s your goal? Why did you agree so easily?” said Anne.

Lucien caught a strand of her hair between his fingers and gave it a slight tug, bringing his face closer. His expression carried a mischievous edge. ”I thought it would be fun. Do I need a reason to have fun?” said Lucien.

”You want to torture him for fun, right? I can see that in your eyes, bastard. And I’ll love it—to see his face contorted and feel the pain a thousand times over.” Anne’s voice was low, almost a whisper, but there was a fire in it—a hunger that matched his own.

”Oh, don’t worry. It’ll be fun. At least for me,” said Lucien, his lips curving into a dangerous smile.

He released her hair and stepped back slightly, still watching her with amusement.

”You know,” Lucien murmured, ”for someone who claims to hate being bothered, you don’t seem very bothered.”

”I don’t pull away because I’m not afraid of you,” Anne shot back, her voice firm. ”There’s a difference.”

”Is there?” Lucien asked, his smile widening.

Anne crossed her arms and stared at him. ”Don’t push your luck, Lucien. Just because we fight well together doesn’t mean I’ll let you do whatever you want.”

”And yet you’re still standing here arguing with me,” he observed.

”Because you’re impossible.”

”I’ve been told,” he said, stepping back at last, giving her space. But his eyes never left hers—still watching, still measuring, still amused.

The relationship between Lucien and Anne was quite complicated. They didn’t hate each other, but they talked without filters, without any formalities. Since they had fought each other almost on equal footing, Anne respected him. She didn’t love or hate him. For her, Lucien was someone with whom she could talk and do things that her real self wanted—there was no social mask between them, as if They were completely honest with each other*. So she might speak rudely to him, but that didn’t mean she hated him. She was just speaking her mind. The same was true for Lucien. For him, she was very similar to Celbeth—in fact, she was stronger than Celbeth. For him, Anne was nothing more than a barbarian who talked like a noble in front of the royal family and talked like a barbarian in front of Lucien. This amused him.

These things would have changed if Anne had known that Lucien framed her lover, Prince Andrin, for something he never did. But she didn’t know, so they had this weird relationship where they were on the same side but still bantered with each other. In simple terms, they were just very close friends.

”What do you think about Princess Verna?” asked Anne.

”What?”