The Hidden Monster of House Vale

Chapter 110: Chapter - 110 - Unmasked Royalty and Secrets Beneath the Feast

”What are you doing here?” Aelene asked, her voice tight with surprise as her gaze shifted between Lucien and Besriel.

Before either of them could offer an answer, Prince Rumil rose from his seat with a bright smile and stepped forward, welcoming Lucien warmly.

”Axel, my friend! I’m so glad to see you here,” Prince Rumil said, clapping a hand on Lucien’s shoulder. ”Me and my fiancée were waiting for you.”

Aelene offered a soft smile, though her eyes betrayed her lingering confusion. ”You know each other?”

”Yeah, Axel saved my life and after that we became friends,” Rumil explained cheerfully, turning to Aelene. ”You know, he is very good at cooking. On our way he made so many different types of dishes in the wild, you should eat someday.”

Besriel leaned in close to Lucien, her soft breath brushing against his cheek as she whispered into his ear. ”Axel, you never told me that the ’influential person’ is Prince Rumil himself... and how did you even get in contact with him?”

Aelene caught the hushed exchange and let out a light laugh, playfully shaking her head. ”Besriel, you can speak here, don’t badmouth us.”

Panic instantly flushed across Besriel’s face, her pointed ears twitching in deep embarrassment even as a nervous smile tugged at her lips. ”No, no, my lady! I wasn’t saying anything bad. He never told me that he knows Prince Rumil.”

Rumil chuckled softly, looking between them with mild curiosity. ”So you guys know each other too?”

”Yeah, Besriel is my assistant in healing sanctuary and Axel was my patient,” Aelene answered, nodding gracefully. ”His core got shattered, but he is fine now. You said he saved you?”

”Yeah... some assassin tried to kill me by teleporting me in the middle of that forest,” Rumil said, his tone growing darker for a moment before returning to his usual grand manner. ”I survived because he was there, looking for some herbs and plants, and he is very strong.”

”He saved me too, Prince Rumil,” Besriel added softly, looking up at Lucien with quiet gratitude.

”Really... seems like he loves saving people,” Prince Rumil said, genuinely amused.

”Yeah, he said that it’s a common to save someone in trouble,” Besriel said with a slight blush.

Rumil laughed heartily. ”Yeah, that’s something Axel would say.”

Aelene gestured toward the lavishly decorated dining setup. ”Let’s go and start having dinner, and then we can talk.”

Everyone sat at the table. Lucien sat beside Besriel, while Aelene sat beside Prince Rumil. Servants immediately began pouring fine wine and placing aromatic, high-grade dishes before them.

”Are you enjoying Azurefall?” Prince Rumil asked, leaning back in his chair as he looked across the table at Lucien.

”Yeah, the people are so kind here,” Lucien replied, taking a casual sip from his glass. ”Even though I’m a human, there are very few people who discriminate against humans.”

Rumil waved a hand dismissively. ”Yeah, I keep trouble people aside, they are in backward cities so they don’t harm my perfect city.”

Lucien noted the phrasing instantly. What Rumil truly meant was that half-elves and humans were forced into the impoverished, backward districts of the territory so they remained out of sight. The few humans and half-elves who walked the streets of Azurefall itself were exclusively from the upper crust. The apparent lack of prejudice was simply a matter of economic and racial discrimination working together. Lucien wasn’t experiencing discrimination simply because he had rescued Besriel—who served the influential Aelene—and because he had subsequently saved Prince Rumil himself, securing a very special status.

As the meal progressed, Aelene turned to her betrothed, her expression growing thoughtful. ”Prince Rumil, I heard that the Hollow of Ten Thousand Forms had been opened.”

Rumil turned to her, his smile softening into something fond. ”Please call me just Rumil, it’s almost more than a year since our engagement has done.”

A faint flush touched Aelene’s cheeks, and she looked down with a shy smile. ”I-I’ll remember that.”

Rumil turned his attention back to the table, his tone becoming more serious. ”Well, the Hollow of Ten Thousand Forms was sealed for three hundred and seventeen years. But suddenly the seal got weakened and now it’s open. Hundreds of realm masters are ready from Azurefall to go inside, let’s see what will happen this time.”

Sitting quietly across from them, Lucien kept his expression neutral, but his mind began working rapidly.

Interesting... because of my lost atlas, I already knew about when it opened, Lucien thought, his gaze drifting over the crystal glass in his hand. I would love to take whatever it has, but right now I have to be careful. Lately my enemies have been becoming stronger and stronger. Who knows what unknown entity is waiting for me? Maybe the safest bet would be to go with a lot of people that I can use as a pawn.

”You are in deep thought, Axel,” Prince Rumil noted, cutting through his silence.

Aelene offered a light, knowing laugh. ”It seems like Lord Axel is planning to go inside.”

Lucien laughed naturally and said, ”I just never been to a dungeon like that, I was just curious and I won’t lie, it’s tempting.”

”Considering your strength, Axel, I think you can handle it... hmmm,” Prince Rumil said, pausing as he tapped his fingers against his stemware in deep thought.

His eyes narrowed slightly, a darker edge creeping into his tone. ”Maybe you should go... who knows that bitch Aelvera, what she would do and might find. If she finds something powerful, there are chances she would definitely try to kill me. To be honest, I would love to get rid of her... I hate her tone.”

No matter how much a person tried to wear a noble mask in front of his loved ones, sometimes his real self could come out even in these casual conversations. Whenever Aelene and Prince Rumil had spent time together in the past, he had hardly anything to say and was mostly nervous, so Aelene had gotten the impression that he was just a shy person.

Now, because Lucien was present and Rumil had become comfortable, his mask for Aelene and his general social mask slipped completely. To Aelene, listening quietly beside him, the sudden display was distasteful, but she kept her polite smile fixed firmly on her face like a flawless doll.

”Not a bad idea, Prince,” Lucien said smoothly, leaning back. ”If it’s your permission, then I would love to go. I want to explore it as well. As a traveler, I love seeing new things, especially when they are centuries old.”

Prince Rumil drank his wine and set the glass down with a satisfied nod. ”Permission granted.” He smiled warmly at Lucien. ”And don’t call me Prince, just call me Rumil. We are friends.”

Aelene gently set her utensils down. A few pressing concerns had been weighing on her mind, and she wanted answers.

”Prince Rumil, this Man-Eater... when will this problem get resolved?” Aelene asked, her tone laced with quiet worry. ”Citizens are so paranoid that they are attacking each other over small disputes. They are in fear.”

Rumil sighed, his expression turning indifferent. ”It’s hard to tell... Aelene... Aelvera took the idea of killing the Man-Eater as a revenge for her father far too seriously. I can just hope if she can resolve this issue. If not, I’ll take matters into my own hands, so you won’t have to worry about it.” He offered her a reassuring smile.

Prince Rumil hardly cared about anything; the only things he truly cared about were his vault’s treasures, himself, and his throne. Aelene could see that clearly. He severely underestimated her. Aelene was someone who worked on the ground level every single day. She knew what was happening in Azurefall and what was not; she was no idiot.

”I really hope so that this gets resolved quickly,” Aelene said, keeping a faint smile on her face.

Turning her attention across the table to break the heavy mood, Aelene looked at the young elf. ”By the way, Besriel, you never told me that you would come here.”

Besriel’s hands fidgeted with her napkin, her cheeks instantly turning bright red. ”Even I didn’t know that, my lady! Axel told me there is a dinner with an influential person... I was happy to come to dinner with him... I mean, I wanted to...” She trailed off, hiding her face in embarrassment.

Aelene couldn’t help but laugh softly. ”You are really cute when you blush like that.”

The dinner was quite fun. After they finished eating, the group moved to the lounging area. Aelene sat with Besriel while Lucien walked over to talk privately with Rumil near the balcony. Sitting together on the comfortable couch, Besriel was getting teased by Aelene a lot of times because of Lucien.

”So did you do it yet?” Aelene asked, leaning in closer with a playful gleam in her eyes.

Besriel blinked, confused. ”about what, my lady?”

”Just say Aelene,” she corrected gently, smiling. ”It seems years since we know each other.” She paused, her voice dropping to a mischievous whisper. ”And I meant to say, you didn’t do dual cultivation with him yet? Knowing how you told me and other assistants that you saw a man naked?”

Besriel’s face exploded into a brilliant crimson shade. ”La-Lady Aelene! I was just telling you, but then you told everyone... now everyone makes fun of me!” she protested, her expression completely cute and flustered. She buried her hot face in her hands before shaking her head softly. ”And no, we didn’t do anything yet... What about you and Prince Rumil?”

Aelene’s smile softened into a quiet, pragmatic sigh. ”I hardly get time from the healing sanctuary, and Prince Rumil is also busy. We’ve never even done it, not even once. We are still talking, trying to know each other... but still, some of the things are just disappointing about him.”

Aelene was blunt; whatever she was thinking, she never liked sugarcoating anything.

Across the hall, Prince Rumil motioned for her to join him. Catching the gesture, Aelene turned back to the besriel. ”Wait a minute, let me see what he wants.” She stood up gracefully and walked toward her betrothed.

Seeing Aelene leave, Lucien excused himself from Rumil and stepped back into the lounge. Holding a glass of wine, he glided over toward Besriel. She looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with shy curiosity as he settled into the plush space right beside her on the couch, closing whatever distance remained between them.

”Did something happen?” Besriel asked, her voice soft and inviting.

”No, nothing happened. Just some discussions,” Lucien murmured smoothly. He set his wine glass aside on a low table, his gaze locking onto hers with intoxicating warmth. He reached out, his long fingers gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her sensitive, pointed ear, brushing against the soft skin with deliberate slowness. ”You look beautiful in this dress.”

A deep blush flooded Besriel’s cheeks as a shiver ran down her spine from his touch. Before she could process the sudden heat, Lucien’s hand slid behind her waist, slipping down over the smooth, wine-red fabric to rest firmly on her rear. He cupped the full curve of her bottom, his fingers casually fondling and squeezing the soft flesh through her gown, pulling her body just a fraction closer to his side.

Besriel gasped softly, her breath hitching in her throat as heat pooled in her lower stomach. Her eyes fluttered, but she didn’t move away; instead, she leaned into his solid warmth, resting her hand lightly against his chest.

”Seems like you do like something better than my elf ears,” Besriel whispered, a breathy, playful smile tugging at her lips despite her intense blushing.

”Maybe,” Lucien replied softly, his voice a low purr. He leaned in closer until his lips nearly brushed the shell of her ear, his hand giving her behind another firm, possessive squeeze that sent a fresh wave of electricity through her entire body.

Before Besriel could say another word, the sound of raised voices shattered the quiet intimacy of the room. Across the hall, the conversational volume suddenly spiked, sharp and clear.

The only thing they heard was Aelene’s voice rising in complete disbelief: ”What? You want to go to the Hollow of Ten Thousand Forms?”