Overwhelming Firepower

Lucen was in the midst of preparing his very own scenario with Alexander and the others. As he was walking out of the Thornehart estate in Caelhart, he saw a familiar figure waiting just outside the gates.

It was Lysette Crowlorne.

At twenty years old, the girlish softness she once had had matured into something far more dangerous.

Her golden blonde hair flowed down her back in smooth waves, catching the morning light so that it seemed almost too bright against the stone walls of the estate.

Her deep blue eyes were as clear and radiant as ever, the kind that could make others think of spring skies and quiet lakes, yet Lucen knew better than to trust the innocence they seemed to hold.

She still carried that same appearance that made people think of princesses from old stories. Her posture was elegant, her expression warm, and her smile soft enough to make even a wary person lower their guard.

Lysette wore a refined dress of pale blue and white, tailored with the kind of understated elegance only a great noble house could afford.

The fabric clung just enough to her figure to remind anyone looking that she was no longer a child, while the layered skirt and fitted bodice gave her the appearance of a noble lady who belonged in paintings and courtly poems.

A silver hair ornament rested near one side of her head, beautiful at first glance, but with edges fine and precise enough to remind Lucen of the way she had always been. Even when she appeared decorative, there was always something sharp hidden beneath.

That was what stood out to Lucen the most.

Lysette looked as bright, warm, and harmless as she always had, but now it felt as though there was a sword concealed within that beauty. It was not something visible, nor was it the sort of danger one could point to directly.

It was simply there, hidden in the way her smile never slipped too far, in the way her eyes seemed to see more than they ever revealed, and in the way she stood so gracefully while somehow giving off the feeling that she could cut into the heart of any matter the moment she wished to.

’Among all the people I know, she’s always been quite the exciting and equally difficult person to handle. It’s always hard to figure out what she’s really thinking.’

As Lucen got near the gate of the estate, Lysette spotted him, and she smiled. ”Good Morning, Lucen.”

”Why are you waiting outside? You know you can come and wait inside, and they would gladly serve you tea.”

Hearing what Lucen said, Lysette let out a soft laugh. She did it in a way that made her look quite alluring.

”I know I could,” she replied, her voice as gentle as spring sunlight, ”but I thought it would be better to wait outside. Meeting you the moment you stepped out somehow felt more sincere than sitting inside while your servants poured me tea.”

Lucen narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. That answer sounded simple enough, yet coming from Lysette, simplicity itself was suspicious. With Lysette, even the simplest answer could hide multiple layers.

He had met more straightforward people among spies and schemers. Lysette was the sort of person who could wrap truth and misdirection together so neatly that by the time you noticed, you were already answering the wrong question.

Lucen was unaware that, unlike when she spoke with other people, Lysette was speaking with sincerity when speaking with him.

”I see,” Lucen said calmly as he approached her. ”So what brings you here?”

Lysette, who was smiling, suddenly showed a rather cute pouting face. ”How could you say that? You’ve been in the Capital for a few days now, but you haven’t even thought of visiting your fiancée.”

”Wasn’t that just a joke your Father made that one time with my own Father. There wasn’t an official statement of us being engaged.”

Lysette’s pout did not disappear immediately. In fact, when Lucen answered so plainly, it only seemed to deepen for a brief moment before softening back into that graceful smile of hers.

”You truly are cruel sometimes, Lucen,” she said, though there was no real accusation in her voice. ”Is the idea of being my fiancé such a problem? We are both of the age to marry anyway.”

’Well, that is true. As a Thornehart, I do need to get married at some point. Even if I decline the position of becoming the next Duke, Father would force a marriage on me.’

Lucen then glanced at the smiling Lysette. She was indeed beautiful, and her body had truly become alluring. If you just look at her outer appearance, she was quite the catch.

Still, the problem was what lies beneath what you see. She is like a snake that hides before it strikes, but the second she strikes, she’s like a lion that shows no mercy.

’What am I even thinking about right now? I still have to prepare the scenario with my entrance as a cool, mysterious instructor, who’s quite powerful.’

The time for him to interact with the protagonist and his companions was something way more important than thinking about marriage.

”As of now, the thought of marriage is not in my mind. I have other things I need to do.” Lucen then started walking.

Lysette spoke as she followed Lucen, her guards following in the shadows, their presence barely noticeable. ”Yes, I have heard that you’ve now become an instructor in the Royal Academy.”

’As expected of the spymaster in the game. She found out I became an instructor before my family.’

Lucen kept his expression calm, but inwardly, he could not help but feel a little impressed.

Even though he had only recently been accepted as an instructor, the information had already reached Lysette before it had even properly spread through his own household.

That alone was enough to remind him just how dangerous she could be when she truly wanted to know something.

”You work quickly,” Lucen said as he continued walking through the street.

Lysette matched his pace with effortless grace, her dress swaying lightly with each step. Her smile remained as gentle as ever, but there was a knowing gleam in her deep blue eyes.

”I could say the same about you,” she replied. ”One moment you arrive in the capital, and the next you have already secured a place inside the Royal Academy. No matter how many times I hear your name, you never seem content with standing still.”

Lucen glanced at the smiling Lysette. ”So, how long are you planning to follow me? If you want to talk, we can talk later.”

Lysette’s smile did not waver in the slightest when she heard his words. If anything, it only became a little brighter, as though she had been expecting that sort of answer from him all along.

”How cold,” she said in a voice that sounded more amused than offended. ”I came all the way here to see you, and now you are already trying to send me away.”

Lucen did not slow his pace. ”That depends on whether you came here to see me, or to see what use can be made of me.” His tone remained calm, but the meaning was clear.

Lysette placed a hand lightly against her chest as if wounded by his suspicion, though the playfulness in her eyes made it difficult to believe the gesture.

”You truly do say the cruelest things so calmly. Is that how you see me? Is it really so hard to believe that I simply wanted to spend a little time with you?”

Lucen glanced at her from the corner of his eye. That answer, once again, sounded dangerously sincere. Naturally, that only made him more suspicious.

’As expected of Lysette. She keeps pressing in that direction, but never so openly that I can reject it without sounding like a fool. If I respond too seriously, then I am the one overreacting. If I respond too lightly, she sets the pace of the conversation. She really is troublesome.’

Despite thinking that Lucen actually finds his conversations with Lysette quite entertaining. It was different from when he conversed with Robert about making new things, or when he spoke with his little brother about having fun.

Speaking with Lysette always felt like a chess match using words as pieces, and the responses were the moves they made.

It was exciting in a different way from making things, and it was fun in a different way from normal games. There was a sense of danger that was no different from battle.

Sometimes Lucen wondered if the battle-crazed trait affected him so much or if he was always like this.

”Fine... You can follow me if you want, but I’m not doing something you would consider fun.”

Lysette’s smile softened into something that looked almost genuinely pleased.

”That is enough for me,” she said lightly. ”As long as I am allowed to remain by your side for a little while, I am sure I can endure even the most dreadful sort of entertainment.”

Lucen cast her a sideways glance. The way she said things like that so naturally was exactly what made speaking with her so troublesome.

If he treated her words as simple teasing, then he risked overlooking the real intention beneath them. If he treated them too seriously, then he would only end up dancing to her pace.

’Truly a troublesome lady.’ Lucen thought to himself, unaware that there was a slight smile on his face.