The Invincible Full-Moon System

Chapter 1602 1602: A Smile That Lies

Rex entered the inn and found a seat in the corner.

It was still relatively early for an inn, but there were still several people drinking in the inn.

Most of them seemed depressed.

Princess Davina took a seat across the inn, on the other corner, but she could still hear the conversation even from there. Rex did not know exactly how, since it was quite lively—and she was a good distance away, but since she told him itʼs fine, then heʼs not going to worry about it.

Besides, Rex was more than capable of hearing Princess Davina even if it was only a whisper.

His Werewolf side helped him with that.

So, someone stronger like Princess Davina, whoʼs also the daughter of the duke, should have her way.

Rex looked at Princess Davina, ordering a drink.

She was wearing an invisible mask that turned her face into another personʼs face.

Now, she turned to a plain woman with brown eyes and chubby cheeks, donning only a brown cloak.

Nobody below the Master Eternal Spirit rank could see through this mask.

As he watched her silently from the side, his mind went back to Duke Lorcanʼs small request.

…

”Iʼm sure youʼre aware, but in case you didnʼt, I was the one who pressured Davina to marry.”

Duke Lorcan said truthfully, sitting back as his expression turned complex.

An expression of someone who had a lot of things he needed to think about.

One that Rex personally related to.

”At the time, I was cornered. Normally, when a Duke is left—without any suitable heir, he would take in an heir from other nobles to groom. But this time, it was different. When both of my sons died, four out of the six Marquesses—voiced out their concern about the House of Castillonʼs longevity now that Iʼm left without any male heir. All of them said the resources a Duke was entitled to would be wasted on our house.”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

He already expected them to do this, but he didnʼt expect them to do it this quickly.

Not even a few days passed, and they already voiced their concern to the Emperor.

Rex frowned when he heard this.

”Even so, isnʼt it the tradition of this empire? Why is it different this time?”

”My eldest daughter is barren—she couldnʼt bear a child. Davina is bound by a prophecy to find no equal among the men of this realm. My third, Tatiana, has gone rogue and now pays for her crimes in prison. And my youngest, Vivian, remains stalled at the Master Immortal Spirit rank.”

Hearing this, Rex pressed his lips together.

He now realized why this time was different.

Duke Lorcan was truly in a problematic situation.

No wife to bear another male heir, and his daughters were also no good.

Liliana is unable to bear a child.

Davina is a public figure bound by a prophecy that was respected by all people in the empire.

Tatiana canʼt be the one, as even if she does bear an heir, sheʼs a criminal, and her child would never be approved.

As for Vivian, she has a weak constitution and talent, which might be passed down to her child.

Because of those reasons, the Marquesses could argue about the House of Castillonʼs longevity.

Rex could see how even Duke Lorcan, a man who had lived for thousands of years with rich experience of life and battles, could be shaken up like this. His situation was simply a pit of despair. Not only did he need to figure out how to keep the House of Castillon alive, but he was also still grieving the death of his two beloved sons.

Such a crippling situation could even make a strong man like Duke Lorcan to waver.

”Doesnʼt this basically make those four Marquesses suspicious? They conspired to murder your sons, knowing that this would happen. They found an opportunity to shake your seat, and they seized it. I am sure even a blind man would be able to see this connection.”

”Of course. Iʼm well aware of that, and I also came to that conclusion, which is why I told the Emperor about the possibility, in THE hope that the Emperor would give me aid, or if not, buy time for me to come up with a solution. The Emperor didnʼt help, couldnʼt help, as that would show favoritism. But he did grant me time to prove my claim.”

Slowly, Duke Lorcan poured himself another drink and drank it in one go.

Rex could see that he wanted to drink more, but even then, he didnʼt abandon his noble etiquette.

It was too Ingrained into him that he couldnʼt even drink directly from the bottle.

”Iʼve deployed thousands of trusted soldiers to investigate my sonsʼ deaths, even employed three secret factions, two of them were on my own, while the other one was from Duke Sahran, but none of them could find a single clue that backed my claim. Spotless…”

Duke Lorcan chuckled at himself, ridiculing himself for not anticipating this.

A failure on his own part.

”Those back-stabbing bastards didnʼt leave a single trace, and there doesnʼt seem to be any hope.”

”So, thatʼs why you pressure Princess Davina to marry?”

”Yes, thatʼs the entire purpose of the Nameless Dragon Arena. Itʼs open to anyone across the Empire and beyond, so whoever she chooses there, the people would be able to stomach it. But that doesnʼt mean Iʼve given up. Iʼm still searching for clues.”

Rex nodded.

Now, he began to understand the bigger picture about the House of Castillonʼs situation.

It was far more dire than he anticipated.

But now, it was time for him to listen to what Duke Lorcan asked of him.

”So, the favor…” Duke Lorcan muttered lightly and stopped.

For some reason, asking for the favor he had in mind seemed to be a hard thing to do for him.

Then again, Rex knew what he was going to ask for.

”How do I refuse this? Heʼs clearly going to ask me to speed up my relationship with Princess Davina—likely so she can become pregnant soon. I have to turn him down, but knowing his situation makes it harder to say no. Should I let the Invincible Apparition speak in my place instead?”

Rex anticipated Duke Lorcan asking him to do the deed with Princess Davina soon.

An heir could at least give Duke Lorcan something to work on.

As of this moment, he was grasping at air, so it mustʼve felt hopeless for him.

Rex wondered if he should step back and let the Invincible Apparition take over.

But he stopped himself from doing it.

Unlike Blanks, who could retain their own mind while simultaneously making their emotions numb, it was different for Rex. He wasnʼt a Blank yet, and the Invincible Apparition still has a mind of its own and could potentially sabotage this situation.

So, Rex has no choice but to confront this talk personally.

Duke Lorcan raised his gaze to look at Rex directly, keeping his gaze steady, albeit failing.

”I want you to try and convince Davina to give her blessing for Octavia…”

”Hmm?”

Rex was caught off guard by this favor.

He was expecting Duke Lorcan to ask him to help Princess Davina bear a child.

But he got it all wrong completely.

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”Octavia? Who is she?”

”Baroness Octavia… Octavia Sordan. She fought to inherit her husbandʼs status after he died. She and I have a relationship, a serious one. I already asked the blessing—from all my daughters, even Tatiana, and Davina is the only one who refused to give her blessing.”

Rex looked at Duke Lorcan, truly looking at him.

Someone with power like Duke Lorcan doesnʼt need permission.

He could do anything he wanted, so Rex was confused as to why he insisted on Davinaʼs blessing.

”Why…?”

That question rang in his mind, but it slipped out of his mouth.

But Duke Lorcan wasnʼt offended.

”I loved my late wife deeply. She stood by me, supporting me from the days I fought for my very first sovereign land. Without her, I wouldnʼt be where I am now,” He said quietly, his expression softening with the memory. ”My daughters are her legacy, the living extension of her soul. I canʼt marry Octavia without their blessing—it just wouldnʼt feel right…”

Realizing that the mood had grown darker, Duke Lorcan forced a smile.

”I donʼt expect youngsters like you to understand, but thatʼs my reason.” He said.

Rex couldnʼt say that he understood.

He was too focused on rage and hatred in his upbringing that everything else felt meaningless.

But he understands the determination of a man.

”And what does this have to do with what you told me earlier? With your, no, our situation?”

Hearing this, Duke Lorcanʼs smile widened a little—too easily, too quickly.

At first glance, it mightʼve passed as genuine, even warm.

But something about it didnʼt sit right—there was a tremble at the edge of it, a strange tightness around the corners of his lips, as though it had been carved into place and held there by sheer will. Rex couldnʼt put his finger on what was wrong, but the smile... It wasnʼt real.

Not fully.

It was the kind of smile that belonged to a man holding himself together with fraying threads.

No weakness in his appearance.

His back was straight, his bearing noble, the picture of strength and dignity as expected of a duke.

But his eyes betrayed him.

In that glimmer behind the irises, there was exhaustion, grief, and despair.

A hollowness that couldnʼt be masked, no matter how hard he tried.

Then, after a slow, weighted breath, the cracks finally began to show.

”Because I canʼt go on anymore…”

Duke Lorcan said, his voice soft, too soft for a man of his stature.

It wasnʼt a cry for help, nor a dramatic proclamation—it was quieter than that. Resigned. Like the truth he had fought to keep buried for too long had simply slipped through the cracks. His shoulders did not sag, but something deeper did.

At that moment, Rex realized the Duke hadnʼt wanted to talk to him to strategize.

Or to ask for something in return.

He came here to ask for help.

Asking a stranger, someone heʼs not close to, for help is far easier than asking for help from close ones.

Thatʼs the reason Rex was asked to stay behind.

Rex didnʼt need confirmation.

He knew that even if he declined, Duke Lorcan would still do what he said heʼd do.

This is not a negotiation.

Duke Lorcan was really drowning from the grief of his late wife, his deceased sons, and his dying house.

And he needed someone, someone like Octavia, to keep going strong.

”Iʼm going to find a way to persuade Princess Davina. Iʼm going to try. You have my word.”

”Thatʼs all I asked.”

Once that talk came to an end, Rex returned to his room.

Along the way, he stopped and looked up at the dark sky.

Losing someone close is excruciatingly painful, I know that. Maybe because I understand his pain so much that I unconsciously agree to help. I already gave him my word, so thereʼs no going back. But then again, I wonder… If I keep bearing all of this burden myself, will I end up like him?

For a moment there, Rex recalled Adhara.

She popped into his mind, but he soon shook his head and continued toward his room.

…

Rexʼs eyes narrowed at Princess Davina.

He needed to probe her mind to know her reason for insisting on going against Octavia.

But that could wait. I need to focus on the moment.

As he thought that, he looked around the inn.

Iʼm early. Perfect. Letʼs hope they wonʼt be too meticulous.

Naturally, Rex came sooner than the scheduled meeting since he wanted to see whether there was any trouble waiting for him in the inn. Yesterday morning—he asked Princess Davina to send a few people to check whether the Miriam Inn was safe.

A secretive meeting with a messenger from Empress Morgana is bound to attract attention.

Even when it only involved someone like Rex.

And as expected, trouble appears.

Based on the Tether Stone—a stone that binds to the body and allows others to monitor whether the one tethered to it is alive—Princess Davina knew that the people she sent were still alive. And more, they had confirmed the inn was safe, but they hadnʼt returned to report it in person.

Some might think that this is fine, but it wasnʼt.

Princess Davina foresaw a situation where the people she sent would meet trouble along the way.

So, she told them that the only legitimate report would need to be done face-to-face.

Any long-range communication would mean that they were compromised.

Because of that condition, Rex and Princess Davina knew that another faction restrained them.

Among these people inside the inn, there is one or more rats that would document the meeting.

And one of them slipped up.