“Lucien!
Lucien, where are you?!” Reichardt ran down the deserted dormitory corridors.
His breath was ragged, his voice echoing off the cold marble walls.
He pushed open every tightly closed bedroom door, but only emptiness greeted him.
His thoughts were all over the place; images of his brother being held hostage, kidnapped, or even hurt by strangers claiming to be ‘classmates’ continued to haunt him.
Lucien’s pale, helpless face in his mind seemed to be calling for help from the darkness.
“Whoever dares to touch my brother…
I will make sure they regret ever being born into this world!” Reichardt muttered, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He turned the corner of the corridor roughly, almost bumping into someone.
“Reichardt?
Where are you running to?
You look like you’re possessed,” a cold yet calm voice sounded from in front of him.
It was Seilas, standing tall with his bodyguard, Kaelen, who was also their classmate at the academy.
Seilas looked neat, ready to go out somewhere.
Reichardt stopped abruptly, his breath still ragged.
“Seilas?
What are you doing at the academy on a holiday like this?
Get out of my way, I don’t have time for small talk!” Seilas raised an eyebrow, unfazed by Reichardt’s rudeness.
“I was planning on taking Lucien to the noble area’s festival today.
I think he needs some fresh air after being cooped up in class all week.” Hearing that, Reichardt’s face turned bright red with anger and annoyance.
“Don’t you dare touch my brother!
And don’t take him to a crowded place!” “Hah, you’re always so protective,” Kaelen said, chuckling softly as he crossed his arms.
“But don’t worry, His Highness Seilas was just trying to be nice.
Why do you look like the world is ending?” “Where’s Lucien?
Isn’t he with you?
Is he still in his room?” Seilas asked, making Reichardt’s blood boil.
Reichardt snorted, then realized something.
If Seilas was here, perhaps he knew something or could help him.
However, his ego and panic were tangled together.
He didn’t want to appear weak in front of Seilas, but fear for Lucien’s safety outweighed his pride.
“Lucien isn’t in his room,” Reichardt’s voice dropped to a low, almost desperate whisper.
Seilas fell silent, his face turning serious.
“What do you mean?” “Since morning, when I went to wake him up, his room was empty.
There was a letter on his desk…
he said he went out with his classmates.
He told me not to look for him!” Reichardt was starting to lose control again.
“What if he’s kidnapped?
What if that ‘classmate’ is a spy for the Duke’s enemies?
He has no defense, Seilas!
He’s too innocent!” Seilas gave Reichardt a sharp look, then glanced at Kaelen.
The atmosphere in the corridor turned cold instantly.
“Classmates?
Lucien doesn’t have any close friends besides you, Rose, and me trying to get close to him.” “That’s what I thought too!” Reichardt almost screamed.
Kaelen, who had previously been calm, now stood tall.
He no longer acted like a classmate, but as a vigilant bodyguard.
“Your Highness, if that’s true, we can’t waste time here.
We have to find out who might have seen him leave.” The three of them began knocking on each dormitory door, interrogating the few remaining students.
To no avail.
No one had seen Lucien leave the dormitory.
“This is impossible,” Seilas muttered.
“Lucien, who took him away?!” Reichardt panicked with a messed up face.
Kaelen took a deep breath, trying to calm the situation.
“Your Highness, Reichardt, try to think clearly.
If no one saw him leave here, perhaps he left earlier or took another route.
And about the festival…
today is the first day of the festival.
If he wanted to go, that would probably be the first place anyone would go, especially if he was with the ‘friends’ he was referring to.” “Festival?” Reichardt frowned, trying to process the logic.
“You’re right.
But it’s very dangerous for him!
There are many enemies of our family.” “Don’t get any weird thoughts yet, Reichardt.
If he really was kidnapped, his captor wouldn’t have let him write a letter,” Kaelen said authoritatively.
“We’re going to the festival now.
If anything’s wrong, we’ll know.” Meanwhile, in the lively festival area of the people’s zone, the atmosphere at Aryosha’s family noodle stall was the opposite of the panic at the academy.
The stall was packed with customers jostling for space.
The aroma of steaming hot broth filled the air, mixed with the joyful shouts of the residents celebrating the festival.
“One more bowl on table four!” shouted Aryosha, carrying a tray filled with empty bowls.
Behind the small counter, Lucien sat with a flat, almost expressionless face.
His white hair glistened in the sunlight, making everyone who passed by turn their heads.
He was wearing a simple apron, but somehow, it looked like a noble’s attire on him.
Every time a customer handed over a coin, Lucien accepted it with a slow, cool gesture.
He didn’t smile or greet, but the magnetic aura radiating from his figure captivated people.
“Wow, is that really a noble young man?” whispered a woman in line.
“Look at his skin, it’s so clear.
Why is he working at a noodle stall?” “Maybe his parents are punishing him,” her friend said.
“Or maybe he’s just trying to get some life experience?
But look at his face, he looks so sleepy.” Lucien ignored the whispers.
His thoughts drifted back to his time in the orphanage, when he had to fight over scraps of food.
Even though he felt like this world was pointless at the moment, helping Aryosha’s family gave him a strange sense of purpose.
He wasn’t doing it because he was good, he was just doing it because he didn’t know what else to do but go with the flow.
“Here’s your change,” Lucien said curtly, handing over some coins with a stiff gesture.
Aryosha’s father, who was busy cutting meat behind him, whispered to his wife, “Look at him.
He’s working very calmly in the midst of this chaos.
I feel guilty letting the Duke’s son work like this.” “Shh, he insisted on helping,” the mother whispered, her eyes full of admiration.
“He said he was curious about working at the festivities.
He’s a good boy and very humble.” Lucien just silently listened to their conversation, wearing a perpetual ‘stone’ expression.
In his heart, he just thought, ‘Why are these people so noisy?
I just want to sit quietly until this festival is over.
And I’m not what they think I am.’ Lucien simply stared at them with a cold, sharp gaze, overcome with constant misunderstanding.
He took a deep breath, gazing out at the increasingly crowded streets filled with the parade that was about to begin.
‘This is going to be a long day,’ he thought to himself, as he prepared to face the next seemingly endless line of customers.