“Get away from him, Valois,” Prince Seilas repeated coldly, standing directly in front of Lucien.
Rayland hissed, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
“You have no right to dictate who can speak to him, Your Highness.
My business with him is none of your business.” “Don’t test my patience,” Seilas retorted sharply, his eyes narrowing menacingly.
Lucien stood in their midst, yawning widely, tears welling in the corners of his eyes.
‘Ah, this scene…’ he thought.
As someone who had read the original version of the novel right up to the final chapters, Lucien knew exactly where this foolish conversation was going.
In the original plot, the author systematically orchestrated this incident in the deserted corridor to get Lucien caught in the middle of the feud between these two important figures.
In fact, in the chapter it is told that the atmosphere of the scene was filled with high-level magical pressure that made the other extras not dare to approach at all.
According to the original script, Rayland was supposed to use this moment to make a veiled threat—using Lucien Hawthorne’s innocence to spy on Seilas’ movements in order to keep him away from Rose, a clichéd scheme that leads to long-term suffering for the extras the antagonist uses as pawns.
However, instead of feeling threatened or wary as depicted on the pages of the book, seeing the two important figures arguing right before his eyes actually made Lucien even sleepier.
His brain refused to work hard to think of the clichéd plot as his body sent emergency signals to get back to class and get some sleep before class resumed.
In the midst of the tense silence, the corner of Lucien’s eye caught the silhouette of an academy supervisor who was walking leisurely towards the corner of the corridor carrying a pile of documents.
Without wasting any time or bothering to excuse himself, Lucien turned around with slow steps.
He didn’t bother trying to break things up or listen to cheap threats.
He simply walked away and let the teacher in charge catch these two arrogant nobles red-handed.
“Where are you going, Hawthorne?!” Rayland called, utterly shocked to see Lucien just walk away amidst the mounting tension.
“Just talk to Your Highness as much as you like.
I’ll go, it seems you two need some time alone to settle your matters,” Lucien replied without even looking up, waving his hand lazily in the air.
“Wait, Lucien—!” Seilas was about to pursue him, but his steps suddenly froz Right behind them, the supervising teacher was standing, his face dark with anger.
“You two!
What are you shouting in the academy corridor?!” Seilas and Rayland froze, their jaws clenched.
Deep inside, the prince was cursing furiously and was gripped by utter panic.
‘Damn…’ Seilas’s mind rumbled in anxiety.
‘Just now, Lucien saw me getting angry and showing my rough side.
In his eyes, I must look like a savage man who has no elegance at all.
My image is ruined in front of the person who recently secretly caught my attention!
What if he now thinks of me as the kind of rude noble who likes to cause trouble in the academy hallways?
My reputation is completely tarnished in his eyes.’ On the other hand, Rayland clenched his fists in frustration as his plans to collect on the promise were dashed instantly by Seilas and the teacher’s intervention at the most inopportune moment.
Instead of feeling guilty, their equally inflated egos made them glare at each other with lingering anger as the teacher began to lecture them at length.
‘This is because of Seilas.
If only he hadn’t interrupted!’ Meanwhile, Lucien had managed to escape back to his classroom.
He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking his day’s ordeal was over and he could go straight to bed.
However, as soon as he pushed open the classroom door, an unusual sight greeted him.
His study table no longer looked like an ordinary one.
The wooden surface was now covered with various “offerings”—from gold-covered mini tarts, expensive imported chocolates from out of town, to bags of exclusive snacks typically consumed by high-ranking nobles.
There were even several small decorative flower vases placed in the corners of the table to enhance the look.
Aryosha, who had been standing by his desk with a stiff, expectant posture, immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Lucien.
“Young Master Lucien!
We…
um, we know you must be exhausted after a long day of studying.
Here’s a small snack for you, please enjoy.” The idea was actually sparked spontaneously by Aryosha who wanted to please his idol, and unexpectedly was immediately approved by the entire class who felt as if they were “bewitched” by Lucien’s magnetic aura.
Lucien stared at the pile of expensive food on his table with lifeless eyes.
He let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping.
“Why is everyone here so weird?” Lucien thought desperately, massaging his suddenly throbbing temples.
“And I didn’t even try to change the plot.
I don’t even care about the plot of this damn novel!” Of course, Lucien’s thoughts were the exact opposite of reality.
In the eyes of the class, Lucien’s silence, wistful gaze, and sarcastic sighs were perceived as the mysterious, high-level charisma of a quiet yet charming nobleman.
In their eyes, this aloofness was the manifestation of the serenity of a true nobleman, standing on a different level from the other students.
Several hours later, the bell for the end of class rang loudly throughout the academy.
Without wasting a second, Lucien grabbed his bag.
He was determined to escape to the dormitory building first, avoiding Reichardt and Rose, who were sure to come to pick him up at the classroom door acting like overprotective parents.
He walked quickly down the deserted side corridor, enjoying the creeping silence.
Unfortunately, the word “luck” seemed to be on permanent leave from Lucien’s vocabulary.
Just as he was about to pass the corner pillar of the stairs leading to the dormitory area, a tall, blond figure was already standing leaning casually against the wall, blocking the only exit.
Prince Seilas.
Seilas stared at Lucien with a strange glint in his eyes—no longer the cold, haughty, or fierce look he’d had when he’d yelled at Rayland earlier, but a gleam of burning intensity that sent shivers down Lucien’s spine.
The atmosphere around them suddenly felt far more oppressive than the incident in the corridor earlier.
“Lucien!” “Damn it, what does he want?!”