86.
Yu Jin resembled his mother Asha more than his father Ruhan.
Unlike his father, his mother was someone who gave love unconditionally, but Yu Jin didn’t want to be like her either. For her, Ruhan always came first. Usually, children should be happy when their parents love each other, but reality was different.
Yu Jin unknowingly bit his lip hard and came to his senses from the pain. Now, Yu Jin was no longer as young as before and didn’t desire his father’s love. So if Ruhan wouldn’t do as he wished, he had to use this situation appropriately. To do that, there were many things to resolve. Still, if he could endure, he might gain power incomparable to before.
‘Let’s do this.’
He couldn’t be dragged around by Ruhan forever. Yu Jin decided to move more actively now. To do that, he needed to talk to the person who had come to see him.
“Hello, Yu Jin.”
Leion, one of the elders of Lucid. He was said to have considerable power among the elders, but he was a stranger to Yu Jin. They had only seen each other once or twice at family gatherings, never having a proper conversation. However, if Yu Jin wanted to use Ruhan’s power, he was a necessary person. There wasn’t a single person on Yu Jin’s side in the Council of Elders, which held the most power after the head of the family.
Although Grein had lost his position as successor and Pamina had been exiled, Azeth still remained in Lucid. And as long as Pamina was alive, it was unclear what she might do. So Yu Jin thought he should increase his allies first. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t out of pure goodwill. He could now give as much as he received.
“It’s been a long time, Leion.”
Yu Jin smiled softly at Leion.
Grey rolled his eyes. He had recognized Jinhyeon’s talent and that’s why he told Lyunne to bring him in. But the situation had changed rapidly, and Yu Jin’s value had increased.
“He’s the successor to Lucid?” Lyunne spat out the words with an incredulous expression. “Did I hear that right?”
It wasn’t strange to think that way. Yu Jin was originally a good-for-nothing who couldn’t even lift a finger. A weak and incompetent type of person. Although he had shown different behavior recently, Lyunne thought that was largely due to someone else’s influence.
Think about it. The one who joined hands with Yu Jin was the famous Tulin. Some said that the fact that he joined hands with him proved Yu Jin’s worth, but was that really true? What if Yu Jin was being unilaterally used by Tulin? After considering it from various angles, there was only one conclusion.
“If Yu Jin isn’t being used by Tulin, then he must have had help from someone else.”
It wouldn’t be the twins who stayed by Yu Jin’s side. If they had that kind of ability, they would have pulled their master out of the mire long ago.
After excluding the people around him, only Jinhyeon remained. A person with a genius talent for swordsmanship and an unclear past. Lyunne believed that he had brought Yu Jin this far. That’s why she had been aggressively approaching Jinhyeon as Grey had instructed.
‘There’s still no response though.’
It was humiliating, but it seemed Jinhyeon’s preference wasn’t for women. Otherwise, how could he reject Lyunne’s advances every time? Grey slowly nodded at Lyunne’s words.
“That’s right. It’s likely that Jinhyeon did something. Since that person changed after he appeared.”
Although it differed from the truth, this was as far as they could guess. Grey rolled his eyes again and opened his mouth.
“If the situation becomes like this, Yu Jin’s value will also increase.”
“It will increase. After all, he’s the successor to Lucid.”
“That’s right. The person who will take over the great Lucid. Isn’t it tempting?”
“You mean to get Yu Jin after Jinhyeon?”
“No, the opposite. Let’s get Yu Jin and then bring Jinhyeon in.”
Grey thought that would be easier to deal with. Jinhyeon was strong both mentally and physically. Compared to such a person, Yu Jin had a body that was easier to manipulate.
Yu Jin had no talent for physical tasks and didn’t possess any other abilities. There were far more ways to manipulate him than Jinhyeon. Lyunne clicked her tongue but didn’t oppose Grey’s idea.
“If it goes well, can I even swallow up Lucid?”
“It would be too much to swallow it right away. But you could receive a lot of help in becoming the head of the family.”
At Grey’s words, Lyunne’s eyes sparkled.
“Aaargh!”
Azeth threw whatever she could grab. After Yu Jin was declared the successor, she had been locking herself in her room and raging. She wanted to kill Yu Jin right away, but she couldn’t. With Pamina leaving for exile, everyone’s eyes were on Lucid. If she were to do something now and get caught, she would follow in Pamina’s footsteps.
“Hnngh.”
Azeth gritted her teeth as she looked at the messy room.
‘Calm down. Settle your heart.’
There was much to do to make Ahmed the head of Lucid. Pamina had underestimated Azeth, but she too was someone who held a position in this mansion. It meant she wasn’t just a simple and easy person.
“What about Ahmed?”
At Azeth’s question, the knight standing in the corner answered.
“He has returned to the mansion and is under house arrest.”
“Have they found Grein?”
“No. They started searching after Pamina’s exile was decided, but his whereabouts are unknown.”
“Find him as soon as possible.”
Now that Pamina was gone, it would be easier to kill Grein. It’s better to remove what’s in the way beforehand. After that, she needed to persuade the elders who had supported Pamina. Although the head of Lucid had the strongest power, the elders also had their roles. If she could persuade more than half of them, she might be able to change the successor again.
“I can’t give up like this.”
How could she, after enduring for so long? She couldn’t let that annoying woman’s son become the successor.
‘Never!’
Azeth hated Asha more than Pamina. For that reason, her son was also an object of hatred.
Meanwhile, Pamina was boarding a small carriage. The carriage for exile was sturdy but different in appearance from what she usually rode. It was painted entirely black and had no decoration other than the family crest. Inside, Pamina stared blankly into space.
‘Now everything is over.’
Pamina couldn’t trust Ruhan. Although he was the man she loved, she didn’t think he would spare her out of sentiment. The punishment was called exile, but it was no different from a death sentence. Just as she thought that, the carriage shook violently.
Thud.
As she grabbed the seat in surprise, she heard the knight’s voice from outside.
“Lady Pamina, we have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“We’ve encountered bandits.”
Pamina burst into laughter at the bandits who appeared at such an appropriate moment. Bandits attacking a carriage with a noble family’s crest? Usually, they don’t do such crazy things. Unlike with commoners, harming nobles brings several times the retaliation, so bandits generally don’t attack carriages with crests. If they spotted such a carriage from afar, they should normally hide. However, now she could hear the sound of metal clashing against metal from outside.
When Pamina looked out the window, she saw a bandit in dirty clothes rushing at the knight. There were three knights assigned by the family. Considering the knights’ abilities, they should have wiped out all the bandits, but the situation unfolding before her eyes was the opposite. Each of the bandits fought grotesquely well. And the knights were gradually being pushed back against such bandits. Watching this scene, her hands began to tremble slightly.
‘I was prepared for this.’
Pamina closed her eyes tightly and then opened them. She didn’t want to show an unsightly appearance until her last dying moment. She held her hands together as if praying and endured.
The victor of the battle was not the knights but the bandits. The tall and thin one had a different appearance from ordinary bandits. He immediately opened the carriage door and looked at Pamina.
“…You act well.”
At Pamina’s words, the bandit grinned, revealing his teeth. And his protruding voice was more refined than expected.
“The head of the family told me to tell you. Your last journey won’t be lonely.”
Hearing these words, Pamina exploded with the emotions she had been suppressing all along.
“What do you mean by that!”
“To put it simply, your son will be going with you.”
At the bandit’s words, Pamina’s face turned deathly pale.
“He, he is innocent. He’s innocent!”
“Do you really think so?”
“I ordered everything. Let Grein go!”
“I’d like to, but it would be troublesome if a son who lost his mother harbors resentment.”
“He’s not that kind of person!”
Pamina spoke desperately, but the other party didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to her.
“If you thought about harming others, you should have considered the opposite too. Now, farewell.”
At the bandit’s parting words, Pamina collapsed on the spot. Until the very end, Ruhan was a cruel person.
