Several days passed with Lucius being watched by Tales and Liam. To Lucius, each day felt like a repetition of the last: he attacked Tales whenever an opportunity arose, forcing him into a constant state of alert.

  Most of them were not direct attacks. They were abrupt movements, sudden advances, sharp changes in direction—just enough to trigger the knight’s instincts, to make him react on reflex, step back, assume a combat stance, release his Aura.

  And that was exactly what Lucius wanted.

  Tales began to sleep poorly.

  The shadows beneath his eyes grew deeper with each passing morning, and his movements—once controlled and precise—began to show small delays. Nothing a common observer would notice, but to someone trained… it was as clear as day.

  Lucius noticed them all.

  He attacked during the most mundane moments: when Tales was distracted watching the corridor, when he answered a servant, when he adjusted the position of his sword on his belt. A misstep, a sudden turn, a quick advance—always when Tales’ attention was not where it should be: on him.

  With Liam, the approach was different.

  There were no physical attacks, only verbal ones. About anything, any insecurity Lucius had noticed the knight possessed. Always with the intent of pulling at the strings of his patience.

  Having already been reprimanded by Cédric, the knight’s reactions became restrained.

  Not in the intensity of the violence—that remained the same—but in the way it was applied.

  Liam learned quickly. His attacks were brief, precise, almost clinical. A dry punch to the abdomen, where the pain spread without leaving bruises. A short kick to the floating ribs, enough to steal the breath, but not to break bones. A calculated shove against the wall, strong enough to injure muscles and joints, but not enough to leave external marks.

  Liam knew exactly where to strike.

  And he knew why.

  Any visible sign on Lucius’ body would draw Cédric’s attention, and he could not afford to be reprimanded by his master again.

  Lucius, for his part, never complained, staring at Liam with the same look of disdain after every blow—and that look was what irritated the knight the most.

  Until, at a certain point, the provocations became unnecessary. The anger and contempt Liam felt toward Lucius grew to the point where no provocation was needed for his fury to ignite. Simply being beside Lucius, looking at his face, into his eyes, was enough. And it was at that moment that Lucius realized…

  “…”

  Walking beside Lucius, Tales frowned, noticing Lucius’ slow, unsteady gait.

  Another one of his tricks?

  That was what Tales thought when Lucius turned his gaze toward him.

  He is…

  Lucius’ eyes looked… tired.

  No. This must be another trick to make me lower my guard.

  Tales shook his head. Over the past few days, he had lost count of how many times this had happened. And every time, without exception, he swore to himself it would be the last time Lucius fooled him—only to be fooled again later.

  This is exhausting.

  Tales was reaching his limit. He had served the Aster family for some years now, spending most of that time stationed at the border. Although the Empire and the Kingdom had been at peace for many years, there were still occasional conflicts in that region, so he had experience dealing with situations where his life was at risk and his nerves were pushed to the edge.

  But this is different.

  If Lucius were just an enemy, he could simply kill him and be done with it. But Lucius was not an enemy. He was someone Tales had to watch. But he was also not a prisoner—in the sense that, as long as he was not training, he was free to go and do as he pleased—which made his mission many times harder.

  If this continues…

  Lucius, walking unsteadily, stumbled and fell to his knees.

  Another trick?

  That was Tales’ immediate thought. But then Lucius began to cough violently. When he brought his hand to his mouth, Tales saw blood.

  Staining his fingers.

  Staining his lips.

  “Young master!”

  This is bad.

  Tales rushed to him, supporting his body.

  “What happe—”

  Mid-sentence, Lucius twisted.

  Cold eyes.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Shit.

  The first thing Tales saw was the blade in Lucius’ hand, coming straight toward his neck.

  There’s no time.

  By reflex, he arched his body to the side while raising his arm.

  “Ugh…!”

  Pain exploded as he felt the tip of the blade tear into his skin. Without allowing it to slow his thoughts, he pushed himself backward, opening distance.

  “Not yet,” Lucius said.

  Another one?!

  That was when Tales noticed the second knife in the boy’s other hand, already thrusting toward his chest.

  This is bad.

  His thoughts raced. If that blade struck his heart…

  If that’s how it is…

  Tales clenched his fist and launched a direct punch.

  “Kuh…!”

  At the exact instant the blade touched Tales’ skin, the punch struck Lucius’ torso, sending him violently backward. The boy’s expression twisted as his body was hurled away.

  Tales completed his retreat.

  His wound was superficial.

  But his heart was pounding like never before.

  So close… so close…

  Between rapid breaths, he cast a look at Lucius who—mixed with his expression of pain—wore a satisfied smile.

  “How many times do I have to say it,” Lucius said as he stood up from the ground. “You can’t lower your guard. You can’t trust. You can’t assume that anything coming from me is real.”

  Wiping the blood from his mouth, Lucius showed the palm of his right hand to Tales. There was a wound there: a knife cut.

  “Just a cheap trick,” Lucius said indifferently.

  Tales clenched his fists.

  Again…!

  He had let himself be fooled again, and it had almost cost him his life.

  “Though…,” Lucius suddenly said, a look of pain on his face as he grabbed his own chest. “That attack just now was pretty impressive. I can still feel my bones throbbing.”

  “Is that so?” Tales shot the boy a dry look as he pulled the knife lodged in his arm free.

  But Lucius didn’t seem bothered by his sharp tone, shrugging as he said, “Believe it or not, that’s the truth. Or maybe not. The point is, you can’t tell. And smart as you are, you should understand the implications of that, shouldn’t you?”

  Tales looked away, but said nothing. Yes, he understood what that meant—and it was enough to make him grind his teeth in frustration.

  Just how far…

  He cast a complex look at Lucius.

  Are you really willing to go that far?

  Lucius seemed to understand the meaning of his gaze, and his answer was a small smile—which sent chills down Tales’ spine, and that was the answer he needed to make his decision.

  …

  “Your Excellency.”

  At the end of his shift, Tales went to meet Cédric, who was working in his office.

  “What do you want?” Cédric asked in an indifferent tone. “Is this about Lucius?”

  Cédric’s question made Tales swallow hard. Standing before him made him feel small, as if facing something impossible to overcome. To ordinary people, this might not be noticeable, but to Tales, an Aura user, the pressure emitted by Cédric was evident—heavy, making it difficult even to organize his thoughts.

  “Yes, it’s about the young master…,” Tales said after finally calming himself.

  The mention of Lucius’ name made Cédric raise an eyebrow, and that alone was enough for the pressure in the room to grow even heavier, making Tales break out in a cold sweat.

  “What did he do this time?” Cédric asked, still in the same tone.

  Now how do I say this…

  Tales didn’t know where to begin. Cédric had entrusted him with the mission of watching his eldest son, so how could Tales come to him and say he could no longer handle it? That this task was too much for him?

  No—but this has to end.

  Taking a deep breath, Tales began to speak, and once he started, he didn’t stop until he had told everything that had happened over the past few days, which took quite some time. And as he spoke, he couldn’t help but notice how Cédric’s expression grew darker and darker.

  “Disappointing.”

  That was what Cédric said after hearing the entire story. It made Tales lower his head in shame. Cédric was a hero recognized throughout the Empire. His deeds were a source of admiration for anyone who called themselves a warrior. It was because of that admiration that, after graduating from the Academy, Tales had come to work here. To him, hearing such words from the person he admired most was a blow heavier than any physical attack.

  “An elite knight, an Aura user—and you’re telling me you can’t deal with a mere boy?” the duke said sharply.

  A mere boy, you say?

  Tales looked at Cédric in disbelief.

  “Your Excellency,” he began, “forgive me if my words sound rude, but it is a great mistake on your part to consider the young master as just any boy.”

  Tales rolled up his sleeve, showing his arm to Cédric.

  “This,” he said, “was the result of the small clash I had with the young master this morning. He feigned an injury and then attacked the moment I lowered my guard. If I hadn’t reacted fast enough, the blow would have struck my neck.”

  To reinforce his point, Tales then unbuttoned his shirt.

  “Here as well,” he said, touching his chest, pointing to the wound near his heart. “This was the continuation of the conflict I had with the young master. This time, he went straight for the heart. And again, if I hadn’t reacted fast enough, I would have suffered another fatal injury.”

  Listening to Tales, Cédric frowned before snorting in disdain.

  “Cheap tricks,” the duke said.

  “Yes, they are.”

  Tales agreed.

  “But that’s not the point.”

  Cédric narrowed his eyes.

  “And what is the point?” he asked, his gaze emotionless.

  “The point is that, with the young master’s abilities, these cheap tricks become extremely dangerous,” Tales said through clenched teeth. “In that sense, the mission you gave me is impossible to carry out.”

  Not unless you are willing to gamble with your son’s life.

  Tales didn’t say it aloud, but Cédric understood what he meant, frowning with a… contemplative expression.

  “You’re saying that my son’s abilities are at a level where you’re unable to restrain him without risking killing him or severely injuring him, is that it?”

  “Exactly.”

  Tales nodded.

  “It’s not just the young master’s physical abilities. The way he exploits every opening, always aiming for the blind spot… frankly, it’s frightening.”

  He took a deep breath.

  “That’s why I ask that you place someone else in my stead. I am no longer capable of continuing this mission.”

  Cédric remained silent. With his elbows resting on the desk, he kept his fists before his face, his gaze resting on Tales without truly seeing him.

  “I will think about what you said. You may withdraw,” the duke said after a long silence.

  Tales opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by the duke’s gaze, which told him the conversation was over.

  “Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

  Making a bow, he turned around and left the office.

  Just what is going to happen?

  He pondered as he walked. This seemed destined to be yet another sleepless night.

  …

  “What did you say?”

  Liam’s voice came out low and threatening, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

  “Didn’t you hear me the first time? Heavens, it seems that on top of everything else, even your hearing is faulty. Do you have any redeeming qualities?”

  Lucius leaned his arm against the headboard, using it to stand up.

  “That maid, Maria, was it? I was saying that I found her quite beautiful, so I was thinking of ordering her to come to my room to serve me.”

  Liam clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.

  With a contemptuous laugh, Lucius raised his hand as he spoke condescendingly, “She, as a humble servant, has no way of refusing an order from me, the duke’s son, does she? But really, why would she refuse? For someone of low birth like her, sleeping with me would be the greatest honor of her life.”

  “Shut up…!”

  Liam’s eyes were bloodshot. Lucius looked at him in surprise.

  “What? Are you interested in her too?” Lucius clapped his hands. “If that’s the case, don’t worry. After I’m done with her, you can have the lef—”

  Liam’s leg slammed into Lucius’ stomach, sending him crashing against the wall. And the next thing Lucius saw was a frenzied Liam charging straight at him.

  It’s over.