Lucian stared at the person for a while, then leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, then slowly opened his hood and smiled a grin at the person.
"Too bad... your guess was wrong," he said with a faint smile on his lips, "I am Lucian Hale." He continued firmly.
The masked man was silent for a moment, she then chuckled softly while moving the chessboard pawn in front of her. Then finally she looked Lucian in the eye, with her head resting in the palm of her hand at the moment.
"I didn't expect you to say that," she said, then a faint smirk appeared on her lips this time. "I thought you would keep your identity a secret."
Lucian snorted for a moment, he then closed his eyes. His head bowed slightly, a faint smile still visible on his face.
"Well... I've already been found out, why hide it anymore?" He replied in a casual voice.
The masked man puffed out her chest again, she crossed her legs and smiled faintly again. She leaned her arm over the chair. "Is that so?" he said, then looked at Lucian intently, as if assessing something.
"I've always wondered why the young master of the Hale family always covers part of his face," she said deliberately, then smiled faintly. "It turns out that you have an attractive face," she continued with words that sounded like a compliment.
"There's no point in you saying that," Lucian replied flatly. This time his smile disappeared, replaced by a sharp, wary gaze. He frowned, folding his arms in front of his chest.
The masked man did not answer immediately. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the chessboard in front of her, as if the conversation was just a passing thought. Her fingers moved, casually turning one of the chess pieces. Lucian watched her movements, then glanced at the formation of the pieces arranged on the board.
"Your chess strategy is... quite interesting," he commented quietly.
"Oh?" The masked man raised an eyebrow behind her mask. "I wasn't expecting that. Do you like playing chess, Young Master?" Her smile returned. "How about playing a round with me?"
Lucian was silent for a moment, then snorted softly while closing his eyes briefly. "No... but I've played it a few times," he replied, then he stared at the board for a few seconds and picked up a pawn and moved it across the chessboard.
The man was silent, his eyes following the movement of Lucian's hand. Then, without answering anything, she moved her pawn.
"Really? At least you understand the rules," she said, leaning back in her chair casually.
Lucian remained silent, not answering the words of the man in front of him. Then he casually moved his pawn again, anticipating the open path of his opponent's previous piece. He did not look at his opponent, his eyes focused on the chessboard in front of him.
The masked man watched Lucian's movements with a faint smile. She did not immediately return the move, but instead crossed her fingers in front of her mouth, staring intently.
"Young Master..." she called softly, as if fishing for attention.
Lucian turned his head slightly, his eyebrows raised slightly.
"Which do you think is the better strategy..." the man paused for a moment, pausing as if considering how to ask. "King protecting pawns and other pieces... or pawns and other pieces protecting King?"
Lucian was a little taken aback by the person's question, he snorted for a moment as he closed his eyes, then sat up straight and looked at the person in front of him at the moment.
"Actually, both are good strategies," Lucian replied, his eyes still fixed on the chess pieces. He thought for a moment before continuing, "If the pawn protects the King, then it's like building a system that relies on the strength and loyalty of the people or subordinates." He replied, then went back to moving his pawn.
"It creates a sense of unity and common purpose, where each individual feels they have an important role to play in maintaining the stability and sustainability of the kingdom. The King's strength lies in the collective power of his soldiers." He analyzed the strategy calmly and measuredly, showing his deep understanding of political strategy and leadership.
The masked man did not reply, she simply continued to move her pawn, intercepting the pawn that Lucian had moved earlier. Casually, Lucian then lifted the king pawn and rotated it in the air.
"On the contrary," Lucian continued in a flat but meaningful tone, "If the King protects the pawn, then it's like the leader takes full responsibility for maintaining the stability of the kingdom by protecting its people and army, building loyalty and trust. Such a leader becomes a center of strength and protection, inspiring loyalty and devotion."
He then placed the King pawn in his hand on the front line, a risky move in a chess game. His King was in a very vulnerable place to be attacked from all sides. However, that position also made the other pawns arranged like an army advancing behind its leader.
"On the contrary," Lucian continued in a voice that sounded flat. "If the King protects the pawn, then it's like the leader takes full responsibility for keeping the kingdom stable by protecting his people and army, building loyalty and trust. Such a leader becomes a center of strength and protection, inspiring loyalty and devotion."
He paused for a moment, looking at the King pawn that now stood proudly among the other pawns.
"If I had to choose, I'd say the King protects the pawn," Lucian said, his gaze fixed on the arrangement of the chess pieces. "Although vulnerable, this strategy is more effective in the long run. A king who shows courage and sacrifice to protect his subjects will build stronger loyalty and trust. It creates stronger and more durable bonds than a system where the people must always protect the king."
The masked man chuckled softly, then looked at the board with sparkling eyes. "You've got a good grasp of it, huh," she said as she moved her horse pawn. The clicking sound of the piece landing on a new square rang out clearly in the quiet room.
The piece occupied the perfect position, closing all of Lucian's King's escape gaps. Most of Lucian's pawns had already advanced too far, unable to turn back to help.
"Checkmate." She said aloud.
The masked man leaned back, she folded her arms in front of her chest, and gave a small nod as if agreeing with what Lucian had said. Her eyes looked at Lucian behind her mask, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Well, I'm sorry if this conversation sounds boring," she said in a voice that sounded relaxed, but her eyes remained sharp, as if assessing Lucian's every reaction.
"Before, I was known as Alpha here," she continued, tapping a finger lightly on the surface of the wooden table beside the chessboard. She rested her head on one hand and leaned slightly forward, her tone now more serious. "So, what brings the young master to visit our guild?"
Her smile returned, this time containing a slightly playful tone. "There's no way you came because you wanted to play chess with me, is there?"
Lucian smiled slightly, leaning back again, his hands resting on the back of the chair. "Of course," he replied, folding his arms across his chest and giving the man who claimed to be Alpha a cold stare.
"I want information," he replied in a loud and confident voice.
Alpha tapped her fingertips on her desk, the rhythm of the movement was random, but Lucian knew it was not a meaningless gesture. It was most likely a code, no. Even though there were only the two of them in the room, it was possible that Alpha's men were watching? Most likely yes.
"Information, huh...." Alpha leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping the surface of the table in a slow but calculating rhythm. Her gaze remained locked on Lucian, as if considering something. "I don't know where you got the information about our guild, but..." Alpha continued, this time her tone more serious, with a hint of curiosity implied.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, the expression on his face hard to guess. "You should also know that we don't do any requests for free." Alpha grinned slightly, her tone sounding like someone enjoying a game. "Every piece of information here has a price, and the price isn't always gold coins. So, Young Master Hale, what can you offer in exchange?"
Lucian smiled a small smile, a smile filled with confidence and a hint of sarcasm. He looked at Alpha with a piercing gaze, as if reading the man's mind. "Of course," he replied in a flat but meaningful tone. "Only a fool would come here without knowing that."
"Interesting," Alpha finally spoke up, her tone softer yet meaningful. Her eyes remained focused on Lucian, as if assessing whether the young man could actually fulfill his promise. "What offer would you like to make?" he asked, his voice now sounding more open, though there was a sharpness that remained behind the question.
The atmosphere around them became more tense, like two hunters watching each other, looking for an opening to strike. Alpha waited, twirling a coin in her fingers, a gesture that seemed to indicate calm, but also signaled that she was ready to move quickly once the opportunity came. Lucian was in no hurry; he realized that the woman before him was assessing something.
"I'm not sure about this, but given the storyline of the game there's been one interesting news item lately," Lucian muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly as if weighing something that was on the tip of his tongue but not yet ready to be said.
He didn't answer Alpha right away. Instead, Lucian crossed his legs, one hand now stroking his chin in a slow motion, while the other remained resting casually on the back of the chair.
"But from the newspaper I read in the library earlier, it's convincing. If my guess is right, then this guild is..." He thought again, staring at the coin that Alpha was playing with.
Lucian then took a slow breath and straightened his back. He looked at Alpha, this time with a deeper smile, almost like someone preparing to drop his trump card.
He finally opened his voice, softly but sounding very clear. "I don't know if this information is valuable to you," he said while leaning slightly forward, his gaze piercing through the shadow of the Alpha mask, he deliberately paused for a moment, allowing the sentence to hang between them at that moment.
"You already know about the cases of the money flow that leads to Duke Reynald, right?"