Lucien stood up from his seat and paused for a moment before speaking.
"Then, I shall take my leave, Captain Darius. I am thankful for the information you have provided me."
Darius let out a chuckle.
"Sure, sure. I'll leave the rest to you then."
Lucien nodded and quietly took his leave. So far, Lucien had learned more than he had expected. The reason why he had come here wasn't simply so he could meet the king, but also, at the same time, gain more information about the current happenings. And everything had gone exactly as planned, now he had another problem he had to solve.
The Barony of Blackmere, a land constantly being terrorized by the Gravhorns. He had planned on sending a letter to the king later on, about his current plans, and about taking Captain Darius along with him on his journey. It might be hard to convince him to involve himself with such problems; however, with Captain Darius with him, things might go differently.
He didn't want to meet the king again and have a talk with him. Fearing he might pass out if he did. He couldn't exactly tell how he managed to hold on, with the overwhelming pressure the king was putting on him before, but everything went well regardless.
Lucien walked inside the grand palace and went to find Gareth, and told him to prepare the carriage, as they were about to leave. He had a lot of research to do, after all. He needed to learn more about the Barony of Blackmere, though he had already gained valuable informations from Darius, it still wasn't enough.
He had to fully prepare himself with everything. He simply couldn't allow himself to let his guard down. This world was too much of a mystery for him; anything could happen here, and so he had to prepare himself for the worst-case scenario.
A few moments later, the carriage was ready, and it was finally time for him to depart. He walked to the main entrance of the palace, where the carriage awaited him. Gareth stood beside the open door of the royal carriage, and Lucien stepped inside. Gareth then followed, sitting beside him.
Lucien couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. Today had been extremely long and tiring. Although he had only recently been transmigrated to this world, it felt as if an eternity had passed. This led him to consider that time might flow much more slowly here, which explained why each day felt so prolonged.
Lucien lingered for a moment, then he remembered something very important.
"That's right, Gareth, when is Seraphina coming back?"
Gareth tilted his head toward Lucien.
"I'm afraid she won't be returning until next week, Your Highness."
Lucien was silent for a moment.
"I see. Do you remember the faces of those who are guarding her?"
A hint of confusion formed on Gareth's face.
"There wasn't much, Your Highness. She isn't that fond of walking around with many people around her. So, she only has two knights guarding her."
He paused, then added:
"But fear not, Your Highness. Those knights are well-trained and are very skillful."
Lucien was silent for a while.
"That's great."
As the co-owner of their potion production business, Seraphina had been away for a while, attending to business matters. She often traveled to learn more about the business and train herself for effective management.
He moved his eyes towards the window and slightly slid the curtains to see the outside view of the city.
'The king has probably sent someone already.'
Lucien wasn't sure who his father had sent; however, he was confident that his father was no fool and would never send someone who was not fully trusted. Usually, some of the king's retainers had been trained since childhood infant even. It's to make sure that their blood and loyalty are deeply embedded in the kingdom.
So Lucien didn't have to worry much. Verric had come to serve the kingdom after his teens, after all. Which means, Verric had always been a traitor all along, probably planted in our area to spy and scheme against us.
He was also aware of the fact that Seraphina wasn't his wife; instead, he was the original Lucien's wife. However, something deep inside him was simply asking him to do it, to protect her. As if the original Lucien was begging him to protect those who are important to him.
Seojun wasn't a kind guy, well, he used to be. But after facing countless setbacks and challenges, his perspective on the world had changed. He had become selfish; he simply wanted to do things for himself, and he wanted to do things that truly benefited him.
But for some reason, Lucien's emotions and feelings were overtaking him, as if he were Lucien himself. A better version, at least.
Soon after, they finally arrived back at the estate. He had something he wanted to do, something he had longed for ever since he had been transmigrated in this world. That was to sleep and take a rest. Ever since he had woken up in this body, he had been doing things he was fully unfamiliar with.
And somehow, he didn't do badly with it. It was a strange feeling, but he knew he needed to get used to it if he wanted to live and achieve his simple, yet impossible goals.
The moment he arrived back on his estate, he immediately rushed inside, ignoring the strange looks the maids and butlers were giving him. Especially the head maid, who had almost passed out earlier when they first met, at the time when he was about to leave the estate to head over to the royal palace.
'She must care for Lucien a lot.'
Which was a great thing. Lucien was strangely surrounded by people who adored him. A surprising fact, if he had to be honest. If it were a novel back in his world, he would've been surrounded by people who hated his entire existence.
Well, he was possibly still being watched over by someone, and probably planning on killing him anytime now. This made him skeptical about sleeping; however, he had Sage with him, who could alert him anytime. There was also his most trusted ally, Head Butler Gareth, and the Head Maid of the estate.
So, there wasn't much to worry about. Knowing that, he immediately dressed in comfortable clothing and jumped over his grand canopy bed. Before sleeping, he had unlocked Sage, making sure he would be able to see his surroundings. he then chatted with him for a while, but was too tired to keep going.
And so, their conversation was very short and unimportant. Right now, Lucien only wanted to do one thing, and that was to sleep.
He released a yawn as he lay down on his bed, and fell asleep within just a minute.