Moments passed, and they now found themselves in their separate rooms. The reason they had individual rooms, even in their own estate, was because the original Lucien believed Seraphina wouldn't be comfortable sleeping beside a man she barely knew.
Though they had known each other for months now, it was no longer the original Lucien in possession of the body; it was Seojun. And Seojun wasn't comfortable sleeping in the same bed with a woman he barely knew.
The night ended memorably, every moment etched into their hearts. Lucien hoped things would remain as peaceful as they had been today, but the future was unpredictable. It was this unknown that he truly feared.
It took him quite a while to fall asleep, his mind replaying the moments with Seraphina and anticipating the future obstacles that awaited him.
It was his first time actually going out on a date with someone. Though he made sure not to get too attached; after all, he had his self-respect.
At the same time, a thought genuinely pained his heart:
'I wonder how she would react if she found out I am not Lucien? And that Lucien has died.'
It was a situation he wished would never come to pass.
Lucien sighed. In the end, he got up from his bed and grabbed his Magical Storage. He then took out Sage to speak with him. Sage might be annoying to deal with, but he was the only one who truly understood everything. It was nice to have someone around who understood you, even if there wasn't much common ground.
Lucien placed Sage on his lap, then opened the lock, unshackling him. Moments after, Sage floated above, as if staring at Lucien eye-to-eye.
"Help me sleep," Lucien said to Sage, as if it were an AI that would immediately provide answers.
"What? You woke me up for that? Just close your eyes and sleep," Sage retorted, then closed himself and returned to Lucien's Magical Storage.
Lucien then whispered his name once again, and suddenly, Sage was back in his hand.
"I'm serious, I can't sleep."
Suddenly, Sage began quivering in his hand, irritated. "What the hell do you want me to do? Slam your head till you pass out?" Sage asked angrily.
"That might work!" Lucien exclaimed.
Suddenly, Sage charged at Lucien's head, but he managed to dodge it.
"Why dodge? I thought you wanted me to slam you till you collapsed?"
Lucien smiled awkwardly. "I was joking... Can't you, like, find me a magic spell that would help me sleep? Something that aligns with my rank? Or, any techniques that could help me sleep should work."
Sage froze for a while, deep in thought. "Hmm, there are spells that could help you sleep. However, all of them are of Adept Rank."
Suddenly, he paused, giggling, then added, "Actually, I have another method!"
Lucien's brows furrowed. "Oh, what is it?"
Sage leaned closer to Lucien's ear. "Why don't you go to Seraphina's room? Maybe that's why you can't sleep?"
As Sage uttered those words, Lucien quickly hid him back in his Magical Storage, regretting ever asking for his help.
'Go to hell!'
However, for some reason, Sage's words wouldn't leave his mind. It seemed Lucien's original thoughts were still affecting him, even now. Lucien's feelings were simply too strong for Seojun to fully control.
Eventually, he sighed and came up with something else to pass the time.
'Why don't I just do mana core training?'
Mana core training required extreme mental focus, which would help him clear his thoughts.
'Yeah, maybe I should.'
Lucien got into position, performing a squat as if meditating. With that, he focused on his mana core, then his surroundings, drawing in the mana around him. Moments afterward, he finally managed to sleep, and not only that, he also made progress with his mana core training.
...
In the blink of an eye, a week had passed. Seraphina had matters to deal with, so she was once again gone, though not for long. She was only going to be away for three days, dealing with minor issues in the kingdom as part of her training. Lucien, too, was going to be dealing with one of the kingdom's issues; only, it wasn't something someone like him should meddle in.
Lucien was back in his room again, with Gareth standing before him. Gareth had a serious look on his face, holding a mysterious blockwood box. He then handed it to Lucien, who took it from his hand.
"You managed to get it faster than I thought, Gareth," Lucien said with a smile.
"It was quite a popular item, Your Highness. Though it was rare, that's why many created copies of it with lower quality. But we managed to find someone who possessed a real one and offered a good deal for it," Gareth said with a neutral tone. A hint of curiosity could be seen in his eyes, catching Lucien's attention.
"You did a great job, Gareth." He paused, then added, "You might be wondering why I suddenly asked for such an item. Let's just say, I need it on my journey to Blackmare."
Gareth's expression became slightly intense. He had been the one to deliver the letter, so he knew about Lucien's plan. However, he still couldn't believe Lucien would be meddling in such a major issue in the kingdom, right after returning from his isolation. Though it was unclear why he would need such an item for his journey to the Barony of Blackmere, he didn't dare utter a single word.
'Lucien, his progress in the past few weeks has been unbelievable.'
'Just what truly happened to him?'
Gareth was silent for a moment, then bowed. "Your Highness, I wish you luck on your journey," Gareth said wholeheartedly.
He was seeing true change, a change that he knew would leave a mark in history. Though he might be exaggerating it, it was just a feeling he had in his heart.
Lucien was slightly taken aback by his words. "I am grateful for your words, Gareth," Lucien said formally. Gareth then left the room to give Lucien the privacy he needed.