Lucian didn't like how Edmund was painting him as some kind of a scary dragon who kept a princess locked up in a tower and had to be rescued by the hero.
People should start writing fairy tales about princesses keeping dragons as their pets, so Lucian and Celine could enjoy the story together with their kids in the future.
Even though he wished Celine would stop poking the dragon's tail, he couldn't deny the fact that he enjoyed every moment of her doing so. It meant he could burn her naughty fingers with his fiery breath and then lick the burn marks to heal them.
No, he already decided that he would not allow her to bully him. No risk of turning into a real dragon here.
'I thought you were afraid of her turning you into her obedient pet,' Voice was confused by the thoughts Lucian painted in his mind, a lamb with a dragon's tail looked as weird as it sounded, 'Is that not why you have tried to soften her cruel ways toward you?'
'I'm trying, yes.' Lucian already hinted to Celine in his drunken state that he might hurt her if she didn't stop suffocating him with her possessive ways (ch. 4.17) .
She mistook it as him viewing her as a freak of nature who couldn't control herself, when all he wanted to say was that he wished to be like her (ch.4.22).
He did end up blurting those words by accident.
'I must have been really drunk that day.'
He even went as far as hurting her wrist while reminiscing about his childhood (ch. 4.17).
Lucian stared at the bloody wall of reality that reminded him of his problems. The wall called Edmund was making Voice question his motives.
He hoped Edmund would crumble, but he just bled, forcing Lucian to see the ugly bits of it.
Edmud didn't call for help, knowing well his sister would come to get him out of the trouble.
Celine didn't get to choose her family members and accepted them as a part of her life with all of their faults. She would continue to spoil them, and then wonder why they were so spoiled.
Lucian couldn't ignore Edmund's way of protecting Celine either. He always supported her outside of the public eye, no matter how crazy her plans seemed to be (like marrying a commoner).
They only ever argued in public, never in private. Edmund even copied Lucian's behavior to open his sister's eyes and make her realize that she was acting biassed.
It lowered Lucian's guard, thinking Edmund was afraid to go against his sister, when in truth Edmund trusted her that she knew what she was doing.
So when that trust broke, and Edmund was faced with the reality of Lucian's existence (that reminded him of the 'overprotective' duchess), he was no longer willing to support his sister.
Lucian wiped the spear's blade clean against his clothes and decided to take it as an offering from Celine.
His stomach growled in hunger, his energy reserves running low. He had to find a safe place to recover.
"Crazy…bastard."
Lucian used some of Edmund's blood to freshen up his appearance and make himself look like he went through hell, but managed to survive. He did, but blood always made everything look more believable.
"You are too weak…to protect her." Edmund groaned, "You are nothing but a burden. The Crown Prince... would have been a much better match for her."
Then, Lucian used the spear as a walking stick and left the scene, not allowing Edmund's words to affect him.
The Rochefort pride was something. Edmund would rather die than give Lucian the pleasure of victory over him.
"Lord Edmund...?" Lady Lily called out from the outside, followed by Celine holding her cat in her hands, stroking the cat's chin.
Lucian glanced at Celine, recognizing the expression she had when her heart made way to her head.
He made a slight bow like a gentleman to the two ladies and departed.
Lady Lily gasped in worry when she saw his state, covering her mouth.
"Does your body react to every man in sight?" Celine passed before her, blocking her view for a second, "If so, you should visit the church for cleansing, lest you'll be mistaken for a whore," she paused, "Oh, my apologies, I forgot you were one."
"..." Lady Lily quickly looked away from Lucian and followed Celine, using her wits to come up with a response, "I thought I was too lowly to be spoken to by you, My Lady? Has my status suddenly improved to reach such heights?"
Celine no longer spoke to her after that, but Lady Lily's smile didn't waver until she saw the state Edmund was in.
Lucian's heart skipped a beat for a second, but he continued to move, not looking back, 'Celine never learns, does she?'
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The royal army had arrived at the scene. Their warrant allowed them to search and investigate any suspicious individual, including noble sons and daughters.
Edmund's condition created a small panic inside the camp, but he just shrugged it off as preparation for his stage training.
Mathieu Duremont was also present, speaking in Lucian's favor and how he had saved his life, which spared Lucian from a long interrogation.
Offering help to the right people in the right moment could get one in their good graces. Lucian offered Mathieu some bandages and medicine, and Mathieu was now returning the favor.
That's why there was a saying 'Do good and good will come to you.'
Celine realized Lucian would be safer with a capable enemy than alone, so she didn't interfere after the truth about Mathieu's innocence was proved. The threat still remained, however, and Lucian would have to watch his back at all times.
Connections were important and if Lucian managed to make one more, then it would be beneficial for his survival later on.
Lucian followed the royal army and was led to a small campsite where they had set up a temporary base.
He bought a few portions of military ration and sat on the ground, eating silently.
He received a few pitiful glances from the knights, but none of them approached him.
It seemed they were busy dealing with other matters and had no time for him.
Mathieu had described to them how the shackled (Lorano) looked and its powers, acting like he was in charge of the mission.
'Was the royal army always this incompetent?'
Why did they make Mathieu sound like the smartest person in the room? The few royal knights came up with some silly tactics just so they could be proved wrong by Mathieu, and then were in awe of the tactics Mathieu mentioned.
Lucian was just a merchant, so he had no right to intervene with the royal army's affairs.
He decided to take a walk to clear his mind and get rid of his frustration instead.
After this fiasco, Lucian was sure he was not going to be accepted by the rest of the Rocheforts, giving him an excuse to delay the marriage with Celine for a bit more.
Any loss had to be recovered.
Lucian racked his brain, thinking about what other benefits he could get from this mess.
'Oh, so here's the real thing.'
He oversaw the captain of the royal knights talking in a hushed voice with his subordinates.
They seemed to be counting on the number of some knights and their rank.
'Why does it match the numbers and ranks of the people in Celine's camp?'
Lucian got a good glimpse of the Rochefort's formation before he was ambushed by Edmund, but what sold them away was a cat, and the information next to it.
'Pet, harmless, first target… eliminate?'