Chapter 4
The brief but sharp exchange at the court banquet was like a thorn deeply embedded in Serena's heart. Lucien's cold sarcasm echoed in her ears day and night. Rather than waiting foolishly for him to voluntarily let go of his hatred, she decided to take the initiative and gain more leverage for herself before he became fully powerful.
After a series of carefully planned acts of coaxing and promises, Serena finally convinced her father to allow her to "inspect" the "Sunset Vineyard" located in the southern border of the empire.
The trip was scheduled for early autumn. On the day they left the capital, the sky was overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low, as if foreshadowing something. Serena sat in the luxurious carriage, watching the gradually unfamiliar scenery outside the window. She felt little sorrow at parting, only a sense of tension, like escaping a cage only to step into an unknown battlefield.
Unbeknownst to her, far behind her convoy, a lean yet resolute figure, like a lone wolf in the wilderness, silently watched everything unfold. Lucien stood on a high hillside, the autumn wind ruffling his black hair, revealing his unfathomable purple eyes. He watched the convoy, a symbol of the Wilder family's power, slowly depart from the capital, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.
He was about to leave the capital. His role as a court attendant had completed its initial mission, allowing him a respite and access to some peripheral information networks. Now, he had more important matters to attend to. And Serena Wilde, the woman he hated to the core, her movements were undoubtedly a significant variable in his plans. He didn't know her exact destination, but the direction "south" was enough for him to make certain arrangements.
The journey was long. Serena had no interest in appreciating the pastoral scenery along the way; she spent most of her time in the carriage studying more detailed information about the estate, as well as the fragmented knowledge she had of future economic trends and agricultural techniques. She had to revive the estate, and quickly.
A few days later, the convoy entered the Southern Province. The air here was more humid and warm, and the scenery was quite different from the orderly landscape around the capital, possessing a wilder and more vibrant feel. However, on the evening before they were to arrive at the manor, the sky suddenly changed.
Thick, dark clouds gathered from all directions, and a fierce wind whipped up dust, causing the carriage to shake violently. A muffled rumble of thunder echoed from the distant horizon.
"Miss, it looks like a downpour is coming! There's an abandoned hunting lodge not far ahead. Shall we go there to take shelter?" The head guard rode up to the carriage window and asked loudly.
Serena glanced at the terrible weather outside the window and nodded: "Go quickly!"
The convoy sped up and barely made it into a hunting lodge that looked long abandoned and was located on the edge of the forest before the large raindrops began to fall.
The main house of the hunting lodge was relatively intact, though covered in dust and cobwebs. The servants quickly cleared a clean area, brought in cushions and blankets from the carriage, and set up a temporary resting place for Serena.
Outside, torrential rain poured down, and the wind howled, as if to tear the lonely hunting lodge apart. Thunder roared overhead, and lightning flashed like silver snakes, ripping through the dark sky.
Selena, wrapped in a thick wool cloak, sat before the fireplace, listening to the wind and rain outside, a strange unease creeping into her heart. This kind of weather, this remote place… it always made her feel like something was going to happen.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of wind and rain seemed to subside a little. Just as Serena was becoming drowsy, the dilapidated gate of the hunting lodge suddenly creaked with a sickeningly soft sound.
It wasn't the sound of the wind blowing it open; it sounded more like... someone had pushed it away.
All the guards instantly became alert, their hands gripping their sword hilts.
Serena also suddenly raised her head, her heart clenching.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky, its pale light shining through the crack in the door and the broken window, instantly illuminating the figure at the doorway.
It was a tall figure draped in a black cloak, soaked to the bone, rain dripping from the hem of the cloak and forming a small puddle on the ground. He wore a hood, his face hidden in deep shadows, making it impossible to see his features.
But Serena's breathing almost stopped.
Although the face was obscured, the figure, the posture, that cold yet familiar presence...
The dark figure slowly raised its head, reached out, and removed its wet hood.
The lightning flashed again, clearly illuminating that handsome but bloodless face and those deep purple eyes that, even in the darkness, were unsettlingly profound.
It's Lucien.
He appeared abruptly and without warning in the abandoned hunting lodge on this stormy night.
The guards were on high alert, drawing their swords and shielding Serena behind them.
Lucien seemed oblivious to the gleaming swords. His gaze pierced through the barrier of guards, landing directly on Serena's pale face.
Rainwater slid down his glossy black hair, flowing over his high-bridged nose and tightly pursed thin lips. His eyes were complex and unreadable, containing scrutiny, inquiry, and icy hatred, and perhaps even a hint of... a resolute determination born of extreme exhaustion?
He took a step forward, his boots making a soft sound as they hit the damp ground.
“Miss Serena Wilde.” His voice was hoarse from the cold and exhaustion, but unusually clear, drowning out the fading sound of the rain outside. “It seems we are destined to meet.”
Serena gripped the edge of her cloak tightly, her nails digging into her palms. She forced herself to meet his gaze, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "Lucian? What are you doing here?"
Lucien's lips twitched very slightly, but it was hardly a smile.
"To avoid the rain." He gave a simple, almost perfunctory answer, but his deep purple eyes were fixed on her, as if to say, "You know it's not that simple."
The atmosphere froze. The guards dared not make a move; although the young man before them was down on his luck, his aura was not to be underestimated.
Serena's mind raced. Was he following her? Or was he already in the Southern Territory, and this was just a coincidence that he came here to take shelter from the rain? Either way, the situation was extremely unfavorable for her.
Just then, Lucien spoke again, his gaze sweeping over the tense guards before finally settling on Serena. His tone carried a strange calmness, yet it was more chilling than the torrential rain outside:
"It seems that I always run into Miss Wilde when I'm at my most vulnerable."
Was he referring to the gold coin on the street, or the shared shelter from the rain that they were forced to share? Or perhaps both?
Serena held her breath, waiting for his next words.
Lucien looked at her, his deep purple eyes seeming to hold both a gathering storm and melting ice. He spoke slowly, word by word:
"Perhaps we can... talk?"
These words struck Serena like a thunderbolt.
"Talk?" Serena repeated the three words, her voice exceptionally clear in the empty, dilapidated hall, carrying a sense of unbelievable absurdity. She looked at the rain-soaked boy before her, whose eyes were sharp as knives, her heart pounding in her chest, almost shattering her ribs.
Talk to him? Talk about what? Talk about why she whipped him in the first place? Talk about why she "kindly" let him go? Or talk about that insulting gold coin she gave him on the street?
No matter the topic, it's like walking on the edge of a cliff; one wrong step and you're doomed.
The guards tensed even more, raising their swords slightly, aiming at Lucien. If he made the slightest move, they would kill him without hesitation.
Lucien seemed oblivious to the threats; his gaze remained fixed on Serena, his deep purple eyes appearing unfathomable in the flickering firelight. Rain dripped down his sharply defined jawline, striking the old floor with a soft "tap...tap..." sound, as if timing this eerie conversation.
“Yes, let’s talk.” His voice was still hoarse, but it carried an undeniable calmness beneath which turbulent undercurrents. “For example, let’s talk about Miss Wilde’s recent… unusual ‘good deeds’.”
He noticed it! From stopping the whipping to being expelled from the mansion, and then to the gold coins on the street, none of these behaviors, which were inconsistent with the "vicious female supporting character" persona, escaped his eyes.
Serena's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. She forced herself to calm down, her mind racing. Deny it? Play dumb? Or...?
She took a deep breath, meeting Lucien's scrutinizing gaze, and tried to make her voice sound slightly arrogant with a hint of offense, yet subtly mixed with something else: "Abnormal? Lucien, have you lost your mind from being soaked in the rain? Do I need to explain my actions to you?"
She slightly raised her chin, trying to mask her inner turmoil with her usual arrogance: "I'll hit you if I feel like it, I'll let you go if I feel like it, I'll reward you with a gold coin if I feel like it! What? Do you really expect me to treat someone like you... um..." She paused deliberately, as if searching for the right derogatory word, but her gaze involuntarily swept over his still somewhat unnatural left leg, and her tone unconsciously softened a little, "...what long-term plans could I possibly have for someone like you?"
These words still sound harsh, but compared to her previous style of resorting to beatings and scoldings, they are a world of difference.
Lucien's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He looked at her, his eyes seeming to pierce through all her pretense, to see her soul trembling with fear, yet desperately seeking a way to survive.
The sound of rain outside gradually subsided, leaving only a lingering patter. The firewood in the fireplace crackled softly, casting flickering light and shadows between the two, creating an eerie atmosphere.
After a long silence, Lucien finally spoke, his voice low and deep: "Plotting? What could the eldest daughter of the Wilder family possibly plot against a down-on-his-luck, worthless prince?"
He took a small step forward.
The guards' swords immediately drew closer.
Lucien stopped, ignoring the chilling blade at his neck, and looked at Serena, a faint, cold smile curving his lips: "Or perhaps, in some unknown corner, the noble Miss Alicia has finally sensed... a shift in the winds?"
These words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the fog in Serena's mind!
He was testing her! Testing whether she knew something! Testing whether the Wilder family behind her had noticed the potential power shifts within the empire, or... whether they had realized that he, Lucien, was not truly worthless!
This is a dangerous test, but at the same time, it is also an opportunity! An opportunity to steer the conversation toward "interests" rather than "personal grudges"!
Serena's heart pounded faster, but this time, it wasn't just fear, but also a thrill of escaping death. She gripped her cloak tightly, her nails digging into her palms, using the pain to maintain her last shred of consciousness and the performance.
She deliberately frowned, her face showing a mixture of disdain and confusion: "Wind direction? What wind direction? Lucien, do you always talk so nonsensically? Or have you learned these tricks of pretense after struggling at the bottom for so long?"
She couldn't admit it directly, but she couldn't deny it completely either. She had to make him believe that her "abnormality" might stem from some vague "premonition" or "investment" based on family interests.
She paused, as if losing patience, and waved her hand: "Forget it, there's no point in arguing with someone like you. It's already a favor that I let you take shelter from the rain here. Once the rain stops, you'd better disappear from my sight immediately."
She turned her back to him, feigning reluctance to talk, but her heart was pounding in her throat.
Behind him, there was a long silence.
The only sounds were the dripping rain and the soft crackling of burning firewood.
Serena could feel that cold gaze still fixed on her back, as if it were a physical thing.
Then she heard a very soft, almost imperceptible chuckle.
“As you wish, Miss Wilder.” Lucien’s voice came, regaining its previous calm, even carrying a hint of something indescribable…meaningful. “I will leave once the rain stops.”
“However…” he paused, his voice like the night wind brushing against a cold blade, “Perhaps we will meet again soon. After all, the sky over the Southern Territory doesn’t always look so clear.”
After he finished speaking, he said no more, pulled his hood up again, and disappeared into the shadows, as if he had become one with the darkness of the dilapidated hunting lodge.
Serena stood there stiffly, without turning around.
This brief but dangerous "conversation" has come to an end. There were no clear answers, no signs of reconciliation, and not even a conflict.
As for whether Lucien believed her story, Serena didn't know. She looked out the window at the gradually stopping rain, feeling a chill in her heart.
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