"Get some rest?" Kevin froze. Raymond and the other men stared, glancing at one another in confusion.
A second later, it dawned on all of them. Their faces turned as black as charcoal. Wasn't he blatantly mocking them for daydreaming?
"Pfft—" Annie burst out laughing, her fox ears twitching uncontrollably. The Master's sharp tongue was even more venomous than hers.
"Ahem, ahem..." Mina cleared her throat lightly. Her cat tail curled into a pleased circle, and the smile on her lips was obvious, yet her eyes were filled with murderous intent.
These people truly don't know their place. Did they really think the Master was someone they could just manipulate? She was even wondering if she should just get rid of them privately.
Dahlia's expression was strange as she scanned Scott and the others. Is he coaxing a child? To think he could say something so immature. She had witnessed His Excellency Lucas's quick wit and venomous tongue today, and also just how cunning he was.
His sarcasm was delivered with such elegance, full of aristocratic bearing, unlike these men before them, who were clearly flustered and furious.
"Master, there are no guest rooms left in the castle," Nicole added, revealing her own cunning streak. She had long since grown tired of Raymond and his group's arrogance. She wouldn't miss a chance to embarrass them.
"Ahem, ahem..." Everyone present practically choked. Who the hell was talking about sleeping?!
"That... is negotiable," Raymond said, looking a little awkward. "As long as you are willing to present the secret formula for the perfume, anything can be discussed." Back in the capital, this trick—invoking the First Prince's name—had worked every single time.
If he set his sights on a daughter from any family, he merely had to mention the First Prince, and she would be obediently sent to his doorstep. Yet today, in front of this baron from the middle of nowhere, it was utterly useless.
"What will it take for you to hand over the formula? Name your conditions!" Patrick was getting impatient. With two other parties present, he couldn't use harsh words or threats, or he might push the formula right into his rivals' hands.
"Any condition at all?" Lucas's eyes narrowed, his cold gaze sweeping over Scott, Kevin, Raymond, and the others.
"As long as it's not too outrageous, I can agree to it on behalf of the Second Prince," Patrick said, a hint of joy on his face. He finally saw Lucas starting to budge.
"Would you be willing to give your life?" Lucas's lips quirked in a mocking smile.
"Pfft—!" Patrick sprayed out the water he had just taken a sip of. He stared at Lucas, dumbfounded, the veins on his forehead bulging.
"I'm joking," Lucas said lightly, leaving Patrick with no outlet for his rage.
"That joke isn't funny in the slightest," Patrick bit out, his face a mask of bitter resentment.
He was, in fact, genuinely terrified. If the price for the formula was his life, he knew the Second Prince well enough to know he wouldn't hesitate for a second. The prince would immediately send someone to chop off his head to seal the deal.
"We can buy the formula. Name your price," Scott interjected. This was the strategy the Fourth Prince had given him: if the baron proved tactless, they could buy it first and settle the score later.
Everyone in the room turned to look at Lucas. They had all figured it out by now: Lucas was simply toying with them. He had no intention of currying favor with any prince, much less handing over the formula.
"Buy it?" Lucas crossed his arms, lifting his gaze lazily. "Can you afford it?"
"Just name the price," Scott forced out through gritted teeth. He could see the disdain on Lucas's face. He was actually being despised.
"You can tell how sought-after this perfume is just by the fact that you're all here today," Lucas said, his voice calm, powerful, and cold. "Not to mention, my enhanced version is hardly comparable to the Fourth Prince's inferior product. Since you want to buy it?"
"This..." Dahlia froze, her delicate face instantly filled with anxiety. Under the table, her small hand jabbed Lucas's thigh, tracing out the words: Don't sell.
The sudden touch on his thigh made Lucas jolt. He instinctively reached under the table and grasped her small hand, stopping her from moving.
Her hand caught, Dahlia's eyes widened slightly, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. She struggled a little, but seeing she couldn't break free from his grip, she had no choice but to shyly endure her hand being held.
Mina shot Dahlia a strange glance. She didn't believe for a second that the Master would actually sell the formula. Can't she see how calm Annie and Nicole are? They even look like they're trying not to laugh.
"What's the price?" Raymond pressed. He had brought a significant amount of gold this time, prepared to buy the formula if he couldn't get it for free.
"It's not expensive. In fact, it's very cheap," Lucas said, his tone light and breezy. "Just bring me three hundred thousand gold coins, and you can take the formula..."
"Pfft—!" Patrick spat out the saliva he was about to swallow. He calls that cheap?!
"Ahem, ahem..." Raymond choked, staring at Lucas in utter disbelief.
"Three hundred thousand gold coins? Why don't you just go rob the royal treasury?" Kevin shot to his feet. If he hadn't seen the knife in the cat-eared girl's hand, he would have started shouting curses.
"Your Excellency Lucas, stop joking," Scott said, his face dark. Three hundred thousand gold coins for a perfume formula? No one believed Lucas was serious; they all assumed he was kidding.
"A joke?" A cold smile touched Lucas's lips. "I am not joking. The price for the formula is three hundred thousand gold coins. Whoever has the gold can take it."
Was the formula worth 300,000 gold coins? It definitely was. One could even say it was extremely cheap—but that was from Lucas's perspective.
But to Scott, Kevin, Patrick, and Raymond, this price was nothing short of robbery—robbing the royal treasury, no less. In their eyes, spending even a few thousand gold coins on the formula would have been an astronomical sum.
"Hmph! It seems Your Excellency Lucas has no sincerity whatsoever," Patrick said coldly, standing up. He turned and stormed out.
"Your Excellency Lucas, I am willing to offer five thousand gold coins for the formula," Raymond said, suppressing his rage.
"Please, show yourself out." Lucas gestured toward the door. Five thousand gold coins for the formula?
"My offer still stands. If you come to your senses, send someone to inform me," Raymond spat, then left in anger.
"Lucas, the Fourth Prince is coming to the Western Lands. You should understand what that implies," Scott said coldly as he stood. Before leaving, he shot a glance at Dahlia.
"You'd better seize this 'opportunity'," Kevin sneered. He thought Lucas was overestimating himself, taking himself far too seriously. It's just a perfume formula.
"Interesting. It seems they all brought plenty of money," Lucas mused with a smile, though his eyes flashed with a cold light.
The Fourth Prince was coming to the Western Lands. It looked like any hope for peace, even temporary, was now lost.
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