The people around nodded in approval at the sight of Young Master Edmund disciplining his twin sister, showing their support for his actions.
How would the family name survive with a shameless woman tainting it? Did the Rochefort house finally realize that they couldn't just sweep her problematic personality under the rug?
Edmund didn't seem to appreciate the way Celine ignored him, but was not sure how to deal with her either.
'Did those two get into a fight?'
Edmund stared at his sister like he was trying to burn a hole through her back as she embarrassed him by not acknowledging his presence.
It was subtle and quick, but Lucian caught it nevertheless.
Celine went ahead to pick up a fight with the poorest and weakest-looking participant, a sole person without any servants or guards in the company.
Lucian anticipated Celine to pick him, seeing as the other participants wore expensive clothes that indicated their financial status and their connections. Some even wore knight's badges representing their rank.
He pretended like he didn't see her walking towards him, focusing on sharpening his axe with a stone, holding back a smile.
He waited and waited but she didn't approach him.
Lucian raised his head, staring at the back of a man that obscured his view of Celine. The curve of his smile slowly changed into a straight line.
"You can take my spot, if you like," the man said, standing before Celine and blocking her path, panting slightly, as if he ran over to catch her before she could reach Lucian.
"Young Master Mathieu!" a servant ran from behind the man, stopping beside his master, "That's... that's..." he said in a hushed tone, "Lady Roche─"
"I know, I'm not bli...wait, I actually am..." young master Mathieu corrected himself with an awkward chuckle. The bandage around his eyes made it impossible to tell if he could see or not, and his body language didn't look out of place either.
"I recognized her voice," young master Mathieu continued to explain his blunder, "That's how I knew who I was talking to, not because I recognized her face or anything of the sort."
Lucian said that he didn't want to depend on Voice's powers, but he had to see what was going on.
Celine had a frown on her face, indicating her displeasure at being stopped in her tracks.
Her eyes wandered to Young Master Mathieu's face. He became unfavored after the incident, so she didn't have a need to sweet talk to him, "My, my, one might think you are trying to protect that hay-head if I didn't know better. Well, if Lord Duremont insists, I'll accept your offer."
And just like that, Celine was lured away from Lucian. She took the spot in the front, showing no interest in engaging in a conversation with a Duremont.
"..." Edmund and the Rochefort staff couldn't believe that Celine somehow got her way, again. They switched places with the Duremonts, their baffled expression matching that of the Duremont staff.
Young Master Mathieu sighed, standing next to Lucian, "Don't mind Lady Rochefort's words. I believe she is going through a hard time now and is taking it out on people around her."
Lucian didn't respond, his mood getting worse by the minute.
'Did he just defend my Celine?'
Young Master Mathieu was not discouraged by Lucian's lack of reaction, continuing.
"Oh no, don't misunderstand my intentions, I have no interest in you, or men for that matter," he clarified, waving his hands in the air, "I simply want to make sure that you are not disturbed by Lady Rochefort's malicious words and one day decide that you've had enough and that you want to get rid of her."
'Did he just try to protect my Celine?'
'From…who?'
'Me?'
Lucian hid the urge to press the axe against the other man's neck for integration, and only kept his half smile.
"Did young master's injury come with a newfound wisdom or have you always been so perceptive?" Lucian asked.
The young master choked on his saliva, struggling to find a good reply, "My injury has helped me see more clearly," he replied, "I've changed, for the better, for the worse, I don't know, but I know that I don't want to go back to how I used to be."
"Elder cousin, you shouldn't be talking with that person," a woman interrupted, her aura reminding Lucian of the Crown Prince. Cold and distant, though lacking the same weight. "People will start to talk about your old habits."
"Adeline," young master Mathieu smiled, "Why are you here? Your party is in the front."
The woman, Adeline, turned her attention to Lucian with a lack of interest before looking back at young master Mathieu, "I was just making sure you didn't run away from your responsibilities again. I'm going now," she turned around and left.
"Wait," Young Master Mathieu called out to her. She stopped and waited for him to continue, "I'm sorry for dragging you into my mess...and thank you for looking out for me."
Adeline's eyes widened slightly, not expecting him to thank her. "Don't mention it," she quickly said and left, suppressing a tiny soft smile that tried to crack her cool facade.
Lucian sensed that everyone was surprised by this change in Mathieu, in a welcome way. Young master Mathieu didn't have a good relationship with any of them and now suddenly acted like a human being towards them. Something had definitely changed in him, and it wasn't a minor detail.
A near death experience, a life-changing injury, or a sudden realization, whatever it was, had made him a better person. Or... a more cunning one.
Lucian couldn't tell yet, and wouldn't have paid it much attention if it weren't for Celine's involvement.
"Thank you for your concern," Lucian said, his tone a little more relaxed. "But for your safety, I suggest you also keep your distance from Lady Rochefort. People who cross her path often seem to meet a bad end," he warned good-naturedly.
"Right, thank you," Young Master Mathieu said, but Lucian didn't need to look at him to know that his advice was not going to be taken, "It will take some time until she understands that I've changed, but that's okay, I'm willing to wait."
'You.are.willing.to.what?'
"Young Master Mathieu," another person approached before Lucian could engage with him more. This time it was a young maid, who bowed politely, "Young Master Meurin wishes to speak to you in private, please follow me."
"My brother? Alright," the young master Mathieu agreed, following the maid.
He seemed to be used to walking around without the use of his eyes, without a cane's aid.
'Could he be a shackled?'
Lucian's pulse quickened, his senses sharpened, and he became even more alert.
'Is the old Mathieu still in control of his body? Or was he taken over completely?'
Lucian wouldn't embrace such an idea under normal circumstances.
The shackleds weren't capable of blending in with society in the long term from what people believed. They were like a fire that would eventually consume itself.
But...he was himself an unusual case.
'Voice, do you sense anything? Does he have a Voice too?'
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
I noticed a spike in views, readers, and reviews these past few days! Thank you for all the insightful feedback. Keep sharing your opinions! It's boosting my writing mood! 🙏 😆
I added a new character to the character list. Go check it out. 🐦⬛
Who is happy that Mathieu isn't just some average, cannon fodder, villain, who only exists to be face slapped by the MCs? 😁
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