The crowd was composed of people from all classes, from the rich nobles at the front, to the poor commoners in the back. Everyone was in good spirits, anticipating the upcoming event.
Except for two individuals in particular, who were both feeling rather down.
Celine didn't utter a single word since then, only taking the cat from the knight's hands before sitting on a stool the butler provided for her.
The other was Lucian who had his plans of enjoying the hunt with Celine ruined.
Their minds were racing with different ways to handle the situation.
A person who suddenly acted out of character would raise suspicion. It was not the same as the natural growth and development of one's personality, but rather a sudden, drastic change in a span of one month.
One month was enough time for an entitled heir like Mathieu to become wise beyond his past's self.
'Does nobody else find it strange?' Lucian thought, 'How was he able to convince everyone?'
Muscle memory showed that it was indeed Mathieu's body (the way he stood and walked), but a lot of things didn't add up. Mannerisms and speech patterns were not Mathieu's. Body language and reaction to things that weren't the same either.
While Celine must be thinking the old one was a bad doppelganger or an impostor, and the new one was the real deal (which would explain how he could see through the blindfold), Lucian believed that the old Mathieu was the real one and the new one was a shackled.
Voice didn't answer his question, so Lucian could only force the answer from Mathieu himself.
He observed the area, looking for something or someone to 'help' him find out, and his gaze landed on a few noble ladies, who were chatting with a group of nobles near the front.
'I would like to test his moral compass first.'
Lucian continued to wait in line, the large steel gates of the hunting grounds still remained closed.
The high stone walls enclosed a massive area of the forest, stretching as far as the eyes could see. The walls were built long ago, serving as a barrier to protect a kingdom that no longer existed.
Lost East Walls, was the name of the border walls, and it had a tragic story behind it.
They were built to protect the citizens from the invading army of the neighbouring kingdoms, but the people never got a chance to use them as the sea had swallowed their land in one big gulp. The sea then retreated, not fully, leaving a part of the land underwater forever.
The Diamante Kingdom and Southern Alliance have been fighting over the eastern territory for centuries, with the Diamante Kingdom holding on to it and using it as a royal military base.
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Except for Celine, nobody tried to take Lucian's place in the line, much to his disappointment.
When one thought about it, there existed only one hay head with a knight rank in the whole Diamante Kingdom and he was right here.
They didn't recognize his face, but being the only hay head to join the hunting competition was more than enough proof to identify him as such, no questions asked.
The Glory's founder and the current leader of Loan Lenders; Lucian Arclight.
It was said that a small group of loansharks have sought his guidance in investment strategies in the past, which he 'reluctantly' agreed to. They've grown from a gang of thugs to a successful business in the span of a few years, holding Lucian in high regard from that day on.
Only Mathieu's and Celine's kind were clueless about world politics enough to look down on him because of his looks.
Lucian knew he couldn't hide this side hustle from the public for long, and decided to become the official leader, not founder. It was nice not having to dye his hair green and demand money from people anymore. He could do it openly now.
He bent to the side to look behind him, catching a few glimpses of the people behind him in the line.
A few familiar faces immediately looked down, trying to act invisible to him. They were definitely not going to confront him in public like Celine did, but they might want to deal with him later on in private, when the competition begins and they run out of excuses to avoid paying their debts.
'What a bunch of lovely losers,' Lucian straightened his back, 'Does self defense work as an excuse to kill someone? If they can't pay off their debts, then they could at least offer their bodies as compensation.'
Even a dead body had a certain value, especially to Lucian, who was in a desperate need of a few fresh corpses.
'But first, let's give them a chance to get rich quick. There's plenty of wealthy people here for them to borrow money from, especially a blind young master from a prestigious family.'
Lucian finished sharpening his axe and moved it to his belt. He adjusted his backpack and made sure that his boots were properly tied.
The heavy steel gates began to open with a loud creaking noise, allowing the first wave of participants to enter.
A loud cheer rose from the crowd, and Lucian joined in, cheering along with everyone else.
Celine stood up to move ahead and noticed him raising his fist in the air, waving at her, while whistling with his fingers, smiling and looking like a complete fool.
Who cared about appearances? Acting like a sour cucumber all day would only make him more miserable.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Lucian shouted, his voice lost among the crowd, but Celine seemed to hear it.
She raised the cat's paw in response. It looked like she was just playing around with it, but Lucian knew she was waving back to him, in her own way.
Lucian laughed, feeling a surge of energy in him. They shouldn't let any outsiders break them apart, they should be doing the breaking instead! That's how it should be, yes!
Entrance tickets were collected at the door, and Lucian made sure to have his ticket ready.
The soldiers found him crazy to enter by himself and he just responded with not being alone and having Gods by his side.
A few even asked him to pray for them, thinking he was a priest, so he gave a few blessings to them and their families.
He made a sign of the cross on his chest and continued walking forward with a map they gave him.
'There are two silver knights among the debtors. Both one rank above me,' Lucian noted the information his people gave him, 'They wouldn't be stupid enough to target me, right?'
One might think that people, who owed him a debt, would be afraid of him and steer clear, but the truth was far different.
Some would turn into the most aggressive bunch when under threats, often more scary than the loan sharks themselves.
His people needed to be extra careful around them. A debt could be cleared with a simple death of the creditor, after all. Many got injured in fights when the debtors turned into desperate cornered beasts.
'So many targets, so little time. If only I could clone myself,' Lucian thought sadly as he pumped into his first target, making it seem like he was not looking where he was going, being too occupied with his map.
"Hey! Watch it!" The target growled and turned to face Lucian, his hand reaching for his weapon.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Thanks for helping me make the chapters look less dead with your comments! 😁 Even tftc does wonders! 🙏
I'm trying to learn the art of cliffhangers, was always bad with them, but I know it's good for reader retention. 😫 Share your worst experiences with cliffs, because I still have no idea how the fellow authors do them so well.🧐
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