641 Surprised instead of shocked to learn the truth
Vincent became a victim in Jun Ye Rimâs eyes now. She committed herself to protect Vincentâs soul. Thus, Jun Ye Rim chose to leave her arm injured as the conviction and reminder to save Vincent from the evil soul in his body before healing her arm.
Lucas stood up. He checked on Lilithâs condition with the high-ranked gemstone. Shortly, they sighed in relief after only seeing the negative conditions unconscious and exhausted.
Leonis glared at Lucas with anger. âEven if you are a duke, I will not let this slide! Look at what testing Vincent did to my daughter and the people of this mansion. Duke Hawkins, you have taken it too far!â
Hearing Leonis act in a manner caused Aceon to sweat profusely. The words expressed out of emotion could cause a serious problem, Aceon believed.
Aceon swiftly placed his hands on Leonisâs shoulders and said, âAhem. Shall we go for a breather?â
âBreather?...â Leonis managed to say before Aceon pushed him out of the bedroom in a hurry. The two left the bedroom, and a couple of steps later, the two could not be heard anymore.
Lucas glanced at Sakura. He saw her looking at Lilith with a worried expression.
âNow is the time to rest your minds. Lilith and the other girls will be fine. Furthermore, there is no need to worry about us figuring out Iris is a Druid.â
[Oh no! This is bad...]
.....
âHer highness and I had our suspicions after investigating the Lionheart family for a while. We will not do anything to Iris. We are in a secret alliance after all, hahaha.â Lucas said while hiding the fact Anna, Bilka, and him knew about Iris being a Druid for quite a while now.
Kazumi and Sakura became reassured to hear these words. Iris wasnât going to be in danger because of her class. Iris could remain living with them as usual.
Iris had the ability to make any kingdom have food no matter what calamity appeared. The Druid class was similar to a priceless treasure that countries would engage in war to obtain.
Lucas walked for the door. He stopped and looked at Sakura and Jun Ye Rim. âI also realized Ester is the fourth Sigil Mage. Hahaha. Vincent sure gathered incredible women.â
Sakura froze in shock for a moment, but after what Lucas did to help them, her body stopped being rigid. Sakura respectfully bowed and expressed, âThank you very much for the help you provided. We are thankful, Duke Hawkins.â
âSure. Hahaha. â Lucas said before leaving.
*Noon*
[V...] [Vin...] [Vincent...]
Vincentâs eyes gently moved. His eyes opened at a snailâs pace. His hazy vision cleared after a few seconds.
[You woke up finally. Princess Anna wanted to speak to you, but no matter how many times you were nudged, you remained asleep.]
-How... how is the situation?...-
[Nothing has gone awry for now with me around and Jun Ye Rim repeating my words. But it would be best to say a word.]
âWhat?â Vincent said in a raspy voice.
âVincent!â Said Ester, Lupa, Iris, Sakura, Lilith, and Plow, while Jun Ye Rim muttered, âI hope the wicked soul is not the one talking.â
âLean. Water.â Vincent requested.
In less than ten seconds, his body was gently leaned on the headrest with pillows cushioning his back. A cup of water was carefully placed on his lips. Vincent didnât need to raise his head as the less water remained, the more the cup was tilted upwards.
[Now, this is harem service, hehe. To continue with what I was saying, Princess Anna, Lucas, and grumpy Bilka visited you one last time before leaving. That is the reason why I tried to wake you up.]
âHoho. Now, this is what I call service.â Lucas joked.
Bilka covered Annaâs eyes. âDo not look at them, your highness! They will taint your pure gentile eyes.â
âPlease do not be rude, Bilka. Family support is a beautiful thing to see.â Anna said with her pleasant voice.
After a while, Ester, Lupa, Iris, Lilith, and Sakura moved to the side. Plow, on the other hand, remained sitting on Vincentâs lap.
âAhem.â Vincent cleared his throat. âI feel better now.â
âYou sure do after a delightful service like that, haha.â Lucas joked.
Lucas moved his head and looked at the Lionheart girls. âCan we speak to Vincent alone before we leave? I want to ask a couple of questions about the future of our relationship.â
Ester, Iris, Lilith, and Sakura accepted, while Lupa and Plow were reluctant to leave Vincent after spending hours worrying if he was going to wake up today or tomorrow.
Lupa was held by both arms, and Plow was lifted. The Lionheart girls and Jun Ye Rim left the room shortly after.
In the bedroom were Vincent, Lucas, Bilka, and Anna in the wheelchair. The air became heavy, like the subject they were going to talk about.
While the girls left the bedroom, Kazumi decided against explaining the current negative condition Vincent was suffering from.
Vincent was still exhausted. Kazumi didnât want to make Vincent feel depressed while in the presence of the two and one annoying important guests.
*Cough* âLet me start first by saying that we had an idea you were a person similar to the one we call the invader. However, we never expected you were actually the person referred to as invader since a century still hasnât passed.â Lucas tapped on his elbow and continued, âI had never seen a person regrow their limbs in the way you regrew yours.â
âNow I know why your words that day gave the impression of being words said from experience. After watching your limbs regrow, I understood why you believe healing will not fix my legs.â Anna lowered her saddened gaze to her legs and continued, âWhat was never meant to be will never be meant to be.â
âLook what you did to her, highness!â Bilka angrily told Vincent. She gently massaged Annaâs shoulders and continued, âYour highness can go where ever she desires with the wheelchair. Who needs legs to move? Am I right, your highness?â
â... yeah.â Anna nodded.
âI am glad I am being accepted. I know how much influence her highness Anna Lusterfall and Duke Lucas Hawkins have. I know how easy it is to turn the entire kingdom against me.â Vincent honestly stated the current situation.
âThe residents who knew about your identity didnât show signs of being manipulated, while the rest of the residents who didnât know have accepted or are trying to accept who you truly are. â Lucas explained.
âWe thought you were a retainer of the previous otherworlder at most. It was a surprise to discover you were more than we believed you to be.â Anna stopped for a moment.
Anna said the word surprise instead of shock or worse. It meant Anna currently wasnât seeing Vincent as her enemy. For now, that is.
âYou were the seventh otherworlder said to bring destruction to our world...â
âHer highness is right!â Bilka interrupted Anna. âYou are dangerous. I was shocked to see you act like a demonic beast. The history was right. You are dangerous...â
âStay quiet if you are going to speak useless sentences.â Lucas interrupted Bilka with a displeased frown. âVincent did things he couldnât control, yet his weakness could control the dangerous behavior he exhibited.â
Anna nodded, agreeing with Lucasâs statement about Vincent not having a choice. The situation was grim and urgent at that time.
Vincent appeared dead to everyone at first, yet he rose from the with a different personality afterward. A strange, mysterious heat overwhelmed the cold temperature while the standing Vincent, with a frightening appearance, acted strange. As if he was an empty husk.
Like most of the residents, Anna felt afraid of the unknown Vincent before her. His imposing gaze looking at everyone as if they were his prey, was frightening.
However, after hearing the explanation of Vincent not attacking his retainers, Vincent appeared to be similar to a wild animal being aggressive to protect his family.
âYour actions before and your actions when you acted strangely were the same in my eyes. â Anna said.
[Wait! I thought they had accepted us. Does that mean Anna thinks you are a threat now?]
*Gulp* âDoes that mean her highness sees me as a danger to the world like the greedy manmade history?â
âAnna. Call me Anna.â Anna stated with a frown. This sentence showed Vincent and Kazumi how their relationship with Anna was currently.
âYour...â Bilka was about to complain when she noticed Lucas staring at her with an annoyed frown.
âCan I?â
âYes.â
[Phew. I thought we were a goner for a second.]
[Still. I wonder why they have decided to accept us and why they are not showing hostility.]
[I am also curious as to what they were planning to do with us since they considered you to be the retainer of Kevin.]
[I wonder...]
-I get it, Kazumi. Letâs put your thoughts on hold and wrack our brains to make them keep the alliance.-
[Regretably, I agree.] Kazumi said, unhappy to stop saying everything in her mind.
Anna smiled warmly. âThe bond you have with your wives showed us how much trust they place in you. They even chose to use their bodies to deter you from attacking us. Even a person with their eyes closed would understand your wives trying their best not to make others see you as the monster the history says you are.â
âI am glad I am not seen as a monster. I am glad Anna is an insightful person who does not get swayed by the words of others. â Vincent revealed a faint warm smile. âAnna will become a great princess in the future. Like how I want to live a life of peace and happiness, I hope the future Queen of Lusterfall will have that kind of life.â