The eastern part of Lantert was known as the "Land of a Thousand Lakes," where lakes of all sizes lay smooth as mirrors, resembling pieces of green agate, set off beautifully by the lush, verdant forests that surrounded them.
Such a picturesque place had naturally been claimed by the royal family and the great nobles alike. Duke Peffos James's private estate sat along the shore of a gentle lake, seemingly without a single ripple, a place of refreshing calm and serene tranquility.
A four-wheeled carriage drawn by a dragon-scale horse rolled to a stop at the estate's entrance. Arthur, ever the eager one despite his lumbering build, squeezed past Lucian to open the carriage door, hopped out, and immediately positioned himself as if to help Lucian down.
Lucian shook his head with a smile, took a single step, and appeared behind Arthur in an instant, muttering as if to himself, "What's the point of all this? As long as you run the Holm Mining United Bank and the Minerals and Harvest Company well, that's the best performance you can give in front of Her Majesty."
The shares Prince Patrick had "invested" in had unquestionably been inherited by Natasha as well, so Lucian often teased her about it. Here he was, toiling away to invent magical items and accumulating a considerable fortune — no longer needing to worry about exchanging for the magical materials required before reaching the Legend tier, at the peak of his confidence and pride — and yet she had simply inherited her way to surpassing his net worth by a wide margin. It was enough to inspire envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Arthur turned around and kept close at Lucian's side, smiling without the slightest embarrassment. "I genuinely respect you, Lucian. The alchemical substances and magical items you invented have brought me unimaginable wealth, and they've also gotten me into the inner circle of people like Duke James. So everything I just did was completely sincere — no hidden agenda at all. You said Her Majesty was very satisfied with the promotion and development of the Minerals and Harvest Company, but what about the Holm Mining United Bank? Did she say anything?"
"Her Majesty comes from Vaorit, so she doesn't yet know much about banking — something that's only appeared in the countries around the Storm Straits. She didn't have much to say. Find an opportunity to write up a report introducing the bank and its future development direction, and submit it to her." Lucian understood that in order to promote magical items and subtly influence the lower and middle classes of the Holm and Brianna kingdoms, there were three directions that had to be pursued: first, the simplification of magical items and the scaling-up and assembly-line production of them; second, financial support centered on the banking system; and third, the mastery of public opinion.
Of course, all of this was ultimately built on the foundation of the Arcane Magic Council's strength.
"Understood." Arthur beamed, his face so plump it appeared swollen, the flesh bunching together until his eyes narrowed to mere slits.
At the gate stood two rows of soldiers dressed in immaculate dark-red uniforms, announcing that Natasha had already arrived.
Passing through them and led by an attendant, Lucian and Arthur made their way to the most eye-catching feature of the entire estate — the garden.
This garden was Duke James's pride, said to rival only the royal family's Thousand Lakes Villa. It was vast in area, bursting with exotic flowers that released an intoxicating fragrance.
At the garden's center lay a relatively spacious open-air banquet area, with sweeping views of the lake and mountains ahead and surrounded by flowering plants and rare trees behind.
The moment they stepped into the banquet grounds, Lucian's gaze found Natasha. She wore black attire closer in style to riding clothes, her purple hair swept up, her silver-violet eyes deep and luminous. Her bearing was at once spirited and dashing, yet carried a new air of composed composure — as if, after so many days of adjustment, she had truly transformed from the Countess Violet into the real Queen.
Lucian watched Natasha with undisguised admiration and affection, and his mood soared. It was as though a lingering restlessness in his heart over these past few days had been soothed. Even doing nothing, simply gazing at her in silence, was enough to satisfy him.
As if sensing Lucian's gaze, Natasha turned her head slightly and raised her eyes to meet his.
In her silver-violet pupils, light seemed to flash for an instant, and the corners of her lips curved upward before she could stop them. It seemed she hadn't known that Duke James and the others had invited Lucian either.
But Natasha quickly schooled her expression and continued conversing with the surrounding nobles.
She wore a pair of black silk gloves that matched her outfit's style and did not remove them when receiving the hand-kiss greeting of the nobles.
Lucian had "changed back" into his black double-breasted formal coat today. Now that the two of them had confirmed their feelings, there was no need to worry that a lack of stylistic change would cause her to regard him as merely a friend.
After a while, Natasha watched as Lucian gradually approached and greeted him with a polite smile. "It's been too long, my knight."
Only then did the lesser-ranking nobles notice Lucian's arrival. The chatter cut off abruptly, and a cascade of eyes — including those of Duke James, Duke Russell, and Arthur — swept back and forth between the two of them, curious and expectant, searching for even the faintest clue.
Were they truly just good friends, musical companions, a knight who had once sworn allegiance? Or was there something more intimate between them?
Lucian removed his top hat, pressed it to his chest, and dropped to one knee. He lifted Natasha's right hand with his left and, in the manner of a knight, pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand through the silk glove. "Your Majesty, your knight has never left."
Her right hand trembled ever so slightly, as if stirred by some memory, and Lucian too recalled the moonlit scene described before, a smile spreading naturally across his face.
Only after Lucian released her hand and rose to his feet did Natasha smile and say, "I've seen many fascinating things here in the Holm Kingdom. They've filled the kingdom with vitality and vigor — and that's your doing, Lucian."
Watching their courteous demeanor and listening to their perfectly ordinary conversation, Arthur felt a twinge of disappointment. They really did seem to be nothing more friends — not a single boundary crossed, not the slightest detail hinting at a closer relationship. He had been hoping Lucian would ultimately become the Queen's consort, Prince Naxos, which would have made Arthur the strongest backer by association.
Duke James and the others were similarly disappointed, though mixed in with that disappointment was a measure of relief. They feared the Queen might truly fall in love with Lucian Evans, that she might marry him even at the cost of splitting from the Church — that would have strayed from their original intentions. What they hoped for was for the Queen and Lucian Evans to share an intimate relationship, but not to the point of being madly in love. Through him, she would produce a child to stabilize the royal line, maintain a nominal figurehead consort, and keep the existing balance between the Church and the Council — or perhaps tilt it slightly more toward the Council.
As for whether they maintained a private affair, that was not something they needed to worry about.
Lucian fought to keep his emotions in check and truly behaved as a good friend and the Queen's knight would, standing at Natasha's side and conversing with her, occasionally interrupted by her exchanges with other nobles. The entire scene was indistinguishable from any ordinary banquet.
After more than twenty minutes, when it was clear nothing could be gleaned, Duke James chuckled and said, "Your Majesty just mentioned novel items within the kingdom. As it happens, I have a few here. Allow me to show you — and the inventor, Mr. Lucian Evans, can introduce them personally."
"Very well," Natasha answered crisply, understanding that Duke James had matters he wished to discuss.
And so, the four reformist core members — Duke James among them — along with Lucian, Camille, and a young man with silver-grey eyes, accompanied Natasha as they walked toward the estate's main building.
"This is Earl David, a fearsome royal knight," Duke James introduced to Lucian.
Lucian gave a slight nod. "I've heard Lord Morris speak of your father. He was an outstanding mage."