Natasha wasn't wearing a grand and noble court dress today. Instead, she was clad in a simple white riding habit that fully revealed her long legs — she had likely just finished practicing swordsmanship.
She had arrived with a playful, teasing smile, intending to chat with Lucian about some gentlemanly topic, but the moment she sensed his gravity, she immediately reined in her smile and asked with utmost seriousness, "What is it?"
This was utterly unlike her usual languid, carefree, joking manner — like a beast ready at any moment to spring forward and kill its prey.
Lucian didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked toward Camille, then glanced around at the other corners of the music room.
Natasha was no fool — quite the opposite, she was extremely perceptive. One look at Lucian's behavior and she understood his intentions.
"If even Aunt Camille can't be trusted, then I would have been dead long ago, and as for the others..."
As she spoke, Camille rose to her feet. Her deep blue eyes blazed with brilliant light, and her entire body emanated the same deep blue, transforming her into something resembling a statue sculpted from seawater.
Then Camille's body actually dissolved into blue seawater that flowed across the music room floor.
The water grew in volume, the surface rising steadily, quickly climbing from Lucian's ankles to his chest.
Seeing the confusion in Lucian's eyes, Natasha nodded solemnly, gesturing for him to put his mind at ease.
The water continued to rise, completely submerging the entire music room. Blue ripples shimmered gently all around, as though they had descended to the ocean floor.
Yet not a single drop of this water flowed outside the music room, and Lucian's breathing remained perfectly normal — he could enjoy the air, unchanged from what it had been before, with complete ease.
However, within the all-encompassing embrace of the seawater that Camille had become, Lucian felt the "Moonlight" bloodline within his body involuntarily illuminate his skin with a layer of silvery frost-like radiance. Across from him, Natasha, on the other hand, showed no change whatsoever.
Seeing this, Natasha habitually raised her right eyebrow. "Knightly power?"
Then she apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry, Lucian. I didn't know Aunt Camille would deliberately press down to examine your body."
"This is Lady Camille's duty, and I fully understand it. There's no need to apologize, Your Highness." Since Lucian had resolved to reveal part of the truth to Natasha, he had been prepared for this examination. That was precisely why, on Tuesday, his actions had served a dual purpose — testing how much the "Silver White Horn" cult knew about the princess's inner circle, while also waiting for the bloodline power to be awakened. Otherwise, what would have been exposed now was his identity as a Magic Apprentice. And if the bloodline couldn't be awakened, he would have had to resort to far more convoluted, indirect, and far less effective methods.
No matter how emphatically the "kidnappers" insisted he must not "report to the authorities," and how they flaunted their power and control — without question, the best option was still to tell Natasha. Only their strength could deal with the cult's higher-ups. Otherwise, with Lucian's abilities alone, facing cult leaders who likely possessed the rank of Cardinal, even the keenest intelligence was doomed to end in death and failure.
The only problem was choosing the right moment, so that their actions wouldn't threaten the hostages or his own safety.
Natasha studied the silvery frost-like glow, propping her right elbow with her left hand while her right thumb and forefinger traced along her smooth, beautiful but slightly angular chin. "Moonlight bloodline... only weaker than a proper knight. Lucian, can you tell me what this is about now?"
Lucian delivered the words he had long prepared. "As you can see, my knightly power doesn't come from myself — it was bestowed by others. From the night of the concert, when I received Your Highness's invitation to serve as your musical advisor, I was drawn into a conspiracy targeting you."
The corner of Natasha's mouth curved slightly. "So they traded false knightly power for your loyalty?" The Violet family had similar methods.
"Not exactly. They kidnapped my benefactress and my uncle Joel's entire family, using them to threaten me into reporting everything I hear at your side and passing along your whereabouts to them. The awakening of my bloodline power was the advance payment they gave me." Lucian spoke carefully yet with perfect composure, delivering nine truths woven with a single lie.
"I had the intelligence department..." Natasha's lips moved, then she tilted her head gently, looking at the shimmering ripples surrounding them. "Aunt Camille — anyone who comes to work at my side should have been thoroughly vetted."
"Yes, Your Highness. We obtained records from the Church's Tribunal. Although Mr. Evans once had contact with a Witch, there was no trace whatsoever of his studying Arcane Magic. This is a definitive conclusion from the Tribunal, and I trust their professional assessment. The intelligence department also conducted covert investigations into Mr. Evans's social connections and found nothing problematic." Camille had long since stopped examining Lucian's body, her voice seeming to emanate from all directions at once, accompanied by the rushing sound of tides.
Hearing Camille's words, Lucian realized for the first time that his smooth appointment as Natasha's musical advisor had been far from the simple and effortless process it had appeared to be on the surface. But that was only natural — Natasha was a future Grand Duchess, after all.
Natasha nodded and asked directly, "And what about Mr. Joel's family being kidnapped?"
"According to the report from the intelligence department, Mr. Joel was invited away by a Lord Dick from the Lombada region. Their assessment was 'completely normal.'" A rare note of anger crept into Camille's voice.
Lucian interjected, "There's more. On Tuesday, I deliberately displayed nervousness and unease in front of you, Your Highness, letting you notice it. That very evening, they already knew about it. I believe there is a serious problem with someone in your inner circle."
Natasha's expression turned very grave, but she soon shook her head and smiled. "Lucian, so your nervousness and unease back then was all an act. I truly underestimated your composure and self-control."