The Princess And The Lord
Chapter 1436: Mysterious Corpses

Chapter 1436: Mysterious Corpses

Lory remembered how Lilly’s room walls were plastered with posters of Lucas’s face, there was also Lucas face on her computer screensaver cycling through his photos, even a life-sized bolster of him lying on her bed.

Yeah, Lory thought wryly, Lilly is undeniably a hardcore Lucas fan. She had fully expected Lilly to squeal, jump to her feet, and beg for a photo when she finally met him. But Lilly’s reaction left her completely bewildered.

Lilly blinked several times, as if her soul had just snapped back into her body. Then, with stiff but surprising grace, she rose to her feet and stepped forward, carefully keeping her eyes downcast, avoiding even the slightest glance in Lucas’s direction.

"Uh, thank you for inviting me, Your Highness... and Your Majesty," she said, her voice tight and quivering. "I think... my grandfather is done here. I will not bother you further." She lifted her head just enough to offer a forced, fragile smile before quickly turning away.

She half-ran toward the door, moving so fast that Lory didn’t even have time to react.

"Li—Lilly!" Lory called after her, but the girl had already disappeared beyond the doorway.

Lory stood frozen for a moment, half-stunned and half-amused. "So fast..." she muttered.

"Isn’t that Hugo Hamilton’s granddaughter?" Lucas asked lazily, his gaze still lingering on the spot where Lilly had vanished.

"Yup," Lory replied briskly.

"Cute," he commented shortly before letting himself flop back onto the couch, one arm draped over his face as sleep began to overtake him.

Lory stepped closer, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Cute?" she repeated, her voice laced with both doubt and intrigue, as if she needed to hear it again to believe it.

however, Lucas only gave a low, sleepy grunt in response. Moments later, his faint snores filled the room. Lory stared at him for a few seconds longer before sighing and returning to her chair, her gaze still studying Lucas as he drifted into slumber.

Because of their unique conditions, neither Lory nor Lucas ever felt the urge to pursue romantic relationships. No one pressured them either; everyone knew it would only end in heartbreak for both parties.

And for many officials still oblivious to the Lucient family’s unique circumstances, proposing an arranged marriage or political alliance might seem logical, even advantageous. But in reality, no one dared.

Not with the ever-watchful Archknights standing ready to deliver swift and brutal backlash at the slightest hint of interference in the King’s private life.

Thus, Lory and Lucas remained indifferent to romance. To them, it was nothing more than an unnecessary complication. As far as Lory had heard, Lucas’s attitude toward relationships hadn’t changed—in fact, it seemed to have worsened. After the war,

Lucas spent almost every waking hour holed up in the King’s study or overseeing the development of his country. Everything beyond that was deemed irrelevant.

Inside the glasshouse, sunlight streaming through the panes and the faint scent of flowers lingering in the air, Lory pulled out her phone and called Jay then walk to the flower pot that far away from Lucas sleeping. It only took two rings before his bright, teasing voice answered.

"What’s up, cupcake?"

"...You know, I still don’t approve of that codename." Lory protest.

"Then pick the other name, Macaronia, that’s sound lovely too" Jay replied casually.

"..." Lory stared at her phone, deadpan. Both codenames sounded equally stupid.

"So, cupcake it is," Jay declared with plain finality. "What’s up, cupcake?" he repeated, his tone just as cheery, completely unfazed by her silence.

The codename had been chosen to conceal her identity during Jay’s missions—just in case his communications were ever tapped.

Though, the chance was slim, however, Lory’s existence had become the most highly guarded secret in Harland. Still, sometimes she suspected they were just doing it to annoy her.

Pushing down her irritation, Lory hesitated before asking, "Hey... has Luc ever, um, made any kind of comment about a woman before?"

"Commented?" Jay sounded puzzled. "Like what?"

"You know... saying, like...’ that girl looks nice’ or... ’that girl looks cute?’."

"Nice, Cute?" Jay’s voice shot up an octave. "Lucas? Please, girls’ names and the word ’cute’ or ’Nice’ never came out at the same sentence from that dense king’s mouth."

"Really?" Lory murmured while tilting her head.

"Yeah!" Jay said without hesitation. Then suddenly, he gasped.

"Wait a minute—did Luc actually comment about a girl? Is that true?" Before Lory could answer, his questions came rapid-fire. "Who is it? What’s her name? How old is she? Wait—that doesn’t matter. As long as it’s a girl—it is a girl, right?"

"Calm down. And yes, it’s a girl. It’s... Lilly."

"Lilly? You mean Lilliane Hamilton?" Jay’s voice shifted instantly, now laced with intrigue.

"Yeah. How many Lillys do you know?" Lory replied matter-of-factly.

There was a brief pause—then the faint sound of rapid typing came through the line.

A moment later, Jay’s voice came back—crisp, professional... but with just enough smugness to make Lory’s eye twitch.

"Lilliane Hamilton. Twenty-six. Graduated in fashion business. Promoted several young designers but hasn’t been active in the industry lately. Hobbies: fashion, reading, strolling on beaches... hm." He paused, a grin audible in his tone. "Modest. I like that."

"Jay..." Lory warned under her breath.

Unfazed, he went on smoothly. "No major scandals. Just a couple of minor gossip pieces—Ronald Augburn and Sean Lockwood. Other than that? Her private life’s clean enough to pass a royal background check...not like that important anyway" he muttered the last sentence under his breath.

Lory let out a long, helpless sigh. "Please tell me you didn’t do anything that breaches people’s privacy. Actually—don’t answer that." She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to keep her irritation in check. "And for the record, the Ronald thing? She was being schemed against. As for Sean—that was her helping us. So don’t let your precious databases smear her name."

"Relax, cupcake. I don’t smear anything—I just verify." Jay’s tone dripped with easy confidence, and she could practically hear the grin in his voice.

"Still hate that codename!" Lory snapped back, her irritation flaring.

"Anyway," Jay continued unfazed, "there’s nothing wrong with her character. Actually... she’s quite brave. And bravery is something we need in the, um... family."

"Whoa—aren’t you moving a little too fast here?" Lory scolded, her brows furrowing. "And don’t say ’the family.’ You make us sound like a mafia or something."

"Mafia’s less burdensome than you guys," Jay murmured under his breath.

"What was that?" Lory asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing!" Jay shot back quickly, his tone a little too bright.

Lory sighed and let it go, her gaze drifting toward the sofa nearby. Lucas was still there, his steady breathing faintly audible. "Anyway, it was just a small comment. Who knows what he was thinking—he’s already snoring over there."

"Whatever it is, don’t say anything to Fred," Jay warned. "You know how he gets when he’s too excited."

Lory’s mouth twitched, "I’m not stupid. You really think I’d tell Fred?"

But then—

"You won’t tell me what?"

The words cut through the stillness of the glasshouse like a blade.

Lory nearly leapt out of her chair, her phone slipping in her hand. Spinning around, her eyes widened as she came face-to-face with Fred’s cold, piercing stare. Jay, ever the tactician, had already cut the connection—likely bolting for safety on his end.

"No—nothing. Nothing at all," Lory said quickly, trying to brush it off. But her smile came out stiff and awkward, and she knew instantly that Fred wasn’t buying it.

As expected, Fredhardt’s eyes narrowed. "Really...?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that made her skin prickle.

Lory could feel her heart pounding like a war drum. She needed to get out of there—fast. Desperately, she racked her brain for a way to escape. Then she remembered what Fargo used to teach her, when you facing tight situations: If you can’t fight back, use a diversion, make sacrifice.

Her eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. "Yeah! I won’t tell you that Lucas is taking a nap over there." She pointed toward the sofa where Lucas lay sleeping peacefully.

"What?" Fred’s expression darkened as he turned his head sharply in Lucas’s direction.

Now!

Seizing the opportunity, Lory slipped past him like a shadow and bolted for the exit, her footsteps silent against the glasshouse floor. Cruelly, without a shred of hesitation, she sprinted out, leaving her brother to face his predicament.

As she made her escape, she faintly heard Fred’s voice in the distance, already scolding Lucas in his chilling, controlled tone.

Lory felt a pang of guilt for throwing Lucas to the wolves, but an even stronger wave of relief washed over her. She had managed to escape the smiling demon—Fredhardt.

Sorry, Luc, she lamented silently. Someday you’ll understand I did this for you.

She wasn’t sure if Lucas was truly interested in Lilly, or if Lilly was even the destined one for him. Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps it was everything.

Regardless, Lory knew one thing for certain: strong relationships could only built from mutual undertanding, respect and trust. more than anything it cannot be hasten, let alone forced.

Besides, she wasn’t entirely convinced about Lilly’s feelings yet. Were they genuine, or just the fluttering admiration of a longtime fan? Lilly is also ten years younger the Lucas; there’s already a big gap between them, moreover, there’s also the burden of being the consort of the heir of the Lucient family. Therefore Lory decide to tread this situation carefully. She cannot let anyone interfere, not even the Archknights, not now, at least.

Lory was making her way through the garden toward her room when she nearly bumped into Fargo. He looked upset—his face taut, jaw clenched, and his eyebrows scrunched so tightly it was as if a fly could be caught between them.

"Fargo? What’s wrong? You look... awful," Lory said, her voice laced with concern.

"Oh, Lory." Fargo exhaled sharply, clearly distracted. "Have you seen Lucas? I have something urgent to report."

"Yes. He’s at the Glasshouse," Lory replied, her brow furrowing. "What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Fargo’s expression darkened even further. "Did you hear about the bodies found in Blackfog Hills?"

"Yes... I heard from Lilly," Lory said slowly. "She got the news from Ethan and his family. Why? What’s happened?"

Fargo gestured for Lory to walk with him. She fell into step beside him, sensing the weight in his demeanor.

As they moved through the garden’s winding path, Fargo finally spoke in a low voice, "We managed to send our people to examine the corpses... before they were cleaned up."

"Cleaned up?" Lory echoed, her brows knitting in confusion.

"The International Health Organization claimed the bodies were highly toxic," Fargo explained, his tone edged with suspicion. "They said they had to burn them immediately for public safety."

"You think the IHO lied?" The thought made a heaviness settle on Lory’s face.

Fargo’s eyes glinted with a hint of conspiracy. "The head of the IHO, Manuel Franco, his son reportedly fell gravely ill. Guess who healed him?"

Lory’s lips parted slightly as realization dawned. "The Saintess?"

"Yup." Fargo’s reply was quiet but heavy with implication.

By the time they reached the glasshouse, the sound of Fredhardt’s sharp voice greeted them. Lucas was in the middle of being scolded, sitting back lazily as though the lecture barely touched him.

But when Lucas caught sight of Lory and Fargo’s grave expressions, his casual demeanor vanished. His body straightened instinctively, his relaxed air replaced by a sudden sharpness.

The subtle shift in his posture carried authority, and his violet eyes, once half-lidded in boredom, now gleamed with quiet intensity as they locked on hers.

Fredhardt, too, noticed the tension radiating from them. His voice softened, though it still carried the weight of command.

"What’s wrong?" Fred asked, his piercing gaze flicking between Lory and Fargo.