Chapter 60 – The Sulking Duke (2)
“Give me a hug then.” Lacias said abruptly, no longer sad like he was a few seconds before, and it dawned on Lila that he probably planned this all along. Before she could react, Lacias took her hand that was atop his shoulder and placed it against his face, rubbing his cheek on the soft skin of her palm like an affectionate pup.
‘I nearly fell for it.’ Lila thought, watching him for a brief second before subtly pulling her hand away with a knowing smile. “I really had no idea. Be sure to tell me the next time if something’s bothering you.”
He almost had her there, but unfortunately for him, Lila was too uptight to be swayed by such antics. Lacias clicked his tongue seeing Lila stand up to bring a pile of documents.
“Fasha and I agreed on a deal regarding the pass in making Senior the head of the Hiln family.”
“Work again, I see.” Lacias sulked as he slumped back on the sofa.
Lila shrugged. “We have to if we want to get your mine back.”
Seeing Lacias comfortable on the sofa made her stop in her tracks, wondering if she should go back to her seat beside him. After a brief moment, she opted to sit across him instead.
Lacias raised his eyebrows. “What are you doing sitting there? Do you think I’d swallow you whole?”
“No reason. I just think that you may get distracted when we have to discuss something important.” Lila answered in a steady voice.
“I was planning on listening anyway.” He grumbled defensively.
Lila proceeded as if she didn’t hear him. “Sit up straight and pay attention.”
“All right, all right.” Lacias said and straightened his back obediently the way Lila wanted him to. He clasped his hands together and beckoned Lila to start.
Lila’s eyes swept over him. Deeming she got his undivided attention, she started. “Okay. I’ll begin.”
Lacias fixed his eyes on her, all ears as he listened closely.
“What I have with me is Marshmell’s toll pass to enter Nixen Kingdom, in exchange for the magic stone mine Hizette had recently looked into.”
“Ahh, that coal mine. Fasha likes that trash?” Lacias asked.
“Yes. She does.”
“She sure has great taste, huh.”
Lacias smirked. Black magic stones were indeed more valuable than anything else in this empire, more than diamonds, even, since it was not something that could be purchased. Lacias listened earnestly every time he heard from Hizette, but all he got from the news was that almost all of them rocks were just coals, far from the sought after magic stones. The mine was void of anything significant, and the toll pass going to Nixen was an asset they would surely benefit from in the future. The vast difference between the two was astounding, even if the Marshmells did not deal with Nixen.
The deal should serve both parties, but it was clear that Lila was the only one who was at an advantage. “I did not say anything about the coals.” Lila said flatly.
“Hm?”
“I stated it in the contract, but I guess Fasha signed it without even reading it. Her eyes were red the moment she heard that it was a black magic stone mine and quickly rushed into the deal head on, fearing that I’d change my mind if she took too long to decide.”
“Oh, so you led her on.” Lacias said, sounding more of a statement than a question.
Fasha had been unknowingly duped right under nose, and Lacias was certain that Lila handled it as smartly as she could so Fasha would sign it regardless.
“I need your signature that you’d hand the mine over, Lacias.” Lila said.
“It’s not a problem for me since it’s a good deal anyway.” Lacias beamed her a smile and added, “What do I get in return?”
“Oh.” Lila looked up and met his eyes. She knew that she had to recompense in exchange for his signature. She thought over her words, thinking how Lacias would be acquiesced and after a few seconds, she responded.
“Do you want cookies? I could make ones that are less sweet.”
Lacias’ smile reached his eyes, chuckling to himself as he nodded amusedly.
Lila held her pistol and aimed at the target set at a distance. The grip where her soft hands were wrapped around in was decorated with a dragon design crusted with blue sapphires. The Wipere family’s insignia stood loud and proud, and whenever Lila angles her wrists, the gemstones shone brightly under the sun and casted a bluish gleam.
“Your posture is impeccable.”
“It’s nothing much, but thank you.” Lila replied.
“I’m not the type to exaggerate.” Hizette remarked, sharp eyes casting downwards and silver hair rustling in the wind. “What I’m telling you is true. I really am not exaggerating!”
Lugar clapped his hands together and nodded in agreement. Lila came to the spot where the Wipere knights trained relentlessly to practice using her rings.
Please read this TL’s note:
Rings are form of energies. It comes in different forms for each character, others may take creative forms such as butterfly. It’s called a Ring as it comes from the hand literally. Inexperienced ring users uses pistol to summon their rings. The more experienced they are, the more rings they are able to produce.
Shadows are people who uses distorted rings which are called “Holes.” Rings such as these are colorless. They attach to other people’s rings and sap its energy to gain power.
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