A few days later, Cerydra received Aglaea's report.
Upon learning that her own envoy had somehow become the vice city lord of Dolos, Cerydra was left completely bewildered, her thoughts momentarily thrown into disarray.
'Is he trying to poach my people?'
'Or is this meant to show goodwill?'
'What kind of bizarre move is this, exactly?'
'Lucian... he's the first person I simply cannot understand...'
What left Cerydra the most speechless was that Lucian had actually handed all of Dolos's confidential affairs over to Aglaea without the slightest hesitation, acting as if he had no fear of leaks at all, nor any concern that Aglaea might misuse them for her own ends.
Such boldness made Cerydra unable to help but find herself inferior, a faint sense of pressure quietly taking root in her mind.
'I want to see for myself what this Lucian is really after...'
And so, with that thought firmly in mind, Cerydra wrote another letter and delivered it to Aglaea, instructing her to find an appropriate opportunity to carefully gauge Lucian's capabilities and determine whether he truly possessed the strength to contend against a Titan.
If it turned out to be nothing more than empty boasting, then her Flame-Chase Army would not hesitate to step in and seize control of Dolos by force.
===
Several days later, Aglaea received the secret letter sent by Cerydra through a specially secured channel.
Even though the content of the letter was brief, its intent was unmistakable, each line carrying a quiet but undeniable weight.
[Lucian is difficult to read. You must find a way to test him and verify the truth while you remain by his side. If he is merely putting on a front, then Dolos should change its master. But if he truly possesses heaven-defying ability, then bring him over to me.]
Aglaea delicately held the thin secret letter between her fingers, her gaze lingering on the words for a moment longer than necessary.
A few minutes later, after rereading it several times, she knew from the tone alone that it had unmistakably been written by the Imperator herself, the authority behind it leaving no room for doubt.
===
Half a month had passed since Aglaea received Cerydra's new order, yet during this period of continuous contact with Lucian, it was still impossible for her to truly see through him.
Every time she met him, he appeared gentle and approachable, always wearing that frank demeanor, and he had even personally taken the time to teach her how to navigate the intricate politics of Dolos.
As a result, in just half a month, she had already gained a complete and practical grasp of Dolos, to the point where it almost seemed as though he intended to elevate her to a position of real power.
Nevertheless, there was one thing she was absolutely certain of—Lucian was a lazy lord.
All administrative documents of Dolos piled up like mountains on the desk, forming towering stacks, yet all of them, without exception, were pushed onto her, an outsider who had only recently arrived.
As for him?
He either basked idly in the sun, stretching out without a care, or played with his catgirl, spending every single day inseparable from her as if nothing else in the world mattered.
In the end, after half a month, Aglaea had come to fully realize that she had been dragged here purely to work in his stead, taking over responsibilities he clearly had no intention of handling himself!
Fortunately, there was that organization of rogues that Lucian and Cipher had founded, operating with astonishing efficiency, silently handling numerous matters behind the scenes and saving her a considerable amount of effort.
It was simply too useful, to the point of being almost unbelievable.
Aglaea dared to say that if the Imperator were to learn about that organization, she would certainly feel envious and want it for herself.
As for Lucian being unfathomable and heaven-defying, she unfortunately had yet to see even the slightest sign of it.
Cerydra's order to test him immediately came to her mind, rising almost instinctively, but how exactly was she supposed to test him?
In the city lord's study, Aglaea lifted her head slightly from the mountain of documents before her and saw Lucian playing leisurely with Cipher nearby, his posture loose and unhurried, as relaxed as ever.
Lucian was reclining on a cushioned lounge chair, one arm draped casually along the side.
Meanwhile, Cipher clung to him like a koala, her soft body pressed against his chest, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder as she slept soundly, her tail unconsciously curled around his wrist and occasionally letting out faint, soft purring sounds that rose and fell with her breathing.
Aglaea saw Lucian's hand lazily stroking through Cipher's hair from time to time, his fingers moving in an absentminded, unhurried rhythm, which made the atmosphere around them utterly at ease, almost tranquil.
However, when she lowered her gaze and looked back at her own side, where nothing but neatly stacked documents and unfinished reports awaited her, Aglaea only felt utterly vexed.
Unconsciously, she even had a fleeting thought that perhaps being taken advantage of by Lucian that day and becoming his plaything might have been slightly better than being trapped here, working like a slave without end.
Sadly, Lucian had only given her two choices back then—either become the vice city lord and shoulder these endless responsibilities, or face the outbreak of war.
Aglaea cared for the world and did not wish to see war arise again, which was why she obediently worked for him while suppressing her dissatisfaction. And now, with the Imperator's order added on top of everything else, she had no choice but to continue earning his trust while enduring the weight of her duties.
===
As evening settled in, Aglaea rubbed her sore neck, her fingers pressing lightly against the stiffness that had built up over hours of work.
Her gaze drifted to the tranquil scene beside her, where a man and a woman lay sleeping peacefully, their breathing slow and undisturbed, completely at ease.
Right afterward, with a faint tightening of her expression, she looked back at the mountain of official documents piled up before her, their sheer volume enough to make her temples throb.
In that instant, her heart felt utterly unbalanced.
"Huft..."
Aglaea took a slow, steady breath, composed herself, then spoke, trying to make her voice sound as natural and unforced as possible.
"Lord Lucian..."
Suddenly being called, Lucian opened his eyes and slightly turned his head, his gaze shifting toward Aglaea with mild curiosity.
"I've heard you possess a… unique 'theft' ability?" Aglaea continued, carefully choosing each word as if weighing it before letting it leave her lips. "I heard it can rival the authority of the Titans, to the point that even a Titan's Coreflame… can be stolen with ease?"
As she spoke, her eyes remained locked tightly onto Lucian, her focus unwavering as she tried to catch even the slightest change in his expression, any hint of confirmation or denial.
"Hmm, the Imperator told you to test me, and you're just gonna ask straight up like this? You really got no subtlety at all."
Lucian complained, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Truthfully, that was only natural, given that the Aglaea of earlier days had been exactly like this—gentle, lively, and free of any scheming.
How could she possibly compare to the future Aglaea, who had become the cold Demigod of Romance with all her schemes?
"You knew all along...? Did you read the secret letter?" Aglaea asked, her brows knitting slightly as confusion crept into her voice. "If you already knew... then why... why did you still trust me?"
After spending more than half a month with him, she knew Lucian would not easily trust anyone, let alone someone acting under another's instructions.
"Secret letter? Why would I even need to read that?" Lucian replied in a teasing tone, then chuckled lightly. "Y'know, everything about you's basically written all over your face. You're still way too inexperienced. You gotta get more practice if you wanna be a politician."
Hearing that, Aglaea's face immediately flushed red with anger, and her embarrassment quickly gave way to irritation.
"Hmph, couldn't you at least pretend you didn't know?"
"Alright, alright. Next time I'll just pretend I don't know. Happy now?"
Seeing Aglaea snap in mild irritation, Lucian smiled and casually coaxed her, his tone light and unhurried, but just as she gradually calmed down and her expression softened, he added another remark as if he couldn't help himself.
"Not gonna lie, you're way more likable this way."
"Huh? Why are you suddenly praising me?"
Aglaea, caught off guard by Lucian's sudden and rather direct compliment, raised a hand to brush her golden hair back over her shoulder, using the motion to ease the faint awkwardness that had suddenly crept onto her face.
Lucian was telling the truth.
Compared to that cold and inhuman seamstress who always carried herself with distant perfection, he truly preferred this young lady in front of him, who looked unexpectedly adorable even when she was clearly angry.
"I mean, you're helping me run Dolos, so it's only fair I give you a little praise, yeah?"
Lucian spoke with an easy, amiable smile, his gaze steady as though his reasoning was completely natural.
Just then, Cipher, who had already fallen asleep in his arms, seemed to be disturbed by Lucian's words as she suddenly let out a faint, dissatisfied murmur.
Her small head instinctively nuzzled deeper into the hollow of his neck, her arms tightening slightly around his neck as if to secure her claim, while her eyes slowly opened just a slit, precisely glancing at Aglaea with quiet alertness.
Her look still carried traces of lingering sleepiness, her eyelids heavy, but more than that, it held the vigilance and territorial instinct unique to a cat, as if silently telling Aglaea to stay away from Lucian and not come any closer.
Right after giving that brief but pointed look, however, Cipher closed her eyes again, her breathing evening out as she slipped back into sleep without the slightest hesitation.
One had to admit that she was quite something, possessing such strong possessive instincts even while still in the land of dreams, reacting so sharply despite being half-asleep.
Just a few casual words had already been enough to trigger her. If they talked any longer, she might very well start killing even in her dreams.
"You see, I've helped you handle so much administrative work, so... could you at least let me see that famous thieving ability of yours? That way, I can report back properly."
Aglaea pleaded, forcing a friendly smile as she looked at Lucian expectantly.
Lucian was not some cold and unapproachable man, especially when a beautiful woman was trying this hard to please him. He could at least give a little in return. Besides, in his eyes, the entirety of Amphoreus was nothing more than a game, so as long as the attitude was right, he was willing to agree to many requests without much hesitation.
"Hm, since you've put it that way..." Lucian paused for a moment, as though he were thinking it over, then nodded. "Guess I'll flex a bit."
"Flex?" Aglaea blinked, her brows knitting together as she looked at Lucian in confusion. "What does that even mean?"
"It means showing off what I can do."
"...Oh."
Finally understanding, Aglaea smiled, her expression soft and sweet as a hint of satisfaction flashed across her eyes.
At that moment, however, Cipher happened to open her eyes as she woke up and saw Aglaea smiling so sweetly at Lucian.
"Seamstress, what are you doing?!" Cipher, now fully awake, exclaimed sharply and bared her teeth in warning. "Tryna seduce Lucian again? Knew you hadn't given up!"
"I'm not!" Aglaea immediately denied, her voice rising as she gritted her teeth in anger. "Don't talk nonsense! Stop slandering me!"
Seeing them quarreling again, their voices starting to rise, Lucian immediately chimed in to reassure Cipher before things escalated further.
"Fera, we're just having a normal conversation."
"Really?" Cipher asked, narrowing her eyes slightly as her tail wrapped around Lucian's wrist, tightening a little. "What were you even talking about while I was asleep? Mind telling me, meow~?"
"We were talking about taking the Coreflame of Trickery. Wanna make you the Demigod of Trickery."
Lucian explained calmly while soothingly patting Cipher's head, but upon hearing those words, Aglaea couldn't help but widen her eyes and exclaim in surprise.
"Wait, you're going to take a Coreflame?! Right now?!"
Hearing Aglaea's outburst, Cipher's eyes flickered with surprise as she briefly glanced at Aglaea before shifting her gaze back to Lucian, studying him more closely.
"But the Trickery Titan appears and disappears without a trace..." Cipher said, looking skeptical as her brows knit slightly. "Well, it's easier to run into them during Spirit Day, but we're still pretty far away from that."
At that, Lucian merely shrugged.
"If you wanna see me show off, then only a Titan's worthy of being the backdrop. No one else even qualifies."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the aura surrounding him changed as an indescribable wave of energy spread silently outward from him, rippling through the air like an invisible tide.
It grew denser with each passing moment until it began to take on substance, revealing a faint yet unmistakable crimson glow.
It was none other than Amphoreus's power of 'Trickery.'
Because 'Trickery' was, in fact, a simulation of the 'Path of Elation,' Lucian, as an Emanator of Elation, was naturally able to cause the Trickery Titan to come to him of their own accord, as though drawn by an unseen call.
As expected, in the very next second, the light within the study dimmed noticeably, the shadows along the walls deepened, while the air before Lucian twisted and churned like boiling black water, roiling and folding in on itself before slowly condensing into a vague, shadowy form.
Before long...
"Hey, this great one smells the presence of their own kind!"
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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