novelraw Chapter 68 : Chapter 68
Chapter 68 : Chapter 68
Chapter 68: Night, the Purple Jasmine Under the Moonlight (Part One)
"Tomorrow, we let the Duke discover our tracks. Before that, you discussed matters with your friends and subordinates. You abandoned everything for now."
I found Kavita’s arrangements strange.
We could have left the Royal Capital silently for the Eryus Empire, so why deliberately let the Duke discover my whereabouts?
"To help you completely shake off the Duke’s spies, and for the sake of what you were thinking about, I guaranteed a hundred percent positive feedback for my top-notch after-sales service."
Kavita understood my doubts and explained our new plan earnestly.
By letting the Duke know I was taken by the Eryus group, he would no longer have concerns about the Grand Duke of Saito’s party.
"As for why I dared to do this, it was because the Duke didn’t dare openly stop me. He could only watch you slip away to Eryus."
Seeing Kavita’s confident smile, I couldn’t refuse and nodded, agreeing to the plan.
After parting with Kavita’s group, he returned first to the hidden base in the underground Black Market.
After revealing his identity, the Black Market lackeys led me to Balwen’s current hideout.
"You probably heard about the Duke’s affairs recently, right? I’ll confirm once more: even though the Duke controlled most of the empire, you still intended to oppose him?"
Given the Duke’s current power and the empire’s developments, which I couldn’t interfere with in the short term, I had to find someone to temporarily keep the Duke in check.
Balwen, who harbored immense hatred for the Duke and hadn’t been noticed by him, was undoubtedly one of the best candidates.
But the overwhelming gap in power made it hard not to suspect he might betray me.
After all, that was how the Black Market came to be.
But I clearly overestimated the Duke’s hold over these underground shadows who had thrived in the Black Market for years and underestimated Balwen’s resolve for loyalty.
He crushed the wine glass in his hand, glaring fiercely at the ceiling.
"I didn’t care what he was. Even if it cost me this broken body, I’d have taken one of his arms down. You rested assured; I wouldn’t let that guy have it easy."
I nodded and softly blew a whistle.
A tall shadow slowly entered from the door.
I had called Lycan to stand by outside, observing quietly.
If Balwen had given up on resisting the Duke, I planned to subdue him immediately as a starting point for my future expansion in the Black Market.
But now, I had a better approach.
"In that case, our previous contract remained valid. However, I hoped you’d help me with one more thing."
I gave Lycan a look, and he half-bowed toward Balwen.
Seeing the towering figure before him, Balwen was somewhat shocked.
"While I was gone, Lycan acted as my proxy and continued working with you. Likewise, I needed you to help him expand his influence."
Balwen pondered for a moment, nodded, and extended his metal prosthetic right hand.
Lycan, with my nod, reciprocated.
Meanwhile, in the Oak Family’s private sanatorium, an elderly gentleman leisurely reclined on a bed while a merchant beside him diligently reviewed ledgers..
"Based on the power distribution, the third young lady gained the largest commercial share, but she also had to bear the responsibility of acting as the Oak Family’s merchant proxy and manager."
Lubi checked the accounts once more before handing them back to Sorensen.
The old man glanced at them casually, nodded with satisfaction, and returned to his leisurely retirement demeanor.
"Speaking of which, Old Family Head, were you really at ease retiring behind the scenes like this? Your eldest sons didn’t seem to value family ties as much as they did profit."
As the intermediary between me and the Oak Family, Lubi rushed over upon hearing of the Old Family Head’s retirement, naturally learning the full story.
"If my subordinates’ reports were accurate, your eldest son seemed to have some unusual dealings with the Duke, possibly involving…"
"Let the children handle their own affairs, Lubi."
Sorensen cut off his further thoughts, his expression turning silent. He then lay on his side, saying no more. Lubi, left the room with the ledger.
After handling my affairs, the most troublesome matter came next: how did I explain my plan to Her Highness, the Princess?
With this question, I unknowingly walked into the center of the Grand Duke of Saito’s mansion’s back garden, surrounded by pure white lilies under the moonlight.
A faint fragrance eased my hesitation and anxiety.
On the balcony overlooking the garden, Yiwen leaned drowsily against the railing, gazing at the silent moonlight, murmuring to herself.
"They all said Loka would drag me down, but without Loka, how would I have become who I was now? But what exactly did Loka think?"
We were nominally allies, helping each other, yet secretly each other’s thorns in the side.
But beneath those interests, Yiwen always felt a more unique bond hidden between us.
"Loka, what were you to me? And what was I to you?"
"What was I to you? And what were you to me?"
In the garden, I murmured, repeating Yiwen’s words.
The moonlight shone at the center of the garden and balcony, with white lilies smiling, tilting toward us.
Though we had faced countless encounters between life and death, a faint barrier still lingered, waiting for us to break it.
We both seemed to understand this, yet neither of us wanted to bring it up. If we touched it, when the time came to make a choice in the future, we feared we couldn’t act—or worse, that we would.
As the bright moonlight poured down, we seemed to catch sight of each other in unison, with no other emotions but a silent tranquility.
Somehow, Yiwen reached out to me, and I instinctively climbed a small tree beneath the balcony, grasping her outstretched hand.
We stood on the silver-lit balcony, gazing at each other, our hands somehow tightly clasped, while the night grew exceptionally quiet.
"You came after all. Were you willing to leave with me?"
"Sorry, Your Highness, it looked like I couldn’t leave with you."
Yiwen seemed to see the helplessness and reluctance in my eyes.
She lowered her head, smiling as if relieved.
A nightingale’s call came from somewhere, and Yiwen, bathed in moonlight, extended her right hand to me.
"Then, before you shared your plan, danced one last dance with me."