Chapter 131

“I miss you so much, big brother.”

It had been three days since Lynn regained his freedom from Ivyst.

During these three days, he roamed the mansion like nothing was wrong.

As for Her Highness the Princess, although she hadn’t imposed any restrictions on his freedom, things didn’t change much beyond that.

According to Afia, since that night, the princess had been isolating herself, spending all day locked in her study.

Whether this change was good or bad remains a mystery.

With the aftermath of the disaster in Orlen City still unresolved and Duke Tilius preoccupied with official duties due to frequent incursions from demonic forces along the border, it seemed Lynn was the only one enjoying some leisure time.

While he was free, the rest of the manor was buzzing with activity as everyone worked to wrap up the city’s reconstruction.

As a result, the position of the Augusta family in the City Council has seen unprecedented elevation—maybe it wouldn’t be long before they could climb even higher than being mere barons.

Thus, the entire family was exceedingly grateful to Lynn.

At present, aside from Princess Ivyst, his status within the mansion even surpassed that of Baron Augusta himself; everyone showed him genuine respect.

But Lynn had no time to lead this bunch.

While he appeared idle, inside, he was anxious, waiting for a response from Ivyst.

Whether the halted fate could turn again depended entirely on her choice.

Though he wanted to return to the Imperial Capital right away, he was also aware that the princess’s health was the priority.

So today, like any other day, he loitered in the library of Augusta Manor, flipping through books in utter boredom.

Sitting across from him was a golden-haired boy, Greya Augusta, furiously digging into a stack of thick tomes on alchemical theory.

“Fantastic knowledge, makes my butt spin, ababa!”

He mumbled nonsensical phrases while gazing blankly at the pages.

Seeing this, Lynn gave a thumbs up. “I’m so jealous of you, not wasting your youth and fighting for studies and knowledge. Keep it up, kid!”

Greya’s expression darkened. “Why don’t we swap places? You can try that damn entrance exam for the Royal Extraordinary Academy!”

“No thanks.” Lynn picked up a book and kicked his boots onto the table, lounging back in his chair. “I’ve already been kicked out of the academy; it would be harder than climbing to the heavens to get back in.”

“Is what you’re studying really that difficult?”

“Duh!” Greya broke down instantly. “Not to mention the essay section, where you have to complete at least a thousand words in just one and a half hours! I’d rather be sharked!”

“Are you folks from the Imperial Capital really that scary?”

Lynn scratched his head, reminiscing about his glorious past. “Well, I do recall being held up a bit back in the day, but I snuck in on a special admission.”

“What score did you get on your essay?”

Lynn glanced at him, “0.”

“No way?!” Greya was flabbergasted. “What on earth did you write?!”

Upon hearing this, Lynn pondered, “I vaguely remember my essay topic was ‘How to Eliminate Racial Discrimination.’ Turns out I totally missed the point.”

“What did you take it for?”

“I didn’t see the word ‘discrimination.'”

“?”

Greya broke out in a cold sweat.

He was reluctant to ask how this guy managed to fill a thousand words and what kind of powerful backing the Bartleon family had to get such a socially incompetent guy admitted.

So he awkwardly tried to change the subject, “By the way, the tutor my dad hired these days is incredibly incompetent, keeps teaching useless stuff.”

“Don’t say that about yourself.”

Lynn shot him a worried glance.

“You bastard…”

Greya took a deep breath.

Before he could fire back, Lynn suddenly seemed to remember something and casually opened the system.

[Character Name: Greya Augusta]

[Story Level: F]

[Story Deviance: 0.00%]

“I take back what I just said.” Lynn gasped after seeing his story level, “You really are a useless piece of work.”

“Spare me.”

After some playful bantering, Lynn successfully made Greya forget all the precious alchemical knowledge he had just memorized.

Once he realized this, another wave of despair hit.

“I shouldn’t have sat at the same table to study with you!” Greya huffed, grabbing his books and preparing to leave. “That’s enough; don’t hit me up again.”

“Hold on.” Just then, Lynn suddenly called after him, “Did you find those letters I asked you to look for?”

“Found them, but it seems your servants opened them up and peeked inside.”

Mentioning this, Greya’s demeanor turned serious, then he pulled out a thick stack of envelopes from his pocket and placed them in front of Lynn.

“Okay, you can scram now.”

“What a backstabbing move!”

After Greya left, Lynn finally focused, looking solemnly at the already opened letters.

Those damned servants were beaten to death by the furious princess earlier, but unfortunately, he wasn’t there to interrogate them about the family intel.

And with the incompetence of Ivyst’s foolish subordinates left in the Imperial Capital, they likely got nothing too secret.

Checking the order of the letters, Lynn opened the earliest envelope.

Staring at the elegant handwriting, he fell silent.

Eleanor Bartleon.

Aside from his father and the currently missing sister-in-law, she was the only relative of his still alive within the entire family, sharing blood ties with Lynn.

His little sister.

As he slowly unfurled the letter, realizing the content, Lynn’s expression froze.

Imperial Capital, Glosting, Royal Extraordinary Academy.

Right now, the alchemy classroom was empty and eerily quiet.

Students were still resting in their dorms, and aside from teaching assistants, no one would arrive so early to prepare for class.

However, at this moment, a girl resembling a student was bustling about, fiddling with the beakers and jars on the podium, preparing for an upcoming basic alchemy class.

She had a slender and graceful figure, with hints of budding curves visible on her chest, and a head of jet-black hair tied into two ponytails cascading down her shoulders.

The girl seemed to have beautifully sea-blue eyes, resembling someone else, her fair face looked delicate and exquisite.

Unfortunately, those eyes seemed rather dim, as if holding back some sadness within.

Eleanor Bartleon.

As the last bloodline of the Bartleon family remaining in the Imperial Capital, her two brothers had both suffered misfortune—one died on the battlefield, and the other was stripped of powers, becoming a useless person exiled to the border city, likely never to return. Aside from the comatose Marquess Bartleon lying in bed, the once large family now had only her left.

Oh, she should be called Countess now.

After all, in that shocking incident, the Bartleon family was the first to face the reckoning, and even her father’s title got forcibly lowered.

Thus, the various rumors and undercurrents directed at the family mostly landed on the girl.

“Creak!”

Carelessly, a glass vessel shattered on the ground.

She immediately panicked.

If the professor found a reason to punish her, she might be expelled from the Royal Extraordinary Academy.

If she lost even this pathway to power, the Bartleon family would be utterly incapable of rising again.

Tears welled up in Eleanor’s eyes.

She crouched down, frantically trying to clean up the fragments.

But!

Another slip, her delicate fingertip was cut, leaving a wound.

Amidst a series of misfortunes, Eleanor collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She cried silently, seeming utterly crushed by the relentless blows of fate.

In a daze, two familiar figures appeared before her.

Her two brothers seemed to gently stroke her head, comforting her like they used to, telling her not to be afraid.

Too bad, everything the Mosgra family had done destroyed her once peaceful and beautiful life, making those memories dissolve like mirages.

Just then, a flurry of footsteps echoed outside the door.

She hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, not wanting anyone to witness this shameful scene.

However, the other party beat her to it.

Seeing Eleanor sitting on the floor, crying amid shards of glass, the several girls who barged into the classroom erupted in synchronized laughter.

The laughter dripped with derision and contempt, mocking the once high-ranking Bartleon noble girl for sinking to such disgrace.

The leading girl, with high cheekbones and a sharp face, looked particularly venomous.

“Dear Eleanor, why are you hiding here alone and crying?” She crouched down to meet her gaze. “Is it because you miss your brother’s hugs? Where is he?”

“Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. Your brother Lynn seems to have completely vanished in that border disaster—he’s probably dead by now.”

“Such a pity, Eleanor. Do you need me to comfort you?”

As she said this, the girl reached for Eleanor’s hair.

Her name was Eunice Mosgra, a direct descendant of the Snow Eagle family.

With her family’s recently terrifying reputation in the Imperial Capital, her status at the academy had also skyrocketed.

As one of the victors in the ongoing feud between the two families, she looked down upon the descendants of those who had failed.

Upon hearing this, Eleanor’s expression turned icy as she swatted her hand away.

Though tears still lingered in her eyes, she remained defiant.

Weakness was reserved for herself.

In front of outsiders, especially enemies from the same family, she wouldn’t back down.

“Brother will never die.” Eleanor coldly declared as she bent her head, continuing to tidy up the glass shards. “One day, he’ll come back and punish you damn bastards!”

Though she said this, the moment she bowed her head, a trace of melancholy flickered in her blue eyes.

Logically, she realized what the woman said wasn’t entirely wrong.

Deep down, Eleanor had already resigned herself to the thought that both her brothers had truly left this world.

After all, under the deliberate concealment of Saint Roland VI and certain dignitaries, the shadows of that young man vanished from all significant events in Orlen City recently, not even a trace remaining on the merit roll.

So even Eleanor didn’t know what terrible things her brother had done at the border.

Moreover, after Lynn returned to the manor, the news of him being alive had been deliberately suppressed by Duke Tilius, not reaching the Imperial Capital.

As for the second prince, who was also aware of the truth, he wouldn’t go propping up the news if Lynn and the others stayed silent themselves, right?

Thus, most of the churches and nobles in the Imperial Capital believed that the young man truly perished in that Level 0 Sealed Item incident.

Only a handful of people grasped some insider knowledge and caught the rumblings of an impending storm.

Perhaps the day that young man returned to the Imperial Capital would be the day a spectacular show began.

Sensing the girl’s defiance, Eunice’s eyes gleamed with malice. “How have you considered that matter from last time?”

“Lord Glade is quite wealthy, though somewhat old, but not too ugly. Most importantly, at the last ball, he fell head over heels for you, repeatedly mentioning your name in front of your father, wanting you to become his third wife.”

“Now that the Bartleon family is barely holding on, grasping this lifeline is an opportunity you shouldn’t miss.”

“What do you think?”

She placed her hand on Eleanor’s slender shoulder, gradually applying pressure, as if merely making a trivial suggestion.

But it was more as if she intended to force her compliance with the Mosgra family’s arrangements.

After all, her sister was the renowned “War Goddess of the Empire,” Irina, and with the Bartleon family already thoroughly infiltrated, they indeed had the power to dictate Eleanor’s fate.

“Shut up, get lost!”

Eleanor suddenly grabbed a shard of glass from the ground, disregarding her delicate palm as it bled, and hurled it towards Eunice.

An old, ugly widower dares to have indecent thoughts about the daughter of the Bartleon family?

Though she had lost her previous glory and status, the dignity of her family could not be insulted!

“Damn it!”

Despite narrowly dodging the sharp fragments, a cut appeared on Eunice’s cheek.

Looking at Eleanor as if she were prepared to fight to the death, she coldly nodded. “Very well.”

“Since you refuse this friendly suggestion as a friend, we should discuss our little deal.”

“Remember our previous contract? Prince Fourth is quite interested in the blood of Bartleon, and he proposed a deal to trade your blood for the family’s survival.”

“A vial of blood will protect your Bartleon family from being erased from the Imperial Capital for a day.”

“But seeing how stubborn you are, I think we can revise this contract.”

“From today on, the condition changes from a vial of blood to ten.”

“Let’s see how long your little body can withstand this; we’ll be watching.”

As she spoke, Eunice shot her a vicious glance, then sashayed out with her entourage.

Leaving Eleanor amidst a sea of shattered glass, stunned, silently weeping.

After a moment, she gently raised her injured hand and pressed it hard against her chest.

With hollow and numb eyes, a flash of sadness flickered in her gaze.

“Brother, I miss you so much.”