"Come on, Lucio, you could do it! You have faced that demoness for two decades and know her every weakness. You just need to take its benefit to save Len and yourself." Luci stared at the mirror for as long as he tried to gain his courage.
As much as he hated his mother, he did not want his brother to die, not again.
The only thought of seeing him coughing blood and then falling on the ground while saying goodbye to him was enough to harden his heart.
He entered the palace of his mother where he was standing for more than an hour.
He saw how she refused to meet his father coldly. Well, he would have done the same if he would have been at her place.
He always resented his mother for her bad relationship with his father but when he grew old, he realized his father was at fault. But that did not mean that he supported her greed and sins.
The knights turned to stare at him with surprise as if he was seeing a ghost walking in.
"I am here to request a meeting with my mother?" His words only increased the surprise of the knights as he rubbed his eyes.
"You too young master?" Normally no family member came to meet her even when months passed and now not only his majesty but more princes came to meet her at once.
Do not tell him that they were going on a war! The knight nodded absent mindedly as he left to inform the empress who asked for him to enter in his study.
Luci scanned the room with a sneer on his face. The palace is as cold as he could remember with those dark colors and bowed heads of the maids who never dared to raise their heads or express their feelings in front of his control freak mother.
He knocked on the door and then entered after getting her acceptance.
"Mother." with a joyful look on his face, he called her chirpily when she raised her head but instead of smiling back, she only raised her brow, as if asking why are you acting so hard?
"Cough cough, mother, when did you leave my garden? I was looking for you all the time. I have brought the first juice for you as you have asked me to." without being disheartened by her lackluster response, he smiled more brightly as he walked towards her and took his seat.
"I have work to do!" came the curt reply dowsing water on his enthusiasm as she lowered her head and started working again.
'Tsk! Then why do you have leisure time to harass my brother! Go and drown yourself in the work for all I care!' he flinched when she suddenly raised her head and stared at him. 'Could it be that she could hear my thoughts'
No! How could that be possible? If that would have been the case, then she would have hanged him long ago. But the look on her face right now!
It was really frightening that he flinched.
"Oh, if you are so busy then why are you spending so much time on the br.. Crown prince?
He could take care of his needs. You should not tire yourself of renovating his palace and increasing his security.
After all, you are my mother not his!" he was sure she would be pleased hearing so.
He remembered that she frowned and scolded him whenever he called Lennox ' brother. She always wanted him to behave coldly towards his brother. Such a cold woman!
"Hmm!" huh! What did that hmu even mean? Was she accepting that she would not care about the renovation anymore or was she just accepting that Lennox was not his brother?
He waited for her to explain further while staring at him but minutes passed and she did not utter a single word!
"Umm mother, then you agree with me right? Instead of renovating and helping the crown prince, you will help me right?" in a tone full of flattery he walked closer to her and stared at her while blinking his eyes.
He was cutest when he did so. Since he was only five, he still had chubby cheeks and bright eyes that could melt rocks and with that bright smile on his face.. He was sure he would be able to convince her.
"No! I agree that your palace needs renovation too. I will ask the team to give a look to your palace too. In the meanwhile you and Lennox could come and stay here with me.
I will ask Martha to arrange necessary things for you in the room next to me." without even raising her head and giving a look to his flattering face, she passed her verdict making him forze.
"Living.. Next to you? How could I dare to disturb you all the time when you have so much work. I.. I think I will manage in the palace.
On second thought, it did not need much work from the start. I was just being competitive." It took him two hours to prepare himself for talking to her. How was he going to survive if he stayed with her all the time?
"Hmm, then I will ask Martha to arrange the room for Lennox. The renovation work would start tomorrow in his palace.
If you do not need anything else, you can leave. I have work to do." bam! Why did it feel like instead of saving his brother he had sent him into the mouth of death.
How would things end like that? As if struck by the lightning, Luci froze there and his whole body turned rigid.
"No! On second thought, I think you're too busy these days. So as your son I will shift here and take care of your meal and health or you will be sick. I will be the one and only one living next to you."
"Do not worry about that.. I have more than one room empty in my chambers."