The teacher and her colleague sat down, and the teacher immediately began the proceedings. "You know something! Of all the information I received today, you know that the murder was going to happen; it was the strangest thing of all!" stated the teacher, thus starting the interrogation.
While the teacher spoke, Lucca kept thinking to himself: 'Breathe, damn it!' He took a deep breath and continued, 'You have everything under control.' He breathed again. As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Lucca replied, "I'm not to blame if they're so obvious in their intentions!" He tried not to sound sarcastic.
"Oh, explain that better! How did they start acting for you to think this would happen?" asked the teacher, with a disbelieving expression in Lucca's words.
"Well, ahhh... I'm just someone who likes to observe others, and I noticed a CLEAR change" he raised his tone and emphasized the words as he said, "Basically, they started not paying attention to Anthony and showed suspicion..." He answered the teacher's question, but she interrupted him.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear more! I know you didn't notice anything! That's right, I know someone gave you the information! Now tell me, are you involved in this attempted murder, right?"
The teacher and her colleague sat down, and the teacher immediately began the proceedings. "You know something! Of all the information I received today, you know that the murder was going to happen; it was the strangest thing of all!" stated the teacher, thus starting the interrogation.
While the teacher spoke, Lucca kept thinking to himself: 'Breathe, damn it!' He took a deep breath and continued, 'You have everything under control.' He breathed again. As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Lucca replied, "I'm not to blame if they're so obvious in their intentions!" He tried not to sound sarcastic.
"Oh, explain that better! How did they start acting for you to think this would happen?" asked the teacher, with a disbelieving expression in Lucca's words.
"Well, ahhh... I'm just someone who likes to observe others, and I noticed a CLEAR change" he raised his tone and emphasized the words as he said, "Basically, they started not paying attention to Anthony and showed suspicion..." He answered the teacher's question, but she interrupted him.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear more! I know you didn't notice anything! That's right, I know someone gave you the information! Now tell me, are you involved in this attempted murder, right?"
When he heard her first words, Lucca was even worried; he began to sweat. However, when he heard the suspicion the teacher had of him, he even chuckled lightly.
Seeing Lucca's laughter, the assistant finally spoke, "Don't laugh; you're in a very complicated situation; you could even be arrested! But if you give us all your information, we can make an excellent deal. What do you think?" He tried to extract as much information as possible with the deal.
"Okay, okay, I'll talk, phew," Lucca sighed deeply, and then he thought to himself, 'They want to play good cop and bad cop, so let's play!' "Some birds gave me the information!"
"Birds, haha! Good, surname for a cult! Haha." Elara started laughing at the joke Lucca made.
"Cult, I don't know about that. They just gave me the information!" Lucca interrupted to prevent the teacher from starting to come up with crazy theories and putting him in the middle.
"I think you don't understand your situation; getting involved with these kinds of people who defy the status quo of the realms is very dangerous! So let us help you get out of this situation!" commented the assistant, playing the role of the good guy to obtain Lucca's cooperation and the location of this "cult."
"Just tell me how you came to know these 'birds'!" shouted the teacher, leaning forward and putting pressure on Lucca to spill everything.
Seeing that the teacher approached him, Lucca backed off and replied, "They know about my situation, so they gave me some help."
"whatt a situation?" the assistant inquired.
"Phew," Lucca took a deep breath and replied, "I lack support within the duchy to become the next Duke. So, they provided me with information that I could use in exchange for a favor to Anthony's father, which would secure me an army to seize power." He explained, revealing the motive behind helping save Anthony.
"So, you only saved him because you wanted an army to become the next Duke?" the teacher questioned, disapproving of Lucca's approach.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Lucca retorted to the teacher's disapproving look.
"Do you really need to resort to that? Couldn't you try to win the nobles' support in a more noble way instead of taking advantage of someone else's misfortune?" the assistant expressed, equally disapproving.
"Haha!" Lucca couldn't contain his laughter, which had been held since Elara's comment. "Noble actions," he paused for a chuckle. "Haha, they're worthless if you can't get what you want! Besides, changing the nobles' opinions is a daunting task, while this opportunity offered me a quicker and more effective solution." Lucca justified his actions.
"Do you think you're so clever!" the teacher shouted, pounding the table in irritation, continuing, "you're just a sack of crap! What did they ask for in return for that information?" revealing her true interest behind the questions.
"When I become Duke, I promised not to go after them. Basically, an ally agreement." Lucca responded, exposing what was asked of him in return.
"Ally, haha!" the teacher laughed at his response. "Is that all you can say? Who are these people? How did you contact them? Do they have any specific plans for the duchy? Answer clearly, or you'll face the consequences!"
Maintaining his confident posture, Lucca responded with a light smile. "Ah, teacher, things don't work that way! This is sensitive information, and, as agreed upon with them, I can't just spill everything. Certain secrets must be kept. Just know that what I did was to ensure a stable future for the duchy, even if the means were somewhat... unconventional."
The teacher frowned, dissatisfied with the evasive answer. The assistant intervened, trying to gain Lucca's trust. "Lucca, we understand that circumstances can be difficult, but we need concrete information to resolve this situation. Help us better understand the threat we're dealing with, and we can negotiate a less harmful solution for everyone."
Observing the situation with a shrewd glint in his eyes, Lucca responded enigmatically. "Threats? If I were you, I wouldn't think that way. Unfortunately, I have no more information. I believe I've done enough by preventing an assassination! I should receive an award, not be in an interrogation room!" he spoke, looking around the room.
"An award? Hahah! You're lucky I'm not torturing you for more information!" the teacher hit the table again.
"I don't know any more information about them. Moreover, I've been cooperative in this interrogation! I've said all I know!" he crossed his arms, as if indicating he had closed the matter.
The teacher was about to stand up, but the assistant stopped her and nodded, indicating "leave it to me." As she sat down, he asked, "from what I know, your father is in good health. Why are you concerned about what might happen after he dies?"
"Because the power struggle has already begun. Factions are forming, supporting each heir," Lucca explained.
Both were surprised by this information. The teacher left the room, seeing this, the assistant also left with her.