Lucien wasn’t about to argue with a Weaver-rank prince just yet. Every step had to be cautious.
So, he just let his gramps handle him for now.
"Yeah, what’s the point of asking him? Trying to force him or something? I didn’t know a prince could stoop so low."
Malcolm, of course, caught Lucien’s trick immediately and stepped forward, causing Dorian’s smile to stiffen.
Dorian must have thought he could get cheap forgiveness by surprising Lucien, but it seemed he now had to give up something to do that.
After all, he was a prince, wasn’t he?
"Sigh... the young master of the Goldveil family is really sharp. Forget it."
Dorian sighed exaggeratedly and then reached into his robe, only to pull out a small, unassuming shard reflecting light.
"Here. This is a shard of the Stoneheart Crystal, quite rare and potent. It strengthens an earth mage’s connection to the land and enhances their defensive spells."
Dorian explained and lightly threw it into Lucien’s hand, who grabbed it reflexively.
On the side, Malcolm’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the shard but said nothing.
Lucien scanned the heavy Stoneheart Crystal in his hand, brimming with earth energy. Just one look told him it was a rare find.
He could feel that once he absorbed this crystal, his poor Earth affinity might climb directly to a higher rank.
"Now, you should forgive me for my transgression, right, Sir Lucien?"
As a member of the royal family, Dorian had his own way of handling things. So, he once again asked Lucien with a smile. He didn’t seem bothered by his earlier rude trick.
"Of course, of course. Haha... actually, Second Prince, you misunderstood. I don’t mind whether you follow me or not. But I also have to consider my grandfather’s feelings. I hope you understand."
Lucien smiled, pretending to be happy and acting like he didn’t care about the reward Dorian gave.
Only the Stoneheart Crystal, which disappeared into his mana ring, told a different story.
Not to mention his shameless attitude of using his grandfather again.
Malcolm couldn’t help but twitch his mouth speechlessly.
"Haha... yeah, of course, I understand. Don’t worry."
Prince Dorian seemed amused as he laughed, making the tense situation lighter.
"Alright, enough with the small talk. Let’s get straight to the point."
Only, Malcolm didn’t seem to want to waste time as he abruptly cut off Dorian’s laughter, his expression gradually turning solemn.
Noticing the shift in Malcolm’s demeanor, Dorian’s laughter faded as well, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
Lucien could feel that although Prince Dorian seemed carefree, he was actually on guard.
Not only with his grandfather, but also about Velmara, who hadn’t appeared even once and had always remained in the shadows from the beginning.
"Yeah, it is indeed time."
Dorian also nodded, then directly asked,
Both of them were sharp and fully aware of the conversation.
Now that Malcolm seemed fine, Dorian could no longer use any underhanded method to obtain that token.
Although the Edoria Kingdom was strong and even had Lord-level figures, he couldn’t rely on them.
After all, he wasn’t the only prince of this kingdom.
Moreover, while he thought highly of the Domain Dungeon, such figures might not feel the same.
A Domain Dungeon of Rare Rank could only produce up to an Earl—it would only attract so much attention.
So, Dorian was straightforward. He needed that token, and Malcolm knew it.
Malcolm also knew that if negotiations failed, Dorian could turn his back and use any method to gain it.
"An invitation to the Circle of Nobility."
Malcolm was also straightforward, as he didn’t mince his words and told the price of the token.
’Circle of Nobility? What is that?’
Poor Lucien, he was the only one completely confused on the side, as he had never heard of such a thing before. Moreover, judging by the name alone, it seemed worthless.
But Prince Dorian’s surprised reaction proved him wrong, his brows rising slightly as his expression shifted in an instant
"Malcolm! Your ambition knows no bounds. Are you not satisfied that your Goldveil family is already a Viscount? Why do you want to enter the Circle of Nobility, too?"
Dorian said sharply, a faint aura leaking out unconsciously, causing the entire backyard to become tense and heavy, as if the air itself was pressing down on them.
"Viscount? Heh... what kind of worthless title is that?"
"Don’t make me laugh."
However, Malcolm seemed unperturbed as he also released his aura, calming down the wave of Dorian’s aura in the process.
"Dorian, don’t make such empty promises to me. Without joining the Circle of Nobility, what kind of Viscount is my Goldveil family?"
"Do you think I am as stupid as my son Cedric?"
It seemed that remembering the title of Viscount angered Malcolm, and he directly addressed Prince Dorian without a title.
Even his aura began to leak out, growing darker and more oppressive, each second sharpening the feeling that he was ready to strike at any moment.
’Damn! Are they going to fight?’
Lucien saw the situation turning worse as he felt it incredibly hard to stay where he was due to the pressure.
Although most of what they were talking about he didn’t understand, he could still gauge that this Circle of Nobility or whatever seemed extremely important.
’Domain Dungeon, Circle of Nobility, Viscount... why is everything always revolving around dungeons? What is this dungeon anyway?’
It hadn’t been long since Lucien arrived in this world. And with one situation piling on top of another, he simply hadn’t had the chance to properly understand how this world worked.
So, most of the time, he was oblivious.
He had already decided that he would ask everything to his grandpa everything later.
For now, all he could do was save his puny life from getting caught in this giant conflict.
While Lucien was slowly backing out as he didn’t want to get injured in their crossfire, Dorian scrunched his nose after hearing Malcolm.
But, unlike what Lucien thought, he didn’t seem angry at Malcolm’s outburst. Instead, his eyes narrowed with suspicion as he asked what he had in his mind,
"Malcolm, so... you did enter the Shadow Kingdom, didn’t you?"
The suspicion in his voice was so thick that even though he was asking, he seemed already certain.
"Heh... of course. Otherwise? Do you think I would just keep the token in my pillow like an idiot?"
Surprisingly, Malcolm didn’t seem to want to hide it. Instead, he openly confessed.
Then, not giving Dorian time to react, he suddenly waved his hand, taking out a shimmering token.
The token was pitch black with a golden edge and a small emblem of a crown at its center. It gave off a faint glow, clearly not something ordinary.
"Dorian, my condition is very simple... just give me an invitation to the Circle of Nobility, and this token is yours. I know you have the invitation with you."
Malcolm said in a low voice. After that, his aura suddenly turned fierce, like that of a beast, and he spoke in a cold tone,
"If not, then don’t blame me for destroying it by force. Then, no one can have it."