It was so fast and faint that both Seraphine and Cedric didn’t notice anything unusual. Only Malcolm suddenly sensed a high-level power in Lucien and the presence of pure fire energy.
Lucien retracted the Phoenix fire so quickly that Malcolm couldn’t recognize its true origin. But he knew that whatever it was, it held significant power.
"Why are you still persuading him now? Didn’t I say there’s no need to jump into this muddy water?"
Cedric couldn’t help but scold Lucien.
"We’ll just reduce our sphere of influence, like Father said. You don’t have to—"
"Okay, let him have what he wants."
Cedric was just about to conclude the discussion when Malcolm suddenly dropped another bomb.
"Father, what do you mea—"
"Okay, no need to nag now. Listen to me first."
Malcolm had already sensed Lucien’s potential. Still, the assassination attempt was also a real threat, so he compromised with a middle-ground solution.
"Since the younger generation wants to learn, there’s no need to bind them forcefully. After all, a caged mind can’t truly grow."
"But what you said is also true. Lucien isn’t ready to shoulder such a huge responsibility, especially since he’s still quite weak."
"So, considering everything, I’ve decided to let him handle only the business in the Edoria Kingdom for now. Let’s see what he can do."
Malcolm was clearly giving Lucien a chance, a chance to prove himself.
If he showed he was capable, there would be no need for such drawn-out discussions next time. His parents would also be reassured.
And honestly, Malcolm was curious to see what this brat was going to do.
"But... with Duke Castor behind the Lionheart family, what if—"
Cedric still felt it wasn’t the right time to hand Lucien such responsibility. As a father, he didn’t want anything to happen to him.
"Don’t worry. Don’t I know what you’re thinking? Or do you think that just because you’re a father and I’m only a grandfather, I care less about his safety?"
Malcolm snapped, scolding his son in a cold voice.
Although they bore the Goldveil name, their family was small compared to the true powers.
And Lucien was the only heir, and Malcolm’s only grandson in this world. Of course, he wouldn’t allow him to face danger carelessly.
"Dad... that’s not what I mean. I just—"
Cedric felt a little guilty and quickly tried to explain, only for Malcolm to raise a hand and stop him.
"I know what you’re both thinking. And believe me, I don’t want anything to happen to him either."
Malcolm’s words made Lucien’s heart warm, causing him to smile unconsciously.
Although he was technically a transmigrator, Lucien felt truly blessed to have such a warm family in this life.
Only... what Malcolm said next ruthlessly wiped the smile off his face.
"Otherwise, do you think I’d let Velmara follow him... silently... from behind?"
Malcolm said and waved his hand,
"With Peak Weaver Rank Velmara as a security guard, what could possibly happen to him? Now, stop whining here and get ready to transfer the ownership to him. Let those guys know who their boss is."
Malcolm stood up and delivered his final words,
"I have something else to do. You take care of these little matters. I’ll spread the news when Lucien is ready."
With that, he walked away, not wanting to talk any further.
Unfortunately, until he disappeared from the meeting hall, he didn’t see the surprise and worry on Lucien’s face.
’What...? Velmara was following me? Then... did he see what happened before?’
Lucien felt a little uneasy. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Velmara, but he didn’t want to expose his secret, at least not yet.
Although what happened with Sera wasn’t his core secret, knowing someone had been watching him from the shadows still left a sick feeling in his stomach.
"Ah? So, Sir Velmara is protecting you? Why didn’t you say so earlier? I was worried for nothing."
Cedric didn’t notice the change in Lucien’s expression and laughed in relief.
Like his father said, with someone as strong as Velmara around, nothing bad could happen to his son.
For a moment, a heavy burden lifted off his shoulders.
"Yeah, we shouldn’t have doubted Father. Maybe... he felt bad."
Seraphine also relaxed after hearing Malcolm’s assurance. Then, a faint guilt surfaced, a feeling that maybe she had offended their father-in-law.
After all, their constant interference might have seemed like a sign of distrust.
"Heh... don’t worry. That old man isn’t so narrow-minded. Otherwise, would he have given this brat the entire Edoria Kingdom business?"
Cedric said with a grin, gesturing toward Lucien.
"He didn’t even give me full control over the business after all these years. And for him.... Sigh...how stingy."
At last, he vented his grievance a little bitterly.
Poor him, wasn’t this a case of the son seizing the throne before the father?
"Dad, Mom, I have something urgent to do. Let’s meet another time. I’ll be leaving first."
But Lucien wasn’t paying attention to their banter. He had other things on his mind.
With a brief bow, he also left in a hurry without giving them a chance to react.
"What’s wrong with him?"
Cedric asked, puzzled by his son’s sudden change of mood.
"I don’t know. Maybe... he’s busy thinking about his plans?"
Seraphine shook her head and offered a guess, leaving Cedric speechless.
"What plans could he have? He just wants to enjoy being rich, that’s all. Didn’t you see how he acted when Ruford came to collect the deal?"
Cedric scoffed. He didn’t believe Lucien had any serious plans.
He knew his son. Wasn’t that brat just trying to play around?
"Forget it. Let’s go too. I have a mountain of work waiting for me."
Now that Malcolm had given the order, he had no choice but to carry it out. Not to mention the chaos stirred up by recent events, he already had more headaches than he could handle.
At the corner, under the cover of night, outside the mansion, Lucien stepped onto the marble floor, looked around with cold eyes, and spoke suddenly, seemingly to no one.
"Where are you? Come out."