Free Web NovelChapter 286: Petty, Cruel, and Vengeful
Although she felt like she was being stared down by a ferocious predator, Victoria Moore maintained her calm, raising both her hands in surrender as she casually stated, "I understand your concerns, Marquess Balfour, but I assure you, there’s no need for you to worry."
"Lucas is the first True Disciple I have ever taken, and you have just stuck your nose into his greatest secret," Celestina countered, the pressure emanating from her increasing noticeably, "How am I not supposed to worry?"
"No oath of secrecy I swear would likely be good enough to satisfy you," Victoria replied, a faint sheen of sweat developing on her forehead, "But if my Moore Family’s future were tied to Young Master Lucas’ future, I believe we could reach an understanding."
"What is it you are proposing, exactly?" Allina asked.
"A contract," Victoria stated bluntly, "In exchange for never revealing Young Master Lucas’ secret, my Moore Family receives preferential treatment when it comes to developing any and all kinds technology related to ships and vessels he requires in the future."
"Oh?" Celestina raised her brow slightly, a thin smile of amusement creeping onto her face, "Just preferential treatment to Lucas’ knowledge? You don’t want exclusive rights to it?"
Laughing bitterly, Victoria, who was under serious strain from the aura pressure of a Complete High-Rank Adept right now, shook her head, "I know my limits, Marquess Balfour."
Silence fell over the room, as Celestina continued glaring at the young woman before her. To be completely honest, she was actually impressed with Victoria Moore, not just regarding her intelligence, but also her courage.
When a young noble suffered a catastrophe, losing practically everything they had built up and relied on over the course of their life, more often than not they spiraled into despair. Very few who encountered such a dramatic setback were able to carry on like nothing happened, and fewer still were able to recognize and seize the opportunities which tended to appear in such times of disaster.
Victoria Moore clearly belonged to the latter camp, and she also had the guts to offend a Marquess in order to pursue that glimmer of a chance to open up a brighter, broader future for herself and her family.
If it were possible, Celestina would very much like to recruit this talented young woman to her side. Victoria and her Moore Family might not be strong, but they were clearly not cowards, so having them as subordinates or allies would only benefit Celestina in the future.
Still, she couldn’t help worrying about what this would mean for her Disciple.
Lucas was young, and from this little episode, it was also clear that he was not yet mature enough. Celestina was concerned that letting an unstable element like the Moore Family remain would cause problems down the road, problems that even with her strength and influence, she wouldn’t be able to solve.
For a time, Celestina couldn’t make up her mind about which path to follow, but before she could decide, Lucas reached out and tugged on her sleeve, "Master, please allow me to handle this."
Glancing over at her First Disciple, and seeing the determined look on his face, Celestina pursed her lips for a moment before nodding. In her opinion, since this problem mainly concerned Lucas’ future, it made sense for him to have a say in its resolution.
Even if he were to stumble once more, at least she would be here to catch him.
Withdrawing her aura, Celestina leaned back in her chair and allowed Lucas to take the lead again.
Feeling the weight lift from her shoulders, Victoria Moore couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. She had been prepared to face Celestina’s wrath the moment she decided to go through with this little scheme of hers, but knowing something and experiencing it were two completely different things.
Quickly adjusting herself, Victoria patiently waited to hear what her young bargaining partner was going to say.
Would Lucas reject her request?
Would he make a counter-offer?
What kind of terms would he propose in order for them to reach an agreement?
It was both nerve-wracking and oddly exciting.
Although she usually maintained a stoic, business-like demeanor, and favoured steady, incremental progress in day-to-day life, in her heart, Victoria had always been something of a gambler. So, with the stakes never having been higher, she was naturally feeling a bit of anticipation welling up inside of her.
What Lucas proposed next, however, caught her completely by surprise.
"Viscount Moore, how many others from your family know about my... circumstances, other than you?" Lucas first asked.
Without hesitating, Victoria answered, "As of right now, only me."
"Good," Lucas nodded and declared, "In that case, step down from your position as Viscount and sign an exclusive employment contract with me. Do that, and I will lobby my Master to have your family to settle in the South-East Province under the most favourable conditions possible."
Needless to say, the jaws of everyone else in the room dropped when they heard this.
Victoria was naturally stunned, but Celestina and Allina were also gobsmacked by Lucas’ ask. Never had either of them imagined that the young boy sitting between them could be so petty, cruel, and vengeful.
The two of them were about to advise him to reconsider, knowing that this kind of ’request’ would surely infuriate Victoria and lead to a complete breakdown in negotiations. However, upon reviewing everything Lucas had said and done since they met him a month ago, Celestina and Allina both felt they might be misunderstanding something and decided to wait and see how the situation played out before they intervened.
As for the individual in question, it wasn’t until over a minute later that Victoria snapped out of her daze, leapt up from her seat, and shouted, "What!? You want me to give up my position as a Viscount and become your servant?!"
Unphased by this outburst, or by the anger-filled, bloodshot glare he was receiving, Lucas simply nodded, "In essence, yes."
Were it not for the fact that there were two Spirit Realm Cultivators flanking the boy sitting in front of her, Victoria would have already beaten Lucas black and blue for making such an outrageous suggestion.
The reason Victoria was willing to take so many risks today was because she believed it would ultimately benefit her Moore Family more than just taking the easy path.
Entering the upper nobility of the kingdom had been the long-cherished goal passed down from one leader of the Moore Family to the next, and in her generation, Victoria was on the cusp of making that happen.
Those hopes had been viciously dashed by the explosion in the Great Western Forest, but that had not been enough to quash Victoria’s ambitions.
Scrambling around frantically for the past month-and-a-half, Victoria had done everything in her power to salvage what she could of the Moore Family’s power, and after all her efforts, she felt she had finally found a way forward for them; but now, this little bastard was asking her to give all that up and reduce herself to little more than a slave!
It was utterly unacceptable to her!
Still, knowing that blowing up here and storming out would only result in her complete and total loss, if Celestina and Allina even allowed to leave the room in the first place, Victoria somehow forced herself to calm down and return to her seat.
When she first came up with this plan, Victoria understood that if something went wrong, the cost might very well be her life, but after weighing the risks, she felt such an outcome was highly unlikely.
At worst, Victoria imagined her request would be refused and she would have to offer up some kind of compensation.
Knowing Lucas had acquired some kind of special knowledge that exceeded the level of the Rockwell Kingdom was indeed valuable, but without hard evidence to prove her claims, few people would choose to believe her if Marquess Balfour adamantly denied the charge.
As such, Victoria didn’t actually pose much of a risk to Lucas, even if they let her walk free.
What Victoria hadn’t anticipated was that Lucas would demand she give up her status and serve him, all while holding her Moore Family’s future hostage.
On his own, Lucas didn’t have the power to do this, but his Master certainly did, so if Celestina agreed to help her Disciple in this matter... ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Another couple of silent minutes passed with Victoria feeling like her back was up against the proverbial wall before she managed to ask through gritted teeth, "If, and I mean if, I agree to your terms, what exactly are you planning to have me do?"
"In the short-term, or long-term?" Lucas asked back.
Furrowing her brow slightly, Victoria replied, "Both."
Stroking his chin, an odd gesture for a child with no beard, Lucas pondered for a moment before answering seriously, "Lady Victoria, once this crisis is dealt with, there are a great many things I wish to do and plans I want to implement, but while I have a few trusted subordinates, none of them are quite ready to take on the responsibility of overseeing such a large-scale and multi-faceted endeavour."
Fixing his eyes on the Viscount, Lucas sincerely proposed, "I need a competent and experienced manager to handle things when I am not available to do so, and of all the people I’ve met so far, I believe you are the most suitable to take up that role."
