Free Web NovelChapter 1663: And the game is called...
After settling everything and making sure his wives had finally calmed down, the time for his departure arrived.
None of them wanted him to go, yet none of them stopped him either.
The long corridor of Rosavere’s company stretched ahead beneath lights embedded into the ceiling. Employees moved in silence behind glass walls.
Lackey walked calmly beneath his rabbit mask while Celestia followed beside him in a tight black suit that perfectly outlined her figure.
Meanwhile, Amara Rosavere walked slightly ahead of them.
"This is honestly making me nervous, Mr. Lackey," Amara muttered after a moment of silence.
Her fingers tightened around the files she carried against her chest.
Lackey let out a quiet chuckle beneath the mask. "Hah... nervous? That’s unexpected coming from someone like you. Why?"
"Don’t misunderstand. I trust you." She paused for a second, searching for the right words. "It’s just that this kind of feeling doesn’t disappear so easily. You know when your instincts keep whispering that something might go wrong even when logic says otherwise?"
"Something happening to me?" Lackey asked with faint amusement hidden behind his voice.
Amara exhaled softly through her nose. ƒrēewebnovel.com
"Maybe."
As a professional merchant, she understood value better than most people. A profitable investment only mattered while it remained within reach. Once it vanished beyond her control, uncertainty began to rot the mind like poison beneath white paper.
And this...
This was her first time involving herself in something this dangerous.
What if he got caught?
What if the other side manipulated him?
What if he disappeared entirely?
The thoughts kept stacking inside her head, one after another, like collapsing dominoes.
It reminded her of the early days of her business when every contract felt like standing above an abyss with gold balanced in her palms.
"Haha..." Amara laughed nervously, "I guess..."
Lackey hummed thoughtfully while glancing toward Celestia for a brief second.
"Also, since I won’t be here for some time—"
Before he could finish, Amara interrupted him with a knowing smile.
"Don’t worry. Everything here will be handled by your servant; she will act as your proxy."
Lackey slowly nodded. "Good. But honestly..." His gaze shifted toward Celestia again. "I’d be happier if you personally took her under your wing."
"Huh?"
Amara’s steps abruptly slowed.
For the first time since they started walking, genuine confusion appeared across her face.
Lackey smiled faintly beneath the rabbit mask. "I know I can be strange sometimes."
"So you do know?" Amara said with an amused smile.
The corner of Lackey’s lips twitched beneath the mask.
"What I’m trying to say is simple. If you’re worried that I might betray you someday... or disappear to another side entirely..." He tilted his head slightly toward Celestia.
"Then keep her close. Consider her my reassurance."
Amara’s brows slowly lifted as her eyes drifted toward the woman in the tight black suit standing beside him.
"Her? A servant?"
To her knowledge, this woman was merely one of his attendants. If something happened to that woman, would someone like Lackey truly care that much?
Also,
Amara had spent the entire discussion insisting that Lackey would never betray her... the so-called ’Trust’, but the moment he offered reassurance, she did not reject it.
That alone exposed the truth hidden beneath her words.
She still doubted him.
And that was exactly what Lackey wanted.
"She is my wife."
"...Pardon?"
Amara’s expression froze for a second as if her mind failed to process his words properly.
Lackey smiled calmly.
"This isn’t something I usually tell people," he said in a relaxed voice. "But since you’re clearly nervous about this whole situation, I’ll tell you directly." His gaze shifted toward Celestia beside him.
"She is my wife. On my behalf, she’ll remain here beside you and oversee things while I’m gone. I hope you don’t mind."
The corridor suddenly felt quieter.
Amara blinked once before slowly nodding. "Okay... but staying beside me is a different matter entirely."
Her tone became sharper near the end.
Whether they were truly married or not was another issue altogether, but Amara was not an idiot who would allow someone whose face she had never even seen to stand near her during important business dealings.
Naturally, Lackey had already anticipated that reaction.
Without hesitation, he reached into his coat and handed her an official marriage certificate sealed beneath the authority of the Temple itself.
Amara accepted it carefully before scanning the document.
Her eyes landed on Lackey’s name and...
"Celestia...?" she muttered quietly.
At the same moment, the woman beside Lackey finally removed the black hood covering her head.
"..."
For a brief moment, genuine shock overtook her composure.
This woman was absurdly beautiful.
Not merely attractive, but dangerously beautiful.
The kind capable of silencing an entire room simply by existing within it.
Her features possessed an unnatural elegance that rivalled even Empress Marisandra herself.
But something about her felt strangely familiar.
Amara’s eyes narrowed faintly.
’Why does it feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before...?’
Confusion and doubt quietly surfaced within her gaze.
Meanwhile, Lackey remained completely unconcerned.
Celestia had died long ago. Her existence had already been removed from history by herself. Even among the few who once knew her, most only remembered a maid carrying similar features, nothing more.
And even if suspicion appeared...
The proof remained flawless.
That marriage certificate was signed under the authority of none other than the Archpriest himself.
Yup, he authorised his own fake marriage certificate!
Technically speaking...
It was completely authentic.
Lackey had personally authorised his own fake marriage certificate.
Honestly, it was almost genius.
Even if Amara attempted to verify its legitimacy later, she would discover that every seal, signature, and imprint was one hundred percent real.
As if to reinforce the point further, Celestia calmly covered her face once more before summoning her Origin Card into the air.
The identity matched perfectly.
Amara remained silent for several seconds, still staring at the card.
Finally, she exhaled softly.
"Okay then..." she muttered. "She can stay by my side."
At that point, there was little reason left to reject the arrangement outright, though Lackey could already tell she would most likely investigate the certificate’s authenticity later.
Not that it mattered.
Lackey and Celestia exchanged faint smiles.
Amara lowered her gaze toward the marriage certificate once again before speaking almost absentmindedly.
"I honestly didn’t expect His Majesty Aether himself to sign this personally."
Lackey answered with a soft chuckle.
"That happened because Celestia used to serve under Empress Marisandra directly. Thanks to her assistance, we managed to receive His Majesty’s approval personally."
"Oh?" Amara raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. "That’s why I felt like I had seen her before..." she murmured, her expression turning more thoughtful as her eyes lingered on Celestia for another second.
"Now it makes sense."
[+700 AP]
Lackey simply nodded calmly beneath the rabbit mask.
Amara’s tone gradually turned teasing as some of the earlier tension left her shoulders. "Looks like Mr. Lackey has quite the impressive connections." Her lips curved faintly before narrowing her eyes at him. "Wait... don’t tell me others know about your relationship too?"
"No, no need to worry," Lackey answered smoothly. "Nobody knows about me. In fact, most of them don’t even know I exist at all." He lightly gestured toward Celestia beside him.
"Celestia was the one who obtained Lord Aether’s signature personally. She simply believed it would become a great blessing for our marriage.
Nothing more."
"I see..."
Amara slowly nodded, though a small frown still remained on her face as if she were mentally piecing everything together.
"Anyway," she continued after a brief pause, "since Mr. Lackey trusted me enough to reveal something this personal..." Her gaze shifted toward Celestia again.
"I’ll make sure your wife is treated properly and protected while you’re gone."
"Thank you."
Lackey nodded before glancing toward Celestia.
She answered with only a silent nod of her own.
With this arrangement, Celestia could remain close to Amara constantly while quietly observing her actions from within.
"Anyway, let’s continue," Amara said, her tone carrying a lighter mood now.
The nervousness from earlier had almost completely disappeared, as if this interaction assured her more than anything.
Lackey chuckled inwardly.
She had no idea she had just welcomed a black sheep directly into her own flock.
Soon, they arrived near the restricted area once again.
But unlike last time, Amara did not stop before the metal door.
Instead, she guided them deeper into the darker section of the facility.
Lackey’s gaze drifted toward the sky one last time, checking the updated values that had risen due to recent transportation and Vesperine’s assistance.
<1. Umbrionis Void: 0,903,325 T.P.>
<2. Gaius Terravita: 0,102,665 T.P.>
<3. Aquaris Naiadae: 0,006,109 T.P.>
<4. Aerionis Zephyra: 0,006,101 T.P.>
<5. Pyra Fulgur: 0,006,100 T.P.>
<6. Elysiumis Aurora: 0,005,999 T.P.>
They still had an absurdly long way to catch up with the others.
Lackey released a visible sigh beneath the mask while shaking his head slightly.
Eventually, Amara stopped before a spiralling staircase descending deep underground. The moment they approached, the pale crystals embedded across the walls flickered awake one after another.
Each step downward echoed softly through the enclosed space while shadows stretched unnaturally along the curved walls.
As they carefully descended deeper underground, Lackey finally voiced the question that had been bothering him for a while now.
"I’m curious about something," he said calmly. "If I study there and manufacture our weapons inside Terra itself... wouldn’t that become dangerous for Terra?" His eyes narrowed slightly beneath the rabbit mask.
"After all, I’m technically their enemy, right?"
His footsteps echoed quietly behind Amara’s.
"And even if I manage to manufacture them there..." he continued, "how exactly would I transport them back here?" His voice lowered slightly. "And if they discover what I’m doing... wouldn’t they simply hunt me down and kill me?"
Amara remained completely silent during the rest of the descent.
Only the sound of footsteps and flickering crystals accompanied them until they finally reached the end of the staircase.
The moment their feet touched the platform below.
"Mr. Lackey," Amara said calmly, "do you really think I would send my most valuable partner directly into enemy territory without preparing for every possibility first?"
Her voice carried a strange confidence now.
But... Not the confidence of a merchant.
The confidence of someone who knew far more than she should.
Lackey’s eyes narrowed slightly beneath the rabbit mask while Celestia silently observed everything from beside him.
"Do you think I haven’t already considered every risk?" Amara continued while walking toward another massive metallic structure standing at the far end of the underground chamber.
The object resembled an enormous sealed gate forged from black steel.
Beside it stood a sleek pillar containing a crystal-like swipe scanner.
"And most importantly..." Amara said as a faint smile slowly formed across her lips, "Why do you assume we’re their enemies in the first place?"
Lackey frowned immediately.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked while carefully watching her summon her Origin Card into her fingers.
"Aren’t we literally in the middle of a war?"
Amara said nothing.
She calmly pressed the Origin Card against the scanner.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
For a brief second, red light flickered across the scanner before suddenly turning bright green.
Then...
THUD!
The gigantic gate violently trembled.
Heavy mechanical sounds echoed throughout the underground chamber as layers of metal began separating one after another. Dust shook loose from the ceiling while the platform beneath their feet vibrated faintly.
A second later, the massive door slowly parted open.
The instant it opened, an overwhelming burst of brilliant white light exploded outward like a miniature sun.
Lackey instinctively narrowed his eyes beneath the mask while even Celestia slightly shielded her face from the sudden brightness.
As their vision slowly adjusted, the sight beyond the door finally became visible.
And for the first time in a long while...
A genuine chill crawled down both Lackey and Celestia’s spines.
Inside the colossal cavern stood an enormous white-golden portal radiating violent waves of energy.
Before Lackey could fully process what he was seeing, Amara stepped forward into view.
The white-golden light illuminated half of her face while the rest remained swallowed by shadow.
Then she spoke coldly.
"We are not enemies in this war."
"This is not a war."
"This is not revenge."
"This is not about stolen lands, hatred, or... justice."
Amara slowly turned toward them.
"This..." she said quietly, "is a game."
"A game created by the Gods themselves."
Her expression sharpened.
"And we are nothing more than pawns moving across their board." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"Those who understand the rules of the game leave with power, knowledge, and coins."
Her lips slowly curled upward.
"And those who fail to understand it... leave with nothing."
Then her smile turned sly.
Dangerously sly.
"And the game is called..." she whispered.
"Divide et Impera."
