Ch 32: It’s Too Much
Lucien, seeing Amber on the verge of exploding, felt as though his revenge was being orchestrated to perfection. He wanted them to suffer, if only a little, just as he had suffered when Eleena appeared mere inches away from his face in the hallway—a moment that forced the old feelings he had tried so hard to suppress to rise up again. He had barely managed to conceal his trembling fingers from them, hiding his hands deep inside the pockets of his pants.
Relishing Amber’s reaction, Lucien continued, “I need to make further adjustments. Previously, all the bracelets only restricted seventy percent of mana circulation, but after seeing you both, I have realized that you each possess the greatest potential. Therefore, it will take some time for the bracelets to be customized personally for the two of you.” Lucien’s gaze lingered on Amber and Eleena, savoring their discomfort.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lucien saw Mark and Patrick clenching their fists tightly, their teeth grinding with frustration. Judy, Mark’s childhood sweetheart, looked equally displeased at Lucien’s claim that only the princess and Eleena possessed the greatest potential.
If only they knew this was his revenge on Amber and Eleena, they would not be reacting this way. Lucien sighed inwardly.
Mark, Patrick, and Judy did not seem to realize that Lucien was seeking revenge against the princess and Eleena. If Lucien had truly wanted to get back at them for being late, he would have included Patrick as well, because Patrick had actually arrived even later than both Amber and Eleena. Since Lucien did not include Patrick, who arrived much later than the princess and Eleena, they had concluded that Lucien saw potential only in Eleena and Amber.
Haah, they are competitive as ever, Lucien thought, then glanced at Melissa, the sweetest of them all, who clearly understood that he was getting revenge for being followed in the hallway. When his gaze met hers, she immediately looked away, turning to stare out the window.
“But it’s too much, Professor! Can’t you give us some leeway?” Amber shouted, her voice loud with seething anger. She seemed convinced that Lucien was determined to give them poor results.
“Is that so? I do not see it that way,” Lucien replied, placing his index finger thoughtfully on his chin and tilting his head slightly.
Lucien reached into the box and took out a pair of bracelets, slipping one onto each of his wrists.
Lucien closed his eyes, and when he opened them, his silver irises swirled with mana. He took a deliberate step forward with his right foot.
“Expand”
Soon, the classroom was filled with darkness. The crystalline white walls, ceiling, and every other surface faded into shadow, and behind Lucien, an obsidian-black throne appeared.
The throne was majestic, crafted from pure darkness, with long, wide armrests and a tall back adorned with huge, pointed pillars jutting out behind it. Lucien sat casually, resting his elbow on the armrest and propping his face on his right fist.
The students looked around in shock; everything except themselves had become dark. Even the transparent windows, which once allowed them to see outside, had turned black, leaving nothing to see beyond the glass.
“This bracelet I am wearing allows only five percent of mana circulation, and yet I have filled the entire classroom with my mana,” Lucien explained, sounding almost bored.
Amber bit her lip at his words, and Eleena gazed back at him with a ferocity he had once found appealing, though not anymore.
Mark’s fists clenched so tightly that his nails seemed to dig into his palms, threatening to draw blood. He looked furious, and it was clear that he held a measure of resentment against Lucien.
Lucien could feel it in Mark’s eyes—the burning resolve to become stronger, to one day challenge him. He knew the reason: in the story, Mark had once explained to Judy that if the Northern Duke’s family had sent their knights or managed the beast tide properly, his village would not have been destroyed, and he would not have lost his parents.
Lucien shifted his gaze past Mark. Judy appeared nervous, while Patrick’s eyes sparkled with excitement and the desire to become like Lucien. Melissa wore a disturbed expression, clearly unsettled by the situation in which she found herself trapped.
Everyone except the main characters had their jaws dropped wide open, staring at him as if they were witnessing the incarnation of a god.
Lucien felt bored, but only for a moment, until his gaze settled upon the quiet boy sitting in the third row at the center of the classroom. He had almost forgotten about this boy, whose presence was so silent, so unlike what one would expect from a prince.
Jasper Eldoryn, prince of the empire, sat quietly at his desk. His white hair was neatly trimmed to the side, and his yellow eyes regarded Lucien with such innocence that Lucien felt his stomach churn with disgust.
Jasper’s face was pale and unblemished, with no sign that he had ever stood beneath the sun. His build was so thin he seemed perpetually ill, as though he might collapse if ever forced to fight. He rested his face on his left palm, meeting Lucien’s gaze evenly. There was no fear, only a broad smile that genuinely seemed to reach his eyes, a smile as innocent as that of a child.
Lucien had been fooled until now, but after receiving Evan’s memories, he would no longer be deceived by Prince Jasper. Now Lucien knew what lurked behind that revolting smile and those innocent eyes that so closely resembled a child’s curiosity.
Jasper was neither a main character nor a minor one; he was a villain, like Lucien, though Lucien did not know the extent of Jasper’s power, as he felt Jasper was hiding his true powers. The earlier parts of the story had focused on Lucien as the villain, with only brief hints that Jasper’s personality was entirely different from the innocent face he showed to the world.
There was even a brief section of the story that showed Jasper plotting to kill the princess, but since Evan—Lucien’s previous life had stopped reading after Lucien’s death, he did not know whether Prince Jasper ever succeeded in killing Princess Amber or not.
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