33 Risen#re - Chapter 335
“What happened inside the keep?” Lady Liberia asked as she slowly regained her composition.
Lirian smiled in amusement but didn’t speak just yet, ‘So they really didn’t say anything, they must be too embarrassed to tell anyone about what happened,’ Lirian chuckled internally.
“If you ever see those idiots again, you should ask them?” Lirian laughed and took a seat, he was happy to find that the seats were incredibly comfortable, ‘This must be why nobles enjoy coming here so much,’ he thought.
Lady Liberia frowned at Lirian’s response, the words sounded like a threat yet she felt no malice in Lirian’s words.
Lirian turned back to face her before she could say anything in response, “Now I have a deal to offer the two of you, I can help both of you with your problems, and in exc…”
“Why? Why would you want to help us?” Lady Liberia cut in with doubt in her eyes, and glanced at Grant, she thought that he was unconscious but the silver-haired man had just addressed him as well.
Lirian frowned after being interrupted, “Honestly I couldn’t care less about helping you,” Lirian replied, “It just so happens that helping you, happens to be the same way of helping myself,”
“Like I said House Kurt and I are playing a game, but after one loss they’ve decided to tuck their heads inside their shells it’s like they are declaring defeat already,” Lirian said in an irritated tone.
“But that isn’t how a game with me works, there is no surrender, you keep playing until one side is spent,”
“Since that’s what they are doing I need to send them a message, they have to continue playing to amuse me or I’ll destroy them in every manner of the word,” Lirian chuckled coldly.
Lady Liberia felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she heard Lirian’s chuckle, she felt like she was speaking to a mad man, to him all of this was just a game.
When he spoke about destroying House Kurt she felt the killing intent that lingered in his words, he was planning to destroy House Kurt in the literal sense, he wanted to kill every member.
And all of it was simply for his amusement, it was like the man had a god complex about himself, but she didn’t dare point it out, she was afraid that anything she said to displease him could just as easily lead to her House facing him as an enemy, and despite not knowing anything about him she felt overwhelmed with fear at the simple thought of making Lirian her enemy.
“Now then as I was saying, I can help you get your daughter back and,” Lirian pointed at Grant, “In turn, I can help you get what you want,” Lirian said.
Grant felt that Lirian was speaking to him, but he chose to keep still and feign his unconscious state.
Noticing the man’s reaction Lirian opened his hand and fire started to dance on the tip of his fingers, “Keep pretending and I’ll cook you alive,” Lirian said coldly and let a little of his killing intent leak.
Lord Grant felt his instincts suddenly explode, his hair stood on end and his every instinct told him that he would die in a second, he jumped to his feet and turned to look at Lirian intently.
“If you can really help get my House out of this mess I’ll do anything you ask of me,” Lord Grant said solemnly he acted as if nothing had just happened as he spoke.
Lord Grant could tell that it would be pointless to act in front of Lirian, he could tell from that one attack of Lirian’s that if Lirian wanted him to be dead, he would have stopped breathing before he touched the ground.
Lord Grant already knew that his House was in a bad situation, no matter which way he played things his House was going to suffer severely, he had no idea if Lirian could deliver what he offered, but he felt that he had to hear Lirian out first.
Lady Liberia frowned at the change, she knew that Lord Grant was desperate, so she could understand why he so readily accepted, but the felt like there was something fishy going on.
“What are you playing at?” she asked Lirian with suspicion creeping into her voice.
“It’s simple really,” Lirian replied with a smirk that made Lady Liberia feel uncomfortable, “I’ll go into the keep and grab your daughter,” Lirian explained.
“Once I return her to you, you will announce your intention to leave the alliance, and you will convince the others to leave the alliance along with you,” Lirian explained.
“No!” Lady Liberia said coldly, “I don’t know what sick games you have planned for House Kurt, but my daughter is not a pawn to be used for your games,” she said coldly with a her battle intent riling up, even if she didn’t stand a chance against Lirian she wouldn’t allow him to use her daughter in his games.
A mirthless laugh escaped Lirian’s mouth, “You foolish woman your daughter is already a pawn to be played with,”
“And besides I wasn’t asking for your permission, if you don’t help it’s all the same to me, I’ll simply start spreading the word about your daughter being in House Kurt’s hands,”
“It will cause a lot of damage to House Kurt’s reputation and you’ll never see your daughter again,” Lirian said coldly.
Liberia felt her blood run cold when she heard Lirian’s plans, and to the sighed Lord Grant nodded in understanding, in truth the moment Liberia told him her secret, he was already planning how to best use it to force her into helping him.
He still didn’t know why she had so foolishly told him her secret, but he was desperate enough to use it against her if it meant protecting his House.
“You… you monster!” Liberia spat at Lirian coldly with a look of horror drawn across her face.
Lirian shot her an amused grin, “You’re not the first to call me a monster,” Lirian laughed lightly, Liberian was completely shocked by the strange change, just a second ago Lirian looked so cold and cruel, but suddenly he seemed light-hearted.
It was like his entire façade was just an illusion, “Besides its just good tactics to use everything at your disposal, anyone who says any different is nothing more than a self-righteous hypocrite, who would do the same if they could get away with doing the deed without anyone finding out,” Lirian said with that coldness returning to his voice.
“So, what’s your decision?” Lirian asked playfully, “You go with my plan and you’ll get to see your daughter again, but if you make me use my other method then you’ll never see her again,” Lirian explained.
Lady Liberia looked like she was ready to attack Lirian again with all she had, but she exhaled deeply with a heavy heart, “How sure are you that you can do this?” she asked through clenched teeth.
It was the same as last time when House Kurt took her daughter from her, she was powerless back then and she felt the same once again.
In the end, she was fated to have her daughter constantly used against her, it left her with a burning hole of grief in her heart, she was the strongest of the minor nobles, yet against her true enemies, all her power was meaningless.