Reid chuckled at the two before finally helping himself to the food, slicing into a roast with practiced ease. Lucian and Reina followed suit, the table falling into a brief, uneasy silence.
"Well… that got awkward fast," Reid said with a laugh, taking a bite.
Lucian gave a faint chuckle in return, chewing slowly. For once, the usually sly, silver-tongued noble looked a little off-balance—clearly still thinking about Reid's earlier comment.
"Well, hard not to," he muttered. "You did drop a bit of a bomb."
Reina rolled her eyes and stabbed at a piece of grilled fish.
"I thought you didn't want to marry me off to random nobles," she said dryly.
Reid gave a warm chuckle, not at all deterred by her tone.
"Ah, but that's the keyword, isn't it? Random nobles. Lucian here isn't just some pompous heir. He's sly, clever… dangerously so. The sort of man who could make a cunning duke."
Reina shot her father a look of withering contempt, then sighed and returned to her food. Lucian didn't comment, though a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Despite their efforts, the three barely made a dent in the veritable mountain of food Lucian had ordered.
Eventually, Reid dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and stood, stretching his arms.
"A fine meal, child. I trust we'll see you at the ball later tonight?" he asked with a chuckle.
Lucian, who had eaten considerably more than either of them, wiped his mouth with deliberate care. His face was strained—he looked like he was about to explode.
"Yes, of course," he said, chuckling stiffly. "I'll be on my very best behavior."
Gods above, he thought. I really misjudged how much my stomach can handle. Even powerful beings like me aren't immune to indigestion.
Reid laughed, giving Lucian a light pat on the shoulder as he turned to leave.
"Very well then. Until tonight."
He strode off, regaining that easy noble poise as he headed toward the stairs.
Reina lingered a moment longer, her sharp gaze lingering on Lucian.
"It was… a pleasure to meet you," she said, the word pleasure dripping with false sweetness.
Lucian flashed her a crooked grin, resting a hand lightly over his stomach.
"Oh, the feeling is… mutual."
Lucian snapped his fingers, and right on cue, the waiter appeared—almost as if he'd been waiting just out of sight.
"Yes, my lord?"
Lucian chuckled, genuinely impressed. "Now that's service."
He leaned back slightly, eyes twinkling. "Tell me—do you do delivery?"
The waiter raised a brow but maintained his composure. "Not usually, sir. But given your… generosity, we'd be happy to make an exception."
Lucian grinned. "Excellent. Got a quill?"
Without missing a beat, the waiter produced one and handed it over, along with a small scrap of parchment.
Lucian quickly scribbled something down, then handed it back.
"Deliver it to this address—slums district. Just find the tavern run by a man with a beer belly and an attitude. He'll know what to do."
The waiter glanced at the note, then smiled faintly.
"The slums, sir? I didn't expect such kindness from a noble." He gave a respectful nod, then snapped his fingers, summoning a small team of staff to begin packaging and transporting the untouched dishes.
"You're an interesting man. I do hope we'll see you again."
Lucian stood slowly, doing his best not to grimace from the pressure in his overstuffed gut.
"The feeling's mutual," he replied with a polite smile, then turned to leave.
Around him, the restaurant had quieted. Patrons stared—some curious, others envious—whispering to each other as they tried to place the young noble who'd dined with the Duke and his daughter as though it were nothing.
Lucian relished the attention. As he reached the doorway, he paused, spun on his heel with dramatic flair, and flashed a roguish grin to the room.
"All of you," he announced, "could stand to learn a thing or two from me."
He blew a kiss to no one in particular, eyes gleaming with mischief, then swept out of the establishment like a man born for the stage.
Lucian stepped out of the restaurant, the midday sun blazing overhead. He stretched with a satisfied sigh, looking far too smug for someone teetering on the edge of food-induced collapse.
"Wow, I was in there that long?" he mused, hands resting on his hips. "Guess I can skip lunch. Silver linings."
He chuckled, adding, "I've spent less time fighting wars."
Lucian began strolling through the city streets, mulling over ways to kill time before the ball later that evening.
Then, like an impatient nudge from fate, A soft chime echoed in his ears as glowing runes swirled into place before his eyes.
[If you have nothing else to do, just do another dungeon.]
Lucian raised a brow. "Another dungeon? I was hoping you'd say that."
[Sigh. This is why I told you to explore the system further.]
He chuckled. "What, you mean like saying, 'Open dungeon menu' or something?"
As if on cue, the runes flickered, shifting seamlessly into what could only be described as a floating UI screen:
[Trial Dungeon 1: Completed]
[Trial Dungeon 2: Now Available] - [Estimated Difficulty: "You Might Die, But It'll Be Fun"]
[Trial Dungeon 3: Locked]
[Trial Dungeon 4: Locked]
[Final Trial Dungeon: Locked]
Lucian blinked. "Huh. That actually worked."
A small rune in the corner twisted into an annoyed face.
[>:(]
Lucian grinned. "Adorable."
Without hesitation, he tapped the option for Trial Dungeon 2. The air shimmered—then tore like silk, revealing a swirling vortex of crimson and gold, rippling like liquid fire.
A portal blossomed into existence in the middle of the cobbled street, pulsing with arcane energy. As always, the world around him remained oblivious—passersby walked straight through it, unaware it was even there.
Lucian cracked his knuckles, then smoothed back his hair with one hand, his grin widening.
"Alright then—more power, here I come."
With a confident laugh, he stepped forward and vanished into the dungeon's threshold.