Eden System - Rise of the Villain Prince

Morlan waved dismissively, sneering. "You don't need to know what that is. Just know that if you win, I'll give you all of it."

Lathel nodded lightly and said, "Good. I hope you'll keep your word, Vice Dean."

"Of course!" Morlan replied confidently. "I'm the Vice Dean. Once I say something, it will not change."

Lucien, standing to the side, had sobered up considerably by now. Hearing the wager between Morlan and Lathel only deepened the sense of unease in his heart.

'Strange,' he thought to himself. 'Why do I feel so uneasy? No! He's just an ordinary man, a useless one at that. He'll surely fail.'

Although Lucien tried to reassure himself, anxiety and restlessness continued to stir within. In the end, he decided to consult Lilith.

"Master, Lathel, he—"

"I know what you're about to ask," Lilith interrupted, speaking directly into his thoughts. "I have my suspicions as well, but Lathel doesn't seem to possess any special strength."

"There's only a strange flow of energy surrounding his body—likely something from Lyra to protect him."

"I could examine it more closely, but if I touch that energy field, Lyra might detect me."

"That's enough, Master," Lucien said, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. He felt more at ease.

He looked toward Lathel, his gaze regaining confidence—but now also carried with it a deeper hatred and irritation.

When Lucien saw Selvia holding Lathel's hand tightly, worry etched on her face, his fury surged again, his body trembling with anger.

"Selvia..." Lucien couldn't hold back and called out.

Selvia heard his voice and turned to look at him. But that gaze was no longer the same as before—now it was filled with indifference and contempt.

Seeing her eyes, Lucien's heart ached, forcing him to clutch his chest. Still, he forced himself to speak: "Selvia, one day you'll understand… everything I've done, I had my reasons."

"You'll see that he's not—"

"Enough!" Selvia snapped, her voice trembling. "Lucien, it's my life—you don't need to meddle in it."

"Please, I don't like you. I never liked you. And I'm certain I never will. There's only one person I love, and that is…"

Selvia didn't finish her sentence, but at that moment, she looked at Lathel with eyes full of tenderness and love—as if she wanted to give him all the best, sweetest, and gentlest parts of herself.

"Agh!" Lucien clenched his teeth, his hand digging into his chest as if trying to rip his heart out.

His eyes trembled, turning red as if he were about to cry.

Irelia saw Lucien's state, and her own heart ached deeply. Her eyes welled with tears, ready to fall. She bit her lip hard to stop them, but the pain in her chest made it nearly impossible to breathe.

"Selvia, why?" Lucien gritted his teeth, speaking in pain. "Everything I did was for you."

"That's only what you think," Selvia replied firmly, her trembling hand clutching Lathel's more tightly, drawing strength from his presence. "I'm truly happy right now, so please—don't interfere in my life."

With those words, Selvia turned and walked away.

Naturally, Lathel wouldn't let her go alone—he immediately followed. Before leaving, he turned back and smiled at Morlan. "Vice Dean, I hope you'll keep your word."

The confrontation thick with tension finally came to a close with a wager.

Both groups headed toward the Trial Tower, though they chose separate rest areas.

"Lathel, do you truly believe you can win?" Lyra asked with a frown.

Selvia and Mira looked at him anxiously.

Lathel smiled, warm as sunlight, and replied gently, "Master, if I hadn't accepted, your honor would've been trampled."

"Even if I lose, the one to be embarrassed will be me, not you."

Everyone was surprised by his words—especially Lyra. She hadn't expected Lathel to act for her sake.

'While everyone else mocks him… he still cares about others,' Lyra thought to herself. 'He… really is different.'

Her gaze toward Lathel grew softer, losing some of its earlier indifference.

[Ding! Lyra's Favorability has increased to 68%.]

Lathel glanced at the notification panel, a satisfied smile forming within him. 'So far… everything's going according to what I saw through the Foresight Card. Lucien, the stage is set—now all that's left is for you to step onto it.'

His eyes grew sharp and cold like a lone wolf's—but that look quickly vanished.

The distance between Lyra and Lathel had noticeably shortened. Especially with Selvia and Mira's enthusiastic presence, Lyra was now speaking much more than she had when they first met.

On the other side, Lucien watched Lathel surrounded by three beautiful women, all smiling as brightly as flowers blooming under the morning sun—and his anger only deepened.

"Are you angry?" Lilith's voice rang out in his mind. "Because he's surrounded by beauties and you have none?"

Lucien shook his head, responding mentally to Lilith. "No, Master. In my heart right now, there is only Selvia."

"But you heard her, didn't you? She doesn't like you. She never liked you—and she never will," Lilith chuckled, her tone teasing, as if mocking him.

Still, he only sighed, then said softly, "It's fine if she doesn't like me. As long as I can help Selvia escape from Lathel's filthy hands, even if she never loves me… that's okay."

"So long as…" Lucien clenched his fists until they turned pale and trembled, his eyes gradually turning blood-red. "So long as she can get away from Lathel… no matter what the cost—I'll pay it."

"Ah!" Lilith sighed. "How troublesome. Love really is the most irritating thing I've ever seen. But at the very least, you've got yourself one hell of a motivation."

"Lucien, are you alright?" Irelia's voice suddenly rang out, pulling him back to reality.

"Ah! I..." Lucien stammered, "I'm fine. Don't worry... hahaha..."

"Good!" Morlan said with a laugh. "Lucien, do you know what your talent is yet?"

Hearing that, Lucien confidently replied, "Vice Dean, my talent seems to be related to the Wind element. As for the rest... I'm not entirely sure."

"Wind element, huh?" Morlan's face lit up with joy. "Excellent! Hahaha... Professor Lyra's talent is also Wind. You becoming her disciple is truly fitting."

Lucien sighed. "It's just... she doesn't seem to like me."

"Don't worry," Morlan reassured him. "That's just for now. Once you enter the Trial Tower, your performance will surely change her opinion."

"Yes." Lucien nodded.

"As for your conflict with Lathel, I've heard about it," Morlan continued. "I know your feelings for that girl run deep, but let me say this… there are plenty of women in this world. Don't throw away an entire garden for one soiled flower."

"Soiled flower?" Lucien frowned, confused. But a moment later, he realized what Morlan meant.

Selvia was now Lathel's woman—a woman defiled. Of course, he knew this. But still... his heart yearned for her.

"Look over there..." Morlan smiled, gesturing toward Irelia. "Isn't there another flower already blooming beside you?"

"You must understand, even if that girl becomes a royal consort, in the eyes of the Royal Family, she's still just a plaything."

"On the other hand, this one is different. Her father is a professor here at the Academy. Though he may not be royalty, even nobles bow their heads before him."

Irelia blushed furiously, like a ripe apple. Her hands fidgeted nervously at the hem of her shirt.

Yet her eyes still looked toward Lucien, filled with hope and anticipation, with just a hint of joy blooming quietly within her.

Lucien was a little surprised by what he heard, but without even glancing at Irelia, he immediately replied, "Vice Dean, you're mistaken. She and I are just friends."

BAM!

Lucien's words struck Irelia like a bolt of lightning to the chest. She stood frozen in place, eyes glistening as if on the verge of tears, biting her lip hard just to keep them from falling.

"Ah? But I heard the entire Academy is already gossiping that you two are dating?" Morlan asked, puzzled.

"That..." Lucien hesitated. He didn't know how to explain. But… he truly didn't have feelings for Irelia.

He sighed and said, "Perhaps everyone misunderstood. Irelia and I are just close friends. In my heart, there's still only one person—and that's Selvia."

Morlan glanced at Irelia's expression, on the verge of tears, and seemed to realize something. He let out a soft sigh.

Shaking his head, he said, "Alright, young people's feelings really are complicated. If you like someone, then you like them. If you don't, then you don't. Why force yourself down a dead-end path?"

Lucien understood that Morlan was referring to his situation with Selvia. He clenched his teeth and said, "I am committed to the path I've chosen. I... have no regrets."

Irelia's hands were trembling, clenched so tightly that her nails pierced her palms. Blood seeped through her fingers, soaking her hands.

"Irelia... are you okay?" Morlan noticed her state and asked with concern.

"S-Sorry, I need to go wash my face for a bit." Irelia said and quickly turned to leave.

Even after Irelia disappeared behind the tall trees, Lucien never once looked in her direction.

His gaze remained fixed on Selvia—on her beautiful face, lit up with a radiant smile like a blooming sunflower.

But that smile… wasn't for him.

It was for Lathel.