When she thought back on the information she had stumbled across by chance, it still sent a chill through her.
She simply could not believe that the Empire had been in the hands of a single person all this time.
She began thinking back to her mission.
To clean out the Empire's parasites, and eliminate those who threatened the Empire.
At this moment, she felt the former was a far greater problem than the latter.
Up to now, Noxus had continuously stirred up war, campaigning north into the frozen lands, invading the continent of Ionia to the east, and now plundering westward at the Gates of Mourning.
Even in the southern continent of Shurima, small-scale wars were still breaking out without pause.
It could be said that this empire never tired of attacking in all directions, growing stronger by feeding war with war.
But because of that, more and more parasites had inevitably been bred within it.
The collapse of a powerful empire often began with corruption from within.
After making a circuit through the Empire, Katarina had discovered that the situation was already terrifying.
The parasites were constantly drinking the Empire's blood.
She was not a pacifist, but even she now understood that the Empire's endless wars needed to slow down.
If this continued unchecked, even a mighty empire would one day fall.
If things went on like this, sooner or later the backlash would come, and even the strongest empire would be devoured by its own excess.
Now that she realized this, Katarina knew she had to act and start clearing out the Empire's parasites.
And right now, she was looking for the first one.
As for what the little assassin behind him was thinking at this moment, Luke did not know. He had no interest in asking what she felt after seeing a scene like this.
People standing in different places saw different things.
Maybe if he said something now, he could make Katarina feel guilty.
But what would that change? This war was not something a little assassin like her could influence. Even if she felt guilty, would that make Noxus withdraw? Would it make up for the crimes Noxus had committed?
No.
Luke had never cared for empty gestures. He had always been a man of action. All he knew was that whatever the enemy had done to him, he would return in full.
On the street, some people could not hide their grief, some covered their faces and cried, some clung to each other and wept.
Tears seemed like the cheapest thing in the world here, and yet every single drop was enough to break a person's heart.
Luke even saw a few lizardfolk sitting there in silence, their faces full of sorrow.
Perhaps the mood on the street was too heavy. All kinds of grief poured into Sona's mind, and she could not stop herself from being drawn into it.
She knew what she needed to do.
So she stepped away from Luke and found an open spot nearby.
Luke watched her leave, then stopped where he was and quietly observed.
Sona sat down on a wooden barrel and laid her etwahl across her lap. She adjusted her breathing, relaxed, and then her fingers lightly brushed the strings. The air fell silent, and then, with a leaping note, the performance began.
A beautiful melody drifted out, and the people nearby unconsciously quieted down, turning toward the source of the music.
The blue-haired girl was quickly noticed. She was elegant and serene, and the breathtaking beauty of her face seemed to calm hearts without anyone realizing it.
Her fingertips were like dancing fireflies. The music began to flow, gather, fade, and gather again.
Then something in the song awakened. The melody deepened in layers, as if another person were playing at the same time, and the audience gradually became entranced, forgetting their grief for a while and sinking into the music.
The time had come.
The etwahl had awakened.
Long, winding phantoms rose from the strings, stretching outward and breaking apart, and even the air around her seemed to hum along.
To her, this was a gorgeous language, one that only she and the instrument could speak.
More and more people gathered around to listen. Her music seemed to possess a strange kind of magic.
The gentle melody sketched out the most unforgettable dreams in every heart, making each person feel as though they were seeing the one they missed most, as if that person had never really left, as if they were still beside them, speaking softly, or humming one last song.
Their hearts no longer hurt quite so much, and yet tears still slipped from their eyes uncontrollably.
This was a song woven from the melody within every person's heart. It had no name, and if she played it again another time, it would become something different.
In Sona's eyes, lines of many colors floated in the air like musical notes, and she could effortlessly weave any one of them into the piece.
Before long, the music had drawn nearly the entire street.
The Illuminators who had come to offer comfort on this street heard it too. Lux and Kahina squeezed their way forward, their eyes sparkling as they watched Sona play.
Shyvana was also drawn in by the music. It was almost the most beautiful thing she had ever heard, and it awakened many of the happiest memories in her heart.
Luke and the others stood not far away, watching Sona from a distance.
Katarina had never imagined that music could have this kind of power. Under its spell, she felt as if even the softest part hidden deep inside her had been lightly touched.
Or perhaps only Sona's music had that kind of power.
Without realizing it, her gaze softened, and for a moment it no longer looked so cold.
Sona sent the music into people's hearts. She warmed them with it, soothed them with it, and gave them courage with it to face the future.
The piece swelled into its crescendo.
She and the etwahl were immersed in an intimate conversation. The phantoms in the air spread wider, glowing and dancing gracefully, until the entire street seemed shrouded in marvelous color.
But Sona alone could see that scene.
After a while, the music gradually entered its ending. Many people wiped away their tears, still listening with full attention.
At last, the music came to a stop, and no one was willing to wake from the gentleness of those last moments.
But when they did come back to themselves, the pain in their eyes was no longer so deep. Instead, they began to steady themselves and prepare to face tomorrow.
That was the charm of Sona's music.
Katarina came back to herself, feeling the beat of her own heart from a moment ago. She let out a slow breath, and the coldness returned to her eyes.
When she looked at Sona again, there was a new seriousness there.
This woman was terrifying.
With nothing but music, with a single performance, she could produce such an effect.
Even Katarina herself had been swept away by it, nearly unable to pull free.
That was what Katarina thought as she came back to her senses only after the music had ended.
At that moment, applause burst out all around. The people offered the blue-haired girl grateful looks.
If not for her, they did not know how long it would have taken them to emerge from their grief.
Seeing that her music had helped, a sweet smile appeared on Sona's face. She bowed slightly to the audience, then lifted her eyes and looked at Luke.
"Your Highness, look, I helped them."
She sounded like a little girl, proud of herself, and also hoping for Luke's praise.
Luke answered her with a smile. As he clapped together with the crowd, the reflection of the blue-haired girl shone in his eyes.
Who could dislike a girl this gentle, all the way down to her bones?
He made up his mind. Tonight, she was getting rewarded with a lollipop.
Soon the crowd began to disperse, and Sona started walking back toward Luke.
Not far away, two figures ran over.
"Sona, that was so beautiful!"
"Yeah, yeah! I could listen to it forever!"
Kahina and Lux surrounded Sona, looking at her with open admiration.
Even though they heard Sona's music every day, no matter how many times they listened, they never got tired of it.
Sona gently patted both of them on the head.
"Finished with your work for the Illuminators?" Luke asked aloud.
Kahina shook her head. "Not yet. We just stopped by on the way. We have to go again in a minute."
Lux looked at Luke. "You're not planning to come help too, are you?"
"I have more important things to do," Luke replied.
The two girls did not ask what he meant, and soon returned to the Illuminators' group.
Luke continued on and headed for the next street.
This street was crowded with people coming and going, almost like a marketplace. All kinds of stalls lined both sides of the road.
After all, people from every direction beyond the border had gathered in the city, and it had already been a transit city before this. Even though war had broken out, trade could still continue.
Gold and silver coins were hard currency no matter what country you were in.
Luke browsed here and there, picking out and buying a few things. Before long, he stopped in front of one particular stall.
He crouched down and picked up a greenish-yellow flower, about as long as an arm, with a large stamen and broad petals.
He lifted it to his nose, sniffed it, confirmed he had not mistaken it, and looked at the stall owner. "How much for this?"
The owner could tell some important figure had arrived, and replied with stiff respect, "It's cheap stuff. Just pay whatever you think is fair."
Luke swept a glance over the stall. "How many more do you have?"
At that, the stall owner brought out an entire basketful. They all looked pretty fresh.
Luke asked again, "Where'd you pick these?"
"Not far east of the city," the stall owner replied. "There's a huge patch of them growing there. You can't pick them all."
"Fine. I'll take everything."
Luke tossed down a gold coin, picked up the basket, and stood.
The stall owner grabbed the coin and felt like he had made a fortune.
After leaving the stall, Luke casually handed the basket to Katarina at his side and kept strolling.
Some time later, Katarina still wanted to ask whether the important business this guy had mentioned was really just shopping.
By now, she had noticed that everyone in the whole of Hill City seemed at least somewhat busy.
Only this guy was idling around without doing a single serious thing.
Once he had finished wandering around and bought everything he wanted, Luke returned to where they were staying.
After coming back, he immediately got busy.
Katarina watched in confusion as he started fiddling with all sorts of things, grinding and kneading together several ingredients, including the greenish-yellow flowers he had just bought.
Everything he mixed together was strange, seasonings, all kinds of weird juices, wild fruit, even stone powder and white ash that obviously did not look edible.
At a glance, it looked exactly like he was making some kind of poison.
Could this be for me?
The thought made Katarina feel a sudden chill.
Her resistance to poison was high, but if she ate a disgusting mixture like that, she doubted she could endure it either.
In the end, she watched Luke pour the mixture into one waist-high jar after another, add water, and then dump in a nearly lethal amount of salt.
Then he sealed them with lids.
He repeated the process over and over, and when things were almost finished, he started directing her to do it too.
At that moment, Katarina had the distinct feeling that she was personally helping make the poison that would kill her.
Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, she asked, "This isn't for me, is it?"
Luke heard that and laughed. "So that's why your face has looked so weird. Why would I go through all this trouble to make something like this for you? Though if you want to drink it, I won't stop you."
Seeing that he did not seem to be lying, Katarina finally relaxed.
Only after handling it herself did she realize just how many bizarre ingredients had gone into it.
Katarina kept working there.
Meanwhile, Luke lounged around again.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
The group had just finished lunch when Jarvan IV walked in and said to Luke, "There's word that a Noxian unit has been spotted to the south. I'm preparing to send troops to check the situation."
"The south?" Luke thought for a moment when he heard that. "We haven't even moved yet, and they're the ones making a move first."
Jarvan IV said, "It's probably just a probing force. But if they dare come out, then I'll make them pay for it."
He was already preparing to send troops out at once.
Luke nodded. "Fine. If one comes, wipe one out."
At that moment, Shyvana, who had been listening to the two of them, suddenly spoke up. "Let me go too."
Jarvan IV and Luke both turned to look at her.
Shyvana smiled faintly. "I can't exactly keep eating this much for free."
Demacia had taken her in and given her food and shelter without asking anything in return. Naturally, she wanted to repay that.
Besides, she and Noxus were enemies as well. She did not like that overbearing, unreasonable empire.
She had already heard of, and witnessed, what that empire did back in her homeland.
As for Shyvana's strength, Luke naturally trusted it.
After a good meal, she was absolutely a major combat force.
"All right."
So Luke nodded and agreed.
Seeing that he approved, Jarvan IV said nothing more and turned to Shyvana. "The troops are about to move out. Come with me."
Very quickly, a force led by Jarvan IV departed Hill City and headed south.
Around dusk, the force returned in triumph.
They had crushed the Noxian warband.
It was said that Shyvana's performance had been the most astonishing of all.
Apparently, she had sent one Noxian flying more than thirty feet with a single punch, leaving Jarvan IV and a whole crowd of soldiers staring in shock.
After seeing that, Jarvan IV no longer dared underestimate her in the slightest, despite having originally wanted to protect her a bit.
With someone like her on their side, defeating a Noxian warband was naturally no difficult task.
After returning, Shyvana quickly gained a good deal of popularity and became someone the soldiers deeply respected.
Demacia admired strength too, and Shyvana had proven her power through this battle.
Although her reddish-purple skin made many people suspicious when they first saw her, that doubt vanished once they actually got to know her.
It was not hard to see that Shyvana also had a gentle heart, and someone like that was not the kind of person Demacia would reject.
Just like that, three days passed in a blur.
December 5th.
Noticing that the sunlight was particularly nice that day, Luke carried over a reclining chair, found a spot with good light, sat down, and closed his eyes to sun himself.
He had modified the chair himself. After all, hauling a chaise lounge all the way from the capital would have been more trouble than simply making a new one.
He had barely lain down for a moment when he opened his eyes and glanced toward Katarina. "If you've got nothing to do, come massage my shoulders."
Katarina, who had gradually adjusted to her role, walked over when she heard that. She raised her hands into loose fists and brought them down onto his shoulders.
To be fair, she seemed to have an instinctive talent for this.
Her strength was controlled perfectly.
Luke could not even find anything to complain about.
The rhythmic tapping on his shoulders continued as the mild sunlight fell warmly over him, and little by little Luke began to feel sleepy and drift off.
Behind him, Katarina watched as his breathing became steady and slow. This guy had actually fallen asleep right in front of her, completely unguarded, full of openings.
With her speed, she could slit his throat with a dagger in less than a second.
But the thought remained only that, a thought.
In fact, Katarina almost sneered inwardly at how pointless it was.
Since when had she, Katarina, become someone who only fantasized?
Her gaze could not help drifting to Luke's face. His eyes were closed, his lashes were long, and he looked perfectly content.
Even though she saw that face every day, it was still hard not to be struck by it when looking this closely.
It really was an exceptionally handsome face, warm and refined like jade, with sword-like brows softened by a certain gentleness, a high nose, and features that looked like they belonged in a work of art.
What a pity that a face like that had to belong to a person like him.
Such a waste.
The moment Katarina thought about how arrogantly he had ordered her around these past few days, and how he had left her hungry for nearly a day and a half, all appreciation vanished from her eyes.
Suddenly, she had the urge to grab his face and yank it hard.
Sometimes she honestly wondered whether this guy was really a prince.
How could there be such a huge difference between princes?
When Jarvan IV rode out to battle, this guy was lying down.
When Jarvan IV returned in victory, this guy was lying down.
When Jarvan IV got up early to train the troops, this guy was still lying down.
The entire day, all he did was lie there.
Once in a while, if he felt like it, he would start fiddling with some strange thing, carving, cutting, grinding, sawing.
Later on, he simply handed all that work over to her and Yurna, while he continued lounging around.
Anyone who did not know better would think this guy had come out beyond the border for a vacation.
Katarina thought that if she ever got the chance to return to Noxus, she should raise Jarvan IV's bounty and lower this guy's.
He really did not deserve that price tag.
"If you have a problem with me, say it. What exactly is this thing where you keep hitting harder and harder without making a sound?"
Luke opened his eyes and shot Katarina a mildly dissatisfied look.
"Sorry, Your Highness." Katarina snapped back to herself at once, lightened her touch, and answered with the same blank expression Yurna always used.
"That's enough. Stop. I'm thirsty, go get me a glass of water."
Luke waved a hand.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Katarina answered expressionlessly again and turned to leave.
Luke watched her back and thought that this red-haired girl was looking more and more like an actual maid lately. She had clearly started settling into the role.
Still, every time he looked at her, he felt like he was seeing a second Yurna.
He rubbed his chin and thought about it for a while, but when no answer came to him, he simply closed his eyes again and drifted back into a doze.
Before long, Katarina came back carrying a glass of water. With the same blank face, she said, "Your Highness, your water."
Luke opened his eyes, took the cup, and looked at her. "I still liked you better when you were all wild and unyielding at the start. Can you switch back?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Katarina's expression control, which had never been as good as Yurna's, finally cracked. The corner of her mouth twitched despite herself, and she looked away from Luke in fear that she would not be able to stop herself from punching that smug face.
Like hell I can.
She had gone out of her way to learn the blank expression trick from Yurna precisely so this bastard would stop finding excuses to pick at her.
At that moment, she felt like she finally understood why Yurna, that maid, always kept her beautiful face stiff and unreadable.
The reason was this guy right here.
After spending the last few days with him, she had realized it.
This guy was the purest kind of troublemaker.
He loved provoking emotional reactions, except the emotions were never his own, they were everyone else's.
The moment someone else showed emotion, he would be over there enjoying himself like crazy.
On the other hand, if no emotional reaction came, he got bored and eventually stopped.
So the best solution now was simple, no emotion at all. Even if she had emotions, she just could not show them.
That would solve everything.
Looking at it that way, this prince was actually pretty easy to deal with.
Luke drank his water and, sure enough, found it a little boring. He sighed, handed the cup back to her, closed his eyes, and lay back down again.
Seeing him spend all day like this, Katarina could not help wondering how a guy like him could possess such strength.
There was the swordsmanship that could command the wind, and there was his masterful archery. Both were outstanding skills.
Either one looked like the kind of thing that required grueling training.
But after observing him for several days, Katarina was sure that his laziness was carved into his bones. He was absolutely not putting on an act just because she was around.
He was truly that lazy.
The only exception was that strange set of health exercises. Those he practiced every single day without fail, a few times over, rain or shine.
This world was seriously absurd.
Second by second, time slipped away. Katarina sat there in boredom until she could not hold back anymore and asked, "You lie around like this all day. Don't you get bored?"
Luke replied without even opening his eyes, "Not at all. Doesn't lying around feel nice?"
"It does feel nice." Katarina looked at him and continued, "But if you're just going to lie around either way, then why did you come all the way from Demacia's capital to this place?"
Luke opened his eyes and looked at her strangely. "What kind of question is that? Of course I came all this way to deal with Noxus."
Katarina let out a cool laugh. "So your strategy is to lie around all day and see which side can outlast the other?"
Ignoring the sarcasm in her tone, Luke glanced at her. "Why do you seem even more eager than I am to crush that group of Noxians at the Gates of Mourning? No matter what, they're technically your allies."
"They're just a rival faction." Katarina gave a cold laugh, showing no concern whatsoever for the Noxians at the Gates of Mourning. Then she added, "Besides, I just think that instead of wasting time here, you'd be better off heading back to Demacia's main city and investigating Du Couteau's whereabouts."
In her view, Luke lay around no matter where he went, so he might as well go back to Demacia's capital and continue lying around there.
The clues about Du Couteau's disappearance pointed to Demacia, and whatever he planned to do next could very well bring ruin upon her family.
That made her feel there was not much time she could afford to waste.
And now, finding Du Couteau was tied to her freedom too.
Only now did she realize how rashly she had agreed back then. If Du Couteau was never found, did that mean she would have to stay at this guy's side as a maid for the rest of her life?
"In my view, enjoying every second as time passes isn't called wasting time."
Luke remained sprawled lazily across the chair. He shifted into a more comfortable position and continued, "Besides, it's only been a few days. How do you know I haven't done anything?"
"Even if you have done some things," Katarina said with another quiet laugh, remembering that Luke had indeed messed around with a few projects over the last few days, "I might as well tell you this. I don't particularly like that guy, but I have to admit he does have some talent when it comes to commanding troops and waging war. This stopped being a question of a few days a long time ago. It's about which side can endure longer."
And if that was the case, then naturally a huge amount of time was going to be burned away.
Luke answered casually, "So what if he has talent? At this level of warfare, one big battle is often enough to decide everything."
Katarina only gave a noncommittal smile and said nothing more.
Seeing the look on her face, Luke grew interested. "Since you think that way, how about we make a bet?"
Katarina turned her cool emerald eyes on him. "What kind of bet?"
Luke continued, "We'll bet on whether Demacia can retake the Gates of Mourning before New Year's."
At that, Katarina's lips curled. She showed no fear at all. "And what's at stake?"
"If Demacia fails to retake the Gates of Mourning before New Year's, then when the deadline comes, I'll give you your freedom back."
Luke looked at Katarina as he spoke, then continued thoughtfully, "But if the Gates of Mourning fall before New Year's, then you..."
"Then I what?" Katarina asked.
Luke actually had to think about that for a moment.
After all, this red-haired girl did not seem to have anything else left she could use as a wager.
He looked her up and down and said, "Then you'll be responsible for warming my bed."
Katarina lifted a brow. Then, without much thought, she agreed immediately. "Fine. I accept."
She felt there was no reason for hesitation.
The general commanding the attack on the Gates of Mourning this time was Patria Teir, also born into the upper nobility and given an elite education from childhood.
Though he came from a rival family, it could not be denied that he had real talent for leading troops and waging war.
Otherwise, he could not have broken through the Gates of Mourning so quickly.
And besides, the Noxian army was no weakling either. There were only a little more than twenty days left until New Year's.
Less than a month.
Under the current circumstances, capturing the Gates of Mourning in that time was impossible, even in Katarina's eyes, and she had never commanded troops in battle herself.
With that in mind, how could she possibly be afraid to take this bet?
A faint sneer curled at her lips as she looked at Luke across from her.
Luke smiled. "Then let's wait and see."
Either way, he did not lose much with this gamble.
If he won, he would gain another maid to warm his bed.
The weather had been getting colder lately. There was no heater in the room, and every time he lifted the blanket and climbed in, he had to freeze for ten or twenty minutes before he could fall asleep.
At the moment, the situation at the Gates of Mourning really did seem to have settled into a stalemate.
Over the past few days, the two sides had had a few small clashes, but it was easy to see that those were all just Noxian probes.
No truly major battle had broken out.
The other side only needed to hold the Gates of Mourning. For them, that already counted as taking the first city.
Demacia, on the other hand, was clearly the side at a disadvantage.
If they did not come up with something, this really might drag on for quite a while.
But for Demacia, the longer it dragged on, the worse it would become.
This was because the frontier beyond Demacia's territory was home to many of Demacia's allies and partners.
If Noxus continued to occupy the Gates of Mourning, the first to suffer would be those allies.
Compared to the outcome of the battle itself, Demacia naturally cared more about the safety and condition of those allies.
That was also the reason Jarvan IV refused to withdraw.
If he pulled back now, it would be no different from abandoning the Gates of Mourning and completely handing over this entire outlying region to Noxus.
In fact, if Jarvan IV had insisted on pressing the pursuit back then, the chain reaction would have been the complete fall of the Gates of Mourning.
Noxus would have taken it outright.
But things had not grown that bad yet.
There was still room to turn them around.
At that moment, a cool breeze swept past. The mild sunlight had quietly shifted, and a touch of cold crept in.
That was not enough to stop Luke from enjoying the sun. He stood up, moved the chair back into the light, and stretched out again comfortably.
Katarina watched the scene with the speechless look of someone who was long since used to this.
She simply could not understand how a man like this had the confidence to make that kind of bet with her.
Retaking the Gates of Mourning in just over twenty days, this guy was probably planning to rely on his older brother to do all the hard work.
At the same time, elsewhere.
At the Gates of Mourning.
On top of the newly reinforced walls, Patria stood with his hands behind his back, calmly looking out toward the direction of Hill City beyond the city walls.
There was a hint of cold in the air, but he did not dislike the feeling.
Cold sometimes made the mind clearer.
Now, the city beneath his feet belonged to him completely, but he had no intention of stopping there.
At that moment, an adjutant came to report, "General, we have a lead. Demacia's second prince has also arrived in Hill City."
Patria's eyes flickered slightly when he heard that, and he murmured to himself, "Demacia's second prince..."
By now, the matter of Demacia's second prince was no secret in Noxus.
Not long after he returned, the news had already reached Noxus.
There was not much specific intelligence on him, but the fact that Jarvan III had gone so far as to publicly establish a queen for the sake of the prince's deceased mother was enough to show that his position was no lower than Jarvan IV's.
In Patria's eyes, that was a glittering military achievement laid out right in front of him.
He had not expected that his first campaign to the west would give him the chance to deal with two Demacian princes at once.
But even knowing that two excellent achievements were right in front of him, Patria was not in any hurry.
From the probing attacks over the last few days, it was not hard to see that Demacia's troop strength was substantial as well.
In a situation like this, impatience would not help.
Besides, he was not the one who should be anxious.
All he had to do now was hold the Gates of Mourning and keep drawing things out. The enemy would grow anxious on their own.
Coming out to command this campaign had truly been the right choice.
With that thought, Patria's mood lifted, and a pleased smile curved at the corner of his mouth.
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