Chapter : 1397

"I didn't write that," Lloyd said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. "I didn't know about that. My mother is... proactive. I know it's a mess, Faria. With Rosa staying, and Amina... I know you don't want to be part of a circus."

"Who said I didn't want to join the circus?" Faria asked.

Lloyd blinked. "What?"

Faria stepped closer. She wasn't yelling. She was smiling. It was a dazzling, determined smile that made Lloyd want to hide under his desk.

"Lloyd, you are a genius," Faria said. "But you are blind. Do you think I care about politics? Do you think I care if the Ice Queen sits in the corner or if the Princess schemes in the tower?"

She leaned over the desk, invading his personal space.

"I am an artist," Faria declared passionately. "I understand composition. A painting needs contrast. Rosa is the cold blue. Amina is the deep purple. But you..." She poked him in the chest. "You are the canvas. And you are missing the red. You need the fire. You need me."

Lloyd stared at her. "You... you're okay with this? With the... plurality?"

"Okay with it?" Faria laughed. It was a bright, bell-like sound. "I am counting on it! I don't want to manage your estate. Let Rosa do the math. I don't want to run your spy network. Let Amina play her games. I just want you."

She slammed her hand on the letter again.

"Your mother sees it," Faria said. "She knows we fit. So, stop stalling. The letter is sent. My father is thrilled. The only one dragging his feet is you."

She looked him dead in the eye.

"So," Faria asked, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. "When? When do we make it official? Next month? Next week? I can have a dress ready by Tuesday."

Lloyd’s mind reeled. He had expected anger. He had expected an ultimatum to choose her instead of the others. He was prepared for that fight.

He was not prepared for enthusiastic acceptance.

"Faria," Lloyd stammered. "I... I have assassins hunting me. I have a corporation to run. I am currently married to a woman who freezes things when she's annoyed and engaged to a woman who uses treaties as love letters. It's dangerous!"

"I like danger," Faria grinned. "And I love you. So, stop making excuses."

She grabbed his collar and pulled him close.

"I am not asking you to choose only me," she said fiercely. "I am telling you that you will marry me. I don't care about the order. First wife, second wife, third wife... it doesn't matter. As long as I am your wife."

She let him go and smoothed his lapel.

"Fix your schedule, Lloyd," she commanded. "Find a date. Because I am not going to be the only one left out of the history books. I'm joining the team. Deal with it."

She turned and marched out, looking triumphant.

Lloyd sat back down. He put his head in his hands.

Rosa wanted to keep him. Amina wanted to acquire him. And now Faria was demanding to be added to the roster immediately. And his mother was acting as the recruitment officer for his own harem.

He wasn't trapped by conflict. He was trapped by agreement. Everyone agreed he should be married to everyone. Except him. He just wanted a nap.

"This is worse," Lloyd whispered. "This is so much worse than them fighting. They are... organizing."

He looked at his desk. Under the letter, under the frost, was a blueprint. It was the schematic for the Aegis suit.

"Yes," Lloyd said. A desperate idea formed in his mind. "Work. Work is safe. Machines don't want to marry you. Machines don't have fathers who are Marquesses."

He stood up. He grabbed the blueprint. He grabbed his coat.

"I'm going to the lab," he announced to the empty room. "And I'm not coming out until I build a robot that can understand women. Or until the heat death of the universe. Whichever comes first."

He ran out of the study, dodging servants and shadows, fleeing towards the one place where he was still the master of his fate: the cold, logical, beautiful sanctuary of his manufactory.

Lloyd burst into the dining room that evening like a man with his hair on fire. The family was gathered for dinner. Arch Duke Roy sat at the head, looking grim. Duchess Milody sat to his right, looking serene and plotting. The empty chairs for Rosa and Faria felt like accusations.

"I have an announcement!" Lloyd shouted, slamming his hand on the table. The silverware jumped.

Everyone looked at him.

"Is it about the elephants?" Roy asked hopefully. "Are they leaving?"

Chapter : 1398

"No," Lloyd said. "It is about national security. It is about the fate of the world. It is about... science."

He took a deep breath. He had rehearsed this speech in the hallway. It had to be convincing. It had to be terrifying enough to make them leave him alone.

"The attack on Ramos," Lloyd said gravely. "The Golem. The laser. It revealed a critical weakness in our defenses. We are vulnerable. If the enemy attacks again with a weapon of that magnitude, we will be wiped out."

"We have the army," Roy said.

"The army is flesh!" Lloyd countered. "Flesh burns. Flesh breaks. We need steel. We need magic. We need... Project Aegis."

"Project Aegis?" Milody asked. "What is that, dear?"

"It is a top-secret, hyper-thaumaturgical, kinetic-response initiative," Lloyd babbled, using the biggest words he could think of. "It involves advanced rune-scripting and heavy metal alloy synthesis. It is dangerous. It is volatile. And it requires my absolute, undivided attention."

He looked at his parents with wide, manic eyes. "I cannot be disturbed. I cannot attend tea parties. I cannot discuss weddings. I cannot deal with envoys. If I lose focus for even one second, the mana-core could destabilize and turn the entire estate into a smoking crater."

Roy frowned. "A crater? That sounds bad."

"Very bad," Lloyd nodded. "Catastrophic. So, for the safety of the family, and the kingdom, I must seclude myself. I am moving into the manufactory. I will live there. I will eat there. I will sleep there. Do not knock on the door. Do not send letters. Do not send wives."

He grabbed a bread roll from the table. "I am taking this for sustenance. Goodbye!"

He turned and ran. He didn't wait for permission. He didn't wait for questions. He sprinted out of the dining room, down the hall, and out the front door.

A carriage was waiting. Ken stood by the door. He looked at Lloyd's frantic face.

"To the manufactory?" Ken guessed.

"Drive, Ken!" Lloyd shouted, diving inside. "Drive like the wind! Before they realize I just made up half those words!"

Ken climbed onto the driver's seat and snapped the reins. The carriage lurched forward.

Inside, Lloyd slumped against the cushions. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. He had done it. He had created a bubble. A sanctuary.

"They won't follow me," he thought. "Mother won't risk an explosion. Father respects 'national security'. And the wives... well, they probably think I'm crazy. Crazy is good. Crazy keeps people away."

He looked out the window as the estate faded into the distance. He saw the lights of the main house. It looked warm. It looked inviting. But it was a trap.

"Sorry, everyone," Lloyd whispered. "But I can't fix your problems. I can only fix machines."

He clutched the bread roll. It was squished. It was a sad dinner. But it was a dinner of freedom.

"To the lab," Lloyd said. "To the quiet. To the work."

The manufactory was dark and silent when Lloyd arrived. He unlocked the heavy iron door with a key he kept around his neck. He stepped inside and breathed in the smell of oil, sawdust, and ozone.

It was the best smell in the world.

He locked the door behind him. He engaged the three deadbolts. He activated the magical wards. He dragged a heavy crate in front of the door just to be sure.

"Safe," Lloyd exhaled.

He walked into the main workshop. It was a cavernous space filled with tables, tools, and prototypes.

"Master Lloyd?" a voice called out.

Alaric, the perfectionist alchemist, poked his head out from behind a pile of gears. "You are here late. Did you forget something?"

"I am moving in, Alaric," Lloyd announced. "Prepare a cot. And coffee. Lots of coffee."

Borin, the explosive expert, popped up. "Moving in? excellent! Does this mean we can test the high-yield capacitors at 3 AM?"

"Yes," Lloyd said. "We can test everything. We are going to work until our eyes bleed."

Lyra, the pragmatist, walked over with a clipboard. "If you are staying, we need a schedule. And a budget increase for food."

"Done and done," Lloyd said. "Now, clear the main table. Bring out the Package."

The three alchemists moved quickly. They cleared a large table in the center of the room. Lloyd reached into his spatial inventory. He focused his will.

The Golem Heart appeared on the table.

It pulsed with a soft, amber light. It was beautiful. Complex. And terrifying.

"Behold," Lloyd said. "The brain."

He then pulled out another box. The Lilith Stones from Zakaria.

"And the nerves," he added.