CHAPTER 222: DANGEROUS UNDERSTANDING

Lucas raised his eyes from the floor and met the faint silhouette of the Empress beyond the translucent curtain. The air in the chamber had grown heavy again, thick with the weight of secrets and the echo of her warning. He took a slow breath, his mind working rapidly, his tone calm but edged with a cold firmness when he finally spoke.

"Then tell me, Your Majesty," he said, his voice carrying across the room, quiet but unshaken. "Why should I trust you? You say the world is drowning in darkness and that even your own kingdom has been touched by it. You speak as though you already know what must be done, but I can’t help wondering...why should I believe you? And, more importantly, why should you believe me?"

The question lingered in the air for a moment. Behind the thin curtain, the Empress tilted her head ever so slightly, the faint shimmer of her silhouette betraying an amused expression. For the first time, a soft, musical laugh escaped her lips...low, rich, and disarming in the tense quiet of the hall.

"Trust," she repeated, her voice carrying a kind of dangerous elegance. "Do you know how many times I have heard that word from men who came here wearing the mask of sincerity? How many times I have been promised loyalty, friendship, alliance?"

Lucas said nothing.

"They all say the same thing," she continued. "They speak of honor, of unity, of peace.mand then they whisper daggers behind the veil."

She stood up from the mat and stepped closer to the curtain, and though her face remained hidden, her presence seemed to draw nearer. "You ask why you should trust me, but tell me, Xavier of Valerion....why should I trust you? You arrived here uninvited, carrying secrets you do not fully understand, speaking of dangers that have no names. You hide a soul that is not of this time, an energy that defies the natural laws of cultivation, and you expect me to believe that you come here in goodwill?"

Her words were not cruel; they were simply sharp, dissecting him piece by piece. Lucas did not avert his gaze. "No," he said at last, "I do not expect you to believe me. I don’t even expect you to like me. But I do expect you to listen. Because what’s coming won’t stop for Lechia’s pride or Valerion’s ambition. It will consume both just the same."

The Empress gave a quiet hum, neither agreeing nor dismissing his words. "You are bold," she said. "Too bold, perhaps. You remind me of the kind of man who would walk into a battlefield with no army, believing sheer will could win the war."

"Maybe I am," Lucas replied. "But I know what this darkness can do, and I’d rather walk into that battlefield alone than wait for it to reach my doorstep."

The Empress was silent again. Her shadow moved faintly...one delicate hand resting on the edge of the curtain, fingers gliding over the fabric as though tracing unseen patterns in the air. "You speak with conviction," she said quietly. "And that is precisely what makes you dangerous. A man with conviction can move nations...or destroy them."

Then, unexpectedly, she gave another soft laugh, one that carried a strange warmth beneath its sharp edge. "You are right about one thing, however," she said. "I have seen through you. I know that you are not lying about who you are or where you come from. But do not mistake understanding for trust. The fact that I see you clearly does not mean I believe everything you say. Nor does it mean I intend to stand beside you."

Lucas nodded slowly, his tone steady when he spoke. "And I have no reason to trust you either. Your Majesty’s reputation precedes you. Among the courts of Valerion, they say the Empress of Lechia can smile in your face while she slips a knife between your ribs."

At that, she laughed again....this time louder, unrestrained, the sound echoing across the chamber. "So Valerion still remembers the trade council of Nareth?" she said with a hint of pride. "Good. I would be disappointed if they did not. I have built my name on breaking promises that no longer served my kingdom. A crown does not stay bright by keeping its hands clean."

Lucas could not help but allow a small smirk to touch his lips. "Then you understand why I came prepared to be deceived," he said.

Her tone softened slightly. "And yet you came anyway," she replied. "You stood before me, insulted my counselor, and dared to speak words that could cost you your head. That takes either immense courage or absolute foolishness."

"Perhaps both," Lucas admitted. "But if what you say about the infiltration is true, then we have no choice. Whether you trust me or not, whether I trust you or not, we’re standing on the same ground that’s already cracking beneath our feet. You said the corruption runs deep...that it’s within every kingdom. Then you already know what that means. The only way to survive it is to fight it together."

There was a long silence. The Empress did not move, nor did she speak. Lucas could only hear the soft rustle of silk and the faint hum of the golden lamps that lined the room. Finally, her voice returned...lower, thoughtful, almost reluctant.

"Together," she repeated quietly, as though testing the sound of the word. "You speak of unity like it were simple. But you forget, Xavier, that unity is fragile. It demands trust, and trust demands sacrifice. I’m not known for either."

Lucas’s gaze remained fixed on her silhouette. "Then maybe it’s time that changed," he said simply.

The Empress gave a quiet chuckle, a sound both amused and tired. "Perhaps," she murmured. "Perhaps not. But I will admit, you are unlike the others who have stood where you stand. You speak like a man who has seen the world fall once already."

Lucas’s expression darkened slightly. "Maybe I have," he said.

She did not press the matter. Instead, she turned slightly away, her figure once again half-hidden behind the curtain’s folds. "Very well, Xavier," she said at last. "You believe we must stand together against this unseen enemy. For now, I will not dismiss the thought. But remember this....you may yet regret seeking my alliance."

"I’ll take that risk," Lucas answered without hesitation. "Because doing nothing would be worse."

The Empress was silent for a heartbeat, and then, softly....almost approvingly...she said, "Bold again. Valerion breeds interesting men."

He gave a small bow. "And Lechia raises dangerous women."

That earned him a soft laugh. "Dangerous," she repeated under her breath, as if savoring the word. "Yes. Perhaps that is what the world needs now."

Neither of them said it aloud, they both understood...something had shifted between them. A fragile, dangerous understanding born not of trust, but of necessity.