Lady Lily's expression changed instantly. Her eyes widened in shock, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled.

"I'm not sure what you're implying, Sir Arclight," she said calmly. "How could a noble heir be associated with a mere courtesan like me? It's unthinkable."

"Did he tell you to approach me?" Lucian continued to insist.

Lady Lily's eyes narrowed, her smile fading. "You're accusing me of espionage, Sir Arclight? That's a serious allegation. Do you have any evidence to back up your claims?"

"Evidence? I'm not a judge or a jury," Lucian replied, his tone lightly playful, "I'm just a man who has had women come after him for quite a while now. I can recognize a pattern when I see it."

Lady Lily was silent, a calculating expression in her eyes, before she decided to play innocent.

"I apologize if I have offended you in any way, Sir Arclight," she said, bowing her head slightly. "That was not my intention. I merely sought to engage in polite conversation with a distinguished guest. If you're not interested in my services, I'll leave you alone."

"No, no. Don't leave. Stay," Lucian insisted, making himself at home like she said he could, "Allow me to lie down for a bit. I feel a headache coming."

He stretched out on the sofa as she moved silently to the bed, watching him with a guarded expression, "Are you feeling unwell? Shall I call a doctor? Or perhaps a servant to escort you home?"

"A little rest will do," Lucian replied, "Don't worry, I will pay extra for the inconvenience."

"I'm not concerned about the money, Sir Arclight. Your health is more important," she replied, her tone still polite, "Please make yourself comfortable and let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you," Lucian said, staring at the ceiling with his arms crossed over his chest, wondering if Celine would appear and catch him in the courtesan's room.

Since something similar had happened before, with Jax's courtesans teasing him and Celine seeing it all, Lucian was worried that history might repeat itself.

'If Edmund wanted me gone, why not just kill me?' he thought, 'Why go through all the trouble? Unless... he's not aiming at me at all. He is aiming at Celine.'

Lucian quickly dismissed it, thinking that Edmund wouldn't be able to handle the consequences of Celine's wrath.

'Maybe it's a test? Did Celine send Edmund here? She did mention investing in brothels, so maybe it's a part of her plan.'

If Edmund's goal was to get rid of him, he didn't know how he could possibly fight back.

'We have a good relationship and I don't think that he dislikes me enough to resort to murder. Maybe he is the one testing me, to see if I'm worthy of his sister?'

He thought about it and thought about it, and the longer he did it, the more ridiculous it sounded.

'I'm just overthinking things and getting paranoid,' Lucian finally decided, 'He probably came here to have a good time like the rest of the clients.'

Lucian's gaze shifted to Lady Lily, who began to prepare him tea. She used her back to shield herself from him, as if she didn't want him to know what she was doing.

She didn't know that he had eyes above her as well. The tea leaves were already placed in the cup. She was adding a little something extra to it.

'She wants to drug me?' Lucian was surprised at her boldness.

"Here, have a cup of herbal tea," she offered him the steaming brew, "It's good for the stomach and helps with indigestion. It will also help you relax and sleep better."

Lucian slowly sat up and took the cup from her, his fingers lightly brushing against hers as he did so. He raised the cup and used his free hand to grab her wrist, pulling her down onto the sofa.

"...!! Sir Arclight?" Lady Lily's eyes widened when he grabbed her chin from behind and pressed the cup against her lips. She tried to resist him, but he was stronger than her.

"Drink," he said firmly, feeling the adrenaline kicking in, "It's good for the stomach and helps with indigestion, right? You looked a bit pale yourself. Maybe you need it more than I do."

"..." Lady Lily was shocked, but didn't want to give up. She struggled against him and tried to spit out the tea that was already in her mouth.

She managed to spill some of it on her dress and the floor, but he held her tight and forced her to swallow the rest. He waited until she stopped coughing before releasing her from his grip, letting her collapse on the sofa.

"What did you do that for?!" she asked, wiping her mouth while running to the bathroom to throw up.

Lucian followed after her, watching her stick her finger into her mouth, trying to get rid of the tea. "Do you know how many business rivals tried to get rid of me the same way as you, Lady Lady?"

Lady Lily was panting, her face pale and her eyes red, "I... I don't... know what you are talking about...hah...hah..."

She seemed confused as to what effects the drug was supposed to have, overreacting to it.

"What was in the tea?" He asked, "Or do you often have trouble breathing after drinking your own special blend?"

"...hah...hah...hah...you..." she tried to say something, but her throat felt dry, and her lips were quivering. "...hah... hah... please...help...me..." she begged him, crawling towards him, "I... didn't... know..."

Lucian took a few steps back, avoiding her hand that was trying to reach out to him. He closed the door behind him, leaving her alone in the bathroom.

"...hah...hah...I can't...hah...I can't breathe..." she said, clawing at the doors of the bathroom, trying to get to him, "Plea..please...if I die here...you will be charged of murder...help me...hah...hah..."

"Would anyone care about the death of a mere courtesan? Even if that courtesan was the number one beauty in the capital, what of it?" Lucian chuckled, "You are just a woman that people pay to─"

"Aaaaaaaa!" Lady Lily screamed, hitting the doors with her fists, her nails digging into the wood, alerting anyone that could be in the vicinity.

The music outside was too loud, so nobody should be able to hear her, except for one man.

The door to the private room was slammed open.

Jax rushed inside, "Boss! Boss! What's wrong!? What happened!? Are you okay!?"

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