Lucian’s face was calm, unreadable, though a flicker of pain flashed briefly in his eyes. In the quiet of his mind, he spoke to Max. “He’ll never understand,” he thought, his tone tinged with sadness. “Because he’s too afraid to try.”
[Host, leave it. Why are you even bothering with him? Don’t waste your time. What will you even gain from trying to teach him?] Max’s voice cut through Lucian’s thoughts, sharp and practical, as always.
Lucian sighed internally, his tone soft yet resolute. “No, Max. It’s important. I know Arthur isn’t a bad person. He’s just… conflicted. If, by spending a little time, I can bring someone closer to the light or save them from a path that will destroy them, why shouldn’t I try?”
Max remained silent this time, but Lucian felt his disapproval lingering in the background of his mind.
Lucian broke the quiet, his voice steady yet reflective. “Do you know what the most important moment in a person’s life is, Arthur?”
Arthur, who had been lounging with an air of superiority, tilted his head slightly at the unexpected question, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Do enlighten me,” he said, his tone tinged with mild amusement.
Lucian met his gaze, his expression steady but filled with an almost sorrowful determination. “The most important moment in someone’s life is when they’re lying on their deathbed.” His voice was low, gentle, as though the words carried a profound weight.
Arthur leaned forward slightly.
“No one,” Lucian continued, his gaze distant as if he were imagining the scene himself, “ever says, ‘Bring me my trophies,’ or ‘Let me check my bank balance,’ or even, ‘Bring me my crown.’ None of that matters in the end.”
Arthur remained silent, watching Lucian intently.
“When someone knows their time is short,” Lucian went on, his voice tinged with quiet sadness, “all they want is to see the people they love. They want their family, their friends, the ones who truly cared about them by their side. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Arthur’s eyes narrowing as Lucian’s words sank in.
Lucian exhaled softly, his voice steady but filled with quiet passion. “Eventually, we all realize… it’s about love. It’s about relationships. That’s the real treasure we earn in this life.”
He paused for a moment, his gaze softening. “When my time comes, I want people to sit by my bedside. I want them to cry for me, to talk to me, to share the moments we had together. That’s what I want to take with me that’s what I’ll have truly earned in my life.”
Arthur fingers tapping restlessly against the armrest of his chair.
Lucian looked directly at him now, his voice firm. “You can keep chasing the throne, Arthur. You can prove yourself to the world, conquer everything you think you want. But believe me when I say, when you’re dying, and you realize you spent your whole life alone, you won’t like what you see.”
Arthur chuckled softly, the sound bitter and sharp. “That’s an idealistic dream, Lucian,” he said, his tone dismissive. “This world isn’t full of love and happy endings. It’s cruel, and it doesn’t care about your relationships.”
Lucian shook his head, his gaze unwavering. “I’m not saying the world isn’t cruel. I’m saying that despite its cruelty, love is what gives life meaning. You can have all the fame, all the fortune, all the power you want. But without love, it’s empty.”
Arthur smirked, leaning back once more. “And what do you suggest I do? Abandon everything? Trade my dreams for… butterflies and fairy tales? That’s not how this works, Mr Kane. To achieve greatness, you need a heart of stone. You need to be ruthless.”
Lucian’s lips tightened, a flicker of frustration passing through his eyes. “Being ruthless might get you what you want, Arthur. But it will cost you everything else. You’ll gain the throne, but lose yourself in the process. And when you look around, there’ll be no one there to celebrate with you. No one who truly cares about you.”
“‘Never can you achieve those dreams without a heart of stone,'” Arthur said, his voice smooth but carrying a chilling finality. He leaned back in his sofa, his gaze fixed on the distant ceiling as if he were addressing the universe itself. “To achieve greatness, to reach those impossible heights, you need a heart of the dead a heart that feels nothing, fears nothing.”
He paused, his lips curling into a bitter smile. “As for that last day… the day when I lie on my deathbed? I don’t even know if the path I’ve chosen will let me reach that moment. But one thing is certain that whether I die young or old, the world will remember me. And finally… some people will come to know my worth.”
Arthur laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed in the room, but there was no humor in it. His voice dropped to a murmur, one meant more for himself than Lucian. “And you’ll know what you lost… Mother.”
Lucian caught the faint whisper, and for the first time, a flicker of vulnerability crossed Arthur’s carefully composed face. But it vanished as quickly as it had come. Arthur straightened, his smirk returning as he fixed Lucian with a piercing gaze.
“I’ll say it again, Lucian,” Arthur continued, his tone sharp, almost mocking. “Come out of your strawberry world. This world isn’t full of love, butterflies, and happy endings. It’s cruel. Unforgiving. And people like you… you don’t last long.”
Lucian said nothing, his face calm but thoughtful.
Arthur leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “Your kindness, your naivety it’ll be your undoing. Do you know what your biggest flaw is, Mr. Kane?”
—-
“Wow, guys, thanks to all of you, Celestia has ranked 19th! Honestly, it’s shocking. I thought it would be much lower and that it would drop out soon, but this is such an incredible achievement. Thank you all so much my lovely pumpkins ha ha ha!”