Lucian’s eyes were hard, his gaze piercing as he stared at the General.
“No need to play games with me, old man. I’m giving you a chance to explain… and depending on your answer, you will either become my enemy, or I’ll let you go.”
His voice was steady, unyielding.
The General exhaled deeply.
“I know…I will explain.”
Lucian’s expression didn’t waver.
“My promise to you was to keep your family safe”
“Not a promise,”Lucian interrupted, his tone sharp. “It was an order.”
The General’s brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t lash out.
“You, kid…sigh, don’t be like that. We never had a bad relationship,”the General said, shaking his head slightly.
Lucian didn’t respond, his cold stare locking onto the older man’s.
The room was tense, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on everyone. Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire
Finally, the General let out another sigh.
“Alright… I’ll be honest. Yes, two weeks ago, I pulled back my soldiers the ones I had stationed to protect your family, as I had promised you.”
Lucian’s fingers tapped lightly against his knee. His posture remained unchanged, his leg still crossed over the other, but his presence filled the room.
The General continued, his voice steady but tinged with something else… regret, perhaps?
“For six to eight years, I had them guarding your family in secret. They were my most trusted men the ones I personally trained. Some of the best soldiers this country has to offer.”
His eyes met Lucian’s, holding steady.
“Then why did you pull them back?”Lucian asked, his tone calm, but the edge in his voice was unmistakable.
The General looked away briefly before answering.
“I needed them,”he admitted, his voice quieter than before.
Lucian’s gaze darkened.
“So you just took them back?” His fingers stopped tapping.
“First, you broke your contract with me. Then, you didn’t even tell me. And now, you’re acting like I am the one in the wrong?”
His voice carried an unmistakable hint of warning.
The General remained silent for a moment, absorbing the weight of Lucian’s words.
Lucian exhaled slowly before speaking again.
“So, what was it?”His tone was deceptively light, but his eyes remained dangerously sharp.
“Did you think protecting my family was a waste?”
His fingers resumed their slow,rhythmic tapping against his knee.
The room felt suffocating.
The General jaw tightened, but he knew there was no avoiding the truth now.
“I didn’t want to. Even if I’m a Marshal, I can’t just do whatever I want, right? I can’t deploy manpower independently.”
His voice was heavy, his words carefully measured.
“They are under government law. I am always under restrictions too. I can’t use military power independently unless it’s for an official mission authorized by the country.”
Lucian’s cold gaze didn’t waver as he listened.
“And your family’s protection never fell under a government task… well, it could have, but I didn’t allow it. The men I placed to protect your family were my personally trained, most trusted soldiers. They had little to do with the government, meaning they weren’t bound by those restrictions.”
Lucian leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing. “I know that. That’s why I’m asking you why did you take them back? You had no pressure from the higher-ups. I see no way they would have forced you. Honestly, I doubt they even knew about it.”
The General sighed, rubbing his temple.”Yeah… I took them back. But trust me, I had no other choice. I had to.”
“Don’t,” Lucian interrupted, his voice low and sharp.”Tell me the full truth. You know I have my ways of knowing when someone is lying. Say everything now… and you’d better hope there’s not a single lie in it.”
The room tensed.
The General hesitated, then exhaled deeply, steeling himself. “Fine. I took them back because I needed them…for personal use.”
Lucian expression didn’t change, but the air in the room grew heavier.
“As much as I didn’t want to break your trust or ruin our relationship, I knew you would be furious. That’s why I didn’t tell you. For the past seven to eight years, there haven’t been many threats to your family. Weirdly enough, none at all. And these days, you’re always with them, so I didn’t think much of it and recalled the soldiers.”
His gaze flickered toward the unconscious Rose. “I thought… nothing would happen. But sadly… it was a mistake. A terrible mistake.”
Lucian’s fingers tapped rhythmically against his knee. His expression was unreadable.
“You needed them back,” he repeated. “For what exactly? It doesn’t make sense. A Marshal suddenly needing extra manpower…? Calling back just twenty officers? Sounds like bullshit to me.All I see is greed.”
His voice turned sharper.
“You betrayed me.You didn’t tell me. And because of that, my family was put in danger. You weren’t like this before, old man.What can I say? As you age, your brain starts rusting.” Lucian scoffed, shaking his head.
The General’s face was unreadable,his posture straight and composed, but his eyes carried a weight of regret.
Lucian exhaled through his nose, his disappointment evident.”I never expected this from you, General. I thought we were friends.”
The words landed heavier than an accusation.
“You pulled back my family’s protection just because those men weren’t profitable for you anymore, didn’t you?” Lucian’s voice was laced with quiet fury. “Ungrateful. But I guess… too bad.”
The room was silent.
Lucian shook his head, his expression empty. “Then again… it’s not even your fault. It’s mine. For ever trusting you.”
The General closed his eyes briefly, then released a long breath. He looked at Lucian again not as a soldier, not as a leader, but as an old man carrying the weight of a decision he knew had cost him something irreplaceable.
Lucian ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. His cold gaze locked onto the General.
“Whats with those eyes? Do you really think I won’t do anything to you?”His voice was laced with quiet fury.”You stand there, shameless, looking like you did something right.”