He didn't say they were drawing blood from him, but what he said was the truth—they were experimenting on children with the highest blood regeneration ability and making healing potions from it. He didn't tell them Aria was one of the people among them; he only brought her here for another reason, and he still had use for her, so he didn't want to lose one of his tools just yet. So he gave that simple but truthful answer.
He let that statement hang in the air, sensing the tension it created. Lady Rufus gasped softly. He had already told Sarah, so she was expecting this. Isle had a frown on her face, while Lord Rufus remained silent for several long moments.
"And yet you escaped," the old man finally said. "How?"
"With difficulty," Lucian replied. "And not without cost." He gestured toward his blindfolded eyes. "Some injuries can't be healed."
"Hmm," Lord Rufus said. Lucian could practically feel the old man's evaluating gaze. "You speak truthfully, young man. At least, as far as it goes. But there is more to your story than you're sharing."
"As there is to most stories, Lord Rufus," Lucian replied calmly. "Some details are better left unspoken until one is certain of one's audience."
A soft chuckle came from the old man. "Cautious. Good. Caution keeps one alive in these troubled times." Then his tone turned serious. "My grandson speaks highly of you. At least from the way I see it, he has always been a brat, and he has changed. I can say that from just seeing him—he has the aura of someone who has been in countless life-and-death situations, making me doubt what happened in that forest. What I'm still surprised about is the fear he has anytime he talks about you. I know my grandson—he doesn't know respect, except for me and his mother. He doesn't even respect his own father. So him respecting you came as a shock to me. And looking at you, saying you were the one who led him out of the forest while being a mortal, I don't understand a lot of things."
"Your grandson honors me with his regard," Lucian said. "He showed remarkable courage throughout our journey." He didn't go into much detail about himself.
"And the others?" Lady Rufus asked. "These other children you mentioned? Who were they?"
"Fellow captives," Lucian replied. "Some noble, some common. All victims of the same organization."
"Organization?" Lord Rufus's voice sharpened. "You believe this was more than simple banditry, then?"
"I know it was," Lucian said firmly. "The facility was well-equipped, with advanced magical apparatus. The captors were organized, disciplined. They kept detailed records of their experiments. This was no random act of violence—it was systematic and purposeful. And if I may say, that place might not be the only facility doing something like that."
Lord Rufus was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "You understand, young Marcellus, that these are serious allegations. To suggest that someone is systematically kidnapping and experimenting on noble children... it implies resources, connections, protection from the highest levels."
"I understand the implications perfectly, Lord Rufus," Lucian replied, his voice cool. "I also understand that without evidence, such allegations would be dismissed as the ravings of a traumatized youth. That is why I say nothing of them publicly, and why I asked you to set up the binding contract."
"Yet you speak of them to us," Lady Rufus observed.
"Because your son was one of the victims," Lucian said simply. "You deserve to know what happened to him. And because..." He hesitated, then continued, "Because Lord Rufus's reputation precedes him. A man known as 'The Truth-Seer' might be a valuable ally in uncovering who is behind these atrocities."
A soft exhalation from Lord Rufus suggested surprise—or perhaps approval. "You are well-informed for someone who claims to have been isolated in a forest laboratory."
Lucian knew that if he wanted to get close to whoever knew what happened to them in the forest, he would have to use stronger means—someone with great reputation and power. He just had to play his cards right.
"I listen," Lucian replied. "And I remember what I hear. Julia Atticus was particularly knowledgeable about court politics."
"The Atticus girl was with you?" Lady Rufus asked, surprised. "Her family has been searching for her for over five months, so if she's one of the captives, it would be understandable why she was gone that long!"
Lucian gave him a surprised look. It seemed Lord Rufus knew what he was thinking.
"You are surprised an earl family keeps tabs on baron families?" Lord Rufus asked.
Lucian nodded because even most viscount families keep tabs on barons, so an earl keeping tabs on one came as a surprise to him.
Lord Rufus replied, "Well, it's not like we keep tabs on them. You see, the Atticus family used to be an earl family, but they had a noble degradation due to some political scandal. I can't give much details, but even if their family was demoted, they are far stronger than most earls. That grace was what they got."
Lucian nodded. Well, that explained why Julia knew about Lord Rufus and most higher powers.
So he replied, "Yes," then continued. "She was one of the captives. As was Jake, a commoner boy. And twin half-elf girls, Lirien and Lirielle."
"A strange collection," Lord Rufus mused. "Noble and commoner, human and elf... what connection binds them?"
"That," Lucian replied, "is the question we all seek to answer."
At first, he thought it was all about their healing ability, but it seemed like it was much more than he could understand. Well, to understand, he had asked Aria before, and she said they brought other races there before, so that was the answer he was really hoping for. That was why he was telling Lord Rufus all this.
Throughout the conversation, Aurora had remained unusually quiet, playing the role of a shy child perfectly. Now, she tugged gently at Lucian's sleeve. "Daddy," she said in a small voice, "I'm hungry."
Lucian turned his gaze down, wondering why she said that out of the blue, but he still played along, placing a gentle hand on her head before saying, "Patience, little one. We'll get you something to eat soon."
Lord Rufus's attention shifted to Aurora. "And who might this be?" he asked, his voice notably softer.
Lucian also noticed they didn't seem to pay much attention to her. It seemed she was able to deceive them into thinking she looked like a little girl, and well, that meant only Sarah knew she was a demon. Not that he cared; this just affirmed his belief that she was far stronger than everyone in this room. Then he turned to Lord Rufus before replying, "Well, this is Aurora, my daughter."
He could hear gasps from both Damian's mother and Sarah's sister.
"Your... daughter?" Lady Rufus sounded confused. "But you're hardly more than a child yourself. How do you have a daughter?"
She didn't understand, well, who could blame her? Lucian was 12, and Aurora looked 5. If he was really the father, then how old was he when he impregnated the mother? She didn't want to think of that; that's why she asked.
"Age is measured in many ways, my lady," Lucian replied. "Aurora's mother entrusted her to my care before she died. I have honored that trust."
He noticed Lord Rufus's gaze on him; he probably figured Lucian was lying, maybe due to his ability. Well, not that Lucian cared.
Lord Rufus made a contemplative sound. "The child has an unusual aura," he said, almost conversationally. "As do you, young Marcellus. Most... intriguing."
Well, Lucian made no expression on his face. He didn't answer him about where he might have met Aurora or if she was also one of the captives. Lord Rufus probably noticed he didn't want to talk about it, so he said, "Damian said you would accompany us back to the kingdom before finding your way to your family."
Lucian nodded then said, "Well, we don't know who among those that are after us, so I'll be in your care till we get to my family, if that's okay with you. And Julia and most of my fellow captives will be coming along with us."
Lord Rufus replied, "That's fine with me. And he also told me you requested a favor from me?"
Lucian looked at Damian, remembering the deal they had in the forest. He turned back to Lord Rufus before saying, "I would like you to get one of the commoners a chance into the academy, make it seem like he is directly from your family."
Lord Rufus looked at him then asked, "Out of everything you could ask for, why would you ask that as your first favor?"
Lucian looked at him without any change in his expression before saying, "Well, Lord Rufus, I like to invest, so I consider this one of my investments."
He was a forex trader back in his prior life. Since his family never increased his allowance and bullies kept taking his money during high school, he needed to look for another form of making money, and well, that was what he came up with. He started forex trading and was doing great at it, so you could say he was investing in most of his tools. It was a win-win for him.