Grasping Evil - Chapter 86 (2): Entrapping Bai Lu

Lancelot Haier came from a dynasty of politicians who had ruled with tyranny and oppression. Despite those origins, he despised his family and was willing to help the citizens who had long suffered under their rule.However—before he even had the chance to change his country, the people revolted. His entire family was executed, and he was killed along with them. In his final moments, he wished for a second life—one where he could redeem himself and carry the sins of his bloodline.Unexpectedly, that wish was granted.He was reincarnated into another world as the crown prince of the Kingdom of Aragon. But in this world, everything felt backward.The country was ruled by an absolute monarch. Feudalism was the norm. Technology resembled that of the late 1700s.Fortunately, in his past life, he had earned degrees in both mechanical engineering and political science—knowledge he once hoped to use to reform his homeland. Now, it seemed he would use them here instead.He would use his modern knowledge to transform the lives of his people, industrialize his territory, gain the upper hand in technology, and form alliances with foreign nations—all while navigating the treacherous waters of internal affairs and politics.P.SWhile Reincarnated as the Crown Prince draws inspiration from historical settings, political systems, and technologies of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, this work is entirely fictional.All characters, governments, names, and events—although some may resemble real-world history—are products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictionalized, altered form for narrative purposes.This novel is not a historical account. It should not be interpreted as a factual representation of any real monarch, nation, revolution, or political figure.Lancelot Haier, his backstory, and the alternate version of different kingdoms portrayed here are entirely original creations. The inclusion of familiar concepts like feudalism, industrialization, and political reform serves the plot and world-building, not historical documentation.Readers seeking accuracy in history are encouraged to consult verified academic sources. This story is a creative work meant for entertainment, character development, and speculative exploration of “what-if” scenarios rooted in alternate history.Thank you for reading, and I hope you will enjoy the journey.

Lucinda Perry, a social recluse and a workaholic, makes a pledge to herself to go all wild on her twenty-fifth birthday and even score a one night stand if she gets her long deserved promotion at work. Few days to her twenty-fifth birthday, she gets promoted to not just a higher position but to the head office in a different city.

Having to spend her birthday night in a new city, she goes to the club where she meets a very handsome stranger, Thomas Hank, who offers to be her one night stand after catching a glimpse of her dare-to-do list, which included having a one night stand.

Thomas Hank, after having been used by several ladies in the past, is bent on getting the lady of his dreams who would love him for himself and not his wealth. So when he meets the cute and naive Lucinda Perry at the club, he decides to keep his true identity from her and find out if she was worth keeping.

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***Excerpt***

“What are you doing here?” Lucy asked in alarm when she walked into her boss' office and saw Tom standing by the window,

“Who let you in here? Come with me, you should leave now before he comes in and sees you here. He can be really mean.” Lucy said reaching out to grab his hand, but he made no move to reach for her hand, and just kept staring at her with a slightly amused expression.

“I came to fulfill your fantasy.” Tom said looking into her eyes with an unreadable expression.

“Fantasy? What fantasy?” She asked with a frown as she hurried to the door to shut it so her boss wouldn't walk in on them.

“You've forgotten? You said you would love to have sex with me on your boss' table. I want to make it happen.” Tom said making her heart skip a beat.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” She half yelled as she took his hands and tried to drag him to the door, “I could lose my job if my boss finds you in here.” She snapped at him.

“Nevermind about that. Tell me the thought of this doesn't turn you on? I'm here, you're here, and the table is right here. I could have you on your back in a second and you'd be crying out my name...” Before Tom could finish, the office door was pushed open.

“Sup Tom? Can I talk to you for a sec?” Harry asked as he walked in, his eyes on the documents in his hand. He stopped when he raised his head and realized Lucy was in the office. He almost kicked himself when he saw the frown on Lucy's face, “Shit!” Harry muttered, and gave Tom an apologetic glance when he realized he had just screwed up.

“I thought you were going out?” he asked her with an awkward smile.

“Tom? You know him? I mean... other than him being my driver?” She asked both men, looking from one to the other when she noticed Harry didn't look surprised to see Tom in the office.

What was going on here? What was she missing? Lucy asked herself as her gaze shifted from Harry to Tom who was glaring at Harry. There was no way Tom could be her boss, right? All the pieces of the puzzle was beginning to fit now. It was all beginning to make sense now, she thought as she glanced at Tom one more time before walking out of the office.

There are times—far too many times—when you feel that uncontrollable urge to kill someone.For Kaya, this… this was exactly that moment.“Repeat what you just said?”She’d seen hell on the battlefield—second-in-command of a military unit, dodging bullets, dragging traitors by the collar, and coming out alive with grit under her nails.But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared her for the sight of her spineless husband flirting with her own sister. Right in front of her.“I could never marry a barbarian like you. The one I... I like is Meera—”Blah blah. The same pitiful nonsense again.You think—what could possibly be worse than this?And then, right on cue, your idiotic sister chimes in, completely serious, “I just poisoned you.”Wow.BANG.Before anyone could even react, Meera collapsed.Dead.Her so-called husband gasped like a fish dragged out of water.“Y-you…”He dropped to his knees, staring at Kaya like he was seeing a monster rise from the dark.“You killed your sister?! How could y—?”BANG.Second bullet.Same spot.He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.Silence....Just when Kaya thought her story had finally reached its bitter end, the universe—no, god himself—decided to throw in one last, ridiculous twist.“Wife… wife, didn’t you say you were gonna eat me? Why’d you stop?”A snake beast, ridiculously charming and glowing like some immortal fantasy, clung to her, eyes gleaming.Another voice interrupted.“Shut up! My wife wants to cuddle me now—”A sparrow beastman leapt into her arms, like that made any sense.“Hic… wife, don’t you want me anymore?”A panda-like beastman sat beside her, huge, sniffly, and wronged like a child abandoned at a festival.Sitting in the middle of all this, Kaya was absolutely dumbfounded.‘When the hell did all of this even start?’

Upon reaching home, the number of little girls at home has doubled from one to two?! Moreover, no one in the family actually noticed this strange situation… Jiang Ziya possesses a strange left eye that lets him see things he shouldn’t be able to see. Usually, turning a blind eye to them is his life principle. However, something that shouldn’t be there has appeared in his house. This time, he can no longer continue pretending that he hasn’t seen it. So what should he do next?

This world has never been peaceful. Sometimes, just “seeing” things is dangerous. Facing the unknown, are you willing to choose to see – the truth?