Baron's Son with -9,999,999 Reputation Point-Chapter 153: Thoughts

Lucas stayed silent for a few more seconds. His chest rose and fell slowly, no longer from embarrassment, but from exhaustion—an exhaustion that finally felt... light.

A few moments later, the System appeared again, the panel chattier than usual.

"You’re really noisy today," Lucas muttered, eyeing the panel with lazy annoyance. "You’re usually not this bad."

The light panel jolted slightly, as if startled.

---

[Ding...! (｡•́︿•̀｡)]

[Sorry... I just... feel happy.]

[I thought... you might need support.]

(;＿;)

---

Lucas frowned.

"...Huh?"

He sighed, then pushed himself up from where he’d been lying, leaning against the side of the bed.

"Don’t do that," he said, his tone instinctively softening. "You’re starting to sound like a chatbot, you know."

The panel froze in place.

The next second—

---

[...Chat... bot...?]

(ಠ_ಠ)

[I AM NOT A CHATBOT!!]

[I AM A STRUCTURAL SYSTEM WITH A DYNAMIC PERSONALITY!!]

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

---

Lucas went quiet.

Then—

"...pfft."

He covered his mouth, but it was too late. A laugh slipped out anyway.

"Hahaha—damn it... yeah, yeah, sorry," he said, waving a hand. "You’re being way too dramatic about this."

The panel blinked rapidly.

---

[Hmph!!]

[King is mean!!]

(｀へ´)

---

Lucas laughed louder now. Not a mocking laugh—more like a release, the kind that comes when you can finally breathe without a weight on your chest.

And that laughter... spilled out of the room.

In the corridor, a middle-aged maid halted mid-step. Her hands still held a silver tray with warm tea that hadn’t yet been served.

She frowned.

Young Master... laughing?

It had been a long time since she’d heard that sound—the cruel laughter that once served as the soundtrack of her suffering.

Her heart sank in a strange way.

The maid—Maria—had worked in this manor longer than anyone still remaining. Her hair was already streaked with gray, fine lines etched across her face. And since Liona graduated from Maidternal, Maria had come to think of her as her own daughter.

"I just hope..." she murmured softly, staring at Lucas’s door.

"I hope the Young Master doesn’t hurt her."

She exhaled, steadying herself, then knocked.

Knock. Knock.

The laughter inside stopped.

A few seconds later—

"Come in," Lucas’s voice called out, already flat again.

Maria opened the door slightly and bowed.

"Forgive the interruption, Young Master," she said politely. "There is a guest from the Merchants’ Guild waiting in the Baron’s Study. The Baron requests your presence as soon as possible."

Lucas stiffened.

"...Merchants’ Guild?"

Maria nodded. "An elderly man. One eye covered... wearing a monocle."

Lucas clicked his tongue softly.

Silas.

"Alright. I’ll be there," he said quickly. "You may go." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Maria bowed once more. "Yes, Young Master."

When the door closed again, Lucas stood still, his expression turning serious.

"System," he said quietly.

---

[Hm? (・_・)?]

---

"If Silas finds out about the Farmers’ Guild..."

He exhaled. "He might interfere."

The panel drifted closer.

---

[Risk Potential: MEDIUM]

[Potential Gain: HIGH]

[Conclusion: Worth it~ (￣▽￣)b]

---

Lucas smirked faintly.

"...Yeah. Fair point."

He grabbed his light coat and draped it over his shoulders.

"If he wants to play dirty," he muttered as he left the room,

"then I’ll just play along."

---

The Baron’s Study was the same as always, and once again the familiar tension of two Vosses and one schemer filled the room—though the last schemer to stand here had been a knight.

Baron Voss sat behind the large desk, hands folded, his expression unreadable.

On the opposite side stood an elderly man with a sturdy build, silver hair neatly combed. A monocle rested over his right eye, and a warm smile adorned his face—a smile far too practiced to be sincere.

Silas.

Lucas stepped inside.

The Baron glanced at him briefly... then gave a small nod.

That was all.

Lucas frowned.

What was that about?

Then he understood.

Ah... He wants me to use this situation.

He stood beside the desk, posture relaxed, though his mind remained alert.

Silas turned, his eyes lighting up as if greeting a long-lost relative.

"Ah, Young Master Lucian," he said warmly. "At last, we meet."

Lucas returned a short nod.

Without wasting time on pleasantries, Silas went straight to the point.

"I was thinking," he said, clasping his hands together,

"that it would be more efficient if tomorrow’s transaction were conducted directly at Young Master’s farmland."

Lucas kept his expression neutral.

"Oh? Wouldn’t it be more interesting to hold it in another Baron’s territory?" he replied dryly, clearly not inclined to forget Silas’s tricks so easily.

Silas chuckled. "My apologies, Young Master. At first, I merely wished to publicly announce that you are a genius."

The hollow praise rolled off his tongue like the lies of a suited man running a security institution.

"Besides," Silas continued lightly,

"the Merchants’ Guild is interested in purchasing harvests from other lands that Young Master is cultivating."

Inside Lucas’s head—

Click.

Jackpot.

His face remained calm. But inwardly, he was grinning ear to ear, already spotting the opening to slap the old man back with a clause yet to be born.

---

While Lucas and Silas were preparing for their duel of cunning,

two maids walked in quiet contrast.

Lilia, Silas’s maid, moved at an unhurried pace.

Maria walked ahead, her steps slow but steady, with Lilia following behind as they headed toward the stables.

"I’m sorry, young lady," Maria said as she stopped in front of the stable door. "I can’t accompany you. The Baroness’s boudoir hasn’t been fully cleaned yet."

Lilia nodded quickly. "It’s fine, Aunt Maria. I can meet Nana on my own."

Maria gave a faint smile, then turned and left.

Lilia pushed the stable door open.

And stopped.

Inside, Liona stood with her back to the entrance. Her hand was outstretched toward a large black horse—The Huzz. The elite steed lowered its head calmly, eating its feed.

Her shoulders... were trembling.

From behind, Liona looked like she was crying.

Lilia froze.

Her chest tightened. Her eyes immediately welled up.

So it’s true...

Lucian Voss really is depraved...

What did he do to Nana...?

Without thinking, Lilia hurried forward. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes as she wrapped her arms tightly around Liona from behind.

"Nana..." her voice shook.

"Let’s run away. Come with me. Let’s leave this place."

Liona startled violently.

"Huh—?!"

At the same time, the black horse snorted loudly.

Hrrrhh.

Liona reflexively turned her head. "Huzzle—hey, easy!"

Lilia froze.

"...Huh?"

Liona slowly loosened the embrace and turned around. Only then did she realize who had been holding her.

"Lily?" Her eyes widened. "Why are you here?"

Lilia hastily wiped her eyes. "I–I... Sir Silas is planning to visit the Young Master. I was told to come along."

She swallowed, her expression turning anxious again. "Nana, seriously. We have to leave. Don’t stay in Voss. I—"

"What are you even talking about?" Liona cut in, genuinely confused.

She gently patted the neck of the large black horse. "I was just messing around with Huzzle."

The Huzz flicked its tail, then rubbed its massive head against Liona’s shoulder.

Lilia stood there, stunned.

"...You... weren’t crying?"

She lowered her gaze without realizing it—only now truly noticing that the Liona who used to pinch her nose playfully was now actually shorter than her.

Liona let out a long breath.

"Don’t start," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I’m living just fine here."

Quick footsteps approached.

"Liona!" Silvara called out.

Liona turned at once.

Her face immediately brightened.

Silvara’s voice faltered the moment her eyes caught sight of someone else inside the stable.

"...Ahem."

She cleared her throat and straightened her posture.

"Oh?" she said briefly. "You have a guest?"

"Yes, Lady Silvara, She is my friend, " Liona nodded. "Her name is Lilia."

A thin silence settled between them.

Silvara stepped inside, then turned her attention to the large black horse, as if only now noticing it.

"Huzzle," she murmured softly. "He looks calm."

She reached out and gave the horse’s neck a brief pat.

In truth, she wanted to steer the conversation elsewhere—about Lucas, about the chaos of the day—but clearly, this was not the moment.

Lilia did not wait.

"Lady Silvara," she said suddenly, her tone far too bold for a maid.

"A woman as beautiful and strong as you should not be a sworn guard to a depraved man like Lucian Voss."

Liona flinched.

"Lily—"

"You should find a place more worthy of you," Lilia continued, her emotions rising. "Rather than serving a man like that."

Silvara stopped stroking the horse.

A flash of irritation crossed her eyes—brief, sharp—then she restrained it.

She doesn’t know, Silvara thought.

How could she possibly know.

She turned slowly, looking at Lilia with composed calm.

"My service is not for that man," she said flatly.

"But for the Baroness, who gave me a better life," she added firmly.

There was no anger in her voice.

Lilia then turned to Liona. Her expression shifted—anxious, weighed with guilt. Silvara’s words had stirred old memories within her.

"Nana..."

She stepped closer and hugged Liona again, this time without panic. "It must have been hard."

"Huh?" Liona looked even more confused.

"You endured everything because of the Baroness, didn’t you?" Lilia continued softly.

"You used to tell me... how the Baroness gave your mother a better life, even though it didn’t last long."

Liona was completely at a loss for words.

"What are you talking about, Lily...?"

Silvara froze.

She hadn’t known.

She didn’t interrupt. Didn’t ask. Didn’t show anything at all.

But inside her chest, something shifted quietly.

So that’s how it was...

Only now did she realize—she had often gone to Liona to steady herself, to talk, to feel safe.

But I never truly asked about her life.

Silvara looked at Liona’s small frame as she tried to wriggle out of the embrace.

Friends, huh? Silvara thought.

I really should make Liona stop calling me ’Lady’...

---

Meanwhile, not far from that gentle, feminine warmth filled with quiet affection—

The atmosphere in the Baron Study was beginning to heat up.

Lucas crossed his arms.

He tilted his head slightly, looking at the old man standing before him.

"So," Lucas said, his tone light but unmistakably deliberate,

"what do you think?"

Silas’s jaw tightened.