Everything Is Ready

After seeing Dili off, it was already close to midnight.

But unfortunately for Lux, it was not time to rest yet.

"Karya, do you think Dili is trustworthy?" Lux sat on the bed, gripping her sword. "Honestly, I didn't find anything wrong with him..."

"Neither did I." Karya's answer somewhat surprised Lux. She had thought he might notice something she had missed. "Or rather, compared to Codora, this guy is on a whole different level—at least he knows exactly where he stands."

"Knows where he stands?" Lux paused, blinking in confusion. "You mean his attitude toward me?"

"Exactly." Karya confirmed. "He wants to pledge himself to you, so he has been as sincere as possible from beginning to end, not caring in the least about exposing his own shortcomings. That kind of loyalty is a quality all those in power like."

"But honestly, I don't really like it." Lux shook her head. "I know what he's doing might lead to a pretty good outcome, but I always feel like that outcome isn't what he wants. He wants something else."

"Your feeling is right, but the way you put it is problematic." Karya sighed helplessly. "I told you, you need to judge people based on facts, not personal assumptions—whether it's for praise and rewards or power and status, anyone who does good deeds is still a good person. Judge deeds, not hearts!"

"...But I can feel that his heart isn't in it."

"You can only judge your own heart." Karya spoke earnestly. "And if someone's deeds and heart both align with yours, then they are like-minded with you—people like that are few in the end."

"...That's true." Karya's words left Lux a little dejected, but she quickly thought of her good friend. Tossing her hair, she soon perked up again. "Not everyone can be like Sona!"

"So, have you figured out your next move?"

"I need to contact the Magic Seekers and mobilize part of the garrison..." Lux stretched lazily. "But I suppose my great-uncle is having people watch me outside right now? Come to think of it, I'm a little curious. Won't Dili get himself into trouble by coming to see me so directly?"

"Who knows?" Karya sounded utterly unconcerned. "He probably has his own preparations. More importantly, you need to think about yourself—how to get the message out."

"I figured that out ages ago!" Lux grinned at that. "How about the guards get drunk and start a brawl?"

"...Your guards really are unlucky." Karya stared at her in astonishment. "Throwing your own guards into prison to deliver a message—you really are something, Lux!"

"What else am I supposed to do?" Lux spread her hands, putting on a helpless expression. "Isn't this what you taught me?"

"Mm, true." Karya sounded pleased. "You learned well."

"Karya, you're so shameless!"

"Takes one to know one..."

Elsewhere, shortly after Dili returned home, a servant from the Codora family came to his door in the middle of the night and invited him to the manor for a discussion.

Well prepared, Dili put on a deeply troubled expression and followed the servant.

Before long, in the study of the Codora Manor, Dili met the vigorous old man.

Unlike the "righteous indignation" and "disregard for etiquette" he had displayed before Lux, Codora put on every bit of his airs when he saw Dili, making no effort whatsoever to hide his contempt.

If Lux had been there, she would have immediately understood.

No wonder that nasty old man had acted so aggressively before—because the one "proud of his status and rigidly bound by etiquette" was Codora himself!

"I heard you went to visit Lux alone?" Codora raised his chin slightly as he stroked the golden buttons on his chest. "That impatient, are you?"

"I—"

As if someone had struck a sore spot, Dili awkwardly raised his head. But after meeting Codora's gaze, he swiftly turned away, closed his mouth, and said nothing more.

"All you know are these petty, underhanded tricks!" Codora snorted heavily. His golden buttons struck the desk with a dull, sharp clack. "Lux came to Silvermine City on a mission, not to relax and amuse herself. Put away those filthy little schemes of yours!"

"I don't have any schemes!" Dili stubbornly protested. "I only hoped Gao Kan could learn more from her, learn the noble etiquette of Demacia City—"

"Learn etiquette?" Codora rose to his feet, grabbed a copy of The Grand Etiquette from the bookshelf, and hurled it directly into Dili's face. "Then have that little brat of yours read more books instead of chasing skirts all over Silvermine City every day!"

The Grand Etiquette hit its target with precision, its hard cover slicing open Dili's temple. Blood immediately began to trickle down.

It was then that a servant from the Codora household hurried in, bringing Codora the latest news from the inn.

"Miss Luxanna's guards seem to have drunk too much and gotten into a fight with several drunks who had stayed drinking until the end of the banquet. Even the garrison had to be deployed before they could barely separate them."

Even Codora, old and shrewd as he was, could not help widening his eyes at the news.

"Where are they now?"

"I heard the city guards took them away to 'cool off.'"

At those words, Codora's mouth finally twitched. Leaving behind only the words, "A disgrace to the family," he had a servant tend to Dili's wound, then flicked his sleeve and left the study.

By the time Dili returned home again, his forehead was wrapped in gauze, and he looked utterly miserable.

When Gao Kan saw his father beaten like that, he nearly exploded on the spot—yet after dismissing the household servants, Dili could not help chuckling.

"What are you laughing about?!" Anxious, Gao Kan almost thought his father had been beaten stupid. "You're still laughing after this—"

"I'm laughing at that idiot Codora." After laughing enough, Dili gave a disdainful snort. "Not only did he let someone see right through him, he also did me a huge favor."

"???"

"A wise leader always rewards and punishes fairly." Dili slowly tore off the gauze and pointed at the wound on his temple. "Look carefully, and learn carefully—this isn't a wound. It's clearly a medal!"

Gao Kan blinked.

"I'm not joking." Seeing that his son did not seem to believe him, Dili sighed softly. "This one wound is worth more than a medal earned by risking your life fighting barbarians in the northern borderlands."

"You needn't go this far." Gao Kan gritted his teeth. "That old bastard—I caused this trouble, and I can handle it myself."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Smiling, Dili patted his son on the shoulder. "I deliberately let that idiot Codora make trouble for me. Otherwise, when I went to see Miss Luxanna, I wouldn't have needed to parade through the streets on that white horse—Codora thinks I still want to use marriage ties. In his eyes, that's all I'm capable of."

"Sadly, my respected uncle Codora seemed to have forgotten that before I married your mother, I was Silvermine City's youngest Ranger Captain!" At this point, Dili finally clenched his fists. "And Codora... what the hell is he? Other than the Crownguard surname, he's nothing!"

Seeing his father like this for the first time, Gao Kan was completely dumbfounded.

"Alright, you can go back and sleep now." Dili seemed quite pleased by his son's expression. Smiling, he patted him on the shoulder. "Your mother and I need to rest too—you wanted a little sister, didn't you?"

And so, under his old man's undisguised teasing, Gao Kan ultimately fled in embarrassment.

Watching his son's retreating back, Dili shook his head helplessly—he had always been rather confident in his son.

That was, until he met Lux.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

At the thought of it, Dili clicked his tongue helplessly—comparing people could be fatal; comparing goods could make one want to throw them away!

It seemed his family's upbringing of their son had not been strict enough...

Should he send him to the army for some training?

Mm, better not—hadn't he gone to all this trouble precisely so Gao Kan would not have to risk his life in the army?

Besides, after this matter, his family would sooner or later be moving to Demacia City.

Shaking his head and no longer dwelling on such matters, Dili whistled as he happily returned to his room.

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