Illuminati Mark

In Tiana's view, everything was within her grasp.

While it might sound a bit disingenuous, she truly wasn't lying to Lux.

From Tiana's perspective, everything she did was indeed for Lux's own good.

As a member of Demacia's nobility, Lux had to firmly uphold her noble stance; only then could the Crown Guard family reach even greater heights.

Just as noble families would ruthlessly dismantle the free love of young men and women, Tiana personally took on the role of the villain this time, destroying Lux's friendship with her own hands and helping her sever this unnecessary bond.

Kindness is a good quality.

But kindness has its time and place; getting too close to commoners would bring trouble to the Crown Guard family!

Nobles could be kind, but they couldn't abandon their noble dignity for the sake of kindness.

Tiana knew very well that because Lux's performance was so outstanding, countless eyes in Demacia's Imperial Capital were fixed on her—therefore, every word and action of Lux's had to be carefully considered!

Even if Lux resented her aunt, Tiana didn't care.

She believed Lux would eventually understand her good intentions.

As for Lux's little maneuvers outside the Nullstone Prison...

Tiana saw through it all and didn't care in the slightest.

Just as Lux had realized, her current power largely stemmed from her background—it was her status as the young lady of the Crown Guard family that earned her respect and allowed her to do things that didn't entirely adhere to the rules.

And within the noble hierarchy, Tiana's power, in any aspect, far surpassed Lux's, so Tiana was fully aware of whatever little schemes Lux was up to.

No matter how much you struggle, you're destined to stay within my palm!

However, reality deviated slightly from Tiana's imagination.

Tiana's good intentions caused Lux to lose hope.

"You're absolutely right, Karya," Lux said with complex emotions after leaving the study. "As long as we're in Demacia, we'll be entangled in these complicated relationships."

"Power derived from status is like this," Karya replied matter-of-factly. "The limit for a noble lady... is merely to be a paragon of nobility."

"But honestly, I'm still a bit unsure about your plan." Even though she had agreed to Karya's plan and begun to implement it, Lux still felt a sense of awe whenever she thought about the grand scheme. "You've used almost everyone in Demacia's Imperial Capital—from nobles to commoners, from Magic Seekers to the Illuminati."

"It's not really using them; at most, it's guiding the situation. Most people got what they wanted," Karya's tone was quite relaxed. "As for leaving Demacia, frankly, there's a personal reason for that too. My condition is quite stable now, and it's time to retrieve some old mementos from the past."

"But you're unwilling to tell me what those are."

"You'll know when you see them," Karya still refused to say directly. "It's hard to describe without seeing it—"

"Alright, alright, you always maintain a sense of mystery about these strange little details," Lux sighed. "I wonder who it was that used to say, 'Mages who practice mysticism are all trash'."

"That's different," Karya said dismissively of Lux's sarcasm. "These matters are just about my personal privacy and have nothing to do with magic... Alright, Lux, it's time for us to move on to the next stage!"

"Is your mark really reliable?" Lux left the manor and walked onto the streets of Demacia's Imperial Capital. "Sona can't give us too many hints; it would make her suspicious—"

"Rest assured, a hundred percent," Karya said confidently. "Although I didn't watch the Illuminati grow up, I did witness their birth, and I know many of their hidden secrets. After seeing the mark you left, the Illuminati's Silencers will only think it's a true [Divine Guidance], and they will help you."

"You said you really experienced the era of the Winged Sisters, right?" Lux, who seemed to be just casually strolling, soon arrived near the city walls. "Karya, what were those two Winged Sisters like?"

"They were spirited young women," Karya chuckled. "They had ideals, but ultimately, they weren't as resolute as you... though it wasn't easy for them either."

"I see—" Lux nodded. "It seems you have quite a high opinion of me."

"But you're still the worst batch I've ever taught," Karya said without mercy. "There's no question about that."

"You're saying the Winged Sisters are inferior to me!"

"That's why I never taught them..."

"..."

"..."

While chatting with Karya in her mind, Lux weaved through the bustling crowd at the city gate like a fish, quickly shaking off her family's guards—by the time the guards, panting, caught up to Lux outside the city, the little princess of the Crown Guard family was standing at the feet of the Galio, gazing up at the colossal Nullstone statue.

The guards let out a long sigh of relief.

It seemed their lady was just in a bad mood.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that in a hidden spot on the city wall, Lux had already left a peculiar mark and a discreet, mysterious pattern.

And just as evening fell, the Illuminati choir, returning from their touring performance, passed by and saw the mark.

Sona, feeling that the mark was "artistically designed," remembered its appearance and vividly sketched it in her sketchbook.

Then, Mrs. Buweier, who was calling Sona for dinner, "coincidentally" saw the mark. After asking Sona where she had seen it, she forgot about her dinner and hurriedly left the Buweier family manor that very day.

As a secret text, written in an encrypted format, was copied multiple times and sent to various counties, the Illuminati, who usually appeared detached from worldly affairs, suddenly took swift and decisive action!

Because she had to keep an eye on her "troublesome niece," Tiana's intelligence network had been very active lately.

The very next day after the Illuminati began their actions, she learned through her unique channels that "there was a major move by the Illuminati."

However, despite the intricate connections between the Magic Seekers and the Illuminati, even Tiana didn't know much about this highly classified internal matter of the Illuminati.

The only thing confirmed was that the Silencers, who were usually uninvolved in worldly affairs and only served as inheritors, had also been mobilized this time.

After hearing this news, Tiana subconsciously frowned.

Those guys from the Illuminati... why would they become active at this time?

You have to know, after failing in the political struggles a hundred years ago, the Illuminati voluntarily depoliticized.

Especially after the "Secular Faction," led by the Buweier family, came to power, this cult had been dormant for quite some time.

To be honest, Tiana quite liked the Illuminati as they were now.

Or rather, who wouldn't like a semi-religious, semi-educational organization that usually does charity, engages in art, and preaches kindness?

But now, this organization had suddenly started to become active, and it looked like they were planning something big...

This made Tiana unable to help but worry—she vaguely remembered that when the Illuminati tried to get involved in politics, their Silencers did not participate. But this time, the Silencers were all mobilized, and things seemed to be getting a bit strange.

Fortunately, even though the Illuminati's actions were somewhat unexpected, her current task was not to cooperate with them. This time, upon returning to the Imperial Capital, Tiana's specific purpose was to correct her niece and get her back on the right track.

Despite the Illuminati's significant actions, they had nothing to do with her.

It couldn't be that they were doing this because of Lux, could it?

In contrast, the incident where the family guard said Lux left the city for no reason to visit Galio made Tiana pay more attention.

Her husband was the leader of the Magic Seekers, so she knew a little about Galio—at least she knew that Magic Power could charge Galio.

To avoid any accidents, the day after Lux left the city, Galio was towed away for repairs.

Anyway, Galio needed regular maintenance, and a bit of touch-up paint was nothing. This time, it was just a little ahead of schedule.