Nikolas' eyes moved subtly, a faint flicker passing across them. "You are pretty smart."
Lucas cast a quick look around Lillian's residence and sighed inwardly.
Even with societal policies that favored females, this place stood out as the most modest he had ever seen. It was in stark contrast to Justine's house, which sat surrounded by elaborate gardens.
Worried that Lillian might decline outright, Lucas quickly said to her, "You can state any conditions you want as compensation."
Lillian, however, responded without any sign of hesitation, "I'll submit a request to end my bond with him. I am not worthy of your Prince, nor am I suited to become the Princess of his realm."
More than that, her first impression of Nikolas had not been favorable. His eyes were cold and judgmental, as if no one around him could ever meet his standards. There was also something dangerous about him.
She figured that insisting on remaining tied to him against his will, without any ability to soothe him, would only lead to trouble for her, or possibly even her death. Ending the bond on good terms and receiving benefits in return was clearly the more reasonable option.
Nikolas lifted his eyes slightly, clearly surprised by how quickly and firmly she accepted the proposal.
He asked directly, "What do you want as compensation?"
"I can ask for anything I want?" Lillian asked.
"Power, reputation, money, treasures—whatever it is, I can provide it." A faint, mocking curve appeared on Nikolas' lips. He had already assumed this seemingly lazy and unambitious female would use the opportunity to demand excessive rewards.
Lillian considered the matter briefly before answering, "I want Samuel to be freed of his status as a slave."
Wealth was something she was certainly lacking, but what mattered more to her was having someone capable of helping her become stronger.
She needed Samuel's assistance to go deeper into the Aberrant Thicket, take on stronger aberrant beasts, and collect higher-tier medicinal herbs.
If Samuel remained a slave, he would not be able to move freely through the city, much less accompany her on hunting expeditions. Worse still, he would remain exposed to mistreatment from people. And based on what she had observed of his temperament, his overwhelming strength made it likely he could unintentionally kill someone if he retaliated in anger. If that were to happen, it would ruin her plan completely.
After weighing everything carefully, she settled on her request.
However, both Samuel and Nikolas interpreted it differently.
Samuel was so startled that he lost his grip on the plate he was holding. The sound of it falling and crashing echoed and immediately drew Lillian's attention. She turned to him and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Sorry... I didn't hold it properly," Samuel said as he stepped out of the kitchen to apologize, his expression carrying lingering shock as he had not yet fully processed what Lillian had just said.
"Did you get hurt?" Lillian asked as she rose to her feet, concern evident in her voice.
Samuel quickly shook his head, and his eyes lingered on her with a complicated look. "No, I didn't."
"Alright, just be careful. You only need to prepare the ingredients; I'll take care of the cooking after that," Lillian replied with a small nod.
She then moved her attention back to Nikolas. "Even though I'm agreeing to end the bond, I've just severed my bonds with two males. Under the regulations, there's a mandatory three-month cooling-off period before a second dissolution can be finalized. During this time, I'll have to ask you to tolerate the inconvenience."
According to the laws established by Yggdrasil, once a bond was formed, the male was obligated to stay with the female and assist with her daily needs until she formally declared emotional incompatibility and initiated a dissolution request. Only after that declaration could the male be permitted to leave the female.
If those rules were broken, Yggdrasil would enforce penalties. Even if Nikolas didn't want to wait, he didn't have any other choice.
Nikolas tilted his body forward slightly, as if attempting to gauge her true intentions. "With an opportunity like this, all you're asking for is to free an S-level slave? Your spiritual power is only F-level. You don't even have the ability to soothe him. Once he's freed, he'll become a registered citizen of Azure Planet. If a more capable female takes an interest in him and invites him to be hers, he would end up becoming her male."
Lillian's expression stayed steady and unreadable, her tone calm. "I didn't think that far ahead when I saved him. If he eventually chooses to leave me in search of his own happiness, then I suppose I'll have still done something good."
Standing in the kitchen doorway, Samuel felt his heartbeat race.
He lowered his head, struggling to believe that someone could genuinely be this kind, willing to go to such lengths for his sake.
Nikolas held Lillian's eyes for a long moment. Even under the weight of his presence, she didn't flinch. Something like amusement flickered across his expression, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly. "You speak as though you're some kind of selfless saint. But if your character is truly that impressive, then why are you still stuck at F-level? Why is your standing so far beneath your sister's?"
"I don't know," Lillian answered simply, though she immediately caught the connection between Nikolas and Justine. That only made her dislike toward him grow stronger.
Still, she kept her expression neutral as she added, "As long as we keep our distance and don't interfere with each other's lives, things will be fine. And if you need someone to soothe you, you can always turn to Justine for help."
Lucas, who had been silently observing the exchange, was completely stunned.
He had stayed by Nikolas' side since birth and had witnessed countless females trying every possible method to get Nikolas' attention, pretending to stumble, dropping belongings on purpose, dressing in overly bold ways, and even confessing their feelings openly at the palace gates.
But this was the first time he had ever seen a female actively push Nikolas away, and toward another woman.
"Miss Clark." Lucas finally spoke up, unable to hold back. "Are you completely certain about this? Our prince is the son of Leviathan, the ruler of B32 Planet. There are countless women across the universe who would do anything to become his partner!"
