Gunmage-Chapter 255: Insinuations

"Say, what do you think their next course of action will be?"

The room turned cold the moment those words left Lugh’s lips.

A stillness fell. No one answered. Eyes darted across the room—some narrowing in suspicion, others widening in disbelief—as a single, unspoken thought surfaced in every mind.

Assassination.

But no one dared voice it.

This wasn’t a conversation that belonged here—in front of so many eyes and ears. This was the sort of talk that ought to be whispered behind closed doors, not laid bare in front of a crowd.

And yet, Lugh had done just that. Why? What was his game?

Before anyone could recover, Lugh turned his gaze to a particular figure. His voice was deliberate.

"Mr. Vaire,"

He said softly,

"do you know what your family’s next move will be... or would you prefer that I say it out loud?"

The amiable expression on the older man’s face had long evaporated. His back straightened. His voice, though still calm, was edged with steel.

"What exactly are you insinuating, Mr. Lugh?"

Lugh didn’t respond immediately. His eyes, half-lidded and unreadable, locked onto Vaire’s with the cold detachment of someone already certain of the truth.

Then, he spoke.

"Do you know that an attempt was made on my life just a few days ago?"

A low breath swept through the room.

"You’re saying it was us?"

Vaire asked. His tone was iron—controlled, but tense.

Lugh showed no sign of emotion. His voice remained even, unnervingly calm.

"I’m not saying anything,"

He replied. Then added,

"But you do have a motive. And frankly, your family are prime suspects. I’m trying to resolve this diplomatically. My grandmother, on the other hand... wouldn’t be so patient."

Vaire stiffened.

"This is ridiculous,"

He said.

"Mr. Von Heim, you should know better than to throw around accusations without any shred of evidence."

"Evidence, huh..."

Lugh murmured. He was about to continue when Vaire cut in, trying to regain control of the conversation.

"Besides,"

Vaire said,

"our family holds you in high regard. The fact that you’re the son of Lucas Von Heim—a man who was of tremendous help to us—that alone earned you a place in our good graces. This insinuation is unfounded."

Lugh stared at the man from beneath the shadow of his hair. The Mawglass shimmered faintly in the recesses of his vision, painting the man’s words in flickers of light and dullness—truth and half-truths dancing together.

This wouldn’t do. He needed clarity.

Lugh leaned forward, his voice low and steady.

"Be completely honest with me,"

He said.

"Has your family ever harbored ill will toward me? Have you ever tried to kill me?"

Vaire opened his mouth to answer, but faltered. Something in Lugh’s eyes, a cold, inescapable intensity, made him hesitate. Then, slowly, he exhaled.

"Well... there have been some discussions about it,"

He admitted. Then added quickly,

"But you mustn’t forget, Mr. Von Heim, the reason you were revealed to the world in the first place."

Lugh blinked. So did several others present.

The weight of the conversation had outpaced the listeners’ sense of place or propriety. They weren’t supposed to hear any of this.

This wasn’t information for young ears or loose lips. And yet, here they were—none of them moving, none daring to interrupt.

It was Lugh who brought them here. Unless ordered to leave, they would stay. Their curiosity—and the secrets their families would learn—was far too great.

"What do you mean by that?"

Lugh asked, his tone sharp.

"Why I was revealed?"

"Yes,"

Vaire said, nodding.

"Don’t you remember how people came to know of you?"

Lugh’s mind flashed back.

The ball.

The chaos.

He hadn’t been meant to attend, let alone be seen. Everything had been proceeding quietly until—

"The Prince,"

Lugh muttered aloud.

Vaire smiled slightly.

"Exactly."

Then he spoke again, calmly but with a cutting edge.

"Your theory is clever, Mr. Von Heim. But there’s a flaw."

Lugh spoke dryly.

"And what would that be?"

"It’s simple,"

Vaire replied.

"You believe we would try to kill you because of your magical potential—that we’d assume you’d focus solely on that, ignoring more conventional threats."

Lugh nodded slightly. That was the logic he’d followed.

"But we’d be fools to think that,"

Vaire continued.

"You’ve fought on the front lines. You were awarded medals for it. You’re already following in your father’s footsteps, whether consciously or not. Why would we sabotage that? It’s a... favorable development."

Lugh studied him again.

The words were true.

And yet... something felt off. Not wrong, exactly. But strangely shaped. Mismatched.

Vaire offered his conclusion.

"So no, Mr. Lugh. We weren’t responsible for the attempt on your life."

Lugh’s voice cut in like a scalpel.

"It was an explosion of gunpowder."

A pause.

"What?"

Vaire said, blinking.

Cassius echoed it.

"What?"

Lugh didn’t flinch.

"My room was flooded with gunpowder. Then it was ignited. Someone tried to kill me by exploiting the assumptions of modern mages. I almost died."

The color drained from both men’s faces.

"With all this laid before you,"

Lugh asked coolly,

"can you still say your family had no involvement?"

Vaire took a moment. His composure returned, but it was forced. Fragile.

"I’m... not sure,"

He admitted.

"There might have been rogue elements at play."

Cassius stepped in quickly.

"We’ll do everything in our power to uncover the truth—if it was someone from our family, they’ll be held accountable."

Lugh gave a single nod.

"Your efforts are appreciated,"

he said quietly.

"I’ll try to stall Lady Selaphiel for as long as I can."

Then he turned his eyes back to Vaire.

"Did you accomplish what you set out to do today?"

Vaire smiled—a soft, almost jovial expression that had returned without warning.

"Oh yes,"

He said.

"And more."

"...I’m sorry, what?"

It was Sela who broke the silence this time. Her brows were drawn into a frown, frustration leaking into every syllable.

Around her, others wore similarly vexed expressions. They’d heard everything and yet... understood nothing. It was maddening.

Sela shook her head slightly, pushing the swirl of questions aside in favor of the one most recently thrown into the mix.

"What do you mean your objective was achieved? What even was all this about?"

Vaire stood from his seat with a heavy, deliberate motion.

"It’s time I took my leave,"

He said lightly.

"I’ll leave you to it."

"Wait!"

Sela’s voice cracked like a whip.

"No one leaves until I figure out what the hell is going on."

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