Nine Hot Therians and Their Only One Queen novel Chapter 431

**When She Opened the Door to the Life She Was Afraid to Live by Nora Vale Kingsley**
**Chapter 431: Their Shameless Act**

Silas stood silently beside Emma, an aura of calmness enveloping him as he observed the unfolding drama. It was as if he could read the tension in the air, predicting each move Lucien was about to make, yet he chose to remain a quiet sentinel, his eyes sharp and discerning.

“Lucien, what’s happening?” Emma’s voice was laced with urgency as she rushed to him, her heart racing with concern. She extended her hand, hoping to pull him up from the ground, but Lucien remained steadfastly kneeling, as if the weight of the world pressed down on him.

When their eyes met, Emma felt a pang of sorrow. Lucien’s once-vibrant features were now shadowed, revealing a depth of loneliness and shame that was foreign to her.

“Emma,” he whispered, a bitter edge to his tone, “I lost.”

She shook her head, refusing to accept his despair. “That’s okay. Losing isn’t the end of the world.” Her heart ached for him; titles and victories meant nothing compared to his well-being.

“You’re only level eleven,” she continued, her voice gentle but firm. “Losing to Calum at level twelve is nothing to be ashamed of.”

But Lucien remained obstinately on his knees, his gaze heavy with resignation. “No, Emma. I… I’ve been defeated by Calum. I… I no longer deserve the position of first mate.”

With a deep breath, he turned toward Calum, his resolve hardening. “By the Empire’s rules, Calum has bested me. From this moment on, he should assume the role of first mate.”

Emma’s hand froze mid-reach, shock coursing through her. “Lucien! What are you talking about?” Her voice trembled with disbelief.

“I never intended to replace anyone as first mate,” she snapped, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “Get up.”

Calum, watching Lucien kneeling with a tragic resolve, felt a wave of irritation wash over him. What a ridiculous performance this was turning out to be.

He suddenly understood the entire charade. All the talk about challenges and earning respect had been a meticulously crafted setup. Lucien had orchestrated this from the very beginning, deliberately losing to create an excuse to cast off the burdensome title of first mate.

Calum had always thought of Silas—the quiet, unassuming one—as the most cunning strategist among them, always several steps ahead in his planning. But now, it became painfully clear that he had misjudged the situation entirely.

Lucien, too, possessed that same cunning, plotting in silence, every move calculated with precision, like a mental abacus racing against time.

Is he trying to pass the problem on to me? Calum thought, irritation flaring within him. I’m not letting that happen.

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Calum stepped forward and dropped to one knee with a solid thud in front of Emma.

“Calum? Why are you kneeling?” Emma exclaimed, bewildered. She hadn’t even managed to calm one kneeling man, and now there was a second.

A headache throbbed behind her eyes as she pressed her fingers to her temples.

Calum looked up at her, his voice deeper and rougher than Lucien’s, heavy with remorse. “Ms. Tibarn, Lucien is mistaken. I’m not worthy of being your first mate either.”

His gaze flickered to Marcus, the weight of his admission hanging in the air. “Because… I lost too.”

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