Chapter 28: Choices and Surrender

"The next Count of Tulips..."

Lamdo muttered to himself, his face flushed with excitement.

"Will it be you... or Lanos?" Linwei’s voice was laced with seduction.

Lamdo shook his head instinctively. He had been suppressed by Jon for more than a decade, and now that Jon was finally dead, the chance to rise overnight was within reach. How could he allow the position that was almost in his grasp to fall into someone else’s hands?

Veins stood out on Lamdo’s forehead, and his fists clenched tightly. "It must be me... it must be me, the next Count of Tulips has to be me!"

Watching Lamdo, nearly frenzied, Linwei bared his teeth in a grin. "Excellent, this is exactly what I wanted... Repressed desires and suffering are about to erupt. Desire, after all, is the sharpest weapon, especially for a mind not yet fully matured... a child?"

"But, young master Lamdo, can you truly fathom what the Count is thinking?" Linwei moved closer, placing a hand on Lamdo’s shoulder. In Lamdo’s eyes, Linwei saw a bottomless well of yearning.

"What do you mean?" For a moment, Lamdo couldn’t grasp Linwei’s intent.

Linwei’s smile deepened. "Young master Lamdo, how can you be sure the Count will pass the title of heir to you?"

"I... I have at least a fifty-fifty chance of becoming the next Count!" Lamdo nearly shouted, as if trying to vent all the years of oppression he had endured as an illegitimate son.

"But you also have a fifty percent chance of continuing to languish in obscurity."

Linwei’s voice drowned out Lamdo’s roar.

Lamdo was momentarily stunned, unwillingness and a trace of fear flickering in his eyes.

"And moreover, young master Lamdo," Linwei’s words seemed to carry an enchanting power, compelling Lamdo to trust and listen, "there’s another possibility... That the position of heir will never be a contest between you and young master Lanos at all!"

Lamdo’s head jerked up, his gaze locking onto Linwei’s eyes.

"The Count could very well have another 'Jon' with his lady. And even if not, are you certain the legitimate Miss Savina, married into the Wilt family, won’t interfere? The title of Count of Tulips is unimaginably tempting—you should know that better than I do."

Linwei lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper.

Lamdo was utterly shattered. Only a moment ago, he’d been daydreaming of becoming the supreme figure of the Tulip Territory. Now, after Linwei’s dissection of the situation, an overwhelming fear of the future gripped him.

For a while, Lamdo was at a loss.

"When hope and despair both pull at a person, fear and hesitation are bound to follow," Linwei observed Lamdo’s state with perfect clarity.

"Mr. Linwei, what should I do?!"

All of a sudden, Lamdo thought of the man before him—the deputy commander of the Tulip Guard, the territory’s greatest prodigy. Perhaps he could solve Lamdo’s problem.

What Lamdo didn’t know was that everything Linwei had said tonight was to elicit precisely this question. From the very start, Lamdo’s desires and fears had led him step by step into Linwei’s trap.

Linwei’s smile was full of benevolence. "Young master Lamdo, we need to seize the initiative for ourselves."

"The initiative... Yes! We must take control into our own hands!" Lamdo failed to notice that he had already changed "I" to "we."

"So, what should we do, Mr. Linwei?" Lamdo’s urgency was undisguised.

Linwei narrowed his eyes, a cold gleam flashing within. "The position of Count of Tulips should never be bestowed upon you by anyone. You must claim it for yourself."

"Hmm?" Lamdo was momentarily at a loss, but as if a thought occurred to him, his voice quivered. "Mr. Linwei... Are you suggesting—"

"Exactly." Linwei finally laid his blade of conspiracy bare before Lamdo. "Why should your father have the right to decide your fate? Your destiny should be in your own hands! Overthrow Lamer’s rule—seize everything in Tulip Territory for yourself! How tempting is that?"

Lamdo trembled all over. "No... He’s my father..."

"Indeed! You see him as your father, but how has he treated you?" Linwei’s voice was icy and merciless. "All his affection and attention were lavished on Jon, and you? You were nothing, never even entering Lamer’s line of sight!"

Lamdo clutched his head, dropping into a squat on the ground, his voice hoarse and raw. "You’re right, you’re right—he never cared about me! Or my mother! But... but... he’s the Count of Tulips..."

Linwei gave a cold, silent laugh in his heart. "It seems the Count’s reputation still makes Lamdo hesitate... Looks like I’ll have to apply more force."

He wasted no more words, but grabbed Lamdo by the collar and hauled him upright. His cold eyes bored into Lamdo’s, his tone unmistakably threatening. "Young master Lamdo, do you think you still have a choice?"

Lamdo jolted in terror, only now understanding. "Mr. Linwei... You want to overthrow my father’s rule?! This is treason!"

Bang!

Before he could finish, Linwei drove a knee into his midsection, slamming him against the wall, then sent him crashing to the floor.

Panic shone in Lamdo’s eyes. Moments earlier, he’d been blinded by desire, but now, clarity returned—Linwei was simply using him as a pawn.

"Mr. Linwei, you’re just using me!" Lamdo stared at Linwei, unable to comprehend why Linwei harbored such terrifying ambition.

"Congratulations! You got it right! I am using you!"

Linwei pressed a foot down on Lamdo’s face.

"At this point, you should understand—two roads lie before you," Linwei looked down at Lamdo, contempt clear in his eyes. "Either accept my proposal and become the supreme master of Tulip Territory, or... die by my hand!"

Lamdo shuddered.

Sweat soaked his clothes as he wrestled with the decision.

"I..." At last, Lamdo’s hoarse voice rang out. "I choose to accept your proposal."

Between his father the Count, and his own life and ambition, Lamdo chose the latter.

The thirst for survival, the hunger for power.

Linwei smiled, removing his foot from Lamdo’s face, then gently helped him up from the floor.

He wiped the footprint from Lamdo’s cheek, patting him on the face, his expression one of satisfaction. "Young master Lamdo, I wish us a pleasant partnership."