Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 592 Explanation and Promise

The sky outside the window had completely darkened.

In late August in England, the sun doesn't truly set until after 9 pm, the last glimmer of orange-red on the horizon swallowed by the night.

The lawns and lavender fields outside Malfoy Manor sank into the blue-gray twilight, and the white peacocks had returned to their nests sometime earlier.

The Death Eaters had almost all left; less than half an hour after Rock was taken away, they had almost completely dispersed.

Everyone knows that tonight's party has lost its original purpose.

Most of the cold dishes on the long table had been removed, but a few bottles of wine were still on the table, with glasses scattered about.

The core members also took their leave one after another. Evan Rozier was the first to leave. He shook hands with Regulus, didn't say much, patted his arm, and left.

Theodore Nott said goodbye with a stern face. Before leaving, Veronica said a few words to Narcissa, left Regulus with a charming smile, and turned to go.

Adrian Selwyn was the last to leave, shaking hands with Lucius several times and repeatedly saying how honored he was to have the evening. In the end, Lucius politely saw him out.

Crabbe and Goyle followed Lucius around all night. Crabbe shook Regulus's hand several times with a serious expression on his face, as if he wanted to confirm the matter of teaching the child again. Goyle nodded in agreement.

Lucius watched from the side, and the line on his forehead reappeared faintly.

The young people from the Parkinson and Shafik families also left.

Lucretius was the second to last to leave, and chatted with Regulus for a while longer in a corner of the main hall.

Tonight's banquet was not a wasted trip for the attendees; the shrewd heirs of the pure-blood families each had their own agendas.

Some people will go back and think over and over every detail of Rock's outburst, why he said those things, why Regulus reacted that way, and why Lucius said no.

Some might think of the connection between the Black family and the Death Eaters, some might think of the fate of the Rock family, and some might think of how Regulus handled the matter.

Even a small incident that happened tonight is seen differently by everyone because of Regulus's current status and power. Every word he says and every action he takes will create ripples in the pureblood community.

The main hall was empty. The little elf silently cleaned up the mess. Wine glasses and plates floated towards the kitchen. The wine stains on the tablecloth disappeared, and the broken wine glass on the floor was also cleaned up.

Lucius walked over to Regulus, his whole demeanor relaxing, and casually said, "Come on, let's go sit in the study for a while."

o

Regulus nodded.

Lucius led Regulus through the side corridor of the main hall and deeper into the manor.

The candlesticks in the corridor lit up one by one as people passed by, and went out one by one after they passed, the light following the movement of their shadows.

The study is on the second floor, around the corner. Pushing open the door, you can see that the fireplace inside is already lit, casting a soft green light on the dark wooden floor.

It was very large, almost twice the size of Orion's study at 12 Grimmauld Place.

The ceiling is also higher, with a whole star map embedded in the ceiling, drawn with silver lines on a dark blue background, and the positions of the stars slowly moving over time.

All four walls are floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made of dark walnut wood, filled with finely bound books and scrolls, the gilded lettering on the spines gleaming with a muted sheen in the fireplace light.

A long table, made of dark wood, was placed by the window. Its surface was so smooth that it reflected one's image. The stationery on the table was neatly arranged, including an inkwell, a quill pen holder, parchment, and a wax box—everything was there.

The curtains were half-drawn, revealing the night outside. A sofa set, made of dark green velvet, stood in front of the window.

The entire space was quiet and private, a completely different world from the main hall. The only thing that remained the same was the luxury, exuding an old-money vibe everywhere.

Narcissa was already sitting on the sofa, having changed out of her banquet dress and into a light-colored home robe. Her blonde hair was loose over her shoulders, and she had removed her makeup, making her look much more relaxed.

When she saw Regulus enter, she looked up, smiled, and gestured with her chin towards the person opposite her.

"sit."

Lucius walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of wine from it, a dark bottle with a line of French text printed on the label.

He unscrewed the cork, poured two glasses, brought them over, placed one in front of Regulus, and took the other himself, sitting down on the sofa next to Narcissa.

Narcissa looked at Regulus and spoke first, her tone relaxed: "You must have found this farce hilarious."

"It's not a farce," Regulus shook his head slightly, "it's quite interesting."

"Hehe," Narcissa chuckled, "You have quite the good temper. If it were me, I would have had him kicked out long ago."

Lucius raised his glass to Regulus beside him and added, "I wanted to chase you away, but you didn't give me the chance."

Regulus returned his gaze with a meaningless look.

Lucius turned his head and exchanged a glance with Narcissa.

Regulus saw it; the two of them weren't hiding it, they were deliberately letting him see it.

Narcissa began to talk about their daily life after marriage, her tone still relaxed: "The gardens in the manor were completely renovated last month. The flowerbed on the west side was all changed to different varieties. Now there's a patch of tuberoses planted there, and they look quite beautiful when they bloom at night."

He wasn't interested in flowers and plants, but he still asked, "French or Italian?"

"In Italy, they only open after sunset and stay closed during the day," Narcissa said with a smile in her eyes. "Lucius said that when he takes a walk at night, he can see the whole field of flowers lit up, which is a perfect match for the manor's lights."

Lucius shrugged at Regulus: "Actually, Narcissa has always wanted to grow a night-blooming variety. The tuberose is the third one; the first two only lived for half a month before dying."

Narcissa glared at him.

Regulus, watching the couple's back-and-forth conversation, understood perfectly what was going on.

It was similar to the tactics he used against Sirius Black before: a combination of offense and defense, interjections and jokes, and he clearly laid it all out for him.

A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes: "So what were the first two who died?"

Seeing Regulus's expression, Lucius blurted out, "Narcissus slapped him hard with a loud thud. Lucius raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and gave Regulus a helpless look."

Regulus smacked his lips: "Can't even keep grass alive..."

Narcissa glared at Regulus again: "I found a very good herbalist and specially prepared the soil and fertilizer, now..."

It grows very lushly.

Lucius then chimed in, "She even had a plot of land turned over, saying she was going to plant some kind of seven-veined iris, but now there are only two seedlings left."

Narcissa glanced sideways, her tone unfriendly: "Those two are perfectly fine."

"I didn't say it died; I said there were only two left."

After chatting for a while, Regulus would occasionally respond with a comment or chuckle.

He didn't take what happened earlier to heart; it wasn't even a minor incident.

Some of the younger Death Eaters rebelled, but it wasn't arranged by the Malfoys. Lucius said from the beginning that they were uninvited, so it wasn't his fault.

Narcissa was his close cousin, and Lucius was a true relative; Regulus wouldn't give a close person a hard time over something like this.

But this matter cannot be left unresolved.

Rock's intervention may not be an isolated incident. If the Death Eaters are continuously testing the Black family's limits, there will be a second and a third instance.

He needs an answer, to show which side the Malfoys are on in this matter.

After chatting for a while, Lucius put down his cup, leaned forward a little, straightened his posture, and spoke more seriously.

He looked at Regulus and said directly, "Regarding what happened just now, the Rock family will give you an explanation."

Narcissa also stopped chatting, leaned closer to Lucius, and looked at Regulus with her gray eyes, observing him.

Regulus knew that the couple was watching his attitude, seeing if he cared, if he was unhappy, and if he felt that the Malfoys had a responsibility.

Relatives are relatives, and we have a good relationship, but what just happened did happen.

On Malfoy territory, someone offended the Black family heir in front of everyone.

Regulus nodded: "It's up to you."

Lucius narrowed his eyes slightly and relaxed, and Narcissa's shoulders also relaxed a little, and a smile returned to her face.

That's over.

Lucius leaned back on the sofa, picked up his wine glass and took a sip, the annoyance still lingering in his voice.

"This group of people, those in the middle and lower ranks, are all like they don't have brains. When the adults ask them to do something, all they know is to rush in. After rushing in, they feel like they've done a good job, and then they want to move up in the ranks. They don't understand their own position at all."

He shook his head, his voice filled with undisguised disdain: "Ignorant fools. What is the Rock family? They keep a few animals for sale on the side of the alley and think they're something special. They don't even know their own worth, yet they dare to come and cause trouble at the Malfoy family's place."

Regulus raised his glass, his tone relaxed and slightly teasing: "That lord's entourage is truly a diverse mix of people."

"If a real war breaks out, these guys will be at the forefront, and they'll be at the forefront of death," Lucius said with a cold glint in his eyes. "Then the battlefield will be piled high with corpses, half of them will be theirs. They'll be working for others while they're alive, and they won't even leave a name behind when they die."

He glanced at Regulus, his tone direct and firm: "Family is family, war is war. Only those who can distinguish between the two will survive to the end."

Regulus nodded in agreement.

Indeed, you survived to the end.

Lucius is a shrewd and worldly pure-blooded young master, not a kind person. Family interests always come first, and everything else can be the price.

He worked for Voldemort, but he wasn't a fanatic or a believer. To be precise, he was an investor, and naturally looked down on those clueless idiots.

Regulus, of course, looked down on those guys even more.

"When the cannon fodder start to feel like they're not cannon fodder anymore, then they're not far from death."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Narcissa.

Narcissa had been quiet for a while, listening to the two men talk, holding her wine glass, her gaze fixed on the flames in the fireplace.

War, death, family feuds—these things were not far from her.

A faint worry flashed in her eyes, and her fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of the glass.

Regulus's gaze shifted from Narcissa to Lucius, a slight smile playing on his lips. "What those two big guys said earlier wasn't entirely unreasonable. When are you two going to have children?"

Narcissa looked up at him, and the topic suddenly took some of the worry in her mind away.

Lucius raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at Narcissa, and then at Regulus.

"I'm still waiting to teach your kids," Regulus joked. "You'd better hurry up, or by the time I start teaching your kids, their kids will already be in Hogwarts."

Narcissa laughed, touched the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and looked at Regulus with a warm gaze.

"You've certainly planned far ahead."

"Not far," Regulus shrugged and said casually, "I'll teach you when you have children—Transfiguration, spells, dueling, everything you need to know."

Saying that is considered a promise.

The Black family heir personally pledged to mentor the next generation of the Malfoys, a deep-seated bond within the pure-blood circle.

Narcissa's eyes lit up as she turned to look at Lucius.

Lucius straightened up slightly. He was a shrewd man, and even in a friendly and casual atmosphere, he never forgot to keep his word.

"Then it's settled," he said, raising his glass and extending it forward. "I'll tell you first when we have a child."

Regulus raised an eyebrow and clinked his glass with Regulus's.

Lucius also made a commitment: "We'll work hard."

Narcissa rolled her eyes.