He flinched, taking a step back as he whispered:
"You don't seem to understand what you're asking for… I'll ask you again, Viola..."
But she didn't wait—she stepped forward quickly and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was short, but enough to silence everything.
Then she said in a clear voice:
"I know exactly what I'm saying."
Lucas froze. He had never seen Viola with such an expression before. She wasn't shy or hesitant—she was resolute. A heavy silence passed between them, then suddenly… he let go of her hand forcefully and turned away, saying:
"Leave, Viola. Now."
She stepped back, stunned by his reaction:
"What?! Why are you throwing me out like this? Don't you want me too?"
He suddenly shouted, his voice sharp:
"Viola! What are you saying?! You know… the Crown Prince's wife must be a virgin!"
She replied without hesitation, tears returning to her eyes:
"I know! That's exactly why I'm asking you this… so I won't have to marry him!"
Lucas stepped back, as if the ground shook beneath him:
"What are you saying?! Are you planning to destroy yourself with your own hands? Ruin your reputation in front of the entire kingdom? Viola, I know Bastian well… he's sick. He won't spare you. He'll hurt you… he'll hurt your family… maybe even your little sister!
Do you really think you can endure all that just to avoid marrying him?"
Viola started crying harder, her voice trembling:
"I'm scared, Lucas… I don't want to belong to him… I don't want to!"
Lucas pulled her into a tight embrace, as if trying to protect what was left of her:
"I'm losing my mind too, because you'll belong to another man and not me."
He paused for a moment, then added:
"But I can't… I can't let anyone hurt you because of my selfishness. Please, calm down. I know you said this without thinking… out of fear. Viola, come back to your senses. This isn't a solution."
She cried into his chest, saying:
"I know… I'm sorry… I'm really sorry… please forgive me..."
He gently patted her back and whispered:
"It's alright… I understand… just breathe. Everything will be okay."
Minutes passed in silence until her breathing calmed. She pulled away slowly and wiped her tears. Viola realized what she had just said and whispered:
"Thank you… for bringing me back to my senses. But… please… promise me you'll forget what I just said, alright?"
He looked at her for a long moment, then said:
"I can't promise you that… it's hard to forget because you said it three times."
Viola blushed deeply, then murmured:
"Okay… at least pretend you didn't hear it."
Lucas smiled playfully to ease the tension and said in a teasing tone:
"As you command, Miss Viola Salvarine."
She let out a light laugh and said:
"Oh, I can't believe I said that..."
Lucas replied,
"You said it so firmly—like it was the most natural thing in the world: 'I want you.'"
Her face turned even redder, and she slapped his hand playfully:
"Look at you! You liked it, didn't you?"
He laughed and said,
"Maybe… you were very persistent."
Viola felt like steam was coming out of her head from sheer embarrassment. She quickly turned toward the door and said,
"Well then… good night."
He caught up to her quickly and said:
"Wait, I'll walk you to your room."
Lucas had finally managed to ease the tension a bit and soothe Viola's pain.
They walked silently through the dark hallway, and when they reached her door, she turned to him and asked in a soft voice:
"Even if your heart changes with time… I'll still be the first one you ever loved, right?"
He looked at her for a long moment, then said with confidence:
"My heart won't change… don't worry."
She smiled at him and said:
"Good night, Lucas."
He bowed slightly, kissed her cheek gently, and whispered:
"And you too… thank you for everything, my persistent lady."
Her cheeks flushed again, and she muttered,
"Goodbye..."
Then quickly closed the door.
Lucas chuckled softly, but when he returned to his room… he sat on the edge of his bed and placed his hands over his face.
He was completely shattered.
The day had been terrible beyond words.
And the worst part… was that he had no power to change any of it.
He sat staring at the floor in heavy silence, while Viola's final words echoed in his head like burdensome bells. His chest tightened, as if something invisible was crushing him. Why was he holding on to her so tightly? Why couldn't he just let her go?
Maybe… because he didn't want to hurt her.
But now, with painful clarity, he realized he was hurting her even more this way—
He had pushed her to the point where she uttered words that didn't even resemble who she was.
He was clinging to her so tightly, while she was drowning before his eyes.
It was as if his heart refused to let her go, even though he no longer had the right to keep her.
She was suffering. He knew it.
And yet he continued to place her in this cruel grey space between love and the past.
He raised his hand to his forehead and slowly wiped his face, as if trying to erase the confusion and the torment.
"I'm really lost..." he whispered to himself.
He no longer felt he belonged to anything…
Not to the wife who bore his name,
Nor to the woman he had loved his entire life.
He had become a stranger in a world he built with his own hands—
And now, he was suffocating in it.
How had things come to this?
He no longer knew if he was clinging to Viola because he truly loved her,
Or because he simply couldn't bear to see her taken away from him—
Or maybe, because he feared facing the end.
He wasn't even sure anymore if he hated his wife…
Or if he hated the man he had become when he was with her.
All he knew now…
Was that he had lost his balance—
And lost himself.
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I made everyone suffer these days 🥲 did you expect this to happen and how do you feel about chapter 48 49 i really want to know <3