Elise had been quiet since dawn, though her presence was as solid and steady as always.
We were supposed to visit the temple wing, some nonsense about ceremonial blessings i could hardly care less for, but i needed the walk.
I needed the air. I needed distance between myself and last night's memory, the feel of Lucien's kiss, stolen mid-argument, as though my silence was his right to claim.
"I don't trust the calm today," I muttered to Elise.
She glanced sideways at me. "It's always the quiet ones that bite hardest, Princess."
And she was right.
Just as we turned the marble corner, I saw her.
Lady Mei.
Draped in a soft jade robe that caught the light too perfectly, hair piled into a deliberately loose chignon, face painted in soft deceit. She smiled the moment she spotted me, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"Princess Seraphine," she said sweetly, folding her hands before her. "You look so well. It warms my heart that you've recovered."
I stopped walking.
Elise did too.
I tilted my head, eyes narrowing.
Lady Mei stepped closer, her smile widening. "Your strength is truly admirable. After… everything. Most women would have broken down."
"And yet i'm still standing," I said flatly.
"Yes," she hummed. "But standing can be such a temporary thing in the palace."
It was bait. Cheap, obvious bait.
But i didn't care.
I took a step forward, lips curving in a smile of my own. "You speak with such poetry, Lady Mei. But i suggest you be careful with your words… or they may be your undoing."
"I'm simply concerned—"
"Oh, drop the act," I cut in sharply. "You think i don't know what you did? That day? You stabbed yourself or i must say you let your servant stabbed you just to make it look like i tried to kill you."
Her smile faltered.
I didn't stop.
"You framed me."
She inhaled, sharply, but i was already walking toward her. Elise didn't stop me.
I leaned in, close enough that my lips nearly brushed her ear, and whispered in a voice like ice, "You may have succeeded once. But if you try again, if you so much as think of pulling another one of your pathetic schemes— I won't hesitate. I'll kill you myself. And this time, I'll make sure you bleed slow."
I stepped back with a gracious smile, loud enough for the guards nearby to hear, "Thank you for your concern, Lady Mei. You're ever so generous."
I turned to leave.
But before i could take two steps, I felt it.
A presence behind me. Not Elise. Not a breeze. No.
This was intent.
I could feel it. Like a knife being drawn in silence.
My hand dropped to the sword at my waist without hesitation.
I spun.
The servant behind Lady Mei froze. She hadn't drawn a weapon. Not yet. But her foot was braced like she would move. Like she was waiting for the right second.
I unsheathed my blade and pointed it directly at her face.
"Go," I said through clenched teeth, voice low and deadly. "Try me. Hurt me. So i can bury this sword in your chest and feel your blood warm my hands. I won't hesitate, and i won't be gentle."
The girl paled, eyes wide.
"Do it," I said again, blade steady. "Let's see how much of your mistress's poison you can drink before you die."
The girl stepped back quickly, nearly tripping on her own feet.
I didn't flinch.
But then, soft gasping.
I turned.
Lady Mei had collapsed dramatically onto the path, one hand clutching her temple, the other draped like a dead flower against her chest.
"Oh… oh no," she whispered. "I feel… faint…"
Of course.
She was putting on a show.
For Lucien.
Because he was there.
I hadn't noticed him approach, but now he stood not five paces away, watching.
His eyes weren't on Lady Mei.
They were on me.
His expression unreadable.
And for one painful heartbeat, I thought, he'll rush to her. Like he always does. She'll get what she wants. Again.
But he didn't.
Lucien walked past her without sparing her a glance.
He came straight to me.
He reached for my wrist, the one holding the sword, and gently pushed it down. I let him.
"You're trembling," he said.
"I'm furious," I replied.
He didn't argue.
Then he took my hand and pulled me away, leaving Lady Mei crumpled on the path with her servant and her theatrics.
The guards stared in stunned silence.
Lucien didn't look back.
And neither did I.
-
The moon was high when i returned to our shared chamber that night. The wind was colder than usual.
I wrapped my robe tighter around my waist and stepped in, only to find the room empty.
Lucien wasn't there.
I should've been relieved.
But something inside me twisted at the silence.
I didn't sleep.
I lay in bed, facing the wall, half-listening to every creak in the hall. And then, there. A sound. Barely audible. The faintest shift of air.
My muscles tensed.
I didn't turn.
I waited.
A breath.
A step.
I felt it, the murderous intent, unmistakable and sharp as a blade.
I moved.
In one fluid motion, I rolled from the bed, grabbed the sword resting beside the table, and spun toward the intruder.
A figure cloaked in black, face masked, already raising a dagger.
Steel met steel.
The clash echoed in the chamber.
I fought fast, furious, the blade heavy but familiar in my hands.
The assassin was skilled, shockingly so, but i was stronger, more brutal. I didn't dance. I struck to kill.
We clashed again, and again.
And then i landed a blow. Her arm. A deep gash. She fell to her knees, the mask slipping slightly.
I stepped forward.
The door burst open.
Lucien.
He took one look at the scene—me, breathless and blood-smeared; the masked figure kneeling in defeat and didn't hesitate.
"Hold her," he snapped at the guards who'd come running.
As they dragged her up, I stepped forward and tore the mask from her face.
I wasn't surprised.
It was Lady Mei's servant.
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"Attempted murder of the Crown Princess," he said coldly. "Execution at dawn."
"No," I said sharply. "Not yet."
Lucien looked at me.
"I want her in the dungeon," I said. "Rotting. Screaming. Let her live with her failure."
He stared at me for a long moment, then nodded.
"Done."
The guards dragged her away.
The door shut behind them.
And then Lucien turned back to me.
He was across the room in two strides.
"Did she hurt you?" he demanded, grabbing my shoulders, scanning my body for wounds like a madman.
"I'm fine—"
"You're not—your hand is shaking—"
"It's from the adrenaline—"
He ignored me.
He ran his fingers down my arms, touched my waist, my neck, checking for blood. His eyes were wild.
And then, before i could stop him, he pulled me into a fierce, crushing embrace.
"I told you to be careful," he said, voice tight.
"I was."
He didn't let go.
I struggled. "Lucien, stop—"
"Let me hold you," he whispered. "Just… for a moment. Please."
And this time, I stopped fighting.
Just for a moment, I allowed the weight of his arms to fall around me.
I wasn't sure if it was the aftermath of the attack, or the sound of desperation in his voice, but i stood still.
His hold wasn't rough, nor commanding. It was warm. Secure. Like a storm outside the palace walls had ceased to matter for the span of a single heartbeat.
My forehead hovered close to his chest, not quite touching.
"I shouldn't have left you alone," he murmured, his voice low, almost guilty. "I knew someone would try something again."
"Then why did you?" My voice cracked before I could catch it. I hated how vulnerable i sounded. I was not weak. I wasn't made to be saved.
Lucien's arms slowly loosened. "Because… I didn't think they'd be foolish enough to try again this soon."
I pulled away just enough to look up at him. "You underestimate how much i'm hated."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "No. I just hoped they'd fear you enough."
For a beat, I was caught between disbelief and something else, something i didn't want to name.
I stepped back, the coolness returning to my voice.
"I don't need you to protect me," I said.
"I know." He reached forward, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear, his touch maddeningly gentle. "But i still will."
I clenched my jaw, unsure of what unnerved me more, his sudden tenderness or how easily it slipped under my skin.