'Alright, I will find some bandits to spar with tomorrow,' Lucian said, deciding to humor it for a bit. He needed some debt collectors in the Diamante Kingdom as well, 'Will that make you happy?'
'No. I want you to be so strong that you can kill them with a stare... I want you to be so strong that you can make the world bow down to you.'
'And why would I want that?' Lucian asked, 'What's the point of having all that power if you're just going to use it to bully people? That sounds boring.'
'The point is to be free. To be able to do whatever you want without anyone being able to stop you.'
'Hm, that's not a bad goal,' Lucian admitted, and leaned back in his chair. 'But I don't see people in top positions doing the fighting themselves. They use people like you to do it for them.'
Lucian probably hit a sensitive topic, because he coughed up blood just then. A sharp pain stabbed through his chest, and he had to hold onto the desk to steady himself.
'Say that louder,' Voice said, its voice turning dangerously cold.
Lucian's vision swam as the pain intensified, his body convulsing. He reached toward his neck and fumbled with the small leather pouch tied there, his fingers trembling as he tried to open it.
A vial containing a dark red liquid fell out and rolled across the floor. He struggled to grab it, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he bent down to pick it up.
He got on his knees and stretched his arm, his fingers brushing against the cool glass, but his strength failed him.
He collapsed, his head hitting the floor with a dull thud.
'What... what was that for?' Lucian asked.
'A reminder,' Voice replied, 'A reminder of who holds the power here.'
Lucian wanted to tell it to go to hell, but it knew he wanted to live to meet up with Celine, so it took advantage of it to make Lucian do its bidding.
'Alright, you win,' Lucian said, his mood in shambles. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his fingers coming away stained with blood. 'You have successfully established dominance and proved your point.'
He wanted to die so badly right now. Just end it all whenever Voice did something like this to him. He was a human too, so of course, it hated him.
The bitter metallic tang that coated his tongue and throat reminded him of his place. That he was nothing more than a puppet.
The pain slowly subsided as he lay there, staring at the chair's legs and dust bunnies that clung to them. He didn't want to get up; he just wanted to lie there and rot.
Lucian remained on the floor until the morning sun filtered through the window, casting long shadows across the room.
The door creaked open.
"What..." Celine began as she entered the office, her eyes widening at the sight of Lucian on the floor, the empty vial, and the bloodstains. She rushed to his side, her hands hovering over his neck and wrist to check his pulse.
"Morning," Lucian said before she could call for help, his voice hoarse as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.
"Don't move," she commanded, but he still did, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her stomach. She was wearing men's clothes again.
"How did you get here?" he asked. Did his employees just let her in without question? She probably told them they had an arranged meeting or something. He would need to have a word with them later.
"I thought consulting the landscaping project at your place would be a good start to my day," she explained, not rejecting his advances. "You look awful."
"You look beautiful," he mumbled, his words muffled by the fabric of her coat.
She didn't ask about the blood. There was a good chance she already knew, or at least had a good guess, "Should I storm the church and question the quality of their products? This is obviously a sign of poor quality control, and the Rochefort family can't have that."
Lucian shook his head, chuckling, his arms tightened around her. "It's my own fault."
"Is that so? Then I will have to punish you for being irresponsible." Celine said, pulling him up. She was much stronger than she looked, as if her slender limbs were made of steel.
Lucian wanted to go back to being a corpse on the floor when she said that. Punishment this, punishment that, he would prefer her to be sweet and gentle with him.
She brought him to the bed and lay him down. There was a basin of water, a bar of soap, and a towel by the bedside. He usually cleaned up before going to bed, but he didn't get the chance last night.
Instead of cleaning him up, she tucked him in like a child to keep him warm. She then started to inspect the room, her eyes scanning every corner and crevice.
She removed her coat and draped it over him. She then checked the water in the jug on the desk and found it to be cold. "I'll get you some hot water."
"Don't leave me," Lucian pleaded, his voice cracking. He didn't want to be alone with his thoughts.
"I will order the servants to bring it," she said.
"...Don't..."
"..." Celine sighed and went to lock the door. She lit a candle on the nightstand with a match and poured a cup of water from the jug. She then held the cup over the candle, heating it with the flame. "If they leave you over a sickness, then they are not worth keeping."
Lucian blinked, 'Oh, does she think I'm afraif of people leaving me? I'm not ten anymore.'
He found her guess to be quite cute and continued the act, "What if I'm too much of a burden?"
She brought the now-warm water to his lips and helped him drink. "I don't know... I can always turn you into my hug pillow if that's the case."