A very creepy familiar thought came to Emilia as she made her way through to the inner chamber.
She found Lucas seated on the edge of his bed, bare-chested, trousers clinging to his waist with a bandage wrapped in his arms.
Her eyes moved above his arm to the spot where she stabbed him, and she found that the wound hadn't healed yet.
The memories of the night twenty days ago flashed before her eyes and Emilia's heart pounded in sudden fear.
The blood stain on his bandage made her want to puke again, but she held it in, placing a hand over her stomach.
Lucas noticed her standing in a daze and called out to her.
"What are you doing?' he asked, startling her further, but Emilia managed to take a bow.
"Your Majesty, I heard about what happened at the hunting grounds."
"How are you faring now?" she asked, lifting her head a little and her eyes met with Lucas's pale cold steel ones.
She immediately withdrew her gaze back to stare at the floor.
Lucas opened his mouth to scold her, finding her sudden nervousness ridiculous.
"You are sure you didn't come to check if I was dead?" he asked,
Emilia lifted her gaze, startled by the sternness in his tone. Her locked fingers trembled, and her silent response angered Lucas further.
After seeing her gentle demeanor at the pool the other day, he thought that maybe the hateful glares on their wedding night were gone, or perhaps he wished so, but didn't expect her to be unable to look directly at him the next time they met.
Her timid and fearful self right now irritated Lucas more than before.
He narrowed his gaze.
"Disappointed I'm still breathing?"
"Looked like you were actually here to check that," he added.
Emilia swallowed, thinking of how to respond. Even if she wanted him dead, right now she needed to pick her words wisely.
"I deserve to die for hurting you, your Majesty," she said, misunderstanding that he was talking about what she did.
Lucas raised his brows before understanding what she meant and went along with that. Since she was guilty towards him, he decided to use it.
"Come here," he commanded with a hand gesture.
Emilia stood and stepped toward him slowly. A faint grim appeared on her face, her composure brittle, but she fretted, expecting him to strike or hurt her.
Thomas tensed, watching from the side, his hand gripped the hilt of his sword and he took a step closer, ready to strike Emilia if she made any move.
"Leave us," Lucas ordered, his eyes catching Thomas's action.
Thomas hesitated, but obeyed, standing closely by the door outside.
Lucas picked up a small bottle from the bedside table and handed it to Emilia, who was still skeptical.
Emilia took it, unsure what he wanted her to do with it, but slowly realized he was asking her to apply it on his wound.
She went on her knees, and inches closer, her hands trembling, and moved very carefully to avoid touching his skin.
Up close, she couldn't help but notice how firm and warm his chest felt. Her fingers accidentally grazed his skin and it froze midair.
Their eyes met for the second time and Lucas's sapphire-blue eyes pinned hers in place.
It took a few seconds before Emilia looked away, flustered, and reached for the bottle of medicine.
"That one's poisonous," Lucas said suddenly, sending a chill down her spine.
Emilia looked at him, stunned and confused.
"I'm giving you a chance to kill me if you want to, you won't be held guilty," he said and her lips parted in shock.
Lucas slowly moved, his body coming in contact with Emilia's as he grabbed another bottle and held it in his hand.
"Here is real medicine. Make your choice."
Emilia stared at the bottle in her hand, unsure whether he was testing her or finding another reason to convict her, but either way, harming him here would be foolish.
Besides, she still hasn't gotten the important evidence regarding her father's case.
Without minding his words, Emilia opened the bottle in her hand, and poured some on the clean cloth beside him.
"I recognize this smell. It's an ointment for injuries."
"Also, I don't have a reason to hurt you anymore," she told him, and rubbed the powder on his chest, caressing it smoothly.
Lucas stared at her thoughtfully. Her words about not hurting him made his heart swell, then flinched slightly at the sting from the ointment.
Emilia paused, surprised at how deep his wound was and wondered why the wound hadn't healed much ever since.
Coupled with the fact that he hadn't allowed a doctor to attend to him, she couldn't imagine the pain he had had to endure.
Emilia looked at him, wanting to ask why he didn't allow a doctor to treat him, but realized as well that it was better not or her actions against him would have been found out long ago.
Emilia gently wrapped fresh bandages around his torso after placing the bottle down.
She felt Lucas's gaze watching her closely and felt quite uncomfortable and ended up making mistakes, having to do it all over again.
She rose to her feet hastily as soon as she was done, but the hem of her dress caught on the corner of the bed frame, and she tripped, falling forward, landing against his chest.
Lucas felt a quiver of excitement as he glanced down to see her hands resting on his abdomen.
Emilia gasped, flustered, she stumbled backward.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, her cheeks burning, but before she managed to create a safe distance, Lucas grabbed her wrist and pulled her down beside him.
Her breath hitched as he forced her to sit on the edge of the bed. His palm rested on the mattress near her hip, trapping hers between him and the headboard.
Emilia tried not to flinch, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.
Lucas leaned in, and whispered in a low voice against her face.
"How do you want to be punished?" he asked.
Emilia's eyes widened, the shock of their closeness fading fast.