The grand celebration had ended, leaving only a serene quietness in the ballroom as important visitors bid their farewells to Seraphina, wishing her luck in her new marriage. However, there was no sign of Lucius amidst the departing guests.
Asmodeus approached Seraphina, but she instinctively kept her distance. An unspoken tension hung between them, and she couldn't help but inquire about Lucius' whereabouts. Asmodeus seemed indifferent, offering no information and giving little thought to his brother's absence.
Alone in her room, Seraphina prepared for bed, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of her family and the strange sounds she had heard by the chained door. She wondered if there was a connection between Lucius and those eerie sounds.
Suddenly, Lucius stumbled into the room, visibly drunk. Fear flickered in Seraphina's eyes until she realized his inebriated state. She moved to help him, but he pushed her away and uttered words that stung her deeply. "Why don't you go back to Asmodeus?"
Seraphina didn't want this animosity between them so early in their marriage. She tried to calm him down, eventually guiding him to the bed where he fell asleep. As she attended to him, the memory of their heated moment on the rooftop resurfaced, leaving her flustered and confused.
Despite her initial hesitation, she found herself drawn to him, their gazes locked in a charged silence. Slowly, Lucius leaned forward, and their lips met in a fiery kiss. Seraphina responded to the intensity of the moment, but it was cut short as he drifted off to sleep.
Touched by the heat of their encounter, Seraphina struggled to sleep, her thoughts filled with the weight of their impulsive kiss. The emotions swirling inside her made slumber elusive.
The following morning, Seraphina woke to find Lucius still asleep. Rather than disturbing him, she decided to freshen up with the help of the maids. In the bathtub, her mind couldn't escape the vivid memory of their passionate kiss.
Lucius stirred from his sleep, feeling his head throb with a headache. Confused, he tried to piece together the events of the previous night. The kiss felt like a dream, too surreal to be true.
Meanwhile, Seraphina emerged from the bathroom, dressed and composed. As Lucius entered the room, their eyes locked in an intense gaze before she looked away, her cheeks flushed with the memory of their intimate encounter.
Lucius broke the silence with an apology, admitting that he didn't recall what transpired the night before. Trying to be bold, Seraphina asked if he remembered the kiss. His realization that it wasn't a dream left him stunned.
He apologized for the kiss, feeling it was disrespectful. But Seraphina countered, asserting that as husband and wife, it wasn't entirely wrong. In a low tone, he murmured, "I'm not like my brother..."
Her heart ached, hearing his insecurity. She took a deep breath and began to explain the misunderstanding between her and Asmodeus, hoping to mend the fractured trust between them.
In this moment of vulnerability and awakening, the veils of deception and miscommunication started to lift, and the truth slowly emerged, guiding Seraphina and Lucius on a path towards understanding and redemption.