Ave tried to wiggle her hand free from Lucian's grip as he continued to pull her along the polished corridors of the brightly lit palace that looked nothing like his gloomy, foreboding residence.
She would have admired the place—its grand columns, the intricate tapestries, and the way moon light poured in from high windows— if she didn't feel the waves of anger radiating from him as he dragged her along like a stubborn child reluctant to follow her father to some unwanted destination.
"Can you stop pulling me? I can walk by myself," Ave remarked when she nearly tripped over her dress. But if he heard her, he neither slowed down nor released her wrist. Why was he angry when she had been the one who almost got killed?
She should be the one seething with fury for being denied food and the privilege to dine with the royals all because of him and his cursed reputation. Was he angry because he didn't get to eat either?
After being dragged up a series of winding staircases and shadowed corridors, they finally stopped in front of a room in a section of the palace that looked as gloomy as the second prince's own domain. For a moment, Ave had thought they'd be staying in a better-polished room in this grand palace, but it seemed they were given the least desirable quarters.
Lucian unlocked the door with one hand while still gripping her with the other, then kicked the door open with such force that it might have broken if it hadn't been such a strong wooden door. The moment he stepped inside, he shoved her away as though her mere presence was a curse to his existence.
Ave would have fallen to the floor if she didn't have such good balance. She twirled around to face him, but her words died in her throat when she met his burning eyes, which bore down at her with a ferocity that made her blood run cold.
There was something wild, something almost feral in those eyes that reminded her of Beasty, that poor creature—but she quickly dismissed the thought as he began to take slow, menacing steps toward her.
Perhaps it was the darkness of the room, where the only light came from the open window and the faint glow seeping in around the door, but for some reason, his eyes and expression looked as though he could kill her at this very moment.
Ave, who rarely felt intimidated, found herself stepping backward as he advanced, his eyes drilling into hers in a way that sent nervous shivers down her spine and made her want to flee the room.
"Don't... don't come any closer," Ave stammered. "It wasn't my fault we were deprived of food or sent out! I know men can be beasts when they're hungry, but we got here because I was trying to defend—Ah!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Lucian moved in a flash and grabbed her by the neck. What was it with this prince and his constant attempts to strangle her?! Ave thought as she wrapped her fingers around his hand, trying to pry it away as she looked up at him.
Though he was grabbing her neck, his grip wasn't tight enough to choke the life out of her like before in the bathtub.
"Why?" he asked, his voice low and calm, but it had a deep, husky undertone laced with danger, sending a thrilling chill down her spine.
Her brows furrowed deeply. "Why what?" she asked, genuinely confused. Was he asking why she had supported him in the dining hall, or why she had initially refused to follow him?
Her confusion only seemed to irritate him further, and his grip tightened around her neck, this time cutting off her air supply. She gasped, trying to hit his hand.
"You... you're hurting me..." she managed to whisper, but he backed her against the rough wall, her back scraping against it as he leaned down, still holding her neck.
"Did you think I can't see through your plans, Selene? If you think for a moment that playing that trick in the dining hall would be enough for me to forgive you or forget what you did... then you are dead wrong. I. Will. Never. Forgive. You!" He hissed each word through clenched teeth, his breath hot against her ear, sending an unsettling shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with fear.
Ave's heart clenched into a tight knot. Though those words were meant for the real Selene, she found herself affected by them for some reason. When she met the burning hatred in his amber eyes, her heart gave a painful thud. What could Selene have done to make her husband hate her to this extent?
"Why do you hate me so much?" Ave blurted out before she could stop herself, as his grip loosened slightly. But it tightened again, and this time, he lifted her off her feet by her neck, her feet dangling helplessly.
"Why do I hate you so much, you ask?" he spat, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. "You are a tainted soul with a disgusting character! I hate you so much I wish I could kill you—to watch you suffer!" His voice was a roar, echoing in the dim room, and as he locked eyes with her tear-filled blue gaze, he suddenly released her. She dropped to the floor, coughing and gasping for breath.
Lucian stood over her, his hands twitching as if he wanted to reach out, to touch the red marks he must have left on her delicate neck. But the memory of that unfortunate day in the town's inn flashed before his eyes, and he held himself back. She deserved to suffer, and he would make sure she did.
Knowing he would end up hurting her more if he stayed any longer, Lucian turned on his heels and stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard it made Ave jump in fear.
Ave sat on the cold floor, her hands gripping her sore neck, her body trembling from the aftermath. She stared in disbelief at the door through which he had just exited. Twice in one night. She had escaped death 'twice' in one freaking night. What sort of life was this Selene living?
Her eyes moistened, and she stared at the floor, feeling a deep ache in her chest. She'd seen the pain in Lucian's eyes, like whatever Selene had done had not just broken his heart but shattered his trust. However, no matter how much she looked at it, nothing could justify the fact that he had tried to kill her—twice now.
Ave touched her neck again, wincing in pain as she felt the bruises forming. Anger flared within her, pushing aside the fear, pity and confusion. She had risked her life to support him, and this was how he repaid her?
"What a bastard," she muttered under her breath, her expression hardening.
Who did he think he was? Just because he was her—Selene's—husband, did he think he had the right to treat her like this?
Ave decided then and there that she could never live such a life in this era. She didn't belong here, and she would find a way back to her own time no matter what. She couldn't afford to face Lucian again—not after what had just happened. She wasn't sure what she might do if she did, and the pain in her neck, along with the one in her finger where she'd touched the sword in the dining hall, was a constant reminder of the danger she was in if she dared stay and followed what that shadowy woman had told her.
'Make this psycho fall in love with me? She must have been out of her mind. I never will,' Ave thought. But then, how the hell was she going to get home without doing what that woman had said, that was if she even believed such an absurd thing as making someone love you?
As Ave's eyes adjusted to the darkness, her thoughts were cut short. She noticed a lamp on a small table nearby. Picking it up, she walked out of the room and found a burning lamp in the corridor. Using a stick, she lit the lamp in her hand and carried it back inside the chamber.
As the light filled the room, Ave finally got a full view of her surroundings. Dust and cobwebs covered every surface, including the bed. The chandelier above looked like it hadn't been lit in ages, and the room had a stale, musty smell, as though it hadn't been cleaned for who knows how long.
When Lucian was dragging her along earlier, she'd subconsciously noticed a sign at the door that read, "Beware! The second prince's chamber."
"How could they give a prince a room like this to stay in for the night?" Ave whispered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.
Though she wanted to hate Lucian, the more she remembered how his family had treated him, the more she pitied him. But then the anger surged again when she recalled the look in his eyes when he'd almost strangled her to death.
He was wicked, that was final!
Whatever anger he harbored, it was directed at Selene. Ave was only here temporarily. She didn't want to feel any pity or emotions toward him—or anyone else. If only she could find a window…
A window!
Ave's eyes lit up when she spotted the open window where the light of the moon spilled in. She hurried over to it, her heart pounding with a sudden surge of hope. The room was on the third floor of the castle. If she could jump from here and lose consciousness or even die, perhaps she would travel back to her own body. Selene had obviously fallen from…
"Your Highness?" a voice called from the door, but Ave was too engrossed in her thoughts to hear.
If she could just jump, knock herself out like Selene had done…
"Princess Selene, are you deaf or what?" the voice snapped, irritation lacing the tone.
That was when Ave heard it. She turned around, raising the lamp to see who had spoken. Standing in the doorway was a young woman in what seemed to be a maid's uniform, though it was a different color from the ones she had noticed the palace maids wearing.
For a moment, Ave was confused. Was it really the maid who had spoken to her with such a disrespectful tone? But when the girl opened her mouth to speak again, Ave realized she was the one who had indeed just spoken.
"Don't stand there acting stupid. Her Majesty sent for you. And I swear, if you give me a hard time like the last time you were here, you are not going to like—"
Ave's lips curled up in disbelief as she cut the maid off. "Hold your dirty mouth right there. I don't care who you are so I won't even bother to ask, but when you speak to me you'd better be polite and respectful, girl. I am not in the mood to see the Empress or have anything to do with you. Get out!" Ave said dismissively.
She was tired of these people thinking they could control her. Imagine a maid speaking to her in such a way.
Even though she was only a princess by name, a maid had to know her place. Ave turned back to continue her calculations when the maid spoke again.
"I see the rumors are true. You've lost your mind so completely that you think you can disrespect the Empress," the maid sneered, her eyes narrowing with contempt. "Do you really believe that just because she picked you over me for the mission, she won't have you killed the moment you step out of line?"