She was Selena Whitlock, no longer Ming Yue, and she was no one's victim.
Not anymore.
Selena's bravado fizzled out the moment the heavy doors of the banquet hall shut behind her. The sharp clicks of her heels against the polished marble were replaced by the muted thud of the carriage wheels as they rolled over cobblestone streets.
Sitting inside, she could no longer hold her head high, nor could she maintain the mask of cool confidence she had worn throughout the evening.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she could feel the heat spreading down her neck. Her heart raced as the reality of what she had done sank in. What was I thinking?
This was not her! She was not this person! Confident? No! She used to pray she was invisible in her past life hoping that no one would notice her!
But now she wore a dress she would never wear, she exuded confidence, something she never had! She thought making a grand entrance and calling off the engagement would be her way of saying bye to the sad, mouse-like Ming Yue...
But the aftermath was only causing her stress!
She clasped her hands tightly in her lap, her fingers twisting the fabric of her dress. The Crown Prince wouldn't kill her for this, would he? No, of course not. Mother wouldn't let him.
But the thought of facing Adrien's wrath sent her stomach churning. He had been furious—she'd seen it in the tense set of his jaw and the icy glint in his eyes.
Selena risked a glance at her brother, who sat across from her in the carriage. His face was expressionless, his gaze fixed firmly on the passing streets outside.
Not once did he look at her. The silence between them was thick and oppressive, a weight pressing down on her chest.
"Say something," She finally blurted out, unable to bear the quiet any longer.
Lucien's eyes flicked to her briefly before returning to the window. "What would you like me to say?" he replied flatly.
"I don't know! Anything!" she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Yell at me, scold me, call me reckless—just don't sit there like a stone!"
"Of all the things you did in the past, I must say this performance of yours was tame." He scoffed. That was true. She broke off her engagement and kissed a man in front of everyone and yet, this was the least trouble she caused.
Well, that was not at all what I expected.
Her shoulders which were tense from the situation finally relaxed. She was expecting a fight, she was expecting some pushback from her brother but he looked more relaxed than she was!
She was prepared to defend herself and turn the tables on him but instead, she got nothing. What should she do with all this nervous energy?
She stole a glance at Alex, who was lounging in his seat as if the evening's events had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience. His long legs were stretched out, one arm resting casually along the back of the seat. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He caught her looking and raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind, my lady?"
Selena scowled at him. "You seem awfully relaxed for someone who just became the centrepiece of a scandal."
"I could say the same for you," he said, his tone light but his eyes sharp.
"I'm not relaxed," she snapped. "I'm—" She faltered, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm panicking."
Alex's smile widened, though he had the decency to suppress a chuckle. "You hide it well," he said, his voice tinged with amusement.
Selena groaned, burying her face in her hands. "This is a disaster," she muttered. "Adrien's going to kill me. Nicholas will probably challenge you to a duel. And Clara—" She stopped, her hands dropping to her lap as a new wave of anger surged through her. "Clara will probably cry about how I ruined her evening, and everyone will rush to console her."
Alex shrugged. "You certainly know how to leave an impression," he said. "Though I have to admit, I didn't expect you to go as far as you did."
She glared at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Just that I underestimated your boldness," he said. "I thought you brought me along to make Nicholas jealous, but it seems you had something much grander in mind."
Lucien who tried his best to stare out the window and not involve himself in this mess could not stand it anymore. He turned to her and asked, "So, what's your plan now?" His arms were crossed and eyebrows furrowed.
Selena sighed, her beautifully styled hair was a mess now from her stressing and pulling. Alex grabbed her hand to stop her from hurting herself and seeing this romantic gesture, Lucien couldn't help but scoff.
"If you guys are done with whatever that is, pray tell how do you plan to deal with situation." Lucien narrowed his eyes. This is why everyone hates lovers! He internally screamed.
As the silence stretched on, Alex's mind wandered to the events of the evening. The kiss had been unexpected, to say the least. Selena's lips had been soft, her grip on his collar firm, and for a brief moment, he had been completely caught off guard.
He wouldn't admit it, but the kiss hadn't been unpleasant. In fact, it had been... Distracting.
He sighed inwardly. Focus, Alex. He was here for a reason, and it wasn't to get tangled up in a noblewoman's vendetta. He had a mission to complete.
During the banquet, he had spent most of his time mingling with the nobles of lower rank, the ones who lurked on the edges of the grand ballroom and avoided the spotlight.
They were the key to his investigation—the higher-ranking nobles were too guarded, their masks too polished. But the lower ranks? They were more likely to let something slip.