The commotion had drawn a crowd, the nobles and servants whispering amongst themselves. The banquet was a grand event, and they had not expected to witness such an interesting sight.
"Bold, that servant," someone murmured, amused. "Stealing from the Rocheforts. What's he taken?"
"Foolish boy. He must have a death wish."
"I didn't do it!" Lucian cried out, "It was Lady Celine. She gave the necklace to me. I'm innocent, please! Believe me. I didn't steal anything!"
"Silence!" the guard barked, punching him in the stomach.
"Ugh-!" Lucian's knees hit the ground, but his eyes, his eyes stayed on her.
She didn't speak, nor did she flinch or try to stop them.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
They threw Lucian into a cell like trash.
He gritted his teeth as his body hit the stone ground. His whole body trembled despite the warm night. The inner cold seeped into his bones, freezing him from the inside out.
"I'll punish him myself," her voice echoed through the dungeon, her footsteps ringing in his ears, "...and make him pay for what he did."
She stood before him, her face hidden by the shadows. She was holding a whip, the handle made of polished wood braided with leather.
Lucian's eyes snapped open, his breath coming out in a shudder, "No…"
She raised her arm.
"Argggh," he gasped. The crack of the whip against skin resonated through the dungeon.
She brought the whip down again and again, the tip biting into his skin, leaving a trail of angry red welts across his back.
His face continued to twist in agony. How ironic it would be if he died from heartbreak and not from the physical pain inflicted upon him. He would rather that be the cause of his death. At least he would go out with a little dignity left.
"Throw him out," she ordered, her voice cracking slightly as the smell of blood and sweat filled the air.
The guards nodded and dragged his broken body out of the cell, dumping him outside the gate.
Lucian forced his eyes open, the effort causing pain to shoot through his skull. If he stayed here any longer, he would surely die, but all he could think about was the pain, and how much it hurt.
The humiliation.
The torture.
The betrayal…
He let out a soft whimper. It hurt too much to breathe, to think, to feel.
Everything hurt.
And then… it didn't.
The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the sound of his heart breaking, shattering into a thousand pieces.
He really was going to die from a broken heart, wasn't he?
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
The sound of chirping birds woke Lucian from his slumber. Or maybe it was the fact that his body was colder than a corpse in the middle of winter, and the mattress was too lumpy and uncomfortable to stay asleep on.
He tried to move, but his limbs felt like lead.
"Don't move," someone said nearby, "I just finished bandaging you."
He looked up and saw a young man standing beside his bed with a tray in his hand. With curly brown hair, tanned skin, and green eyes, Lucian recognized him as an old acquaintance who worked in one of the shops he owned.
"Jax?" Lucian rasped, his throat parched, "How...?"
"I found you outside the gate, your body barely clung to life," Jax replied, his expression grim, "The store sold out earlier than usual, and there was still one large order left unfulfilled. Only you had the key to the storage house, so I came to fetch you, and that's when I saw you lying there."
"Did anyone come looking for me?" Lucian asked quietly.
Maybe she didn't have a choice.
Maybe she did what she had to do to protect him.
Maybe...
"No, not a soul," Jax said, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Why, did you expect someone to come?"
Lucian closed his eyes, fighting back the self-mocking laugh. "No, I didn't," he lied, his heart breaking all over again, "I'm glad you found me. Thank you, Jax."
"Me too," Jax agreed, a faint smile appearing on his lips, "Have you heard about the engagement? Lady Celine is betrothed to the Crown Prince."
Lucian's eyes flew open, his pulse quickening, "Who?"
"The Crown Prince, the first son of King Henry and Queen Marie," Jax repeated, "Lady Celine will be the future queen of the Kingdom."
Lucian's stomach lurched, bile rising in his throat. He rolled over, retching violently.
Her academy years were spent with the Crown Prince, weren't it? The rumors about her chasing after the Crown Prince weren't just a rumor after all, huh? What about her actions toward him then? What was his role in her scheme?
A test run to see if she could seduce someone out of her league? Someone, who would dare reject her? Was that why she worked so hard to get him to like her? To love her?
Hate, jealousy, and sorrow swirled inside Lucian, threatening to overwhelm him. The moment she obtained his love and loyalty, she discarded him. She was done with him. It was that easy to her. He was that insignificant.
He didn't want her to be happy with another. No. He wanted her to suffer. He wanted her to feel the pain of betrayal. Wanted her to know what it was like to lose the one you'd sacrificed everything for.
The thought of vengeance gave him strength, fueling the anger and resentment that burned in his heart.
'Never let your guard down around another person again,' he swore to himself, 'Never let anyone use you without being paid back tenfold…ever again.'
His heart hardened, the cracks running deeper than before .It wasn't enough to heal, but it dulled the ache, masked the loneliness, numbed the rest.
And so, the seeds of hatred were planted.
The seeds that would eventually bloom into a deadly flower.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Five years later...
"What do you think about this one, Lucian?" Jax held up a portrait of a young woman. She was dressed in a beautiful gown, her blonde hair falling down her back in soft waves. Her eyes were a warm shade of brown, and her smile was sweet and innocent.
Lucian crossed the office, throwing his gear at the hanger. He was tired and wanted nothing more than to take a bath and eat a warm meal, "Any news from the capital?"
Trends were important. New and popular things were what kept the economy flowing. The research and development team was responsible for identifying the trends and bringing them to Lucian.
He had a gift for numbers. Every detail, every data point, every transaction was crystal clear in his mind. He had a keen eye for profit.
He had used those skills to build the largest distribution company in the Kingdom, and now he was expanding into the neighboring Kingdoms.
"Not much... Just a lot of rumors," Jax said, leaning back on the couch, "Celine Rochefort was caught having an affair with one of the servants..."
Lucian inhaled sharply, and for the first time in years, his composure cracked. He choked, coughing violently, a hand pressing to his mouth as if to physically stop himself from reacting.
"I know, it's hard to believe, isn't it? What other reason would the royal family have to call off the engagement right before her coming of age?" Jax shook his head.
Lucian exhaled slowly, his eyes drifting shut for just a second too long. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, but his face was unreadable when he opened them again.
'Don't be delusional, Lucian,' his inner voice sneered, 'Get a grip. You're not special. You're nothing but a damn pawn. That's all you've ever been.'
"What happened to the servant?" Lucian asked casually, his voice smooth and indifferent, as if the answer didn't matter.
"He's dead. The Crown Prince was very thorough. Not a trace of him left."
Lucian said nothing, forcing himself to stay still. He could feel it ─ his fantasies of revenge crumbling around him.
'Did she do it for my sake? Did she do it to save me?'
The Crown Prince was the heir to the throne, the next king of the Kingdom. His influence was beyond anyone's imagination. If he'd had a vendetta against Lucian, then Lucian would have been as good as dead.
He was done. So done.
Twenty-five years old, and he still couldn't get rid of his foolish dreams, his childish fantasies, his naive beliefs.
'She's' not worth it.'
'Don't give her another thought. Not a second more of your time, your energy or ─ your damn heart.'
"Lucian, are you okay?" his friend asked, frowning, "You look like you're about to pass out."
"I'm fine," Lucian said, his tone flat and cutting as he straightened up. "It's just the pirates that are getting bolder. They raided our ships, cut down our men, and took a haul of valuable cargo. Losses were heavy, so the bonuses are going to be low this month," he said, causing the other man's expression to mirror his own.
"No way! My bonuses are supposed to go up, not down," Jax complained, throwing the portrait of the beautiful girl onto the coffee table, "Damn pirates. They have no honor. What the hell are the Royal Navy doing, huh? They should be cleaning the oceans of these scum, not letting them attack our ships!"
A flicker of worry pricked at Lucian. Celine had always cared about appearances. Her reputation was everything. For her name to be dragged through the mud like this... it didn't add up.
Had she miscalculated?
Had she finally made a mistake?
"Hey, Lucian," his friend said, breaking him out of his trance, "The royal family is hosting a ball in three months. It's a masquerade, and they're inviting everyone who's anyone. You wanna go?"
"Why would the royal family invite the likes of us?" Lucian asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Maybe because you are rich, and rich? Rich enough to buy yourself a title? And you've been making a name for yourself by destroying the pirate strongholds and raiding their ships?" Jax shrugged.
Lucian untied the knot of his cravat, removing it from his neck. He loosened the top buttons of his shirt, and walked toward the bathroom, "Accept the invitation," he said over his shoulder, "It's free food and drink. We might as well make the most of it."
"Aye, aye, boss," Jax mock-saluted him.