Was this what they wanted from Lucian? To resent them for their cruelty, to blame them for everything wrong in his life, and to feel like he was a victim of their whims?
'Who cares about happiness anyway?'
That's what Celine would say, wouldn't she?
'Misery loves company too, more than happiness, I assure you,' she had responded to Lucian, when he got a bit philosophical in the past.
Lucian didn't want to be miserable, but he wanted to be with her. Even if it meant they were going to suffer together, and it brought him a bit of peace that she would rather have that too than not have him.
Who knew Celine's dark humor was the key to his appetite.
Lucian ripped a piece of meat off the bone and bit it, forcing it down his throat, and then another one, until there was nothing left.
He didn't calm down, but he managed to push his emotions aside. They would come back, stronger and more persistent, but that was for the future Lucian to deal with.
According to the prophecy, Celine would force an engagement out of the Crown Prince at the start of a new school year, together with an appearance of a new transfer student.
It sounded so absurd to Lucian, but there was something that was coming true, and it was about the products that he had yet to introduce to the market.
All these products were meant to confess his love for Celine, from perfume, to clothes, to accessories, and makeup.
All carrying a sentimental meaning behind them on the packaging, her favorite color, her favorite flower, or things that reminded him of her.
This collection of products were all based on his Celine.
Mathieu mentioned the gifts the heroine received from Lucian, and how she could barely cherish them before the Crown Prince's jealousy destroyed them.
Lucian could no longer ignore the fact that there were signs of his secret relationship with Celine in the prophecy.
It made him terrified to the core.
The prophecy's Lucian wasn't him, but a shackled Lucian, whose wish was granted and was then being used as a vessel for someone else.
Lucian turned toward the bucket and vomited again.
He would never cheat on Celine. Never.
He would never betray her. Ever.
'That will not happen. I won't let it happen,' he persuaded himseld, 'I won't let it happen.'
He would kill himself first. He would do it. He would.
He felt strength leave his body, 'No, no, no, no, no...I'm fine. I'm fine,' he tried to take control of his feelings, not letting them affect his body.
He refused to die like those shackled, whose worst fears came true, either.
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The men outside Lucian's tent jumped in fright at the scream that tore through the air.
It belonged to a man, and they knew who it belonged to, "Boss…?"
"Boss! Boss, what happened?!"
The sound of wood trashing came from inside the tent. The things were being thrown around, breaking and crashing to the ground.
The men hurried and barged inside the tent, "Boss!"
They stopped in their tracks when they saw Lucian standing in the middle of the mess he made, the mask with a smiling devil on his face, hiding his emotions.
"What's wrong, boss?" Jax asked.
"Nothing," Lucian said in a low voice, his face unreadable, "Clean this up," he ordered.
He picked up Togo's cage from the ground and took it with him, leaving his men to clean the mess he made.
The army of ferals gathered around Lucian, feeling their master's anger and despair, but unable to understand why.
Lucian pushed his fingers through Togo's cage, letting the bird bite his fingers to distract himself from his feelings.
He would continue to use his head, not his heart. His head, not his heart.
"Master, master!" The ferals chanted in their language, wanting to comfort Lucian.
"Quiet," Lucian's order was obeyed without a second of delay, "Stand in a line. Three steps apart. Five rows."
The ferals struggled to figure out which side they should be facing and what row to stand in, some turning to their neighbors for advice.
They were not the smartest or the most patient. In fact, they were a bit slow and dim-witted. But their coordination and cooperation was good, they had a strong sense of hierarchy and social order.
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Fishbone, Roland and Jax joined Lucian's side, silent like mice, and watched him stare at the horizon in silence.
One hour passed. And then another.
Roland and Jax began to nudge each other, trying to decide who would ask the question they all had on their minds, but couldn't bring themselves to interrupt Lucian's thoughts.
The silence was broken when Fishbone whispered to Lucian in an almost inaudible voice, "Cansan found the woman you've been looking for."
Lucian had been tracking down the woman in the prophecy who was described as a 'heroine', whose name Mathieu had forgotten.
Sharp tongued, fiery temper, but at the same time kind and naive to a fault. A commoner with a mysterious background. Strawberry pink hair, petite body, and a smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. Viewed all beings as equals, no matter their status, wealth, or upbringing. She had a unique charm that could captivate men and estrange women.
"What's her name?" Lucian asked.
"Bianca Lacroix," Fishbone replied, listening to his wife's word through the tattoo's link, "Adopted daughter of a bowyer, lives in a small town...uh..."
She defeated Celine in a shooting contest during the academy's archery competition.
'She truly exists.' Lucian clenched his teeth, 'She's not just some figment of Mathieu's imagination.'
Lucian's eyes finally focused on Fishbone, "Send someone to observe her, I want regular reports of her activities. Including Mathieu Duremont..."
He named some of the important figures from the prophecy, including the Crown Prince, Edmund, and the other people that were involved.
"Keep a close eye on them," Lucian said, "Make sure we're not discovered," he added.
"Understood," Fishbone nodded his head, "Anything else, boss?"
"No. That's all," Lucian answered, turning his gaze back to the horizon, waiting for a certain revolutionary group to appear.
Anything that wanted to go against the Gods, Lucian was in.
Doomstone City had finally sent someone to meet him, a group of ten on horseback.
They were all wearing masks that hid their faces. During the day they could be soldiers or farmers, and by the night, they would turn into rebels.
'No way...'
Lucian couldn't help but stare at the person at the front of the group.
He took a step back, his heart beating faster in his chest.
He would never mistake her for anyone else. Not even in the afterlife.
'You have got to be kidding me.'
A soul that he could recognize in a crowd of thousands.
She was wearing a mask, her hair hidden under a turban, and her body was wrapped in a thick cloak, but he could still feel her.
Since when was Celine growing her influence in the South without him knowing?
Stonetomb City was where Celine was born and where the Rochefort Estate was located. The names were similar, but that was just it. Nobody would have connected the two together.
She infiltrated the Southern Alliance openly, under everyone's noses, while Lucian was sneaking around in the shadows.