The knock came again, firmer this time.
"Celeste," Lucian's voice was calm, but there was a subtle edge of concern beneath it. "Are you all right in there?"
I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to steady my breathing. My heart was still racing from Maya's sudden disappearance. "I'm fine," I said quickly, forcing my voice to sound steadier than I felt. "Just… taking a moment."
A brief pause followed, then the faint sound of his hand brushing the door. "If you want to take a bath and change your clothes," he said, his tone even, "open the door at the back in the right corner."
I glanced around the massive bathroom, squinting through the soft, diffused glow. "There's… another door?" I muttered under my breath.
Lucian didn't move away. I could sense him still there, quiet and watchful, as if waiting to make sure I was really all right.
"I'll… manage," I finally replied, trying to sound casual.
"Okay," came his simple answer. "Take your time. I'll be nearby."
I exhaled, then let my gaze sweep across the massive bathroom. My eyes widened when I noticed a door tucked into the far corner. 'A door… here?'
Figures… since this was a royal mansion or palace there had to be some elaborate architectural design. Wait… architecture, right? Whatever… my mind was too full at the moment to even think of the right word.
I opened the door and froze. Another huge room revealed itself, even more absurdly lavish than the bathroom. It was a dressing room that looked like an entire boutique, racks of dresses, shelves of shoes, and accessories sparkling under soft golden lights. 'How… much space does one person even need?'
"Find any clothes you like?"
"Oh gosh!" I jumped back. "Could you at least give me a heads-up before scaring me like that?" I added, still clutching my chest.
Lucian's calm, measured voice came from behind me. "How?"
I spun around, raising an eyebrow. "How? How do you mean… how? Just… knock, or say something… anything!"
"But… I did… I say something…" Lucian defended himself.
I rolled my eyes. "Saying something after I nearly jump out of my skin doesn't count! You have to… I don't know… warn me before you appear like that!"
Lucian's smirk deepened, though his tone remained calm. "Warn… before I appear?"
"Yes!" I snapped, pointing at him dramatically. "Not after! Before! Like a normal human being—"
"Human beings?"
I turned to look at him, only to find his expression genuinely confused. "Ah—I mean—well…" I bit my lip, struggling for a better excuse. Of course, this book didn't have ordinary humans, just mythical creatures and impossible things.
He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his icy gaze. "I see. I shall warn you before… or after this… like a… human being, perhaps?"
I blinked at him, cheeks heating. "Err… I don't… I mean, I don't know if there are any human beings here…" I waved my hands helplessly. "I just… read it in a book before!"
Lucian's ice-blue eyes narrowed slightly. "A book?"
I swallowed, tugging at a loose strand of hair. "Yes! It… it had humans. Or, well… people… I guess… not like you," I added quickly, realizing how that sounded.
He tilted his head, studying me with that unnerving calm, as if he were reading my every thought. "Interesting. Tell me the title; I will find it tomorrow and learn from the book."
"No—no, it's okay…" I smiled nervously. "Anyway, where did you come from?"
He pressed his lips into a thin-line smile and pointed at another door, which I assumed led to the rest of the room.
I nodded then walked to the racks of dresses, trying to avoid him.
Standing in front of the huge rack, I ran my fingers over the fabrics, my mind still buzzing from everything I had seen so far. Silks, satins, lace… the array of nightgowns alone could have filled two whole racks. My eyes fell on one particularly delicate piece, and I pulled it off the hanger, holding it against myself.
I froze. It fits… perfectly.
Not just the one I held. Every nightgown I tried, every robe and slip on the racks, it was as if they had been made for me. Or… perhaps for the original Lady Celeste herself.
I glanced sideways at Lucian, who had been silently observing me the entire time. His icy blue eyes followed every movement, his expression calm, unreadable, yet piercing in its intensity. The way he looked at me, studying me as I surveyed the clothes, made the hairs on my neck stand on end.
"Do they… suit me?" I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking louder might shatter the eerie perfection around us. I lingered over the reflection in the mirror, feeling the weight of all these dresses that had clearly belonged or were meant for someone else. A heavy, almost sorrowful feeling settled over me at the thought, a quiet gloom that I couldn't shake.
"I really wonder," I continued, my gaze drifting to Lucian, who watched silently from the side, "why you agreed to this marriage alliance if you hated Phoenix so much."
Lucian's gaze remained steady, icy, and unreadable. His voice was low, flat. "I hated all the Phoenix," he said slowly, letting the words hang in the silence of the room, "for their arrogance… their obsession with medical experiments, their willingness to sacrifice anything and anyone… for their research. Every one of them… except you."
I blinked, clutching the nightgown tightly. "Me?" I whispered, unsure what he meant. "Why?"
He took a step forward, closing the distance between us, leaning slightly so his piercing gaze met mine. "Just because… you pulled me out of my disastrous life."
"I did?" I echoed, my voice barely audible, my heart fluttering as I struggled to process his words.
"Hmm… the day you dragged me out from the lake… thinking I was drowning…" He allowed a faint, almost imperceptible smile to tug at his lips. "That moment… I fell in love with you."
He cupped my face gently, tilting it upward so our eyes met. My chest tightened, a mix of shock and something I couldn't name.
Before I could even react, he closed the distance between us and stole my lips!