CHAPTER 92: ILLUSION'S END

The worst part out of all of this was that you couldn’t ask the dead questions to find out the truth, I

thought to myself, as Reiner escorted me to my bedroom. It was close to dinner time and today Lucien

was home. Well, it’s not like I can keep avoiding him forever. I didn’t even bother to change for dinner.

I sat down at the dinner table wearing the same long black dress that I wore to visit my mother’s grave.

I apologized silently to the chef and all the kitchen staffs in my head. I’m sure they did a wonderful job

crafting all the dishes that made part of our full course dinner, but to me, it just tasted like dry sand.

Lucien was silent as he ate his food. I wonder when it all started. When did I stop looking forward to

spending time alone with Lucien at dinner? When did I start to avoid having dinner alone with him? If I

knew, would I be able to do something to fix this or was it already too late?

“Is there a way to cancel your wedding with Angela?” I spat out my question out of the blue. Lucien

choked on his food and Reiner winced in the corner of the room. I’m not surprised that they’re surprised

by my abrupt and direct question. I was surprised at myself and my courage too.

“No. Unfortunately, there isn’t,” Lucien replied after he had recovered from his shock and his choking

subsided.

“How long do you need to be married to her? If this is a business contract you signed with the elders,

then there surely is an expiration date, right? Or did you forget to negotiate for that clause?” I asked as

I put down my silver knife with a clang.

“Two years. I can divorce her after two years,” Lucien replied with a sigh.

Two years…that’s much longer than I thought. I was hoping for something along the lines of three to six

months. Now that I know that Lucien does not love her, the main troubling thing was that I felt that

Angela truly wants Lucien as her real husband. Not just a husband in name by business contract. I

don’t think Lucien knows this and I am certain that he has no plans on how to handle her. I need to

come up with some plan…

“Does she need to move in here with us? Or can she live somewhere else?” I asked further for more

details.

“She needs to move into the mansion…” Lucien started to explain.

“…but she doesn’t need to sleep in the same room as you do, right? My mother slept in a different

room when she was married to you,” I interjected. If I can’t keep her out of this mansion, I can at least

keep her away from Lucien’s bed.

“Reiner, please leave,” Lucien spoke to Reiner in a low voice; however, his wonderfully green eyes did

not leave mine.

I heard the door opening and then closing. Reiner must have left the room already.

“Why did you ask Reiner to leave?” I asked curtly.

“Because I am not going to let him find out about our relationship. Do not forget that Reiner is a high-

ranking butler from the main house,” Lucien explained in a tight voice.

“But I didn’t mention anything about our relationship…” I argued back. I don’t believe that Reiner will

report about us to the Elders. Plus, he already knew what Lucien did to me that day in this dining room.

He was the one who cleaned by body after the ordeal so…

“You were acting jealous,” Lucien stated with an edge to his voice.

“No…I wasn’t,” I denied. At least, I don’t think I was.

Lucien sighed as he stood from his seat and strode towards me.

“Face me,” he ordered as he whipped the chair that I was sitting on to face him. He leaned in close as

his arms held both sides of the chair, preventing my escape. I gulped.

“Admit that you’re jealous, Natalia. You don’t want me to have sex with Angela, right?” Lucien

whispered into my ear. He then proceeded to plan soft yet firm kisses on my jawline trailing downwards

to the side of my neck. He’s right, I don’t want him sleeping with Angela.

“No…I’m not…” I denied once again. Lucien laughed softly before his lips nibbled lightly on mine.

“I see…” Lucien murmured as he continued to kiss me softly on the lips. He was teasing me, his gentle

lips seducing mine with gentle kisses and soft nibbles. I felt my breathing become more labored.

“Lucien…” I whispered his name although I didn’t have anything else to say.

“You saw us, didn’t you? Angela and me…that day in my study. You watched us have sex, didn’t you?”

Lucien questioned as he locked eyes with me.

He saw me that day! My eyes widened in shock. Why is he bringing that up now?

“You don’t need to deny it. So, how did it make you feel to see me doing that with someone else? Were

you upset? Were you jealous?” Lucien continued to question me. Is he right? Do I feel upset and

jealous when I think of him with someone else?

“I…don’t want you to have sex with Angela…anymore,” I said through gritted teeth. I’ve chosen to be

very direct and very aggressive with this gamble.

Lucien was stunned for a moment at my words. However, soon after, I could see his lips curling into a

very satisfied smile. I guess, I won this gamble.

“I promise I won’t have sex with Angela anymore even if I still have to marry her. Thank you for being

honest with me,” Lucien said with a slight smile. He was pleased.

“Thank you for agreeing to my very selfish request,” I replied back with a small smile.

Lucien leaned in to kiss me. His kiss was full of passion this time and I yielded to him when his hot

tongue probed my lips to seek entrance into my mouth. I parted my lips to taste him as I moaned softly This belongs to : ©.

and seductively against his seeking tongue. I ran my fingers through his hair. I love this passionate

version of Lucien. I want him to look at only me with those fervent green eyes.

His hand slipped inside the front of my dress and my bra to tease the soft flesh of my breast. His hand

was warm and tender as he stroked and squeezed me there. If this continues, will he take me here? I

need to get a hold of myself.

“Lucien, please stop…not today,” I said in a sad voice.

“Is it because today is the anniversary of your mother’s death?” Lucien asked as he withdrew his hand

from my chest.

I nodded slowly in reply. I still didn’t want to believe that he had absolutely no feelings for my mother.

Doing this with her ex-husband on the anniversary of her death seemed too wrong.

“I understand. We’ll stop here for today. Natalia, you still don’t believe me when I say that I never loved

or touched your mother, do you?” Lucien asked with a very pained expression on his face.

How could I believe something like that so easily? If it was true, what did I go through all this hell for? I

suffered so much all this time for my mother to be happy. I was happy as long as she was happy but

now, you’re telling me that she was never loved, and she was never happy?

“I can’t…not right now. I’m sorry,” I replied truthfully.

--To be continued...