CHAPTER 87: THE ONES WHO LEFT, THE ONE WHO RETURN

Lucien’s eyes fluttered open. A dull throb pulsed behind his temples, sharp enough to force him back down into the pillows with a long, shaky exhale.

When his vision finally steadied, he noticed Edmund slumped in the chair beside the bed.

The leopard had fallen asleep with his head propped on his hand, clearly having stayed there the whole night.

Morning light was already spilling across the floor.

"How long was I out?" Lucien murmured.

Edmund stirred, eyes snapping open the moment he heard Lucien’s voice. Concern washed over his face as he leaned forward.

"You’re awake. Are you alright? Does your head still hurt?"

He reached out instinctively, only for Lucien to tilt away with a suspicious glare.

"You remember the five meters rule, right?"

Edmund blinked, startled for a second before letting out a relieved laugh. "Then you’re fine. I guess I worried for nothing."

"Of course I’m fine. Do I look like a fragile princess to you?" Lucien rolled his head to the side, dismissive but still noticeably tired.

"Where are the Twinster?" His voice softened when he asked, almost too carefully.

"They’re away for now," Edmund replied after a pause. "You don’t have to push yourself to see them."

He was watching Lucien closely, like he expected him to snap or shut down. Memory repression wasn’t some small issue, and the fact that Lucien had lost two full years to it was not a light matter.

Lucien had once told him he woke up one morning to find his mother gone, unable to recall the funeral he had attended a year before. He didn’t remember his twelve years either.

When memories surged back in painful bursts, his mind simply buried them again.

But now, oddly, Lucien looked... steady.

"Either way, I think you should put some distance between you and them for a while," Edmund added gently.

Lucien nodded without protest. "I understand. I’ll rest a bit."

Edmund glanced at him in confusion, thrown off by how easily Lucien agreed. The omega wasn’t arguing, wasn’t rolling his eyes, wasn’t being difficult at all. He simply turned onto his side and closed his eyes again.

And that, more than anything, unsettled Edmund.

***

The next morning, they had breakfast on the balcony overlooking the glittering ocean. The breeze smelled of salt and fresh bread, but Lucien didn’t touch his plate.

He just stared at it, looking bored or bothered or both. Edmund, of course, noticed.

Without a word, the leopard scooped up a spoonful of scrambled eggs and nudged it to Lucien’s lips.

The omega stared at him like he was witnessing a crime, but opened his mouth anyway and ate it.

"Did you pick this island because you knew I stayed here with Adrian and Silas before?" Lucien asked suddenly. His tone was too sharp.

Edmund shook his head. "I barely remember anything about that time. The Twinster recommended this island."

He laughed under his breath. "Those bastards were plotting from the start."

"So the Gilded Leopard can be manipulated too. Fascinating."

Lucien grabbed his juice, then fished a tiny liquor bottle from his pocket. Edmund snatched it faster than a blink.

"The doctor said no drinking for a while."

Edmund twisted the cap open and downed the whole thing in one swallow.

"Ah! You asshole!" Lucien’s hand hovered in the air, tragically late.

"You kidnap me, lock me on this island like some exotic pet, and you won’t even let me drink? You’re a psychopath, Edmund."

Edmund leaned back, grabbed his tablet, and started scrolling through the news. "You know you could’ve left anytime while you and Twinster were still in Bianca. You chose to stay."

He gave a small shrug. "If that makes me a psychopath, what does that make you?"

Lucien clicked his tongue, clearly defeated, and turned toward the ocean instead. Children were playing on the beach below, their laughter mixing with the splash of waves. A sharp pulse hit his temple and he flinched.

Even so, he spoke. "I used to play in that ocean with them. The Twinster. We had a race and ended up having a picnic."

Edmund said nothing, only watched him quietly.

"We explored the island too. Adrian was so clumsy that he got pinched by a crab." Lucien laughed, light and nostalgic.

"We wanted to boil it, but Silas started ranting about salmonella. Said we’d turn into zombies from the virus."

A beat later, Lucien’s expression twisted. "Those sons of bitches. That’s why they caught me so easily. They cheated! I can’t believe it."

"Do you want to talk to them?" Edmund asked. "Tell them how much they pissed you off?"

Lucien froze.

"I... left them in those burning buildings. And then I forgot they ever existed."

His smile turned thin and bitter. "If I talk to them now, doesn’t that make me the bastard, not them?"

Edmund set his tablet down, crossing one leg over the other. There was something softer in his eyes now, the weight of someone who’d learned the hard way.

"That’s something they can answer, not me. And if you don’t talk to them properly, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life."

Lucien swallowed, hands clenched. "Where are they?"

"On the shore. Preparing to leave."

Lucien shot to his feet. "You! You should’ve said that faster! Seriously not cool!" Then he sprinted toward the beach.

He wanted to tell them he was sorry. That he regretted it all. That he still wanted them, whatever future they could have, even with his head still throbbing from memories that refused to settle.

He reached the wooden dock, panting, only to see the ferry already drifting away from the island, just far enough that he couldn’t hope to catch it.

"Fuck!" he shouted, the word torn from somewhere deep and defeated. Too late. Too damn late.

But Lucien wasn’t the one to give up, he took off his top and threw it somewhere, "Don’t underestimate the boy from Cisili!"

And with that, he jumped straight into the ocean and swam as fast as he could to reach them.

This time, he would be the one who chased them.