CHAPTER 221: _NIGHT, NIGHT, LUCIAN...

Lucian’s POV

*****

After leaving Elian in his room, Lucian stepped into his with a heavy sigh, closing the door behind him.

He dragged his legs lazily toward a mini bar kept in the corner, grabbing a bottle of Moon Dew. "Turn on the lights, room system." He blurted.

The room was lit up with bright white light from the chandelier at the same moment that he finished pouring his drink into a glass.

He took a sip, savouring the taste before turning toward his balcony.

As he walked toward the light of the moon, his mind went through his discussion with Elian.

He had broken down. Actually let himself break down in tears and sob into Elian’s arms.

It was safe to say it’s been years since Lucian did that with anyone.

Tears were a weakness for royals, most especially the future Alpha king. If you want to break down, you do that away from any of your subjects.

He could still remember his dear old dad telling him that more than once when he was growing up.

"And now he’s gone." Lucian chuckled dryly, shaking his head when he was finally under the moonlight.

His eyes lowered, stretching far and wide throughout the courtyard, the entirety of the palace grounds and beyond into Moon Haven City.

The palace was devoid of almost any activities, save for the guards patrolling.

And then the city?

The lights had dimmed and there were barely people in the streets by this time.

Most citizens of Moon Haven and the rest of Lunaria might be uncertain of what happened in the palace tonight, but there was no denying the solemn air hovering like a cloud.

"Cheers to you, father." Lucian raised his glass, staring at the moon and its silver brilliance. "I’ll... I’ll really miss you. Not even going to lie."

He gulped down the glass, sighing with satisfaction.

When he used his right hand to wipe any smudge left on his lips, however, a knock sounded on his door, causing his brows to furrow.

"Bedroom system. Confirm who that is."

The AI system beeped when he glanced over his shoulder.

"Target scanned: It’s Beta Axel Thorne, your highness." The feminine mechanical voice finally dinged with a response.

Oh...

"Come in," Lucian muttered, twirling the bottle in his other hand and turning more moon dew for himself.

He turned to face the night sky again, hearing the door creak open, followed by hesitant footsteps.

"I expected a dimly lit room," Axel remarked.

Lucian scoffed, his grip on the glass tightening slightly. "That would make me even more depressed."

"And drinking won’t?"

"What do you want, Beta?" He asked in a deadpan tone, not even bothering to hide his displeasure. "My original plans for tonight didn’t involve being pestered by the empire’s Beta."

The last thing he wanted now was a reminder of his position as next Alpha king.

And Axel basically embodied that as his father’s trusted Beta.

"Misery seeks company, Lucian." Axel finally got beside him, placing his right hand on the marble railing of the balcony.

He surprisingly had a glass held in his other hand, gesturing at Lucian to pour the wine into it.

Lucian arched his brow at first, his gaze trailing from the Beta’s golden eyes to the glass repeatedly. But eventually he gave in, pouring into the glass until the moon dew was at the top.

"You’re a good man..." Axel winked, gulping down the drink. He smiled wryly, staring at the skies. "Love is such a weird thing, isn’t it?"

Lucian lowered the glass and bottle to the ground, leaning on the railing as Axel spoke.

Indeed, misery loves company...

"I’ll go as far as saying it’s a horrible emotion." Axel continued much to Lucian’s surprise.

He’d always seen the Beta as this lover boy, especially after finding out that he was the only one to confess his love to Elian amongst the three of them.

"Damn." Lucian let out a heavy breath. "Did my father’s death blacken the golden boy’s heart?"

Axel chuckled, but it wasn’t a warm or amused sound.

It was dry. Melancholic.

"Have you ever been in love, Alpha Prince?" Axel asked all of a sudden, sounding genuinely curious. "Do you... Love Elian?"

Lucian froze, his limbs suddenly feeling like jelly.

The question seemed so out of left field, and there was no way Axel had gotten drunk from drinking a glass of something with less than thirty per cent alcohol.

"Why do you want to know, Axel?" Lucian squinted. "If I have any feelings toward Elian, he’ll be the first to know. Not you. Not anyone else."

Silence.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Lucian kept his eyes on Axel’s face while the latter locked his gaze on the moon, his golden eyes glinting.

There was something... Off about him tonight.

Was this grief? Or something deeper?

"Tonight, you tasted what it means to lose someone you care about." Axel finally spoke again, this time straightening his spine.

He shifted away from the balcony railing, staring at Lucian with a small smile. "I just hope it doesn’t break you. Change you. There’s still a lot ahead of us."

Well... Duh.

Lucian parted his lips, but before any words could come out, Axel patted him on his shoulder.

"Sorry. I must have gotten carried away by my emotions there." The Beta’s usual warmth came back, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. "Did I—"

"Spout a lot of things that didn’t make sense?" Lucian cut in knowingly. "Yeah, pretty much. You sure you’re cool, Beta?"

Axel’s smile didn’t falter as he nodded. "I guess I just need to sleep it off. It still all feels so... Surreal. You know?"

Lucian nodded slowly while Axel withdrew his hand, swerving his head toward the bedroom.

"Anyway... Night, night, Lucian." Those were the last words out of the Beta’s mouth as he waltzed out of the balcony, his boots tapping softly on the marble.

But when Lucian heard those words in that sing-song tone, something snapped in his mind. It was like a gear turned in place, making something once blurry clearer than day now.

Night, night, Lucian...

A sharp headache hit his head, forcing him to place his right hand on it. He nearly stumbled as the memories came crashing all at once.

The Dark Lands. A call from his sister. A mysterious letter from the Dark Hand. And then a voice... Whispering the same words the Beta just used before everything went black.

No—

Could it... Could it be?

Lucian stared at the sea of stars again. Only this time he didn’t stare at them while trying to piece a broken puzzle together.

He had all the pieces on the board now. And for the first time, the pieces formed a face.