CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199: ONLY YOU

Serena’s POV ~

Finally.

The royal dinner was over.

I almost wanted to throw my napkin in the air and cheer, but somehow I managed to keep a straight face as I stood up from that cursed table. My legs felt stiff, my head ached, and I was pretty sure my cheeks had been frozen in the same polite smile for the last two hours.

The moment I stepped out of the hall, I let out a long, shaky breath. "Thank the heavens..." I muttered under my breath. "If I had to sit there one more minute, I’d stab myself with a fork."

The corridor outside was quiet and cool compared to the suffocating tension back in the dining room. The air actually moved here. I leaned against the nearest pillar and groaned softly, tugging at the tight fabric of my gown.

"Who designed this thing?" I mumbled, trying to loosen the neckline that felt like it was strangling me. "It’s like wearing a pretty coffin."

Every step made the jewels and pins in my hair jingle, reminding me just how much I hated royal events. My heels clicked on the marble floor, echoing through the empty corridor as I made my way toward my room.

The further I walked, the more the frustration poured out. "Peace and unity, my ass," I muttered. "That dinner was a war disguised as politeness. One wrong word and half the people there would’ve been dead."

I could still feel the heavy silence from the table and still see the king’s fake smile, the queen’s frozen face, Arlena’s trembling hands, and Aeron’s cold eyes. It had been like sitting in the middle of a storm pretending the lightning wasn’t about to strike.

My stomach growled softly. I realized I hadn’t even eaten properly. Who could, with that kind of atmosphere? Every time I’d lifted my fork, someone had said something that made me lose my appetite again.

I sighed. "Next time I’m bringing my food to my room," I grumbled. "They can keep their fancy palace and their poisoned smiles."

By the time I left the main palace, my head was pounding. I rubbed my temples, still muttering under my breath. "Poor Vaelen... growing up in this place. No wonder he’s half mad already. Anyone would be if they had to live surrounded by that kind of tension every day."

I was still mumbling to myself as I walked down the corridor, too busy complaining to notice anything else.

"...honestly, if I ever have to sit through another royal meal, I’ll..."

Before I could finish the sentence, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and yanked me sideways.

I gasped...barely getting a sound out before another hand covered my mouth.

The door behind me slammed shut with a dull thud.

Darkness swallowed the room.

My back hit the wall, and I froze. My heart jumped straight to my throat.

I could feel the warmth of someone’s body pressed close. The air between us felt heavy and hot, and his breathing was rough against my ear.

For a split second, panic shot through me. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

Then...something in that touch made me pause.

And then I saw him.

Lucian.

My breath hitched.

He was right there, his face only inches from mine. His hand was still on my lips, the other braced against the wall beside my head. His eyes looked different...no longer the calm, polite prince everyone saw at the table. They were wild now. Shaken. Burning with something he couldn’t hide.

For a long moment, neither of us moved.

The only sound was his breathing...fast, uneven...and the soft thud of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears.

When he finally spoke, his voice came out low and strained.

"Don’t scream."

I didn’t. I couldn’t.

I just stared at him, my pulse racing.

He slowly dropped his hand from my mouth, his fingers brushing my jaw as he did. The touch was light but sent a shiver crawling down my spine.

"Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?" He whispered, his voice shaking...not with anger, but with something else.

His eyes burned in the dark—wild, hazy, almost feverish. His chest rose and fell hard, his breath brushing against my skin. He looked half-mad, half-broken... and so painfully real that I couldn’t even breathe.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he didn’t give me the chance.

He leaned in closer... so close I could feel his breath against my neck, and whispered, voice trembling and raw,

"You are such a liar."

My whole body went still.

His head dipped lower, and then I felt it...his lips, warm and unsteady, brushing against the side of my neck.

I shivered. My heart was pounding so fast it almost hurt.

"You always lie..." he murmured again, the words cracking halfway through. His voice sounded broken, like he had been holding it in for too long.

Something in that tone made my chest tighten painfully. I wanted to say something, but no words came out.

He pressed his forehead to my shoulder, breathing in deeply, his hands still trembling slightly as he kept me pinned there.

He inhaled my scent like he was trying to drown in it, like he was afraid I might disappear if he stopped.

"I thought I’d never find you again..." he whispered. "I thought you were gone. But you’re here."

His voice cracked again, and my heart twisted.

Because I knew.

I knew exactly what this was.

What I had done to him.

And what he had become because of it.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe properly. Every part of me screamed to pull away, to say something, but my hands stayed still at my sides.

The space between us vanished completely. His body was warm against mine, his breath shaking as it brushed my collarbone.

Lucian looked up slowly, and in the dim light, I finally saw his face. His eyes were red. His lips were trembling. His expression was caught somewhere between rage and heartbreak.

And then I saw it...the wet shimmer on his cheeks.

He was crying.

Silently.

Tears were slipping down his face as if he didn’t even notice them.

Something inside me broke then.

Before I could stop myself, my hands rose on their own. I cupped his face gently, my fingers brushing away the wetness on his cheeks.

"Lucian..." I whispered, my voice barely holding together.

He closed his eyes, leaning into my touch like a man starved for warmth.

Lucian stayed still for a long time. His breathing was rough and uneven, his eyes unfocused as if he was still trying to believe I was real.

I slowly brushed my thumb over his cheek again. "Lucian..." I whispered softly. "It’s okay. You don’t have to..."

But before I could finish, he caught my wrist and looked straight at me.

His eyes were filled with something raw and painful. "Don’t," he said quietly. "Don’t tell me it’s okay. Because it’s not."

I froze.

He shook his head, his lips trembling slightly. "What you’re doing right now... this isn’t what you want, is it? You’re just pitying me."

I opened my mouth to deny it, but he didn’t let me.

"You’re so mean, Selene," he whispered, voice breaking. "So mean."

The way he said it...it made my chest ache.

"You always lie to me," he went on, his gaze lowering. "Even when you say you won’t... you do. You lie, and then you leave. Every time."

His words stabbed deep, and I felt my throat tighten. I couldn’t look away. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t true...but it was. I had lied. I had run.

Lucian gave a weak, broken laugh. "Can’t I at least have one more chance?" he asked quietly. "Just one?"

His hands found mine again, warm and shaking. He pulled them close to his chest, holding them tightly between his palms.

"I promise," he said, his voice trembling. "If you just give me one chance, I’ll fix everything. I’ll make it right this time."

His grip tightened, desperate. "And if I fail again..." He stopped, then pressed my hand against his chest, right over his heart. His voice dropped to a whisper. "If I hurt you again, Selene... then you can kill me. Right here."

My heart stopped.

"Kill me," he said again, his eyes glassy. "And I won’t even resist."

The words hit me like a punch. My throat closed up.

"Stop," I whispered, shaking my head. "Don’t say that."

But he only looked at me, quiet and serious, as if he meant every word.

Something inside me snapped then.

The pain in his eyes. The hopelessness in his voice. The way he said my name like it was the only thing keeping him alive...

I couldn’t take it anymore.

Before I even realized what I was doing, my hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer.

And then I kissed him... really hard.