Chapter 56  

I was relieved to find that I was back home. Finally, I could meet Lucian. I walked through the large halls as fast as I could and slowed down when I neared our quarters. There soldiers were gathered everywhere. Some of them seemed stressed, others terrified. The atmosphere felt tense and everyone seemed busy. I got a bad feeling. What was going on?

From a distance, I could see two soldiers coming out of our chamber dragging on a body. A dead body. Right after them came two other soldiers and they were dragging on a dead body as well. My stomach twisted as I watched a pool of blood trailing behind them.

"My Lady?" I almost jumped out of my skin. Turning my head Lincoln I found a surprised Lincoln. "How did you get here?"

"Lincoln." I breathed relieved. "Lucian? Where is Lucian?"

He frowned. "I don't think it's a good Idea for you to meet His Highness right now."

"Why? What's happening?"

"His Highness is not in a good mood." He explained.

"I need to meet him anyways. Take me to him." I ordered.

Lincoln seemed to hesitate but then led me to our chamber. I tried to not step on the blood that covered half the floor. Two guards stood at each side of the door.

"I think I should go in first." Lincoln suggested.

"You don't have to. Just let me in."

"Are you sure you want to go in?" Lincoln asked. Now he was scaring me.

"Yes."

"If anything...if you need anything just shout for help."

I nodded wondering what he meant. He gestured for the guards to open the door and I walked inside.

Good lord, our chamber looked like a slaughterhouse. Not that I had seen one but I have heard of it. There was blood everywhere. The carpet, the sheets, the curtains even the table clothes were covered with blood. Two guards were rolling the carpet and carrying it out. This wasn't how I imagined our chamber to look like when I came back.

I walked further into the room avoiding to step on any blood again but Lucian was nowhere to be seen. My gaze fell on the glass door that led to our personal garden. I stepped out and into our garden. Oh, how I missed it. At least this place wasn't covered with blood.

As I looked further around, I found him. Lucian. He sat at the table, a dark empty look in his eyes as he looked at the garden. He was as beautiful as ever and my heart began to beat faster at the sight of him, but he seemed disturbed. He didn't even notice me as I neared.

"Lucian." I whispered. I didn't know why I was whispering.

He slowly averted his gaze and looked at me. The frown disappeared from his face and got replaced by a look of surprise.

"Hazel." He said standing up slowly as if scared I would disappear.

"I missed you." I finally said and that's when he crossed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back.

"I missed you so much." He said burying his face in my hair and inhaling. I inhaled his scent as well. He smelled as good as always.I almost forgot how good it felt to hug him. I tightened my hold around his waist, never wanting to let go. I felt him shiver slightly and he pulled away.

His eyes scanned my body, carefully. "You are not hurt?"

"No, I am perfectly fine." I smiled at him.

"How did you get here?"

"My friend Irene brought me here. It's a long story, but what's happening here?" I asked.

Lucian frowned. "It's a long story as well and you don't want to know." He said.

"Did...did you kill those men?"

"Yes." He said simply.

"Your Highness?" Lincoln stood at the entrance. They exchanged looks then Lucian turned his gaze to me.

"I will come back. Don't leave this room it's not safe." He said then placed a kiss on my forehead before leaving with Lincoln. Something was odd. Very odd.

I went back to the chamber. Everything had been cleaned up except the curtains. They were being changed by a few maids. I tried not the think that all this was Lucian's doing. He probably had to do what he did.

A maid came in with new curtains. "Lydia!" I almost shouted.

Lydia looked up startled. "My Lady!" She breathed. She stood frozen for a while but then hurried and enveloped me in a hug.

I was surprised. I used to hug her all the time but she used to tell me it was inappropriate and now she was hugging me. All the other maids stared at her surprised.

She pulled away with teary eyes then searched my body with her hands. "Oh, you are alright." She said relieved.

I took her hand. "I am fine Lydia." I assured her with a big smile. I was so happy to see her. "Where is Ylva?"

She wiped the tears away. "She is in the kitchen. She has become a kitchen maid. I'll tell her you are here, she will be so happy."

"A kitchen maid. Who made her a kitchen maid?"

I heard to be kitchen maid was the worst a maid could be. It was really difficult.

"When you left, every maid in this quarter got sent to different places to work and Ylva was sent to the kitchen."

"Bring her here and tell the maids she won't be working in the kitchen anymore." I ordered.

Lydia nodded and left. After a while she came back with Ylva and it started all over again. The hugging, the crying, the thousand questions. I had never seen Lydia and Ylva so emotional before which meant they had been really worried.

"Ylva, you have lost so much weight." It must have been the hard work.

"I am fine now that you are here ." She smiled.

"Come," I said and we went and sat in the garden. "What's been happening here? Tell me everything in detail."

Lydia and Ylva looked at each other. "What is it? Tell me!" I demanded.

"I haven't seen it myself but I have heard." Ylva began. "Everyone has been talking about how His Highness had looked like the devil himself and killed every castle guard with his owns hands, all alone. Everyone here is now terrified of him."

"I am worried about you." Lydia continued. "Especially after seeing all the blood in this room today."

"Don't worry. Lucian would never hurt me." I assured her.

***

The rest of the day I spent reading books about war and fighting strategies. I didn't want to be useless anymore. I wanted to learn everything, how to fight, how to ride and anything else that I could use to help Lucian.

"Why don't you read the art of seduction instead." Ylva who was making the bed suggested jokingly.

"There is a book with such title?" I asked.

She laughed. "Yes. It's there among the books that I brought."

I looked amongst the books on the table. There lay a red book with the title 'The art of seduction' in golden letters. I looked at it for a while but then decided to go back to the art of war. Right now helping Lucian was my priority.

"Shall I prepare you for sleep My Lady?"

"No, I'll read some more and wait for Lucian." I said. Ylva nodded and left.

I kept reading, trying hard not to get bored since I couldn't understand anything most of the time. There was a lot of to me unknown words. Slowly, I was starting to get bored but still forced myself to read a little more. When I thought I couldn't anymore, I picked 'The art of seduction'. I was actually too tired to read but I had nothing else to do while waiting for Lucian.

I opened the book and started reading at first forcing myself but then I got lost in the story. It was a story about an undesirable woman who wanted to learn how to win the heart of a man she had loved for a very long time and a very beautiful woman who could capture any man's heart with just a look. In the book, the beautiful woman teaches the undesirable one how to seduce a man completely, body, mind, heart and soul.

"The art of seduction. Hmm..."

I almost fell off the chair when I heard Lucian's voice. I had been so into my reading I didn't even notice that he was here.

"Lucian!" I said with a gasp and tried to hide the book but I didn't even know where to hide it, so I just fumbled with it embarrassed and dropped in on the floor.

I quickly got out of my chair, bent down to pick it up but Lucian grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his chest. "Are you planning on seducing me, wife?"

Oh good lord, save me.

"No it...it was just amongst the books and I was curious." I said nervously, but it was the truth. I had no plan to seduce him.

Lucian narrowed his gaze. He still had that dark look in his eyes and they gleamed with something.

"I am curious too." He said in a low voice and began to unfasten the straps on the back of my dress. "Curious to know how long it will take for me to get you naked, moaning and screaming." I inhaled sharply at his words and my heart began to beat in excitement.

Lucian leaned down and pressed his lips to my neck, licking and kissing his way up. I grabbed onto his shoulder urging him to not stop as I closed my eyes and got lost in the heat.

Unfastening the last straps of my dress, he pulled it off my shoulders let fall to the floor, leaving me wearing nothing but my chemise. Then he grabbed the back of my head and claimed my lips in a hungry kiss. There was nothing gentle about his kiss. It was passionate, raw, his tongue searching, his lips punishing and soothing at the same time. I leaned into him even more, pressing our bodies together. He groaned and deepened the kiss as if approving. My mind shut down and my body shuddered with want. Without breaking the kiss Lucian lifted me up and carried me toward the bed then let me fall softly on the mattress. I groaned as he pulled away and our lips parted.

He looked down at me, his gaze dark and hot. "Hazel, I won't be gentle this time."