Even as he walked back to the emperor's chambers, his fingers lingered on his lips for far too long as he reminisced about the little time he had just spent with the princess. She had openly admitted to wanting to use him to attain the status of an Empress.
But was he any different? He knew of Bronwyn's mother's intentions to help her squeeze her way into higher power by making her his wife, but he hadn't refused when the offer had presented itself. She was of Ravencroft bloodline, more beneficial to him than he was to her.
He halted, snapping out of his train of thoughts when the elite knight at the magnanimous door to the emperor's chambers made a quick bow, his brows crinkling at the prince's presence.
"I would like a meeting with the king. Run along now, and have my message delivered."
He nodded, disappearing through the open door, only to reappear a minute later to let him into the room.
He strode towards the room in the pristine area that screamed flamboyance and elegance, his father perched on the edge of the bed with a grim look on his face.
He scowled when Lucien bowed, turning his gaze to him, "Father,"
"Son. You brought her here as planned. How is it going?"
The prince of Narva folded his arms on his chest, hating where this conversation was headed. He knew why they had to bring her here. She was nothing but a pawn in their games, but he was slowly beginning to grow fond of her. She had left an impression on him the night of the betrothal ceremony.
He had expected a spoiled little brat but instead, he got a naive, sweet little being.
"Well father. But I do not like the way you welcomed her the other night! She doesn't deserve your hostility! Even if she does not know it, she is doing the Blackstones' a huge favor and the least we could do in return is repay her kindness by showing her love."
His father cackled hysterically, the insidious glow in his eyes burning brightly, "I do not see her as anything less than a tool to end the curse! She's the first Ravencroft bloodline to bear the blood of the direct descendant of the dark lord who placed this curse on us in the first place! I loath them! I loath their existence."
He gritted his teeth, feeling his anger rising to the surface. He tried to hang on to his last thread of control. The Ravencroft's first descendant had placed the Blackstone curse on them, but his descendants had also drawn the curse on themselves!
"She didn't place the curse on us, father! Your ancestors brought this upon themselves, upon all of us! Now she has to pay with her blood for your mistakes! I only agreed to help bring her here under the ruse of a marriage, but I never agreed to take part in sacrificing an innocent life! Do what you must, but do not ever! Include me in this ever again!"
"It is fine if you're not going to help, but do not stand in my way, son. She'll lift the curse as planned." they stared at themselves in utter silence, the emperor unfazed by the hint of rage in his son's eyes.
They had suffered the curse for centuries, and when the prophecy of a direct descendant of the dark lord was heralded, he could think of nothing more than to have her finish what her bloodline had started.
From the look of things, Carlisle was either oblivious of his bloodline legacy with his, or had no clue of the existence of the dark lord.
"Your brother will be here tomorrow, by sunset. Do not forget why I made you the crown prince in the first place. Your brother has had to suffer, and I cannot bear to watch him lose his life like the rest before him. This ends now."
His rage flared at the mention of his brother. He turned out of the room as he gave a brusque nod. He was furious for reasons he couldn't even pinpoint. She didn't even mean anything to him, and he knew about the plan in the first place, but he felt so reluctant to indulge his father's wishes.
Slapping some sense of sanity into himself, he cursed the moment he decided to let himself get carried away. Heck! His brother was now a thorn in his flesh. Maybe... Just maybe if he hadn't agreed to help out in the first place, he wouldn't be so guilt-ridden. But he was involved already, there was no going back.
He shrugged the door to his room open, settling into the leathered, victorian sofa he rubbed at his temples. Clicking the little trinket box on the table open, reaching for the nicely wrapped stash that held a ring bearing his family's insignia. A large 'B' sat nicely atop the diamond-encrusted ring, a gift from his mother to his bride.
He fiddled with the intricate jewelry in his hands, torn between loyalty and attachment.
Distracted, he hadn't noticed the door to his room creaking open and a voluptuous blonde-haired female dressed in a flowing velvet dress with a smile on her face strutted in. Pushing the door shut, she leaned against it.
"You seem distant."
Jolting him out of his train of thoughts, he pushed the ring back into the trinket, clicking it shut before his gaze lingered on the female in his room. She batted her lashes at him, her tongue darting out to wet her plump lips. The lacy dress she had on did nothing to hide her full figure.
"Forgive me, Eleanor." He spoke.
"What disturbs you? Share your burdens with me my prince," she took calculated strides towards him, settling herself on the couch beside him as she held his hands.
Lucian watched as she neared. His chosen queen, the woman he had loved. Knowing of his schemes and allowing him to indulge in frivolous affairs with another woman just to aid him, only made him love her the more. She was fitting for him, if anything, she was right for him as his Empress, his childhood lover who knew him more than anyone else in the entire kingdom, could sense when he was worried, tired or just needed a break. She alone could have been right for him, until he was forced to feign a relationship he had no interest in.
His fingers instinctively gripped her arms, pulling her further so he could nuzzle the nape of her neck, her scent wafting into his nostrils.
He noticed for the first time, her face marred with lines of worry, she was as disturbed as he was. Eleanor's lips quivered, her voice shaky through each words she sopke out, she halted whatever he wa doing to her, pushing him away.
" Do I still have access to you, Lucien? or do I have to start competing with a mere lowly princess?"
Lucien growled when she eased her into his laps to have her straddle him. His tongue languidly licked against her lips but she was unmoving, not reciprocating his kisses.
He withdrew, cupping her cheeks, his eyes burning into hers. "you need not compete with her. She means nothing to me, you know why father wants her here, I promise you that my love and heart belongs to you only."
"do you say this because of your duty to your father? How sure are you that your heart will not waver and would always belong to me?! What if you fall in love with her?!" her fingers played with the buttons on his shirt, working through them one at a time.
"Come on, Eleanor. We have been engaged seen we were a teenager. Do you think father doesn't find you worthy of the title of an Empress? Three months! Okay? Three months until the next blue moon and she will be out of our lives for good,"