The moment we arrived at the palace, we all stepped down from the carriage and walked toward the grand entrance.
The air inside the palace felt colder than usual—heavier, like something had changed while we were gone.
As we entered the main hall, I suddenly reached out and grabbed Lucien’s right arm, stopping him in his tracks.
He turned slightly, surprised.
“Come with me,” I said quickly.
“You’re hurt, right?”
Lucien looked at me for a moment, then gently pulled his arm back.
“I’m fine,” he said flatly.
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
He paused, his gaze sharpening slightly.
“Instead… why don’t you worry about your four lovers?”
The words landed between us like a quiet strike.
I froze.
For a second, I didn’t even know how to respond.
Lucien didn’t wait for an answer.
He simply turned and walked ahead, his expression unreadable—but his tone stayed behind, sharp enough to linger in the air.
And I stood there, staring after him, suddenly unsure whether he was more injured in his body…
or in something else entirely.
I quickly moved and chased after Lucien, grabbing his arm again before he could walk away.
He turned slightly, clearly annoyed, but I didn’t give him a chance to speak.
I dragged him all the way down the corridor and into my room, then shut the door behind us and locked it.
The moment the lock clicked, I turned to him and snapped.
“WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?!”
Lucien blinked, slightly taken aback.
I pointed at him, my voice rising.
“I’m trying to help you here!
You got injured because of me, and I just want to treat your injury!”
He opened his mouth like he wanted to respond, but I didn’t let him.
I stepped closer, frustration building in my chest.
“And instead of saying thank you, you’re standing there talking utter nonsense!”
Before he could react, I suddenly started hitting him lightly on the arm in irritation.
Lucien immediately raised his hands to block me.
“Hey—stop,”
“WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM!” I repeated again, louder this time.
I grabbed a pillow from my bed and began hitting him with it instead.
He tried to dodge, stepping back quickly.
But I followed him.
Every time he moved, I moved with him, still hitting him with the pillow.
“Stop it,” he said, half exasperated, half confused.
“I will NOT stop!” I snapped.
“I’m trying to help you and you’re behaving like this!”
Lucien turned slightly, clearly struggling between stopping me and not hurting me.
But I kept going until finally he exhaled sharply.
“Fine,” he said at last.
“Enough.
I’ll let you treat it.”
I stopped immediately.
“Good.”
Without wasting time, I dropped the pillow and turned toward my bedside table.
I pulled out the first aid box and placed it on the bed, finally calming down slightly as I opened it.
Lucien stood there for a moment, watching me silently.
Then he sighed, like he had just accepted something he couldn’t escape.
“…You’re really not normal,” he muttered.
I didn’t look at him.
“I know,” I said simply, already focusing on his injury.
The moment I started cleaning his injury, he let out a soft sound of pain.
I noticed it immediately, but I didn’t say anyth
Instead, I continued carefully, focusing on the wound in front of me, pretending not to see the way his body tensed slightly each time I touched the injured area.
I held his hand a little tighter and continued treating the wound carefully.
The room remained quiet, the only sound between us being the faint rustling of bandages and Lucien’s uneven breathing.
Then suddenly, he spoke.
“…Why did you save me?”
My hand paused slightly.
Lucien lowered his eyes for a moment before continuing quietly.
“Why didn’t you just leave me there?” he asked softly.
“Why did you save me from Aurora?”
For a second, I didn’t know how to answer.
I slowly looked away from him, my gaze drifting toward the wall beside the bed.
“Because…” I whispered.
My fingers tightened slightly around the bandage in my hand.
“You mean a lot to me.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Lucien’s eyes widened slightly.
I quickly looked down again and continued wrapping the bandage around his arm.
“You’ve saved my life countless times already,” I continued quietly.
“So why wouldn’t I save you too?”
Silence filled the room again.
But this time, it felt warmer.
Softer.
Then suddenly,
Lucien grabbed my wrist gently.
My breath caught instantly.
The moment our eyes met, everything around me seemed to disappear.
The room.
The silence.
Even the sound of my own breathing faded away.
For one strange moment, it felt like the world itself had stopped moving.
And slowly…
Lucien began leaning closer.
My heartbeat rose instantly.
I froze completely.
His face moved closer and closer toward mine
Then suddenly,
Knock!
The sound shattered the moment instantly.
The door opened before either of us could react.
Kael walked into the room.
Immediately, Lucien pulled away from me.
And almost at the same time, I turned quickly toward the right side of the bed while Lucien looked away toward the left.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Kael stared at both of us suspiciously for a moment.
Then finally, he spoke.
“The Queen Mother sent a message,” he said calmly.
Lucien frowned slightly.
Kael’s expression darkened a little before he continued.
“She announced that the second trial will take place next week.”
Lucien slowly stood up from the bed.
For a brief moment, his eyes shifted toward me.
Then toward Kael.
The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense again.
But Lucien didn’t say a word.
He simply turned around and walked toward the door.
“Lucien,”
Before I could stop him, he opened the door and left the room.
The moment he disappeared into the hallway, I immediately moved to go after him.
But suddenly,
Kael grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me back.
I stumbled slightly from the force and turned toward him in surprise.
“Kael?”
His grip around my wrist tightened slightly.
And for the first time since he entered the room, I noticed the look in his eyes clearly.
Anger.
Not the violent kind.
Something quieter.
Something heavier.
His golden eyes stayed fixed on me silently for a few seconds before he finally spoke.
“Why do you always chase after him?”
My breath caught slightly.
“What?”
Kael stepped closer.
“You always worry about Lucien first.”
His voice remained calm, but I could feel the frustration underneath it.
“When he gets hurt, you panic.”
Another step closer.
“When he leaves, you follow him.”
His gaze darkened slightly.
“But what about the rest of us?”
The room suddenly felt smaller.
I stared at him quietly, unsure what to say.
Because the truth was…
I didn’t know.
Kael lowered his head slightly before letting out a slow breath.
Then finally, he released my wrist.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The silence between us felt strangely painful.
Then Kael turned away from me and walked toward the door.
But just before leaving, he stopped.
Without looking back, he spoke quietly.
“…You really have no idea what you’re doing to us, do you?”
And then he left.
The door closed softly behind him.
Leaving me standing alone in the middle of the room.
Confused.
Overwhelmed.
And for some reason…
My chest hurt a little.
I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor silently.
One week.
That was how long I had before the second trial began.
But somehow…
I felt like the real problem wasn’t the trial anymore.
It was them.
And the closer I became to all five of them…
The more dangerous this story started becoming.
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