The next morning, Liora woke up with one thought.
She needed a day off.
Not because she was tired.
Not because the work was difficult.
And definitely not because she disliked her job.
She simply wanted to spend an entire day without seeing a royal document, a noble, a magical flower, or Lucien’s face.
Especially Lucien’s face.
She stared at the ceiling.
Then frowned.
“Why did I think of his face first?”
She immediately got out of bed.
“No.”
By breakfast, Liora had already made her decision.
She walked into the dining room carrying Lucien’s breakfast.
“I want another day off.”
Lucien looked up from his papers.
“No.”
She stopped.
“What?”
“You already had one recently.”
“That was days ago.”
“It was less than a week ago.”
“Exactly. I’m overdue.”
Lucien stared at her.
“That’s not how days off work.”
“It should be.”
She placed his plate on the table.
“I’ve worked every day since the reception.”
“You’ve worked for several hours each day.”
“That’s what a job is.”
“You complain about your job a lot.”
“I complain because I care.”
Lucien looked at her.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.”
He returned to his papers.
“You can have the afternoon.”
Liora stared at him.
“The afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“I asked for a day.”
“You’re getting an afternoon.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You can take the entire day tomorrow.”
Liora blinked.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She smiled.
“Thank you.”
Lucien looked back at his papers.
Then he added,
“Don’t spend the entire day worrying about work.”
She smiled.
“I won’t.”
She walked away.
Lucien watched her go.
Then quietly muttered,
“She’ll probably find something to complain about anyway.”
That afternoon, Liora met Celeste in the Common District.
They walked through the market together, stopping at nearly every shop.
Liora held up a small purse.
“How much?”
The merchant named a price.
She immediately put it down.
“Too expensive.”
Celeste laughed.
“You didn’t even negotiate.”
“I’ve seen the same purse for less.”
“You’ve memorized every price in the market?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not stupid.”
Celeste shook her head.
They continued walking.
Then Celeste stopped.
“Liora.”
“What?”
“I need to tell you something.”
Liora immediately became serious.
“What happened?”
Celeste looked slightly nervous.
“Julian asked me to dinner.”
Liora stared.
Then slowly smiled.
“Finally.”
Celeste groaned.
“Don’t make that face.”
“What face?”
“That face.”
“What face?”
“The one that says you knew this would happen.”
Liora laughed.
“I did know.”
Celeste looked down.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Go.”
“That’s your advice?”
“Yes.”
“It probably will be.”
“What if we have nothing to talk about?”
“You always have something to talk about.”
“What if—”
Liora gently grabbed her shoulders.
“Celeste.”
Celeste stopped.
“If you like him, go.”
Celeste smiled.
“You make everything sound simple.”
“It isn’t.”
Liora released her.
“But sometimes we make things harder because we’re afraid of what might happen.”
Celeste looked at her.
“You’ve been thinking about what Vivienne said.”
Liora looked away.
“Maybe.”
Celeste smiled.
“You’re learning.”
“Don’t sound so proud.”
“I am proud.”
Meanwhile, in another part of Valthera, Elliot sat across from Vivienne at a quiet café.
Neither spoke for several moments.
Finally, Elliot smiled.
“You look well.”
Vivienne laughed softly.
“That’s a strange thing to say.”
“I’ve spent months worrying about you.”
Her smile faded.
“I know.”
Elliot leaned forward.
“Are they still forcing the engagement?”
Vivienne nodded.
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to do something?”
“No.”
He frowned.
“Why not?”
“Because if you interfere, my father will use it against you.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do.”
Elliot looked at her.
Vivienne reached across the table and touched his hand.
“I don’t want you hurt because of me.”
He turned his hand over and held hers.
“I’ve never considered loving you a burden.”
Vivienne’s eyes softened.
“I know.”
A silence settled between them.
Then Elliot asked,
“Does Lucien know?”
“About us?”
“Yes.”
Vivienne shook her head.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know if he would believe me.”
Elliot smiled.
“He isn’t blind.”
“No.”
Vivienne looked down.
“But he’s surrounded by people who want something from him.”
She paused.
“And now there’s a girl.”
Elliot raised an eyebrow.
“Liora?”
Vivienne nodded.
“You’ve heard of her?”
“I’ve heard enough.”
“What do you think?”
Elliot smiled.
“I think she makes Lucien uncomfortable.”
Vivienne laughed.
“She does.”
“And that might be good for him.”
Vivienne smiled.
“Perhaps.”
Neither of them noticed the figure sitting at the far end of the café.
A hood covered most of their face.
They had been watching Vivienne for several minutes.
By evening, Liora returned to the mansion.
She expected everything to be quiet.
Instead, she found Lucien in the garden.
He was standing beside the old fountain, staring at the water.
Liora stopped.
“You’re still working?”
He looked over.
“No.”
She walked closer.
“Then what are you doing?”
“Thinking.”
“About?”
“Things.”
She nodded.
“Very informative.”
He almost smiled.
She sat on the edge of the fountain.
“You know, normal people sometimes talk about what they’re thinking.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Lucien looked at her.
“Normal people aren’t kings.”
“There you go again.”
“What?”
“Using the king excuse.”
He shook his head.
“You never give up.”
“No.”
She looked at the water.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You already are.”
“Do you actually want to be king?”
The question caught him off guard.
Lucien looked toward the fountain.
“Yes.”
Liora waited.
“Why?”
He was quiet for a while.
“Because someone has to make difficult decisions.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is.”
“No. That’s a responsibility.”
She looked at him.
“I’m asking if you actually wanted this.”
Lucien’s expression changed.
For once, he didn’t immediately answer.
“I wanted to make things better.”
Liora smiled faintly.
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“You wanted the responsibility because you wanted to change things.”
She thought for a moment.
“That’s not the same as wanting power.”
Lucien looked at her.
“No.”
They sat quietly.
Then Liora said,
“I think you’d be happier if you smiled more.”
Lucien stared at her.
“I smiled yesterday.”
“Once.”
“That’s enough.”
“No.”
She smiled.
“Try again.”
He looked at her as though she had lost her mind.
“I’m not performing for you.”
“You’re impossible.”
“And yet you keep talking to me.”
“Unfortunately.”
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Lucien smiled.
Not a large smile.
Just enough.
Liora smiled back.
Neither noticed how naturally it happened.
Later that night, Lucien returned to his study.
A sealed letter waited on his desk.
He opened it.
His expression changed.
The letter contained only one sentence.
The Council requests the King’s presence at the Royal Assembly tomorrow morning.
Lucien folded it.
Another political battle.
He looked toward the window.
Then thought about Liora’s question.
Do you actually want to be king?
He had spent years convincing himself that ruling was enough.
But lately, he had started wondering what life would look like if he could choose something simply because he wanted it.
He didn’t know why that thought made him uncomfortable.
Across the city, Vivienne returned home.
Her father was waiting.
Lord Alaric looked at her calmly.
“You were out.”
Vivienne stopped.
“Yes.”
“With whom?”
She said nothing.
Alaric’s eyes narrowed.
“Vivienne.”
She lifted her chin.
“With a friend.”
“Which friend?”
She didn’t answer.
Alaric smiled.
“Be careful.”
His voice remained gentle.
“People who forget their obligations often discover that someone else has to remind them.”
Vivienne’s expression hardened.
“I haven’t forgotten anything.”
“I hope not.”
He walked past her.
Vivienne waited until he disappeared.
Only then did she let out the breath she had been holding.
She looked toward the window.
Somewhere in the city, Elliot was still awake.
And somewhere else, Lucien was preparing to fight the Council again.
Neither of them knew that Lord Alaric had already begun watching the people around them.
And one of those people was Liora.