Chapter 31
Fury simmered in Lucian’s blue eyes.
“You have yet to fulfill your duties as Empress, and already you’ve taken to tracking my every movement?”
“That isn’t…. I merely heard the talk in passing.”
Lucian slammed the table with a resounding bang and shot to his feet.
“The Empress will cease her unwarranted meddling at once.”
“Your Majesty…!”
“And never speak of the White Tower to me again.”
The instant Rosalyn uttered the name of the White Tower, he felt as though his private sanctuary had been violated, even though the one violating the space was Lucian himself.
“Let us call it a night.”
He strode from the dining hall with heavy, deliberate footsteps. Left alone in the empty room, Rosalyn wept.
“What have I done wrong….”
That the Emperor visited the White Tower with excessive frequency was no longer a secret in the imperial palace. Rosalyn had merely stated what everyone already knew, yet Lucian’s response had been merciless.
“Why won’t you open your heart to me?”
This marriage had been arranged long ago. If Lucian intended to behave this way, he should have broken off the engagement entirely.
Rosalyn had to fall asleep alone, even during her honeymoon, when she should have been held by her husband.
And if she failed to produce an heir, she would lose all standing. She might be cast out before the Saintess of the White Tower ever was.
“This is absurd…”
No matter how she examined it, the White Tower was clearly the root of everything. Had Lucian not bristled the very instant it was mentioned?
Yet she could not fathom what hold it had on him. However beautiful the Saintess might be, Rosalyn was the continent’s greatest beauty herself, and Lucian supposedly believed that the Saintess would lose her sacred power if she lost her virginity.
“Am I truly inferior to one lowborn woman?”
Born to the highest nobility, the sole princess of the Kingdom of Bellotien, showered with love her entire life, she simply could not comprehend the situation before her.
She had believed that becoming Empress would pave the way to a secure and brilliant future. The reality was so far removed from what she had imagined that it left her bewildered.
“I must find a way to keep that wench in check, no matter what it takes.”
Rosalyn clenched her fists. She had walked the road to the imperial wedding believing her husband’s love was assured, but what awaited her at its end was nothing she could ever have imagined.
* * *
The sour feeling would not leave him, so Lucian wandered the night garden.
“Your Majesty, the night wind is cold, even for spring.”
Ezra spoke, but Lucian did not so much as acknowledge him.
“I’m going to the White Tower. Don’t follow me.”
Ezra bit his lip, but he could not stop him.
This was the first time Lucian had ever been so fixated on another person. At first, Ezra had assumed it would pass after a few visits, but now the Saintess’s very existence was threatening the foundations of the Empress’s position.
Lucian was no fool. He surely recognized how absurd the situation had become.
And yet tonight, as on every other night, he made his way toward the Saintess.
* * *
Asteria was sharing a modest supper with Clarisse.
Meals at the White Tower were always simple, but they carried the warmth of home, thanks to Clarisse’s skill in the kitchen.
“What did you put in the stew tonight? It’s richer than usual.”
“I tried a new herb.”
“As I thought, no one cooks like you, Clarisse.”
Asteria savored the peaceful moment. For once, thoughts of Lucian were blissfully absent, and her heart was at ease.
Then footsteps sounded from outside without warning. The door opened, and Lucian appeared.
“…I greet Your Majesty.”
Asteria and Clarisse rose hurriedly and bowed.
Lucian’s gaze flicked to Clarisse. She hesitated, reading the room, then withdrew with a pained expression.
“Sit.”
At his command, Asteria took her seat once more.
“Were you in the middle of supper?”
“Yes.”
Lucian settled into Clarisse’s vacated chair.
“I happen to be hungry myself. I’ll join you.”
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