The remainder of the night dissolved into a feverish, intoxicating haze within the locked bedchamber.
Driven by the potent Holy magic of the aphrodisiac, Cassian was entirely at Lucien's mercy, his pride completely shattered beneath the sheer intensity of the knight's possessive touch. Every muffled cry, every desperate gasp for air that escaped his lungs, and every trembling surrender he pleaded only fed the dark fire burning in Lucien's chest.
Lucien held nothing back—taking out every single ounce of his emotions on him. Every heartbreak he had felt because of Cassian, all of his anger over the betrayal, and the unyielding desire he had held back for so long was poured out completely on the prince. He worked until Cassian's body was slick with sweat and completely pliable in his arms. They moved together on the fur-draped bed as if trying to destroy each other completely, lost in a furious, slow-burning rhythm that lasted for hours into the deep night because enough was never enough for either of them.
"Ah! Lucien, wait—... Urgh, no! Don't stop, please! Just go deeper!"
Cassian muffled his own soft whimpers against Lucien's lips as they both collided in a fast, heavy rhythm. Cassian was riding on top of him while Lucien knelt on the bed, his strong hands guiding Cassian's hips carefully around his waist to drive himself all the way in.
"Ah, yes..."
Lucien closed his eyes, feeling his head grow pleasantly hazy as Cassian's hips moved frantically against his torso. Their mouths met once again in a wet, deep, and passionate kiss that muffled their shared groans. Wrapped in each other's warmth and sweat, they lost themselves completely in the heat, blowing off every last bit of the built-up steam.
"Lucien..." Cassian rasped between breathy kisses, holding on to him dearly.
"Y-yes...?" Lucien panted, his hands gripping Cassian's slick waist tight.
"I love you."
Lucien froze completely. He stopped moving, pulled his face back from the kiss, and looked directly into Cassian's wide, tear-filled eyes in pure shock.
"What?" Lucien gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
"I said I love you," Cassian repeated, his voice remarkably soft and clear despite the haze. Lucien stared at him, his brow furrowing as doubt crept into his eyes for a moment.
"Is it the drug talking... or are you just playing with me right now?"
Cassian shook his head gently, letting out a soft, tired breath.
"Thanks to you, the drug is already wearing off the more that you fill me up. I am saying this right now because I only want to say what I have been keeping to myself this entire time... especially seeing how miscommunication has drifted us apart these past few days."
Cassian leaned in and softly pecked Lucien's lips, then wrapped his lean, masculine arms securely around Lucien's neck, offering him a warm, tender smile.
"You were right... I should only worry about leaving this world once that time actually comes. But for now, let me just spend more time with you. Only you and Sora... so please don't hate me again. I don't want to go through that anymore."
Lucien felt the last remnants of his anger melt away, replaced by a deep, aching warmth. He reached up, cupping Cassian's flushed cheek with his hand and he pecked him too.
"You've hurt me too, Cassian... and I also don't want to go through that again. You pushing me away, marrying me off to someone else just to get rid of me or avoiding me. I hate that."
"I'm sorry, Lucien..." Cassian whispered, his eyes brimming with genuine regret.
"I was such a stupid coward."
"Shhh... it doesn't matter anymore," Lucien murmured, pulling Cassian down into a tight, protective embrace.
"I only want you. Just like now... in my arms, and making love to me this good."
Cassian giggled softly against Lucien's collarbone. He bit his lower lip, moving his hips up and down once more as he gave Lucien a playful wink.
Lucien let out a low groan, wrapping his arms tightly around Cassian's waist and burying his face deep into the crook of his neck as he pushed back up into him, restarting their slow, passionate rhythm once again.
*****
Meanwhile, far below in the grand hall...
The grand wedding feast was slowly coming to an end. The music had softened into gentle, lingering melodies that drifted up toward the high wooden rafters.
Nobles lingered in small circles, laughing over their final cups of sweet wine while servants quietly moved through the room, clearing away empty plates and extinguishing candles one by one.
Near the great stone hearth, Ruby stood with a crystal glass resting lightly between her fingers. She appeared completely relaxed, graceful and perfectly poised.
But behind those calm eyes, she had been observing every corner of the room all evening. She noticed every arrival, every departure, and every lingering glance.
And eventually... she noticed who wasn't there to celebrate with them.
Lucien. And Crown Prince Cassian.
They had both been missing for far longer than seemed reasonable for a Crown Prince and his sole Knight.
Ruby slowly swirled the deep red wine in her glass, watching the liquid cling to the crystal edges.
"...Interesting," she murmured under her breath, a tiny, knowing smile touching her lips.
"I don't believe in coincidences."
Without drawing an ounce of attention to herself, she turned gracefully to excuse herself from the nobles chatting nearby.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment."
One of the noble ladies smiled warmly, bowing her head. "Of course, Lady Thompson."
Ruby dipped her head politely before slipping away from the celebration, stepping smoothly into the grand hallway.
The further she walked from the grand hall, the quieter the palace became. The lively music and loud chatter faded behind thick stone walls, leaving only the sound of her soft footsteps echoing through the dim, cold corridors.
She knew exactly where she was going. Ever since arriving at the Madurai stronghold, Lucien had always found one excuse or another to appear near Cassian's private chambers. Whether it was because official duty, routine patrol... or something far more personal... But Ruby had noticed all the time. She had paid enough attention that she had unknowingly memorized the layout of the guest wing because of that.
"...If Sir Arden has disappeared," she reasoned silently, rounding another corner,
"...there is only one place left to check."
She slowed her pace as she entered the main hallway of the guest wing. The corridor ahead was strangely, uncomfortably empty. No servants. No passing imperial knights. No guards standing outside the Crown Prince's chambers.
And Ruby frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"That's unusual. His Highness' chambers should never be left completely unguarded."
The silence itself felt wrong. Almost... deliberate. Ruby finally reached the massive oak doors of Cassian's room. Just as she lifted a pale hand toward the heavy wood... a faint sound drifted through the door.
A quiet, breathless whimper.
Then... a man's low voice. Soft. And barely audible.
Right then another muffled sound followed, and the old bedframe creaked somewhere deep inside the room causing Ruby to freeze. Her fingers tightened around the delicate stem of her wine glass until her knuckles strained.
For several long seconds, she simply stood there in the empty hall, listening to their muffled sounds and her heartbeat slowly became louder than the faint sounds echoing beyond the wood.
"...No..." she whispered, almost to herself.
"...Surely it's not him..."
She reached out toward the heavy iron handle and pressed down. It refused to move as it was locked.
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
"Locked?"
She tested it once more, pressing a fraction harder. This time, she noticed the latch hadn't fully settled into the heavy iron frame and a tiny gap remained, enough for her to find out even if it's just a glimpse.
Very carefully, without making a sound, she pressed against the heavy door. It opened only a fraction of an inch—just enough for one eye to see through it. And the fire inside the chamber had nearly burned down to embers, but its warm amber glow spilled gently across the room making out the shadows of the humping silhouettes.
What Ruby saw was enough to make her stop breathing entirely.
There was no room for misunderstanding. No innocent explanation. No excuse. And the lack of distance between the two men itself, the frantic way they held onto each other and the raw intimacy that neither of them had ever shown before the rest of the world was laid bare infront of her eyes....—everything she had quietly suspected, everything she had tried to convince herself wasn't entirely true, was right there for her to see.
Lucien—the unwavering Holy Knight, the man who had remained courteous yet distant with her from the day they met, the man everyone believed belonged to duty of God above all else.
And Cassian—the proud, unyielding Crown Prince who always kept everyone at arm's length.
They both looked as though the rest of the world no longer existed. The room held only the two of them, entangled in the bed furs, lost in their own world. As nothing else mattered.
And standing there, Ruby felt something tighten painfully inside her chest. Not sadness. Not disbelief.
But humiliation.
She had spent weeks believing she could slowly win Lucien's attention and respect, while preparing for their arranged marriage. Believing that, in time, his heart would naturally turn toward her as his future wife.
Instead... it had already belonged to someone else. Someone who had repeatedly pushed him away in public. Someone who had even sat in front of her and spoken of arranging Lucien's future with her and sold her his assurance that he didn't want Lucien for himself.
Yet here, behind closed doors, the truth was entirely different. And with such a harsh realization Ruby's fingers slowly curled against the rough wooden edge of the door, her knuckles turning bone white.
"...I see," her voice was barely above a quiet whisper in the dark hallway as she gently eased the heavy door shut again. Not a single sound escaped as the latch settled and the dark corridor swallowed her once more. For a long while, she simply stood outside the locked door, her expression unreadable and devoid of any expression.
Just then... a slow smile appeared on her face. Not a warm one. Not a happy one.
But a dangerous one.
"I don't like sharing what belongs to me."
She murmured quietly to the empty hall. Her eyes grew colder than the winter air draft whistling outside.
"And to think... I believed I had made myself perfectly clear to the Crown Prince the other day when I kindly asked him not to reach out for my fiancé and let go of him. I clearly warned him to never open his legs for Lucien but he never listened."
She let out a quiet, bitter laugh, shaking her head. And then suddenly, her smile slowly disappeared, replaced by an icy resolve aching deep inside her chest.
"In the end... I'm the one who has been made into a fool."
She looked back toward the closed chamber doors one last time, her voice turning completely calm. Almost frighteningly so.
"...Very well then. If that's the role you've chosen for me....then I'll show you both... how a fool plays this game."
With that she turned away on her heel and began walking back toward the shadows of the corridor.
Ruby's footsteps echoed softly through the empty stone passages as she made her way back toward the central wing. Not once did she look back. Her face remained completely calm, her posture perfectly upright. Anyone who happened to pass her in the halls would have believed she had simply taken a short walk to enjoy the quiet night air away from the noisy celebration.
Only the tight grip around the stem of her wine glass betrayed the fierce storm raging inside of her.
"So..." she whispered softly to herself as she walked. "That is the truth."
She let out another quiet, self-deprecating laugh.
"For Lucien Arden it wasn't indifference. It wasn't duty. It wasn't hesitation. He simply never looked at me because his eyes had already chosen someone else mhm?"
She stopped beside one of the high arching palace windows that overlooked the moonlit courtyard below. Her reflection stared back at her in the dark glass. For several long moments, she simply watched herself, adjusting the high collar of her dress.
Then she smiled a, practical smile fixing herself.
"I almost pity myself."
Just as Ruby was introspecting, a pair of quick footsteps approached from behind, breaking the chaos of her thoughts.
"My Lady?"
Ruby composed her expression instantly, turning around with a smooth, effortless grace.
One of her personal attendants hurried toward her, looking relieved.
"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you. The banquet is nearly over, and the carriages are being prepared to take everyone back to the harbour and sail home."
Ruby smiled gently, her tone light and airy.
"I merely wanted some fresh air. The hall was becoming quite warm."
The servant bowed respectfully.
"Shall I escort you back to the main hall, My Lady?"
"...In a moment," Ruby replied softly.
"As you wish." The maid respectfully stepped back, giving her mistress some privacy.
Ruby turned back toward the window, looking up at the clear night sky above the Steppes.
"Cassian Valemont..." She spoke his name quietly under her breath.
"You truly are a strange man."
"You pushed Sir Arden away, you spoke of retiring him from your service to marry him off and place another woman beside him. And yet... you still kept him for yourself in the end."
Her polite smile slowly disappeared suddenly feeling annoyed.
"Perhaps... you don't even realize what you've done to him by now."
She closed her eyes for a brief second, taking a quiet breath.
"No. That isn't true. You know exactly what you're doing. And that makes you very dangerous to keep around."
*****