Chapter 90: North

“What do we do? It just makes me want to pursue you even more,” she said, giggling in satisfaction as she watched him look lost.

“Lady Aria, I have already rejected you. I suggest you do not make things complicated by…” he began, but she quickly cut him off.

“It’s fine, and I have accepted your rejection. But just as I do not have the right to force you to accept me, you do not have the right to force me to accept your rejection either. So, let’s agree that you have rejected me, I did not reject you, and until you give me a good reason to give up on you, I won’t,” she said, then turned her back to leave. She halted when she realized something and turned to face him again.

“Can you kindly lead the way? I am lost,” she urged, but before he could respond, she walked over and stood behind him, making him swallow his words.

Lucien began leading them away, and Aria smiled, a determined look forming on her face.

On their way back, they stumbled upon Leia, who kept pacing back and forth, seemingly waiting for something.

“Leia!” Aria called excitedly, stepping out from behind Lucien and walking up to her.

With parted lips, Leia turned, relieved to see her friend after almost worrying herself sick.

“Where have you been? You were gone for an hour, and no one could pinpoint where you were. They only said you were looking for Beta Lucien,” Leia asked, unaware of the other presence with them.

Aria pinched her, causing her to frown, about to complain when Aria gestured toward something ahead of them.

Leia dropped her gaze to where Aria was gesturing and froze, shocked to find Lucien standing there, staring at them blankly.

“Ah! Beta Lucien, I didn’t see you there. I apologize if my friend has troubled you,” her once loud tone suddenly turned cool, earning a scoff from Aria, who shook her head at her.

“What trouble? I think we had fun instead,” Aria said, dropping her gaze on Lucien as she shot him a dirty look.

Confused, Leia stared between the two of them, her eyes narrowing as she tried to understand what Aria meant. Lucien, not wanting to be misunderstood, spoke up, “Lady Aria gave me no trouble. It was no trouble bringing her back. It is part of my duty,” as though ensuring Leia didn’t misinterpret anything.

Aria, who didn’t think much of it and assumed he was only respecting Leia, replied, “She’s my friend. She wouldn’t do anything to you, even if she is Luna. You don’t have to pretend in front of her.”

Lucien turned to face her and corrected calmly, “I am not pretending, Lady Aria. I am merely stating facts,” causing Aria to sigh in exasperation. Even goats were easier to budge, he was a really hard nut to crack, but she was determined to crack him.

“Fine. You win,” Aria said, and Leia smiled, finding their interaction oddly cute. For a moment, she saw a possibility between Aria and Lucien, silently hoping it worked out for her friend. Aria had been through a lot of heartbreak, and after being rejected by her mate, she hadn’t broken down. Instead, she had toured the world to ease her pain. She met many men she claimed to have dated, but none of them worked out. No matter how much she respected Lucien, if he hurt her best friend, she wouldn’t sit back and watch.

“Oh my, are we being left out on an excursion? What is this feeling?” A familiar voice spoke, and they all turned to see Rhea and Casimir walking toward them from Lucien’s direction.

Leia’s gaze met his, and she quickly averted it, wanting to avoid him for as long as she could, until it no longer stung to know she was sharing him with another woman.

“Alpha,” Lucien greeted, moving aside as he cleared the way for them.

Casimir’s gaze settled on Leia, the urge to hold her strong as his eyes roamed over her. He had hoped to see her today, but there was no longer any need. She was no longer pale and looked healthier than she had a few days ago.

“What is happening here?” Rhea inquired.

“I lost my way, so Beta Lucien brought me back, but my sweet best friend was here worrying about me,” Aria explained, smiling at Leia, who returned the smile.

“Hm, why do I sense a different energy?” Rhea said, deliberately adding fuel, her eyes darting between Leia and Casimir.

Aria, noticing what Rhea was doing, added, “I agree. Oh right, our Luna and Alpha seem to be avoiding each other,” she said with a smirk.

Rhea winked and nodded, causing Aria to nod back. Though she did not support what Casimir had done, Rhea had told her everything and made her promise not to tell Leia until Casimir was ready to confess himself. She didn’t want to see her friend hurt, but it wasn’t her place to interfere. The only thing she could do was comfort Leia and secretly help Casimir. She knew that if Leia discovered the nanny’s cookies were Casimir’s doing, she would feel guilty and demand the truth. But for her friend’s safety, the truth needed to remain hidden, at least until the second antidote was secured.

“Aria, stop it,” Leia silently scolded, glaring at her.

“We will be leaving for the North tomorrow. Let me know if there’s anything you need, and I will have someone get it for you,” Casimir said, bringing a smile to Aria’s face.

“No. I don’t need anything. Thank you,” Leia replied, her tone cold and dismissive, making Aria’s smile falter.

Wanting to push her, Aria added, “Really? I thought you needed some books on medicine…you know, to learn more about illnesses and diseases?”

Leia’s eyes widened as her hand moved to pinch Aria, who screamed in pain.

“What kind of books are they? Write out a list and give it to Lucien,” Casimir asked.

“Ignore my friend, Alpha. I am not in need of anything, and I appreciate your concern. But please do not trouble yourself with my matters,” Leia answered, and everyone noticed the distance in her words. She was trying to push him away.

“Lucien, get every medical book, both rare and common that you can find and deliver them to Luna,” Casimir ordered, ignoring her words, causing Leia to frown as she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“I said I do not need anything. My words were clear and concise,” she snapped, her gaze turning cold.

“Lucien, find out if Luna needs anything else and have it delivered before we leave,” he ordered again, still ignoring her, before turning and walking away, leaving Leia seething.

Rhea shook her head, staring after Casimir in helpless disbelief. Was there truly no hope for him? He tried so hard to please her, yet only succeeded in angering her. At times, even Rhea couldn’t understand him.

Deciding it was his place to fix things, she said, “I will take my leave now, Luna,” and walked away.

“Why did you do that?” Leia asked angrily, glaring at Aria, who began laughing, clearly enjoying her friend’s reaction.