Chapter 28 028

Chapter 28 028

Claire's POV

I followed Lucien up the stairs. My heart was doing that thing again where it could not decide if it wanted to race or stop completely.

This was the second time I was going into his room, and honestly, I should have been terrified. After what just happened downstairs regarding the accusations, the blue light revealing the truth, the way those maids had been dragged away screaming I should have been shaking in my legs

But I was not scared.

Maybe I was broken. Maybe something in me had short-circuited when I got dragged into this mess. Or maybe it was because just yesterday, I had seen a different side of him. A side that was not all cold authority and death threats. A side that was almost... human.

We reached his door and he pushed it open, stepping inside. I walked in after him, and the moment I crossed the threshold, he slammed the door shut behind me.

I jumped slightly at the sound, turning to face him.

He spun around, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made my breath stop briefly. "Who do you work for?"

I felt my jaw clench. My hands balled into fists at my sides as frustration bubbled up in my chest like a kettle about to whistle.

"Are you serious right now?" I snapped, with a hint of irritation in my voice. "I have told you time without number that I do not work for anyone! What else do you need from me? A signed confession, A blood oath? What?"

I didn't know what gave me the right to throw a tantrum like that but He did not flinch at my outburst. Instead, he just stared at me with that unreadable expression of his, like he was trying to peel back the layers of my skull and see what was really going on inside.

"If you do not work for anyone," he said slowly, his eyes bored into mine "then tell me who Judy and Lilly work for."

I stared at him, My mouth fell open slightly and I felt my face twist into something that probably looked like I had just bitten into a lemon.

"How am I supposed to know that?" I fired back, throwing my hands up. "They are your staff! They have worked for you for years! You are supposed to know that, not me!"

He took a step closer, closing the distance between us. "Since you could find out about the macphone," he said, his tone almost mocking, "why do you not try out some voodoo and check who is behind it?"

I could not help it, my voice echoed as I giggled loudly.

It started as a small chuckle, but then it grew until I was laughing so hard my sides hurt. The absurdity of it all, him standing there, dead serious, asking me to pull out some magical detective skills like I was some kind of supernatural encyclopedia, it was too much.

When I finally managed to catch my breath and wipe the tears from my eyes, I looked up and realized he was staring at me. Not with irritation or anger,

but with a small smile on his face, a genuine smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle just slightly.

"You are beautiful when you smile," he said quietly. "You should smile more often."

My laughter died in my throat. Heat crept up my neck and settled in my cheeks. I did not know what to say, so I said nothing.

Instead, I took a step closer to him, closing the gap until I could see the faint silver flecks in his dark eyes.

"I do not know how I knew about the poison," I said softly, my voice calm despite the chaos in my chest. "I wish I could explain it, but I cannot. But I also know something else."

He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"An ambush has been set for you," I continued, watching his expression carefully. "If you leave for that meeting, you will be attacked again."

For a moment, he said nothing. Then his lips curved into that familiar smirk the one that was equal parts dangerous and infuriatingly attractive.

"Then I will have to go," he said, his tone casual, like we were discussing the weather and not his potential murder. "In order to find out if the first was just a guess or the truth."

“What!!”

“I have to see for myself if I would truly be attack, I mean what other ways would I be able to believe you”

I felt my chest tighten. "That is dangerous."

"Most things worth doing are."

"Your life is not something you should gamble with," I insisted, my voice rising slightly. “I am certain about it, this time, I saw their faces, and the route where they wait”

“Perfect! Since you know all of that, I don't think that it's going to be a problem”

“How can you say that?” I frown, wondering what kind of man he was and how he was able to twist such a complicated situation into this.

He tilted his head, studying me with an expression I could not quite read. "You should not worry about me," he said. "After all, you get to leave once I am dead."

I opened my mouth to respond, probably to tell him that was a terrible plan and he was an idiot for even suggesting it but the words caught in my throat. I bit down on my lower lip, hard enough to taste copper, and swallowed whatever I had been about to say.

Because he was right, was he not? If he died, I would be free, I would no longer live in this castle or ever have to face his threats. No more being trapped in this bizarre situation where I somehow knew things I should not know.

But the thought of him walking into danger, knowing what I knew, made something my chest ached.

He must have seen the conflict on my face because his expression softened slightly. "Take care of yourself," he said, his voice gentler than I had ever heard it. "And do whatever you like around the castle."

I blinked. Those were words I never thought I would hear from him.

Before I could process what he had just said, he moved past me, his shoulder brushing mine as he headed for the door.

I stood there, frozen, as he pulled it open and disappeared into the hallway without another word.

The door clicked shut behind him, and I was left alone in his room, my mind spinning and my heart doing acrobatics in my chest with feelings that I was certain I wasn't supposed to feel but then, I knew I couldn't let him die, I had to do something about it.