Ch. 34 - Where am I?

Ch. 34 - Where am I?
Elena hugged Lucian tightly. "It's so cold," she said quietly.

Lucian let her hold him. He himself found comfort he couldn't understand. Elena looked up with a sad blank on her face.

Elena suddenly said, "I can see hatred in your eyes." She didn't change her expression.

Lucian stared intently. "I hate you."

Elena hugged him tighter, looking down. "I know you hate me. I deserve it."

Lucian didn't say anything. A second time, he let her hand touch the marks on his body.

Elena pointed to Lucian's chest and said, "Your biggest scar is here."

The man just sat there, answering patiently. "Yes."

"Could you heal your wound? I would like to see you happy."

Lucian shook his head. "No."

Elena looked down again, then quietly said something. "It's so sad..."

Lucian took a deep breath. He didn't want to think about the past. It made him feel bad, and he hated it even more. Right now, he was trying to understand his feelings instead of hating them.

When he saw the girl, he felt a strange feeling in his chest. It wasn't hate anymore. He experienced something else: passion.

"Take a rest!" Lucian ordered, and helped the girl lie down on the bed. He covered her with a blanket.

Elena stared at Lucian, feeling pain in her chest. The man was lying on his bed when Elena stared at the ceiling and spoke to herself.

"I also have a scar in my heart now..."



Meanwhile, Hera was awake in her room, unable to sleep. She worried about Elena's well-being. Could the girl be okay in Lucian's room?

She thought the man was a kind person, but she was still scared after hearing what happened to Elena in the palace.

What if Lucian hurt her instead?

Hera tried her best to think positively. If Lucian had planned to harm Elena, he wouldn't have helped the girl in the dungeon and asked her to look for herbs.

Hera finally lay down, staring at the ceiling. But she couldn't sleep. She stared at the dimly lit room. All the servants who shared the same room with her were asleep.

After a while she still couldn't sleep. Hera decided to leave the room to get some fresh air. She walked slowly down the corridor of the palace with an extremely high ceiling. The sound of her steps echoed even though she tried to walk quietly.

"Shouldn't you be in your room?" A man's voice startled Hera.

She turned around, finding Riven walking towards her. Respectfully, she bowed quickly.

"I can't sleep," Hera said.

"If the butler sees you wandering around at this time of night, you'll be in trouble," Riven said. He couldn't sleep too, and came out after checking Lucian was asleep.

Hera pouted. "Isn't that unfair? You can wander around? Why are only servants banned?"

Riven shook his head. "If you think it's unfair, you should train and become a guard," he said as he walked away.

As Hera watched Riven's movement, she was astonished. The guard was tall and well-built, as well as handsome, though he seemed very quiet and intimidating. Hera didn't know what had come to her mind, but she followed Riven's steps.

"By the way, thank you for that time," said Hera.

"You already said that," said Riven.

Hera grimaced. She walked beside the guard. "Are you hungry? I can make something for us."

Riven paused. He was indeed heading to the palace kitchen to get something. But he was unable to accept Hera's offer, because that would mean he supported the maid sneaking around at night.

But Hera did not need an answer. She walked into the empty kitchen and prepared a light and easy meal. She was very skilled at it because Elena often asked for food outside of the palace meals as well.

As she worked, her mouth talked. Elena and Elena, how proud she was of the girl.

Riven did not need to ask how much Hera loved Elena. He thought to himself. Perhaps it was as deep as his love for Lucian. A love that expected absolutely nothing in return.

"She's lucky to have you as a servant," Riven said, without realizing it.

Hera smiled. "You don't know, we servants are lucky to have a princess like her. Her heart is like an angel's, only her fate is so bad..." Hera sighed sadly.

Moments later she had a bowl of warm soup in front of Riven.

"Eat up, it's good for digestion and keeps you warm," Hera said.

Riven ate the soup, feeling warmth enter his body. Also a slight crack in his heart.



It seems like it was a beautiful dream.

In the morning, Elena woke up with a light body. She looked around, blinking her eyes. After a while, she realized she was not in her room.

Uh, where was she?

She got out of bed and immediately saw her bed and a large bed beside it. That large room was so familiar.

The king's room!

Why was she here? Elena panicked. If Lucian found out she was sleeping in his room, shouldn't she be put to death right away?

But Elena froze when she remembered what had happened last time. She was whipped by Misaya! That's right, she was tortured by that cruel woman. She was also able to recall every pain in her body and mind. Misaya's words about her father stuck in her brain. It made Elena gloomy.

She examined her body. The wounds were still there, proof that her memory was not wrong. But they had mostly dried up.

It looked like someone had cared for the wounds. It must have been Hera. Where was the maid?

Elena was about to get up, when suddenly a memory appeared. Whether a dream or a memory, she heard Lucian talking to her a lot last night, telling her things and being patient with her.

Elena paused. It seemed like a dream. There was no way he treated her well. Instead she would be taken to a torture chamber.

While she was still busy with her thoughts, the door to the dressing room opened. Elena was surprised.