Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince
Chapter 38 — What’s Yours is Mine

Chapter 38: 38 — What’s Yours is Mine

"Your Highness, do you think we’ll find that monster here?" Glain asked, his eyes on Lucian, who stood atop the corpse of a demon, his black shirt smeared with blood, barely visible in the dim light.

"Which one?" Lucian replied coolly, glancing at the brown-haired man as he flicked his sword, scattering crimson droplets across the ground. The blood splattered the green herbs below, staining them red.

"The one that took the Grand Duchess," Glain clarified.

Lucian sighed, shaking his head. "I doubt it. That creature seems to prefer being near humans. It wouldn’t hide among these beasts."

Glain nodded, his gaze drifting to the carnage around them. "Alright... but there are still a few demons left. Should we assist the others?"

Lucian scanned the forest, where his knights struggled against larger beasts. The air reeked of blood—both human and demon.

Without a word, Lucian moved swiftly, slicing through the remaining demons with precise, lethal strikes. Their deafening roars echoed through the trees as they fell, the earth quaking beneath their weight.

With a bitter laugh, Lucian thought, "No wonder His Majesty gave me this land... It’s overrun with demons. A fitting reward for loyalty—an endless warzone."

"That’s enough for today," Glain called out, signaling the knights to prepare for departure.

"Already?" Lucian raised an eyebrow, feeling as though the battle had only just begun.

"Your Highness, we’ve been at it for hours. The sun is setting," Adrian said, wiping his blade clean, his body covered in demon’s blood.

Lucian nodded reluctantly, though he had no desire to return home.

***

Despite his reluctance, Lucian found himself standing before his mansion. The knights had already retreated to their quarters on the east side.

He stepped inside slowly. Though it was pitch dark outside, the guards greeted him at the entrance.

Lucian merely nodded in response as he walked through the large, imposing structure. He despised this place—this mansion that others called home. The very word conjured memories he wished to forget. Better to have no home at all than one where no one waited for his return, where everyone wished he would vanish.

As he neared the stairs, he noticed a small figure sitting there in the dimly lightened hall. Her elbow rested on her thigh, her cheek propped against her palm. Her silver hair fell over her face, but he could still make out her closed eyes.

For a moment, he considered calling her name, waking her. But he stayed silent, watching her closely. He didn’t want to deal with her irking questions. She acted as if they were a happy married couple when reality was far from it.

At first glance, anyone would think she was asleep. But Lucian knew better. He couldn’t trust her, not completely.

Once he was sure she was truly asleep, he stared at her for a moment.

"What is making you do all these ridiculous things? You should just be yourself and drop the act. You’re confusing me..." Lucian thought before he gently lifted her into his arms and carried her toward her bedroom.

When he reached the door, two guards stood there, half-asleep, struggling to stay awake.

Lucian narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat, snapping them to attention.

Startled awake, the guards quickly bowed to greet the Grand Duke and Duchess.

Lucian shook his head, signaling them to remain silent.

Understanding his command, the guards nodded and opened the door to the Grand Duchess’s room.

Lucian had posted extra guards outside Cynthia’s chambers in case of an attack. She certainly was too vulnerable and wouldn’t be able to defend herself against assassins or rebels who hadn’t yet accepted Lucian as their new lord.

Laying down the young woman on the soft bed, Lucian looked around the room.

He needed to examine her room. The maids assigned to her reported to him that she couldn’t let anyone touch her belongings unless it was her dressing room, where there were only clothes and jewelry the maids could use to dress her.

He was unable to personally inspect the room as he had been too preoccupied with caring for the King and Prince of Eldoria, guests he couldn’t neglect, and searching for witnesses.

Deep down, he knew it would be nearly impossible to find any, as most who were present had only seen darkness and the same strange light he had—Cynthia’s sudden reappearance.

It was clear, however, that it wasn’t teleportation magic, as the light should have been violet, not golden or white.

Inhaling deeply, he strolled through the hall, his fingertips tracing the objects on the dressing table.

"She doesn’t use makeup when this place is filled with makeup materials..." Lucian mumbled, surprised. "For someone who loved extravagant clothes, she kept her face rather clean."

"These were gifts from my brother. I don’t need them because my natural beauty is enough to charm anyone," a familiar voice spoke.

Lucian quickly turned around, seeing Cynthia sitting on the bed with a smirk on her face.

"Weren’t you asleep?"

"Do you wish I was? I could pretend I’m asleep if you want," Cynthia chuckled.

"..."

"My, my. Looking at you, anyone would think you’re a thief," Cynthia stepped down from her bed and walked towards Lucian barefoot, looking at his conflicted expression. It seemed to her he wanted to leave however he couldn’t.

He needed to explain himself and perhaps he was searching for words to explain his odd behaviour.

"I don’t mind you stealing something from me, however, you should at least tell me what you’re looking for, right? That way I can help you."

Clenching his jaw, Lucian glared at Cynthia, who kept smiling, clearly toying with him. She knew perfectly well he had nothing to steal. He just needed to verify she wasn’t hiding anything dangerous.

"There is nothing wrong, Your Highness. I’m your wife. What’s yours is mine. What’s mine is yours."

"Hah. Wife," Lucian scoffed, glancing at her for a second before shifting his gaze away.

"Your Highness, why do you always avoid looking at me when you speak?" She asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

She always wanted to ask him as he did so even before she came back to life. It seemed today was her chance to raise the question. There were no maids in the room, and it seemed Lucian was too tired to lie to her face.

"Is it because you cannot keep eye contact with me? Is my gaze too sharp for you?" Her words carried a lingering mocking tone.

She loathed this man yet she needed to pretend to be the perfect wife only so he wouldn’t abandon her. Not yet. She needed him to establish power throughout Selvarys.

To Lucian, who heard about her true nature, her remarks felt like thinly veiled criticism he had heard countless times. He clenched his jaw, then raised his eyes, meeting Cynthia’s gaze with his striking green-emerald eyes.

"Are you mocking me, Your Highness?" Lucian asked quietly and lifted Cynthia’s chin, leaning in closer, his eyes reflected his irritation at the princess’s harsh remarks.

"Well, it doesn’t matter to me. As long as you perform your duty as my wife properly, I will have nothing against you. But the moment you fail in your obligations," his hand slipped on her shoulders as he stared deeply into her eyes.

"It’s the moment you will regret this marriage. You will regret marrying into an enemy kingdom where you have no one to protect you from harm. Where not even your husband is by your side."

A soft chuckle escaped Cynthia, confusing the man before her.

"I will not regret any of it. You will regret it when you fall in love with someone you don’t even wish to see," she thought with a grin, yet kept those thoughts to herself without voicing them out loud.

"For that, shouldn’t we perform what a couple does?"

Retreating his hand away from Cynthia’s shoulder, Lucian raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"As a couple, we should... sleep together. Just as I suggested on our first night," Cynthia gently caressed her hand on Lucian’s shoulders, looking deeply into his eyes.

"The best way to make a man addicted to you is to sleep with them."

She read so in a book although she didn’t know about its accuracy. She never had a lover, if Duke Dorian, her now ex-fiancé, wasn’t taken into account. After all, it was an arranged alliance King Alistair made for her.

"However, it wouldn’t hurt to try," she told herself.

She was resolved to do anything possible to make Lucian take her side.

Since fate has brought us back together, I should play the games needed to make this failed marriage successful. I won’t die. Not this time. Not will I let anyone trample on me as I did in my past life?

"What are you thinking about, Your Highness? There is no way I will do such... act with you, of all people," Lucian empathized, making Cynthia clench her fist in anger.

A vague memory flashed through her mind, her body trembling with rage.

"I’ve seen His Highness... with that woman..."

Inhaling deeply, Cynthia stepped closer to the taller man.

"If you even look at another woman, I’ll start another war. I won’t wait for my brother to reach Selvarys," Cynthia warned, her eyes sharply looking at him.

Despite her shorter height, she pulled him closer and pressed her lips to his, not caring about the consequences.