Eden pov“That might be a problem,” Lucius groaned. “Moles are all over the place. Always have been and always will be, so that's something we just have to live with. Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how good of a leader the King is, there always will be someone who doesn’t like something. Out of a hundred people, at least one will want to rebel. However, having a Council member as a mole is what makes this situation extremely tricky.” Since Lucius spoke with finality I hadn’t heard from him before, I decided it was for the best not to question him more. But while I avoided asking something, I had an idea I could toss at him. “How about we test it? I mean, I understand you can’t just toss accusations at the Council, but we could think of something as a test to see if my suspicions are correct. For all I know, he might be having a bad day and hence the attitude.” I offered, once again, trying to get more comfortable in his lap. A loud, pained groan left him and I instantly froze.
Eden povThe rest of the meeting with the Council for the lack of better words was… uneventful. No one had left while Lucius and I discussed my suspicions. Even the man in question still stuck around. Weirdly enough, he changed his attitude halfway through the meeting, as if someone had tipped him off. By the time everyone left, I left like someone had sucked out the little joy I had left out of my life. While Lucius and Titus decided to stay in the office and talk about something, I wandered downstairs to the kitchen. Some snacks and sleep sounded like a dream come true. As soon as I rounded the corner and was about to enter the kitchen, I was stopped by voices, mentioning Lucius. Spying on people was bad, I knew it was, but I couldn’t help myself, so I pressed my back against the wall and listened. “She is no Queen of mine. I don’t care what the King says, I refuse to accept a lowly being like her and as someone who is meant to stand above me. At this point, I would rather see
Lucius povI acted like she had won this time. Technically, at least partly, she did. But what Eden didn’t know was that I already mind-linked Titus and gave him heads-up about the situation. As soon as I would let him know we both went back to the bedroom and Eden was busy, my best friend would get the workers out of the kitchen and ask them a few questions. In the meantime, we assured guards stood nearby if any of these people decided to try to run. While Eden was busy making sandwiches, I leaned against the doorframe and watched her. Everyone in the kitchen returned to their responsibilities, surely more tense than earlier. Every person kept glancing in my direction to check if I hadn't left. As if I would leave my mate here alone for the bait of these piranhas. This situation irritates me as much as it intrigues me. Listening to the things people talk behind my back did open my eyes a little. Although I knew that not everyone who smiled to my face had good intentions, I never
Eden povAs I watched how Lucius stormed after Titus, I couldn’t understand why both of them thought that acting like children at their age was okay. Then, I remembered the doctor’s words and cursed under my breath. That man-child was supposed to stay on bed rest, not chase his best friend around. Slowly, I set everything I was holding down and walked towards the door. Only I couldn’t leave since a woman with an ugly scowl on her face blocked my way out. At this point, I didn’t have to be a genius to know this had to be Mathilda. “Where do you think you are going, human?” She snarled at me. No one in the kitchen moved. All eyes were trained on me. This had to be the so-called ‘make it or break it’ moment for me. It was either I backed off and proved her she was right, or stood my ground and spat in that ugly soul. “There,” I said as I pointed my finger at the door. “Yeah? And why do you think you have the right to follow the King? He’s not here to protect you, in fact, nobody wo
Lucius povAs I stormed into the kitchen, I was sure I had to be running so fast, I found a new dimension. There was no way Mathilda was addressing my mate by her name and calling her a genius. Just minutes ago, the woman spat so many hateful things about Eden, it wasn’t possible that she had changed thoughts so soon. No fucking way. “My love,” I breathed out in relief and instantly walked around the kitchen counter to get to Eden. Everyone in my way parted to let me pass, even Mathilda jumped away from her. As soon as I stood in front of Eden, I cupped her cheek to check if there was anything wrong with her. If I found even the most microscopic scratch on her, someone was about to fucking pay. Before I could question Eden, she frowned and poked my chest. “You, mister, aren’t you supposed to be on bed rest? Running around and chasing Titus doesn’t sound like that to me.” Honestly, I was taken aback by the icy tone she was using. Was she seriously angry at me now? “Oooh, busted,”
Eden povMy breath hitched as an intense ping or pain hit my chest. I wasn’t sure where the pain came from, but once Lucius grabbed my hand and held it, the pain faded. His eyes were trained on something in the distance, and I swear, I could see tears forming in them. So that was where the pain came from - I felt a little bit of what Lucius was feeling. “It’s fine,” I whispered. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. We can just sit in silence, take this moment for yourself and then, we will go back to the castle to get you some rest.” “No,” Lucius choked and shook his head. “Before our relationship evolves into something I can’t afford to lose. Fuck it, it’s already there, I just can’t lose you, Eden. The possibility of seeing you walk away from me scares me like nothing ever has.” I had never felt nearly as confused as I was now. Why did he need to talk about the relationship, if he brought me here to show me the place and already mentioned his mother?“I don’t u
Lucius povWhy did I feel so flooded with relief because of those words? Not everything, though. The mention of that man fueled my rage and I wanted nothing but to find him and erase his existence. I should be grateful for his stupid decision to reject Eden, and I truly did, but I also was incredibly angry that he couldn’t see the worth in her. To me, Eden was perfection. She was everything and more. Way more than I could have dreamed of, and thanks to one fuckface, she was all mine. Although I still worried about her words, I pretended they didn’t affect me. I would get to the bottom of it later, now, I had to focus on her well-being. Breaking news like that to someone had to be a thing only someone brave could do, but there also was the emotional factor. She looked like the words didn’t hurt her, but I could hear it in her voice how much they actually did. Eden had been silently suffering all this time, carrying the burden alone, and I was too busy and caught up with everything
Eden povFor the rest of the evening, at least until dinner time came around, Lucius was calm and really seemed to enjoy himself. He insisted we head downstairs for dinner, despite how many times I told him I would bring him food. When we sat at the table, I noticed the insane lack of happy faces around it. Titus joined us shortly, but I still felt like something was missing. “Where are the rest of the people?” I asked Lucius, interrupting the conversation he had started with Titus. “They are in the kitchen, having dinner the same as we are, love,” Lucius replied. A frown, probably an ugly one, instantly appeared on my face. “Why?” Both Lucius and Titus thought for a moment and then just shrugged. “No idea, that has been the system ever since the last King, I suppose. We have been so used to it that I never questioned it,” Titus explained. No, that didn’t sit well with me. It was one thing to stand above everyone, but all those people spent their days working to improve the life