Celine narrowed her eyes, her fingers twitching toward his neck, and her nails threatening to dig into his flesh.
Lucian had to put more pressure on her wrists to keep her in place.
She was persistent, tilting her head forward, their noses almost touched when he dealt a finishing blow, "You are just not good enough, Celine."
He pushed her away, and she stumbled backwards, losing her balance and falling to the seat opposite him.
Celine froze. She looked at him with wide eyes and her lips slightly parted, surprised and confused.
"Do not touch me," Lucian said, his voice dangerously low, "It won't work anymore, so don't even try."
Celine's expression changed from surprise, to disappointment, and then, it crumbled, revealing the pain underneath, "Don't act like him, Lucian," she said, her voice stern, "It's not funny. I don't want another Crown Prince, I had enough. You are you, and not him, and that's the reason I'm here, sitting in front of you."
She was a great actress, getting under his skin, and making him doubt his own perception. Lucian didn't answer, and his silence became her cue. Her hand moved. She reached for him once more, and this time, he didn't pull away.
"Don't. Touch. Me," Lucian repeated in a whisper.
"Why not?" Celine asked quietly, "Don't you want me anymore?"
"What I want, and what is good for me, are two different things," he said, turning his head to the side, avoiding her gaze. Her other hand reached out, her fingers brushing his cheek, making him shudder, "Don't, Celine," he pleaded.
"It's just a hug. You are being overly dramatic," she said, seating herself on his lap. He let her, his arms limp by his sides, not resisting her, not pushing her away. He didn't do anything, didn't even look at her, just staring straight ahead.
She noticed how he flinched when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and she frowned, looking down and seeing him shaking, his body tense, and his hands fisted.
He was trembling, but it wasn't a pleasant shiver, it was something akin to fear, and pain.
She quickly let go, and he looked up at her, his eyes were a little wet, and his mouth was a thin line.
"Don't. Touch. Me," he repeated, "Nobody can hurt the person they love like that. Nobody can hit and beat the one they love so brutally, and mercilessly, and repeatedly. But, you do. You do... and you don't feel the slightest bit of regret, a shred of remorse... or an ounce of guilt."
Celine leaned back, sitting on his lap, looking down at her nails, "Oh, then return the favor. Show me what it feels like to be beaten and violated. Then we will finally be even. I didn't do that without expecting the same in return, you know? A relationship should be a fair trade. What goes around, comes around, doesn't it?"
Lucian chuckled, running his hand through his hair, messing it up, "That's the problem with you. You have no idea what it means to cherish and treasure another. To protect and safeguard. It's always give and take with you, always a price to pay, a bargain, and a deal."
Celine's eyes narrowed, "I have never gotten anything for free, not in my entire life. Everything has a price. I would think you would be able to appreciate that, given your background and upbringing. Your rise was anything but easy, or cheap, or free, Lucian."
He grabbed her waist, and yanked her toward him, causing her breath to get caught in her throat. "Do not compare me to yourself," he warned, his hand reaching toward the cannon in her belt, pointing the weapon at her chest, the muzzle digging into her ribs, and the gunpowder ready to be lit, "You and I, we are nothing alike."
"Then do it," she whispered, looking down at the loaded weapon, and then up at him, "Prove it."
The gunshot fired, and Celine's eyes widened, her heart skipped a beat, and she was frozen in place, staring at him. Her body wouldn't move, wouldn't budge, no matter how hard she tried.
She blinked and looked down. Her clothes were in one piece, and her body wasn't bleeding.
"I missed," Lucian said, slumping against her, "You were lucky. Next time, I won't...miss..."
His weight almost crushed her, her shirt soaking with his blood.
"My Lord?!"
"Lady Celine?!"
"MY LORD!!!"
"LADY CELINE!!!!"
The door burst open, and the guards rushed inside, only to find the man they were hired to fight for, lying on the woman they were hired to protect, both covered in blood, and neither was moving.
Celine's scream was the last thing they heard before she passed out, the sound of it haunting like a nightmare.