Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 81 — A Strange Royal

Taking a deep breath, Lucian let his emotions slip, the faint knocks he intended turning into loud bangs.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing Cynthia. Her silver hair appeared first, followed by the rest of her figure. It seemed she hadn’t changed from the outfit she wore at the party—the dress was far too extravagant for an ordinary occasion.

I thought she didn’t want to use the duchy’s funds... yet she went out dressed like this.

"What were you thinking back there?" Lucian demanded, his voice cold, teeth clenched as he fought to keep his tone low—though it was barely working.

"I—I..." Cynthia stammered, her mind going blank under his piercing gaze.

What exactly did he hear that had angered him so much? She couldn’t tell.

Lucian let out an exasperated breath, tilting his head back in frustration.

"Hah... Don’t bother." His voice was laced with coldness. "I don’t want an explanation." His glare cut into her, leaving no room for defense.

"Y-Your Highness," Cynthia’s lips trembled, but she forced a smile to mask her emotions.

"Why... Why are you here now? I heard..." She faltered before gesturing weakly. "Please, come inside." She clenched her fists, trying to calm her racing heart that threatened to burst from her chest.

Lucian took a seat on the couch, his eyes never leaving her. Cynthia remained standing, hesitant to move for fear that whatever she did might only increase Lucian’s anger. She hadn’t seen him this mad, even in her past life. He always kept his composure. Witnessing this side of him made her nervous, as if the man she knew before wasn’t even real.

"Do I need to invite you to sit as well?" he asked, his tone sharp.

Cynthia shook her head, quickly settling on the couch opposite him.

"What brings you here so late?" she asked, struggling to comprehend the reason for his sudden appearance.

"I’m sure you know why I’m here," Lucian’s voice was ice-cold, brimming with rage as he leaned forward, intertwining his fingers beneath his chin.

"...And what would that be, Your Highness?" Cynthia forced another smile, trying to hide her nerves and exhaustion.

"Dylan had quite the story to share with me when I returned."

"What exactly did he say about me?"

"You really don’t know the trouble you’ve caused?" Lucian narrowed his eyes, his patience thinning.

How could she act so innocent after all that?!

Lucian wondered, scanning the young woman before him, whose smile slowly faded.

Cynthia could barely contain her frustration. Here was the man who had been missing for days without a word, yet now he appeared just to reprimand her.

She didn’t care for him personally, no more, but as they were pretending to be a married couple in the kingdom’s eyes, it was the least he could do! Was her presence so unbearable that he couldn’t stand to speak to her? Even Philip, the butler, was notified of his absence at the mansion, whereas she, his partner, was not!

But it didn’t matter to her now. It was late at night, she was tired from dealing with the nobles earlier. She had no energy for this— argument or even explaining herself to Lucian who seemed to have already made up his mind that she was the one at fault.

To her, it seemed Lucian surfaced from whatever hole he’d been hiding in only to scold her for her actions.

"Your Highness, it’s late. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?" Cynthia’s patience was wearing thin. If he couldn’t get to the point, he might as well leave. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

"Countess Gionhard’s son’s birthday party. Ring any bells? The ruckus you caused?" Lucian fired questions at her in rapid succession, his anger becoming more palpable with each word. "You said you wanted to handle the duchy’s affairs. Do you think you can do that with this kind of reputation?"

"What?" Cynthia frowned, baffled by his barrage of accusations.

He dares to question me after everything that happened at the party because of him?

"Your Highness, please... tell me the whole story."

"I kindly refuse. Please leave," Cynthia rose from the couch, heading towards the exit. She opened the door, signing him to leave.

Lucian scoffed, narrowing his eyes at her absurd gesture. However, he didn’t want to stay when he was being literally thrown out of the room! He also had some pride!

Once Lucian left, Cynthia closed the door. She clicked her tongue, shaking her head.

"This man will be the death of me! Oh... but I did die for him once like a fool," she scoffed.

***

Hearing loud noises, Lucian blinked at the ceiling, waking abruptly from his sleep. His mind was still hazy, but the sharp sounds outside his door grew louder, pulling him out of his drowsiness.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes to clear his blurry vision as the persistent noise continued, irritation quickly replacing his initial confusion.

"What is going on...?" he mumbled, getting out of bed. He wrapped his night robe around his waist, leaving his chest slightly exposed.

Is she causing another headache for everyone so early in the morning? Lucian wondered, stepping down the stairs, following the voices.

As he approached, the sound became clearer.

"I am Princess Arisia! His Highness’ younger sister!" a high-pitched female voice was h

"I’ve never heard of such a person! Leave now, or I’ll throw you in the dungeon!" a guard retorted.

"How dare you! At least call His Highness to verify if I’m lying!" she insisted.

"Why should I disturb His Highness when I know you’re lying?" the guard scoffed.

"I AM NOT!"

"Your Highness..." Lucian’s voice cut through the commotion as he appeared, speaking softly yet with authority, his gaze landing on the young lady.

"Brother!" The blue-haired young woman beamed at the sight of him, her face lighting up instantly.

"Y-Your Highness," the guard stammered as the realization dawned on him. The young lady before him was indeed the princess! "I—I beg your pardon..." He quickly bowed, trembling in fear. It wasn’t uncommon for commoners to face execution for disrespecting a royal, and he had not only argued with her but doubted her identity and spoken to her so rudely!

"It’s alright," Arisia smiled, her voice calm. "Let’s go inside!" She casually wrapped her arm around Lucian’s, ignoring the guard’s terrified expression.

"Oh, and a turquoise-haired man will arrive with some luggage. Don’t stop him either," she added, narrowing her eyes briefly as if upset before her smile brightened again.

She turned, guiding Lucian into the mansion as if it weren’t his but her own house.

"What a strange royal..." the guard muttered under his breath, watching them disappear inside.

Lucian sighed as soon as they were out of earshot, gently pulling his arm from Arisia’s grip.

"Why did you come here like this? It’s dangerous," he said, his voice laced with concern.

"What do you mean? It’s not like you or Her Highness has any magic powers." Arisia laughed, though there was a hint of nervousness in her tone.

Lucian pursed his lips, averting his gaze for a second. He didn’t tell anyone about his and Cynthia’s powers apart from the servants in the mansion and his knights. Even then, he made them all sign a contract, making sure they wouldn’t be able to betray him even if they were a spy sent by the queen. Who would risk their lives by doing so?

He inhaled deeply, before parting his lips.

"I told you I’d make arrangements to bring you here safely. Exposing yourself like this..." Lucian trailed off, his frustration evident.

"You were taking too long, so I asked Brother Valen to let me come," she chuckled, brushing off his concern with a wave of her hand.

"It’s only been two weeks or so, Your Royal Highness," Lucian responded, locking eyes with her, his tone firm but soft.

"But... it’s not just two weeks," Arisia lowered her gaze, her cheerful façade slipping, lips trembling slightly.

Lucian’s breath caught in his throat, realizing his words had hurt her. "I’m sorry... I didn’t mean it like that," he said softly, his voice gentle as he tried to explain.

Before the conversation could go further, Suyou appeared with the luggage in his hands.

"Your Highness, I’ve brought the luggage. Where should I put it?" he asked, glancing around.

Compared to the palace, the number of servants was small.

Lucian sighed again, glancing from Arisia to Suyou.

"Take it to the guest chambers," he replied, clapping his hands twice.

A few servants rushed to him, bowing to him and greeting him.

"Show them the guest chambers. And be careful to not disrespect Her Highness in any way. I won’t let it go easily," he warned, glancing at the maids who nodded, listening and understanding his words.

"Please come this way," one of them gestured towards the right hallway.

"I’ll see you at the breakfast table," Lucian smiled softly before climbing the stairs to his bedroom to get changed.

"Your Highness, why did you come here? I really can’t understand," Suyou whispered, leaning next to Arisha’s ear.

Arisia simply smiled at him, without answering his question, making the knight even more anxious.

I truly hope you will be alright, Your Highness...

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢