Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife-Chapter 286: Tense Dinner

Lucian and Ave had their first-ever argument after returning to Pendragon that day.

Her suggestions and insistence on having separate chambers when they had been sleeping together was one thing Lucian couldn’t take.

At first, he’d thought she was really joking, as he knew how she wouldn’t be able to sleep without him at night and would even come to get him in the study when he stayed late sometimes.

She had once told him that sleeping beside him never allowed her to have nightmares or teleport to unwanted and troublesome places. He made sure to always hold her while sleeping after she told him about a time she was somehow teleported to a place like the future, where she could sense it but couldn’t see it. That had scared the soul out of him, as he feared something happening and dragging her away from him. She belonged here with him, and though his curse had been broken because he had marked her, he never wanted to lose her again.

He had made sure to hold her in his arms every night after she told him about her nightmares whenever she slept away from him, but now she was suddenly suggesting he give her a chamber after the coronation?

How could he do that? He wasn’t about to follow any damn rules about what an Emperor was supposed to do and not do. He wanted the throne for her sake, to keep her safe and have the liberty to build the world she wanted—a world where witches were free and other creatures could walk among humans.

He wanted the throne to create a different world from the one his father built, a world where his wife could be free to do whatever she pleased. He wasn’t taking the throne for it to come between them. He had told her how he didn’t like the idea and wouldn’t allow it to happen.

"But I want my own space!" she had exclaimed when he refused to listen to her other reasons for him being a better Emperor by following what the others before him had done. Her words hit him like a punch in the gut. She wanted her own space? What did she mean by that? Was being with him not enough?

Lucian would have denied it had she told him it was because of his image she wanted them to sleep in separate chambers, but it was because she wanted her own space. She wanted to be away from him. If he said that didn’t hurt, it would be a lie.

The Emperor’s chamber and his Empress’ were far away from each other. She would have her own quarters and everything of her own. He wouldn’t be able to eat meals with her or sleep every night with her. Taking the steps of having separate chambers would mean they would have to follow every other rules of not being together every night, as it would be scandalous for an Emperor to seek out his wife every single night.

Lucian would have denied it until she gave up that idea if she hadn’t made it seem like being in a chamber with him was imposing on her own space. Was she demanding this because he had pushed her way too much at night? Was she already getting tired of him and his unquenchable desires in bed? Those thoughts went through his head the whole time the silence rang around them after her declaration.

Lucian could choose to refuse her, but this was his wife they were talking about. She was stubborn, and the last thing he needed was to push her away for demanding that she hear him out. He might refuse her and end up sleeping beside her with her heart away from him. He didn’t want that, and even though it hurt to think about how they would have to sleep separately after his coronation, he had no choice but to give in.

Hours later after that argument, they didn’t share any words with each other again, even when they all went out to dinner.

Dinner that night was the worst one of all the days the family had come together. Mostly, Ave talked with the twins and tried to indulge Lady Seraphina in their conversation of stories that mostly didn’t make sense to them, as they were things from the future, and she would need to explain it.

While the men would pretend like they were busy eating to pay attention, but in truth, they were listening and would laugh when she said something funny, Lucian would always seduce her with his hands under the table while he maintained a straight face. However, today was completely different.

No humorous moment, no laughter, no seduction. Her husband kept his hands to himself and stared sightlessly at his meal. Isolde and Celeste and their mother sensed the air and ate silently.

Alden also didn’t touch his food as he was worried about his sister, who had refused to come out of her room. He had gone to call her, and she had told him she would rather eat in the room, and requested, no one should bother her. Zane, who had been invited by Lucian to join them, also wasn’t eating. He poked at his food with a lost expression.

Everyone was lost in their thoughts that Ave wished there had been another way to make Lucian agree to them staying separately rather than how she had made it seem like she was already tired of sleeping next to him. He hadn’t talked to her, and his silence was killing her. He didn’t even help her cut her meat like he usually did at dinner.

He looked so lost, like someone who had no idea where they were. His expression was stone cold and impassive. She wanted to reach out and smooth away that hardened look from his face, but she held back her hands and kept to herself.

The silent tension in the dining hall was too thick that Lady Seraphina excused herself and dragged her daughters along with her. Orion followed behind them. Lucian also got up, and Zane followed him out.

Ave watched their retreating backs with a huge lump rising in her throat. She didn’t like that they had argued and that she had suggested getting her own quarters, but it was the only way to have his baby without his knowledge. Staying with him every moment of the day would make it impossible to hide her pregnancy once it started showing. If there were another way, and if she was certain he wouldn’t insist on getting rid of it, she wouldn’t be doing this.

Her husband was a stubborn man, and when it came to her safety, he was too blinded to see reason. He wouldn’t hesitate to tell her not to have their child. She would rather make everything clear now and stay away from him for a while.

When the time came to finally share the news of her pregnancy with him, she would return to their chamber. He wouldn’t like it even then, but she was willing to face any challenge as long as their child could be born safely. She also planned to work on her spells. Since she couldn’t use her Rosa, she wanted to at least master the witches’ spells and see if there was a way to protect herself when she gave birth.

But, Lord, she hated the expression on his face and how he hadn’t spoken a word to her since they left his study this evening. He was mostly lost in his thoughts. Had she gone too far by saying she needed her own space?

"Did you two have a disagreement?" came Alden’s quiet voice from the side, breaking her out of her depressing thoughts. He had noticed the tension between the two people he was used to seeing showing their affections in public without caring that the other family members were present.

Their relationship was the first he had witnessed that was so good to the point it made him question just why he wasn’t willing to take a wife as well. He was envious of his younger brother for having such a good marriage with his wife, but suddenly they seemed to be ignoring each other today.

"Something like that," Ave replied to his question with a sigh. "It’s my fault, though."

Alden didn’t reply again, as he didn’t know what to say to her. He sat there stiffly, not even meeting her eyes as he wasn’t a conversational type. Not seeing why he should remain there when everyone was gone, he took a sip of his wine and cleared his throat before he got up from his chair to leave. But then he stopped, as if he recalled something.

"My lady," he called, and when she looked up at him in question, he quickly looked away from her before he spoke. "If it isn’t so much trouble to you, I would appreciate it if you will help me check what’s wrong with my sister. I can tell something is bothering her, but she is not telling me. Perhaps she would feel more at ease to discuss it with a woman. Ever since our mother had died, I have raised and taken care of her, but this is the first time she’s ever been this way. It’s fine if you cannot—"

"I will check up on her," Ave cut him off as she noticed how he looked uneasy asking her for a favor.

If one judged Prince Alden by his hardened demeanor alone, they would think him a heartless warrior and a cold-hearted person, but the past days she had come to know him personally, he was a reserved man who cared about everyone around him. Not until you became a threat to his family would you fall out of his good graces. He barely spoke much or met her eyes whenever he spoke to her. This was the first time he’d spoken this many words to her since he’d regained his strength.

He met her eyes and smiled, a dimpled smile that softened his hardened features. "Thank you," he bowed curtly before leaving her in the dining hall alone.

Sighing, she got up to go and meet the elder princess and see what all of this was about, even though just to pass time before she would go back to their chamber and meet her husband.

While Ave went to meet Thalia, Lucian was cursing everything on his way to the Pendragon garden, with Zane following behind him with goblets of the strong wine he had requested to numb away his feelings.

He hadn’t been able to remain completely indifferent to his wife. He had almost tried to serve her food like he usually did, but then recalled she wanted her space away from him. He needed to give the space she was asking for, and perhaps she might change her mind about taking the Empress’ quarters before the coronation day.

If he stopped hovering around her like a desperate bee waiting to get a bite, she might allow them to still share a room. He wouldn’t mind sleeping without making love to her as long as she didn’t mind him just holding her at night.