CHAPTER 27: NOT A MARRIAGE ALLIANCE

I wasn’t sure how long I stayed there, crouched on the floor like a broken doll. The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating, until the only sound left was the uneven rhythm of my breathing. My palms were damp against my face, but my eyes stayed dry, just like they were supposed to be.

I took a shaky breath and wiped my face with the back of my hand. Enough. I didn’t want to sit here feeling pathetic anymore. I stood up, unzipped the heavy gown, and changed back into the simpler dress I came in with. The silence outside felt colder now.

When I finally reached for the doorknob and pulled it open, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Lucian was standing right there.

"Holy—" I almost cursed, catching myself just in time. "What are you doing here?!"

His expression was unreadable, eyes dark and calm, like he’d been waiting for me to come out all along.

"Feeling okay now?"

I blinked at him, my hand still gripping the door like it might save me. "Feeling okay?" I repeated, disbelief slipping into my voice. "Do I look okay to you?"

Lucian’s gaze flicked briefly over my face, calm but slightly guilty as he assessed me. "You don’t," he said simply. "But at least you’re not crying anymore."

"I wasn’t crying," I shot back too quickly. "I can’t even damn cry because I’m a defective phoenix... the one who can’t shed tears!" I shoved his arm aside. "So now move."

He didn’t budge. "You’re still angry," he said quietly, watching me like he was trying to pinpoint exactly where I’d crack.

"Huh?" I let out a breathless, disbelieving laugh. "What kind of thing is that to say? Of course I’m angry! Am I supposed to laugh—ha ha ha—when someone just cancels the wedding on the day I’m trying on my wedding gown?"

"So... you want to proceed with the wedding? Why?"

I blinked at him, completely thrown off by the question. "What kind of—of course not! I just—" I stopped, groaning in frustration. "That’s not the point, Lucian! You can’t just drop a bomb like that out of nowhere and expect me to act normal!"

He tilted his head slightly, voice calm but probing. "Then what is the point, Seraphina? If you’re not angry about the wedding ending... Why are you so upset?"

I froze. Why was I upset? The question echoed in my mind, heavier than it should’ve been. I swallowed hard, searching for words that didn’t sound as small as I felt.

"I told you earlier..." I said slowly, my voice a little shaky. "You can’t just decide what to do with my life whenever it suits you."

Lucian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes did, like he was testing me. "Alright," he said after a pause, his tone low and deliberate. "I won’t."

He took a step closer, and I felt the air shift between us. "So, Seraphina Vale," he murmured, his gaze steady on mine, "what’s your decision?"

My fingers tightened against my skirt. "My decision?" I repeated, forcing myself to meet his eyes. "I’ll stay."

His brows lifted slightly. "Stay?"

"Yes," I said, firmer this time. "Not because of some alliance. And definitely not because you said so. I’ll stay because I want to."

For a brief second, his expression flickered, something unreadable, caught between surprise and restraint. Then, very quietly, he said, "You’re more reckless than I thought."

My brows knitted together. "Why is staying considered reckless?"

Lucian’s gaze held mine for a moment before he leaned closer, his breath brushing the shell of my ear. "Because this time," he murmured, voice low enough to send a shiver down my spine, "I’m not treating this as a marriage alliance."

He pulled back just slightly, his eyes locking onto mine, sharp and steady. "I’ll declare it as a real marriage."

My heart skipped a beat. "W-what do you mean by that?" I managed to ask, though my voice barely came out.

Lucian’s lips curved into a faint, knowing smirk. "Exactly what you think it means," he said softly. "So, if you’re choosing to stay... be ready to be my wife, not just my political partner."

I stared at him, my pulse hammering so loud it drowned out everything else. He turned then, his coat brushing lightly past me as he headed for the door, leaving me frozen in place, unsure whether to scream, faint, or run after him.

"Hurry up," he said without looking back. "We need to head somewhere else."

I blinked, still processing everything, but before I could move, he suddenly stopped and glanced toward a corner of the room. "You," he said flatly, addressing one of the elves peeking from behind a curtain. "List all the damages. I’ll pay for everything."

My confusion grew. ’Damages? What damage?’

Then I saw where his gaze shifted—to one of the boutique’s security cameras. Before I could even ask, the lens frosted over and shattered with a sharp crack!

"Oh gosh! What are you—"

I didn’t even finish my sentence before another camera exploded, and then another. Tiny shards of glass rained down like confetti while the elves screamed and ducked for cover.

"Lucian!" I hissed, hurrying after him, half in panic, half in disbelief. "You can’t just destroy things because they filmed us!"

He didn’t even glance back. "They filmed you," he said coolly, walking out as if nothing happened. "That’s the problem."

He turned sharply, his gaze slicing through the room like ice. The elves who had been crouching in fear flinched under the weight of it.

"Make sure everything that happened here stays here," he said, his voice low but firm, more of a command than a warning.

None of them dared to move. They only nodded rapidly, whispering promises that they understood.

Lucian finally turned back to me and extended his hand, palm open, as if daring me not to take it. "Come," he said, his tone softer now, but still laced with that quiet authority.

I hesitated, glancing around at the destroyed cameras and trembling elves. "I guess... dragon’s way?" I muttered, but my hand still found his.

His fingers closed around mine, steady, cool, and unyielding. Without missing a beat, he said, "The wedding gown... make sure it arrives at the location safe and sound."

One of the elves nodded so fast I thought her head might fall off before she scurried away to obey.

I frowned up at Lucian. "You’re seriously thinking about the gown right now?"

He gave a faint shrug, utterly composed despite the chaos behind us. "We are getting married," he said simply. Then, after a brief pause, his gaze softened just enough to make my heart stutter. "A wedding gown is important and you look beautiful in it."

My breath caught, heat flooding my face before I could stop it. ’What the hell is wrong with this dragon?’