CHAPTER 76: CLINGY KOALA

Lucian wasn’t beside me.

The realisation hit the moment my eyes fluttered open to the cold, empty side of the bed. The sheets were still faintly cool, like he hadn’t slept long... or hadn’t slept at all.

I sat up slowly, blinking at the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. The room was quiet. No familiar chill. No shadow standing near the balcony. No coat thrown messily over the chair.

Just... emptiness.

I pushed off the blanket, checked the bathroom... nothing. The silence pressed against my chest, heavier than it should’ve been.

Why did it make me feel sad?

He wasn’t obligated to stay glued to me. He was a whole ice-dragon CEO-whatever-aire with a kingdom of responsibilities.

But still... The room felt colder without him.

I stepped out into the hallway, ready to go downstairs and then stopped.

Lucian was walking up the stairs toward me, sleeves rolled to his elbows, hair slightly damp like he’d just finished training. The moment he saw me, his expression softened.

"Did you just wake up?" he asked.

I nodded.

And then, without knowing why, without planning it, without even thinking, I rushed forward down the short stretch of hallway straight toward him, stopping just in front of him like a kid who’d finally spotted something familiar and warm after feeling lost.

Lucian blinked, surprised, a faint crease forming between his brows.

"Seraphina?" he murmured again, lowering his head slightly to look at me closer. "What’s wrong?"

His lips curved faintly in surprise, like he wasn’t expecting to be greeted by a... bouncing phoenix first thing in the morning.

My eyes lifted to his, and before I could stop myself, I smiled. Not the normal smile I usually pretended with him.

No! This one felt warm, stupid, and so full of relief it almost embarrassed me.

I wasn’t sure how I looked at that moment, but my eyes were absolutely sparkling at him, blinking happily like I’d just found something precious I dropped.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "Just... hmm... missing you?"

Lucian blinked.

"Missing me?" he repeated, baffled.

I nodded hard. Maybe too hard. "I thought you were off to work..."

I tried to keep it casual.

I failed.

Because my voice came out a little too soft, and my shoulders relaxed a little too much just because he was standing there.

His brows softened, the faintest smile tugging at his lips... but the confusion didn’t go anywhere.

If anything, it deepened.

"I went out for a jog," he said slowly, like he was trying to figure out why this information mattered so much. "I’ll go to the office a bit later today."

"Can I follow you?" The question burst out of me so fast even I startled myself. My hand shot up like a kid volunteering in class... way too eager.

Lucian blinked hard.

"Follow me?" he repeated.

I swallowed and nodded, pretending I wasn’t dying inside.

"Yes," I said, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. "I mean... if it’s not annoying. Or weird. Or... whatever."

His eyes softened further, but the bafflement was very present.

"Are you sure?" he asked, stepping closer. "You know... my office is boring. And most of the time, I’ll be stuck in meetings and reviewing papers..."

"I don’t mind," I said quickly.

Lucian blinked again, his brows knitting just a little, like he was trying to piece together a puzzle he wasn’t aware existed.

"You really want to come?" he pressed gently. "Even if I can’t be by your side the whole time?"

I nodded, almost aggressively. "Yes. I want to."

His gaze lingered on me... long and searching.

Like he could feel there was something different but couldn’t figure out what it was.

And the worst part? I felt my throat tighten. My lower lip wobbles.

"Can’t I?" I whispered, sounding way more fragile than intended.

Lucian’s expression melted. Completely.

"Of course you can..." he murmured as he cupped my cheeks, thumbs brushing lightly over my skin.

Then, without warning, he slid one arm under my knees, the other around my back, and lifted me straight off the ground.

I yelped, gripping his shoulders. "L-L-Lucian?!"

"Let’s go," he said simply, as if carrying me like a bride every morning was the most normal thing in the world. "We’ll take a bath, eat breakfast, and then..." he glanced down with a small smile, "you can come to the office with me."

Instead of squirming or panicking or punching his shoulder like usual,

I smiled widely, bright and unfiltered, and wrapped both arms around his neck, "Okay!"

His eyes widened. Maybe surprised with my drastic change overnight?

He pulled away a bit and looked at my face, "What is this? Are you leaving me?"

I blinked. "What? Leaving you? Where did that come from?"

Lucian stared at me like I had personally committed a crime against his sanity.

"You’re being..." he searched for the word, eyes narrowing suspiciously, "weird."

I gulped.

Of course he noticed.

Of course he did.

It wasn’t like his guess was wrong, I might leave him one day because of the mission. But I was already planning fifty different ways to come back. I just... couldn’t bear the idea of being apart from him right now.

Not even for an hour.

"I’m not weird," I said, which was absolutely something a weird person would say.

Lucian squinted at me like he was running a full diagnostic scan.

"That’s exactly why I’m concerned," he said slowly. "People don’t usually become more affectionate when they’re upset. Are you still mad at me?"

"What? Why would someone who’s mad at you be this clingy?" I asked, dramatically offended.

He blinked a few times.

Then he gently set me back on the floor, straightening.

"What is it?" he said, voice shifting instantly, cold and sharp, as he glanced over his shoulder.

Only then did I notice the maid.

She stood four steps behind us, stiff as a statue, hands clasped so tight her knuckles were white.

The poor woman probably watched my koala-attack on Lucian and feared for her job.

"M-My lord..." she finally managed, bowing her head. "Lord Blaze is here."

Lucian’s aura dropped by about ten degrees.

The maid swallowed hard. "He... he said he wanted to meet my lady."