Chapter 193 - 193: 6.4 - A Farewell Promise
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Extra chapter as a thank you for the recent boost in activity. 🙏
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Celine chuckled, a small sound laced with exhaustion.
Her usually sharp and vibrant eyes were now cloudy with pain and fatigue, but still held their cunning light.
He expected a remark in a sense that he was using an excuse to surround himself with beautiful women, but her next words surprised him.
"Yes, I am impressed," she placed her pointer inside their son's palm, watching as the tiny fingers curled around it.
Lucian felt his cheeks warming up. A rare praise from her always made him feel more flustered than any insult could ever do. He had grown to expect her sharp tongue, not this gentle approval.
"However..." she started.
There it was. Lucian could have almost smiled.
"I can't go on with making you hate me forever, when all I want is for you to..." She stopped, her words dying on her tongue. To love her the way she deserved? To cherish her the way she wanted? To care for her the way she craved?
They were not going to meet for a long time, and what he had been doing for the past few months was to make her feel alone, unloved, and abandoned.
"Never mind, are we back to being lovers?" Celine asked. She was not supposed to care about his feelings toward her, only about keeping him with her, "Or are you going to abandon me now that you have what you wanted from me?"
She was going to be too busy to keep an eye on Lucian like before. Even though they didn't officially break up, they also didn't make it clear to each other that they were still in a relationship.
Neither of them was a type of person, who cheated on their partners, or was known to be unfaithful. They would break up with each other first. There was no need to be secretive about it.
So, as long as he admitted that he was her lover, she would have some sort of reassurance that he would have a moral reason to stay committed.
Lucian carefully removed the chain from his neck, dangling the ring in front of her face, "I will come to take it back once we are done with our mission, my beloved wife-to-be."
Her eyes widened, her hand reaching for the ring, but Lucian snatched it back before she could grab it.
"I'll come to you," he said again, "Just wait for me."
He tied the chain around her neck, and slid the ring down her dress. He then patted it, making sure it was safe, and hidden.
Celine's hand followed the path of his hand. She smiled, her cheeks gaining a bit of color, "Wife-to-be?"
Lucian nodded, leaning down to seal the promise with a kiss, but their son decided to interrupt their moment.
Their son was making his presence known with a small wiggle, as if to remind them of his importance.
Celine told Lucian to switch their son to her other breast, so the child could feed from both sides.
That little guy ended up emptying his mother's milk supply, not leaving a single sip for his father.
Both of Celine's breasts were sore, and her body was tired from producing so much milk.
Lucian discovered that the production of milk adapted according to the needs of the child.
Lucian Junior was a premature baby, so his needs were different to a one month old baby. So what Celine produced for him left her feeling drained. She must have been blessing him at the same time for sure.
Lucian took their son from her arms, and stroked her hair as she rested on the bed.
"Go," she murmured, pointing at the luggage she prepared for their son and Lucian, "It's time."
She didn't want to say goodbye, so she turned to her side, showing her back to him.
"I love you, Celine," Lucian whispered in her ear.
Celine didn't respond, but her shoulders trembled a little bit, her hands clutching the sheets.
Lucian kissed her shoulder, then her neck, and then cheek, "I will miss you."
He left the room quietly, not looking back. He knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to keep his composure.
Women after birth were truly more emotional, that even Celine wasn't spared.
She could fake cry on whim to gain pity and use it as a weapon, but now that she was truly sad, she bit her sheets, refusing to let a single tear fall, staying strong for her family.
How many times did they miss each other's worst moments? How many more would they miss?
They just knew that the best moments were the ones they spent together, and the worst ones were the ones without the other.
He could hate Celine however much he wanted, but the infuriation he craved from her despite all this would still make him treat her as the love of his life. There was no way around it.
It was the same as how she despised him, and yet still wanted him.
The foundation of their relationship was built on control over each other. And even though Lucian wished it wasn't the case, no amount of trust and confidence in each other couldn't change what they had become.
They cared about the outcome more than the method they used to get there. At least they understood the other perfectly.
She knew the ring was more of a trap to keep her bound to him than a promise of marriage, but she still took it anyway, because the result was the same. He would have to return to her.
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Lucian packed his things into a large suitcase, ordering his men to carry it to the carriage while summoning one of the smuggled ferals to his office.
He called him Lion Head based on the first beast that had submitted to him. A hairy man with light brown hair and beard, who was in his 40s.
"Master," Lion Head lowered his head in respect, waiting for his command.
"Sit," Lucian pointed at the chair in front of his desk.
Lion Head obeyed without question, his eyes still downcast.
Lucian placed his son inside a basket on the desk, keeping it between himself and the feral, "Whoever sees this child's eyes has to be killed. No exceptions without my direct order."
He picked up the basket and handed it to Lion Head; "I need to attend a meeting in the Academy. You will stay inside the carriage until I return. If you need to pee, use a bottle. Anything you do, the child stays within your sight and inside the carriage."
He still wanted the second person to carry their son to be Celine, and nobody else.
Now that his son had met her, he could start introducing him to more people.