Chapter 122- Royalty
Arabella Toussaint:
I left Victor waiting in the tree house outside the palace gates and asked him not to leave yet. I needed to talk to Lucien about him before I went back.
There was something my brother wasn’t telling me, and if anyone knew more about what had happened after Victor’s arrest, it would be Lucien.
I was still thinking about it when I entered the royal building and almost walked straight into Jasmine. She stopped in front of me.
For a second, neither of us moved. Her eyes traveled over me slowly before settling on my face, and the hatred in them was so intense and so open that there was no mistaking how she felt about me. Not wanting another scene with her, I stepped aside to walk past.
"Three years..." Her cold voice reached me. "Three years really didn’t change you, did they?" My steps slowed, but I kept going.
"I suppose once a whore, always a whore." That made me stop for a few moments. I closed my eyes for a second before turning around. Jasmine was still standing where I had left her, watching me.
I wish I could go and hug her. I wanted to explain myself but...
She gave a small, humorless laugh. "What? Nothing to say today?" I tightened my hold on the file.
"First you disappeared for three years, under the pretense that you were my well-wisher, and the moment you came back, you started throwing yourself again at another woman’s fiancé." My fingers curled against the edge of the folder.
I couldn’t return the insult. How could I when she saw me with her fiancé, whose tongue was deep inside my mouth.
Jasmine had every reason to hate me for that. She had told me three years ago that Lucien had marked her, and now they were engaged. Not formally, though. Whatever had happened between Lucien and me last night should never have happened.
"You really have no shame, Arabella, do you?" Jasmine continued when I remained quiet. "Sleeping with men who belong to other women and then walking around the palace as if you’re the one being wronged."
The words hurt more than I wanted them to. Still, I chose to say nothing. I could have told her that Lucien had been the one to kiss me. But none of that changed what I had allowed to happen after that first second.
So, I looked away from her and started walking again.
"That’s right," Jasmine called after me. "Keep walking. It’s what you’re best at."
My steps faltered for barely a second, then I kept going.
***
I entered the royal building and, surprisingly, none of the guards stopped me. One of them even stepped aside to let me pass without asking where I was going.
Lucien’s orders?
His office was on the first floor. I headed upstairs and walked down the familiar corridor until I reached the two guards stationed outside his office.
"Hi." I tried to smile, still shaken by Jasmine’s insulting remarks. Before I could even ask if the king was inside, one of the guards reached for the door and opened it for me.
"Thank you." I walked in... and immediately wished I hadn’t. Lucien wasn’t alone.
He and Bradley were seated at the long table with four other men, papers and files spread out in front of them. One of the men had been speaking, but his voice died the moment I entered. Every head around the table turned toward me.
"Oh." I stopped near the door, suddenly very aware of the file in my hands. Heat crept up my neck, and I tightened my grip on the folder as if it could somehow hide me.
Why didn’t the guards warn me?
"I’m sorry." I took a step back, my cheeks warming further. "I didn’t know you were in a meeting. I’ll come back..."
"No. It’s fine, Arabella." Lucien had already closed the file in front of him. I paused, then glanced down at the floor, embarrassed by the attention.
He looked toward the men around the table. "We’ll continue after lunch." There was a brief silence.
Bradley glanced at Lucien before gathering the papers in front of him. The other men followed a second later, pushing their chairs back and collecting their files. One of them looked at me on his way out, then quickly lowered his gaze when Lucien looked in his direction.
I moved aside to give them room, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear while trying not to meet anyone’s eyes. Bradley was the last to leave. He gave me a small nod before pulling the door shut behind him.
Now there was no one, except for the two of us.
Lucien pushed his chair back and stood. Instead of asking why I had interrupted him, he picked up the bottle of water near his files and placed it on the empty side of the table closer to me. "Sit."
My eyes went from the bottle to him. I lowered my gaze again, suddenly conscious of how awkwardly I was standing there. Something about the whole thing felt odd.
The guards let me walk straight into the royal building. The ones outside his office opened the door without even checking with him. And now an entire meeting had been pushed aside simply because I had walked in.
I was being treated like royalty. But why?
I wanted to ask him so many questions. But for once, I kept them to myself and took the chair, smoothing my skirt with nervous hands as I sat. Lucien came around the table and stopped in front of me. He leaned his hip against the edge of the desk, his eyes searching my face.
"You alright?"
"Yeah." I reached for my forehead to wipe away the sweat with the back of my hand. Jasmine’s words were still stuck in my head, and standing this close to Lucien wasn’t exactly helping.
His finger slipped beneath my chin, gently lifting my face toward him. "Arabella." His brows drew together. "What is it? Did someone say something to you?"
"No." A nervous giggle escaped me as I moved my face away. "I’m here because Victor is waiting outside..."
"Answer my question first." He cut me off, his attention still fixed on my face. "What happened? You look pale."
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. How was I supposed to tell him that the woman he was going to marry had just called me a whore for letting him kiss me?