Chapter 123 — A Sharp Blade
"How are the preparations for the annual banquet coming along?" Lucian asked, breaking the heavy silence at the dining table.
Cynthia seemed to have been avoiding him ever since their return from his last mission, when his nightmares began—vivid, as if they were long-forgotten memories resurfacing, robbing him of sleep.
He had given her space, doing his best not to intrude on her evident discomfort. She was still hurt when he rejected her ’love’ for him. Even so, she had helped him, likely because of those lingering feelings. The thought squeezed his chest, making it harder to breathe, but he couldn’t bring himself to mention it again.
"Yes, it’s almost ready. We have another two days left," Cynthia replied, her tone calm and composed as always.
Seeing her act as if nothing had happened only deepened Lucian’s pain. He gritted his teeth, clutching the spoon in his hand.
"I had—"
"I’ve finished eating," Cynthia interrupted, rising from her seat. "If you’ll excuse me," she said with a slight bow before turning on her heel and leaving the dining hall.
Left alone in the dining hall, Lucian dropped the utensil in his hand onto the table and rose to leave. His appetite had diminished ever since the nightmares began haunting him, gnawing at his mind as though they would consume him whole. He tried his best to suppress them, but they lingered, persistent and unrelenting.
He had searched relentlessly through the books in the library, but his efforts yielded nothing. Finally, as his frustration reached its peak and he was on the verge of giving up, he turned to his closest confidants for answers.
"Maybe it’s a ghost?" Glain whispered, loud enough to be heard.
"Perhaps you’ve wronged someone innocent, and now they’re haunting you. But... that couldn’t be, Your Highness..." Adrian sighed, ruffling his hair anxiously.