Chapter 179: When the Tree Bloomed
After several seconds, the voices and the images in her mind faded as Ruelle stared into Lucian’s eyes.
It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t quietly agonised since Peyton’s revelation. Even though Lucian had told her his heart belonged to her, she had questioned how he could choose her. How he could mark her when she was tied to one of the deepest losses of his life.
Yet standing beneath the tree grown from a single apple seed she had once given him, Ruelle realised she had only understood a fraction of his feelings.
Around them, the world seemed to grow strangely quiet. Snow drifted between the branches above, while the wind tugged lightly at their hair.
She felt her throat tighten.
"Why?" she finally asked. "Why didn’t you tell me?"
For a moment, Lucian said nothing, and snow settled silently upon the dark strands of his hair. His expression barely changed, yet something softened in his eyes.
"I was waiting," the words left Lucian, as though he had been carrying them for a very long time.
Ruelle felt something tighten painfully in her chest. Her emotions rose all at once, too large to keep contained and her eyes stung. At the same time, small green leaves began to emerge amongst the snow-covered branches, spreading quietly through the tree as though waking from a long sleep. She hated that she had forgotten things, and he had been left waiting.
When she realised her feet were moving, she was already crossing the distance between them.
Lucian’s eyes followed her quietly.
One step. Then another.
Before Ruelle could stop herself, she flung her arms around him with force. Surprise flickered across his face.
For a brief moment, she felt his arm tighten around her waist and then the world tilted. Their feet tangled almost immediately and they stumbled backwards, collapsing into the snow not far from the apple tree.
Cold powder scattered around them. Her face pressed against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him and held on.
The earlier surprise faded from Lucian’s face and slowly, his arms came around her. One settled across her back while the other slid beneath her shoulders, drawing her closer against him as though there had never been another place she belonged.
Lucian lowered his face into her hair and closed his eyes.
Several minutes passed without either of them moving.
Slowly, the frantic beating of Ruelle’s heart began to settle down and so did the effects of the liquor she had consumed. Aware of the fact that she was practically sprawled across Lucian in the snow, heat rushed to her face. She finally lifted her head. As she shifted, he pushed himself upright as well. One of his arms remained loosely around her waist, preventing her from slipping on the snow-covered ground and keeping her on his lap.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"Did the cake turn out too sweet?" Ruelle asked softly as she stared into his eyes. For a flickering moment, his expression revealed displeasure before it disappeared.
Lucian simply stared at her before he glanced at her hands.
"It was the best cake I’ve had," he answered and relief washed over Ruelle’s features. But then she felt him catch her hand that had the cut and ask, "Why didn’t you follow through with your plans?"
Ruelle’s eyes slightly widened. Did Maude tell him?
"Your family came all this way to celebrate with you. And... seeing everyone together made me happy. It was important," a small smile touched her lips. "Besides, if things had followed their original course, I doubt we would be sitting here like this."
"And?"
"And... I didn’t want to take you away from them..." Ruelle replied, but it seemed like that wasn’t the right response with the way Lucian looked at her. A soft gasp escaped from her lips when she felt his thumb brush against the cut on her palm.
Oddly, Ruelle felt her heart hitch even though she felt the sting. She was unsure if it was because of the pain or the way he looked at her. He stated,
"You cut your palm and planned for the day. How is it not important?" Lucian’s gaze lifted from her hand to her face.
"I just thought—"
"You thought everyone else should come first and it’s okay to wait for your turn. You don’t have to do it when it comes to me." Lucian leaned closer to her and he whispered, "Monopolize me, Ruelle."
Lucian’s words left her wordless. Her mind turned to blank beneath his gaze, leaving nothing but the frantic beating of her heart. Her vision blurred slightly and embarrassingly so before the words escaped from her lips,
"I will do my best," and it seemed to deepen the look in Lucian’s eyes.
As Ruelle stared back at him, her heartbeat began to quicken again. His relatives were kinder and more welcoming than she had imagined. But away from them, with just Lucian and her here, it felt nice.
When Lucian’s eyes drifted to her lips, her breath caught and something inside her stomach tightened.
Even though they didn’t move, the distance between them seemed to disappear all the same. Without realising it, she found herself leaning closer and her eyes fluttered shut.
But nothing happened even after several seconds passed. Confused, Ruelle slowly opened her eyes and caught Lucian staring at her.
"I recall being given instructions to wait until the wedding. Have you changed your mind?" Lucian’s words were low while his expression remained perfectly composed, but his eyes said otherwise.
Heat rushed furiously into her face. That was because Peyton wasn’t here... and she had forgotten what she had told him, as if giving in to temptations.
Lucian’s cool hand settled gently against her cheek and he asked, "Aren’t you feeling cold?" His gaze drifted to the thin dress she wore. "You’re freezing. Let us get back in."
Ruelle blinked and only then realised her toes were beginning to feel numb. They stood up before beginning to walk back towards the mansion.
The snow continued to fall around them and she glanced sideways and found Lucian already looking at her. Clearing her throat, she said,
"If Peyton returned by now, she would have given us pointed looks."
"She won’t return soon. The carriage she travelled in has a weak wheel," Lucian remarked calmly.
Like Edward’s carriage? Ruelle thought, remembering how the prince’s carriage wheel had mysteriously broken before their trip to the fair. Poor Peyton, she thought to herself.
Several miles away from the Slaters’ mansion, the courthouse was far quieter than usual even with the snow falling.
One of the ministers carried an umbrella, his coat wavering above the ground as he was heading to the next building when he picked up the foul metallic scent lingering in the air. His footsteps slowed and he looked around with a frown before following its faint trail.
When he approached the entrance of the dungeon, he came to notice one of the guards lay sprawled across the ground. The guard’s neck was severed and there were multiple stabbings on the chest. Fresh snow had already begun gathering across the bloodied body.
"What...?!" The minister’s expression hardened. He quickly headed inside the dungeon and found two more guards lying dead on the floor with blood pooled on the ground. The minister quickly ran through the passages, moving past the cells before he finally reached the end.
Every cell door stood open and every chain had been broken, with every prisoner gone.
"Kais!!" the minister shouted, his voice echoing in the dungeon before ordering, "Ring the toll bell right away. The prisoners have escaped. Alert the gate keepers!"
