To Love, Once Again

Chapter 11

"Me?"

A young girl with light brown hair and light brown eyes stares back at her, blinking wide, nervous eyes from the mirror. She'd already given him her body. Her virginity.

Feeling the warmth behind her back, Lucien cages her in, his large body almost enveloping hers like a cocoon.

His reflection showing; him, tracing a finger down her neck, down, across her collarbones, exposed by the open-cut collar of her dress.

"You." Warm breath fans into her ear as he whispers.

Sera begins to lean back, into his broad chest, lulled by the familiarity.

Would he lean down and kiss her, she hopes. Her lashes flutter open and shut, unsure whether she should keep looking into the mirror or back at Lucien.

There's a woody, fragrant scent from him, like the english tea she loves to drink. The comforting smell that she wished she could roll around in surrounds her. There's another smell too, like flowers, that faintly clings to him.

A sharp clenching around her heart. It's probably some other woman, she thinks.

His palm lightly glides up her white throat, and holds her, thumb and index finger circling her jaw, as the two face the mirror. Their eyes meet.

Seeing the ever-present frown in his face deepen as he gazes into her eyes, pupils dilating, Sera breathes out a soft huff of worry.

What was he going to say? There's a tightness to him, from the way he presses his body so tightly to hers, to how he barely blinks as he only holds her in his eyes.

He continues. "You, become my maid."

.....

Lucien opens his mouth, then closes it again, after a long pause, closing his eyes tightly and pressing his lips into a firm line. As if he was holding himself back from something.

Biting her lip, Sera waits for his next words.

But he only steps away from her, gently releasing his grip from her body, one finger at a time. Heart beating quickly in her chest, Sera meekly lets him unglue himself from her body, bit by bit, confused.

A maid?

That's the penance he wanted her to pay?

Sera recollects herself. He just wants her to work.

"You can sleep here for the night." He continues on, gesturing to the room.

"Someone will come for you in the morning." And with that, he leaves the room. Promptly.

With his back to her, Sera doesn't see the blood at the corner of Lucien's mouth from where he'd deeply bit into the inside of his lip. Surreptitiously wiping the blood away, he moves robotically, step by step out of the room.

The room felt so large after he left...

Why did she feel so empty?

She'd accomplished nothing. No baby in sight.

Sera looks at the quiet room, the jewels still softly glowing in the walls. Her chest feels tight and heavy. It was probably the broken rib, telling her it was strained. The cart ride, helping the servants unload the cart, all the way to her being stuck here and encountering Lucien. So much excitement in one day, totally shattering the monotony of her days as a student.

Biting her lip she furrows her brows, hating herself for being unable to ask about their son.

She should've been bolder and asked. But who knows how Lucien would have reacted if that was the first thing she asked. If he didn't trust her, he would have hidden her baby somewhere, increased the protection around him so she couldn't find him..