Chapter 135: GIVE ME A CHANCE
Lumina’s pulse hammered so loud she could almost hear it in the night air.
She could no longer deny that Ashen had been standing behind her long enough to hear everything.
She had been trying to push this away with the thought that he had never heard her past conversations with Seraphina.
"When did you get here?" Her voice broke the silence, softer than she intended.
Ashen tilted his head, stepping closer until the space between them felt too small.
"Why ask me that when you were the one who told me to come out and share the fresh air with you?" His tone was smooth but laced with something she couldn’t name.
She swallowed hard, her fingers curling against her dress.
"Don’t try to hide words under your tongue, Ashen," Lumina accused. "This isn’t the first time I have felt this. It’s the third time but I always feel like you keep pretending."
He only snickered, making her breath hitch as he closed the distance, stopping just in front of her.
"So tell me," he whispered, "what do you think I am hiding? Why does standing behind you make you look so guilty?"
"Ashen!" she snapped, more out of panic than anger.
His brows rose, but he didn’t move back. "We promised not to hide things from each other, remember? We said we would try to understand one another better. So what are you hiding from me?"
"I... there’s no reason for you to be mad," she said quickly, though her voice betrayed her. "All you did was stand there.... Isn’t it?"
But he decided to push further, "Then answer me, are you hiding something?"
She turned away, biting down on her lip before whispering, "Did you hear our conversation?"
"Well... I don’t know.." he let out nonchalantly.
He smirked faintly, the corner of his mouth curving in that infuriating way. Of course, he heard. Ashen was no fool, and this was not the first time he had caught her murmuring to someone, and he was very sure that that person was not from the Drakonis realm.
The power that he always feels from the person is way more than he can imagine but he wants to trust his wife so he decided not to say anything.
Her chest ached at his answers. "Are you trying to start a fight between us?"
"I am trying to make sure there isn’t one later," he countered sharply. "I am asking because this matters. Are you hiding something from me?"
She spun back to face him, her expression defiant now. "I should be the one asking you that! Why can you move when time stops?"
His lips twitched. "Good.... Now you are finally speaking."
Her heart thudded painfully. "Hey don’t piss me off just answer my damn question.."
"You don’t have to yell at me, it wasn’t my fault," he said, leaning closer. "So the answer to your question... Yes... I have always heard your conversations with her and I have never stopped when time stops."
Her chest tightened. "Why didn’t you say anything before?"
"Because you weren’t ready to tell me," he replied bluntly. "And I wasn’t ready to push. But now? Now I am not sure how much longer I can wait."
Her lips parted in shock. "So you were the one who gave me the antidote? Because you knew Adam had poisoned me?"
Ashen’s smirk deepened. "You are smarter than they give you credit for. I will forever be grateful to my brother for giving me a wife like you."
"Ashen!" she cried, heat flooding her face.
He stepped even closer until she could feel his breath ghosting across her skin. "I have my own sources. My own ways to keep you alive. If you won’t tell me everything, I will find out myself."
Her hands balled into fists. "So you have been seeing me as a fool all this while?" she asked, so annoyed now.
"Well... I don’t hide anything from you!"
"Are you sure?" she retorted in annoyance.
His gaze softened just a little, as he slowly said it.
"I am the cursed prince. Everyone in this realm hates me because I am the last dragon, the one who made dragons flee away Drakonis when the curse struck. They call me weak, and I let them. I let them think I am a disgrace so they will leave me alone. I sleep around. I waste my life. I let them laugh, because if they saw who I truly am, they would hunt me to the ends of the earth."
He reached for her, his fingers brushing the blindfold around her head. With one smooth motion, he slipped it loose.
"Hey!" she protested, blinking as the world blurred before her sightless eyes.
"I wanted to see your face," he said quietly. "I wanted to see if you hate me for what I just told you."
Her lips trembled. "I am furious," she said, almost spitting the words.
For a moment he just stared at her, then his expression broke into a small, rueful smile. "Good. At least you feel something." Her heart twisted at this.
"Lumina... you are the first person I have ever wanted to protect." His head leaned so close to her that they could feel each other’s breath as his voice turned to a whisper.
"The first person I have wanted to keep close. I am not perfect, and I will make mistakes, but I can’t stand the thought of losing you."
Her breath caught, and she barely had time to reply before he closed the space between them and captured her lips.
He seized her mouth with his, hard enough to steal the air from her lungs. She jerked back in surprise, palms pressing against his chest, but he only hauled her closer. His grip crushed her against him, ribs pinned, her breath coming short and shallow as he refused to let her go.
When he finally tore his mouth from hers, they were both panting. Her knees felt weak, and she gripped his robe just to steady herself.
"Ashen..."
"I want to be the one for you," he said hoarsely. "I don’t care what plans we made when we first met. I want us to stay together with you always. I will do everything to bring your sight back. Just give me the chance, Lumina. I swear I won’t waste it."
Her throat tightened. "I only want to avenge my mother’s death."
His jaw clenched, but he didn’t let go of her hand. "Then let me help you. Whoever you are planning to hurt, I won’t force you to tell me. But we can do this together."