Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 42 — ’Rune’

For a moment, Lucian simply stared at the young woman seated not far yet not close, his thoughts in disarray. The steady rise and fall of Cynthia’s breathing seemed to mock the storm of emotions swirling within him; she was clueless and he knew his feelings didn’t matter to her.

And yet, for a brief moment, her unexpected present felt comforting. And that realization only fueled his frustration.

What game is she playing?

His fists clenched at his sides, the familiar wave of anger rising in his chest. But before he could react, his eyes softened, trailing over her face.

Her silver hair fell loosely around her, framing her peaceful expression. She didn’t appear amused, or triumphant. Just... tired.

Lucian’s heart gave an uncomfortable thud. A feeling he couldn’t name washed over him. It gnawed at his pride, yet there was something disarming about her unguarded state, as if she had let down a barrier between them for the first time.

But it’s just a front. It has to be. Just another tactic of hers.

A bitter taste filled his mouth. She wouldn’t help him out of kindness. Not after everything. Not after last night. The way he detained her must have hurt her pride and, unable to handle it, she rushed to meet him the first thing in the morning.

His gaze flicked to the wet towels once more, a silent question lingering in the air.

But... Why?

As if she had heard his inner thoughts, Cynthia let out a soft groan, opening her eyelids.

Seeming equally confused, she looked around and her stern expression shifted to a faint smile once she gazed at Lucian.

"You’re awake?" She asked.

Lucian nodded, promptly shifting his gaze, as if making eye contact would reveal the things he wished to keep hidden from her.

"This..." the dark-haired man pointed toward the wet towels.

With an awkward laugh, she gently pulled her hair at the back of her face, tying them into a loose bun.

"She is bad at it," Lucian thought, watching her messy hair.

"Umm... You said to not call any physician, so I didn’t," Cynthia hesitated, for a reason Lucian couldn’t comprehend. She could easily vent to him about how she took care of him during his fever.

Why was she acting... strange?

Cynthia pursed her lips before parting her mouth.

"Your Highness, you... don’t have magic, right?"

Lucian’s eyes widened at her question, and soon his lips twitched into a sneer.

What was he expecting from her? She only cared about power, and Lucian didn’t possess it. He didn’t have the most basic thing to survive in this world– magic.

"Why? Are you upset that your husband doesn’t have magic powers?" Lucian scoffed, looking at her shocked expression.

"What are you talking about? I’m not... It’s just that... it seems you have awakened your magic powers and they have been restrained for too long," Cynthia said, hesitantly still, afraid of not being able to convey the message properly.

"What do you mean?.." Lucian demanded, perplexed.

"You have been having a fever for the past week, Your Highness. I’m sure with your strength and physical condition, you know that it is impossible for it to be a normal fever, or seasonal flu. After all, you ne– I mean you are strong so, it’s unlikely it would remain for more than a two or three days. I think... it’s the week of Rune," Cynthia looked into Lucian’s eyes, waiting for a reply.

Lucian’s expression didn’t falter as he watched carefully the complexion on Cynthia’s face. It didn’t seem like she was lying. Even for someone who could fool others, Lucian wasn’t among those to fall for her tricks easily.

Rune, unlike Yune, which represented awakening, signified chains or magic shackles. This term described a situation where a person had already manifested their magical abilities but was hindered by some force preventing their powers from emerging.

Unlike a few rare cases where a mana core was absent, individuals affected by Rune possessed a mana core. The exact reason for their magic being suppressed remained unknown. However, those who experienced the Rune had been exposed to a significant amount of magic, which compelled the dormant magic within them to attempt to overcome the obstruction. The Yune happened not once, but twice for them.

"How do you know? Did you call the physician?" Panicked, Lucian rose from the couch.

Grabbing Lucian’s hand, Cynthia shook her head as she pulled him back on the couch to take a seat.

Technically, I didn’t call the physician.

Cynthia averted her gaze for a moment. She called for Arlot, who knew about rare cases of Rune and it seemed Lucian was part of them. Arlot had managed to find a mana core inside, and he could sense an immense magical power resting inside the mana core, which meant Lucian’s magic power was simply suppressed by something.

And I thought I knew everything about you.

Cynthia pondered. She thought he was the same as her. They both didn’t have magic, both rejected by the world, but that was a lie she told herself in her past life. She knew very well he was nothing like. He was a war god, he didn’t need magic because his swordsmanship skills overlapped even those who possessed magic. Whereas, she was nothing but a hindrance in his life.

Noticing Cynthia’s expression drop, Lucian slicked his hair on the back, letting out a deep sigh.

"I apologise. I didn’t mean to come off rudely."

"Huh?" Cynthia looked at Lucian, confused.

Did Lucian just apologise to her? The man who never lowered his head to her, had just accepted that he was being rude to her?

"I’m not repeating."

"Oh! N-no. That isn’t it... Just... I also apologise for my rude behaviour that night. It was wrong of me to..." she pursed her lips embarrassed by her own actions.

Equally shocked by Cynthia’s apology, Lucian fell speechless before her.

The room slowly drifted to a heavy awkward silence.

"And... What am I to do about this Rune? Would you know?" Lucian asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Well, you will need to remove whatever is stopping you. We could go somewhere I know," Cynthia suggested.

I can ask Edric about it.

While Cynthia fidgeted her hands nervously, Lucian looked at her, his expression clearly filled with doubt.

"I can’t kill you, Your Highness. You are stronger than me," Cynthia sighed. "Nor do I want to kill."

"But I didn’t say anything."

Cynthia frowned at him. He wasn’t the kind to joke around, so what was his meaning? Did it mean that he truly didn’t doubt her? Or did he have other plans?

"But, how can I trust you? You might want to do... strange things."

It was evident to Cynthia what he was referring to– her kissing him.

"It won’t happen again, I promise," she rose from the couch.

"Are you leaving?"

"I have been taking care of you the past few days and neglecting my work. Ah, about that. I also came to ask you to hand over the estate affairs to me. Now that the mansion has a mistress, isn’t it inappropriate for the head maid to handle the work of a mistress?"

"Ah, so this is why you came here. Is it also the reason why you stayed by my side while I was sick?" Lucian wished to ask but the words caught in his throat.

Cynthia, who waited for an answer, turned her feet.

"I understand your refusal. You don’t consider me as your wife, anyhow. So it’s not as shocking." She said, leaving the hall.

Lucian raised his hand to call her. He wanted to stop her from leaving, but he couldn’t. He felt as if the warmth he sensed when she was beside him had vanished as she left.

Surprised by his own actions, Lucia clenched his fist. Her hand dropped on the cold couch.

[She is an Eldorian. Don’t even think about trusting her.] A dark shadow shape surrounding Lucian spoke.

"I know! Shut up, Keal," Lucian’s jaw tightened, anger overtaking the faint calmess he felt momentarily in Cynthia’s present, shifting to disgust and anger once again as he was reminded of her origins.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l