Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 54 — Royal Banquet (1)

"What are you looking at?"

Lucian’s voice caught Cynthia off guard. She quickly grinned at him, trying not to reveal that she had been looking at him for too long, trying to figure out what was on his mind.

He had informed her about their upcoming visit to the royal palace just a few days prior. When she suggested using teleportation magic, he adamantly refused. Cynthia couldn’t understand his reluctance.

Although teleportation spells weren’t common, they were completely forbidden for use in battles, as stabbing someone in the back was seen as a cowardly act.

Shouldn’t he appreciate the convenience that magic offered? After all, they were now capable of wielding it as well. They had been training together for several months. Edric had mentioned that Lucian specialized in combat magic, while Cynthia possessed more divine abilities. That revelation had surprised them both.

From Lucian’s expression back then, Cynthia could tell what he was thinking: Are you sure she isn’t dabbling in some form of witchcraft?

"Why are you frowning? Are you upset that we are travelling by carriage?"

Cynthia quickly wiped the frown from her face and shook her head.

"I’m glad it turned out this way. We can spend more time together."

At that, Lucian turned his face toward the window, gazing at the scenery. He remained silent while Cynthia felt the carriage closing in on her, becoming a suffocating cage.

"How long until we reach there?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Another hour. We’ve already reached the bridge."

Hearing his cold and distant reply, Cynthia gave up. She wasn’t dying to talk to him either.

She was sure they had made some progress when they began training their powers together. They had shared dinner a few times as per request, which had never happened in her past life. She felt delighted, and a soft sigh escaped her.

Cynthia, you will forever remain foolish, won’t you?

As she wondered, she gulped, unable to suppress the urge to question him.

"Do you still hate me?"

"Do we not hate each other?"

Cynthia didn’t answer. Her head slowly dropped, her face hidden by a few strands of hair, her expression concealed from Lucian.

Lucian frowned, not hearing a word from her. Usually, she would instantly deny his statement and insist she did not hate him.

He slowly shifted his gaze toward her, and seeing her slightly disappointed expression as she gently lifted her head made him widen his eyes.

"Why does she have such a... pained expression?" he wondered, unable to ask.

He didn’t care. He shouldn’t care. It was none of his concern.

"Is that what you think? But I don’t hate you, Your Highness."

Her trembling voice nearly revealed the pain she felt as she spoke those words. She did hate him. She had to. He was part of the family that had ruined her life, and for the sake of perfect revenge, she had to hate him and everything related to him. Yet sometimes, hearing him say those words, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness inside. And soon, a raging fire would burn in her heart—the spark of revenge that never extinguished, no matter how hard she tried over the past decade.

She tried to move on. She tried to erase that fate, yet that life didn’t seem willing to leave her.

Lucian didn’t speak for the rest of the journey, nor did Cynthia. She had received the answers she needed before meeting the King and Queen of Eldoria. She didn’t need to behave like the perfect wife but rather as a Grand Duchess dignified by her name, whom no one would look down upon because of her young age.

After a long hour of silence, the carriage came to a stop.

Lucian stepped out, and Cynthia followed him. He didn’t turn back, nor did he stop to help her outside as he had before.

"Not that I need his help, but isn’t that basic manners?" Cynthia wondered.

"Right, I meant to notify you. The missing people we were looking for have returned to their homes," Lucian said, leading the way toward the royal court, assuming it was Cynthia’s first time visiting the king’s palace, or even the capital of Selvarys, as she had been directly brought from Eldoria to Erion.

Cynthia looked around at the nearly dead flowers, realizing it was almost fall. In Erion, the flowers were still in full bloom. The pond was filled with a few lotus flowers floating on the surface, and the path leading toward the court, which she faintly remembered from her memories, didn’t seem any different from before.

"Are you listening?" Lucian’s voice brought Cynthia out of her deep thoughts.

"Oh, yes."

"So I’m unsure if it’s merely a coincidence that they all returned home after going missing for days. I mean, they returned at the same time. Some said they got lost in the forest, while others claimed they were trying to find ingredients for sick family members, and some said they had gone fishing," Lucian exhaled. He paused, glancing at Cynthia, who was listening attentively.

"Anyhow, please be mindful of your behaviour before the king and queen. Don’t act rudely like you did at the reception banquet. You’re lucky the king didn’t take any action against you, but it wouldn’t hurt to be more careful, right?"

Realising Cynthia was looking at him without any strong reaction, Lucian paused.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well... Your Highness, listening to you makes me think that you might actually care about my safety."

"You need to be safe. You’re no less than a hostage who must be protected to maintain peace between our kingdoms."

"About that... What happened to the magic stones? Did both kingdoms separate them?"

Lucian shook his head. "No one can lay a finger on them. We’re merely waiting for a strong enough magician—or the person who cast that spell in the sinkhole—to remove it. Once that’s done, we can access the stones and do something about them."

Cynthia chuckled.

"What’s funny? This is a serious issue. Ah, but it’s not like you can understand politics," his voice lingered in a mocking tone.

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