Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 90 — Waiting For Him

Night had fallen, and the days were slowly growing shorter, with the sunset arriving earlier than in summer. The sun had already given way to darkness, casting long shadows across the courtyard as Cynthia stood waiting in the yard, her arms wrapped around herself against the growing chill.

She had been waiting for Lucian to arrive for hours, feeling the weight of her own frustration settling over her. Despite her resentment, she didn’t want to jeopardize what she had built so far. She needed to keep her emotions in check.

"I’m such a fool. I should have accepted his apology last night," she thought, anger toward herself growing as she pressed her lips into a thin line.

Anxiously, she bit her nails, her gaze flickering to the clock hung in the entrance hall, its face dimly visible from where she stood. It felt like time itself was mocking her and her patience.

"It’s already ten," she mumbled under her breath, a white smoke forming due to the cold weather at night, her voice barely audible in the still night.

"Will he not come home from now on? Was I too rude?" She wondered aloud, her heart sinking at the thought. A shiver ran down her spine. "No, no. The princess is still here. He will come home for her at least..."

A bitter taste filled Cynthia’s mouth, sharp and unyielding. She knew, painfully well, that he would never return home just for her. Yet, it stung all the same, stirring a pain she thought she’d buried long ago—her past self, perhaps, the one who once dared to hope he cared.

Suddenly, the distant sound of wheels crunching on the paved road caught her attention. Cynthia’s heart skipped, and the anxiety that had been gnawing at her began to ease.

He’s here.

A faint smile broke through her tension as she turned, watching the carriage roll to a stop. She took a step forward, but abruptly halted, her conflicting emotions pulling her back. She was supposed to be upset with him—

No.

She steeled herself. Just say you forgave him and proceed with your plans. You don’t have time to waste on such trivial matters. Earning his trust is all that matters.

Cynthia took a breath, clenching her fists, her resolve hardening.

The carriage door finally swung open, and Lucian stepped out, his gaze immediately landing on her. Seeing her waiting there, he couldn’t help but remember Fiona’s words. He’d tried to return late to avoid her, yet found himself impatient, eager to see for himself if Fiona had spoken the truth—or if this was just another baseless rumor.

She has plenty of gossip surrounding her, after all.

As Lucian thought to him, Cynthia made her way towards him, bowing to greet him.

"Good evening, Your Highness."

"I believe it is quite late to call it evening."

"Are you perhaps..." Cynthia narrowed her eyes, wondering if he was trying to make a joke. It wasn’t like him however she could tell from his sarcastic remark which was unusually not mocking her.

"Did it sound that way? Well, it wasn’t funny enough to make you laugh so I wouldn’t call it a joke."

The serious expression on his face made Cynthia discard the thought that this man could ever make a joke. He was far too serious for that.

"Right. You wouldn’t do that," she curled her lips, turning towards the mansion.

"What were you doing here?" Lucian asked, trying to pry an answer from her. One that could vanish the possibility of her waiting for him, who often purposely returned home late because he couldn’t stand the thought of seeing her.

"Waiting for you, of course."

Her reply was simple and clear unlike the numerous excuses Lucian had come up with for her to be standing this late at the years.

"Why?" He managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I can’t sleep unless I know you have returned, Your Highness."

It might sound romantic at first but Cynthia didn’t mean to sound that way. Yet, it wasn’t a lie. She needed him to be home to sleep peacefully or she would remain waiting for him. More than anything, it had become a habit she couldn’t get rid of as it existed even in her past life.

As they reached the mansion’s entrance, Lucian paused, seemingly hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.

Finally, he coughed, clearing his throat.

"Why would my presence make any difference to you?" he asked, his gaze sharp, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes—a glimmer of confusion or curiosity.

Cynthia took a breath, choosing her words carefully before parting her lips.

"Because, regardless of everything between us, this is your home. And you... you’re my husband, even if only in name," she replied, with a composed voice— one she always had whenever she was around him.

His gaze softened for a fleeting second before he averted his eyes.

"You shouldn’t wait for me like this... you should head to bed" he said, his tone distant and low. Yet, he paused a moment longer, as if waiting for her reply.

"I just told you—" Cynthia paused, inhaling deeply before letting out a deep sigh, followed by a faint chuckle.

It doesn’t matter whether I explain anything to you, does it? You listen and do as you wish like you always have done.

"Yes?"

Lucian’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Hesitantly, he stepped closer to her, his gaze locked into hers.

"What is it, Your Highness?" Cynthia nervously asked, trying to keep a grin on her face to mask her nervousness.

"You have a leaf on your head," Lucian gently plucked the brown leaf from her silver hair and tossed it to the ground. He had noticed it earlier but chose to remain silent. Still, it bothered him—her unique hair color was so much prettier without anything dirty in it.

Cynthia’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she quickly stepped back, unprepared for Lucian to remove the leaf himself. She never wanted to show herself in a mess before him and yet...

How ridiculous must I have looked to him?!

"There is no need to be so embarrassed," Lucian bit his tongue, trying to not laugh. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined the lady before his turn red from embarrassment. She always seemed fearless and shameless. For exemple, she wouldn’t think twice before asking for physical contact, or even fight a demon...

His thoughts paused when the memory of her fighting the demon flashed before his eyes.

"Perhaps now is a good time to ask her about it," he told himself, slowly following Cynthia who had begun to pace through the hallway.

"Your Highness."

Hearing Lucian’s voice call her, she halted, turning to face him.

"What is it?" She demanded, her face slightly lit by the dim light hung on the ceiling above her.

"Well..." Lucian kept his gaze on her gave, barely managing to gather the words he wished to voice out.

Seeing his hesitation, Cynthia was only intrigued by what he could be wanting to tell her.

"I’m listening, Your Highness. Unless you would like to take this to my quarters or yours."

Lucian looked around. Despite being late, there were still servants who could be around. Mostly, there was no guarantee a spy wouldn’t try to get information about their conversations and sell them off to the king or the queen. Ennemies, he surely had plenty of them— starting from his own family members.

"Let’s head to the bedroom," the dark-haired suggested, extending his hand towards the stairs.

With a smile on her, Cynthia climbed the stairs, followed by Lucian who couldn’t help but wonder what made her grin so much. After all, just earlier, she had such an emotionless and cold complexion.

This woman is beyond my comprehension...

Hearing the snap of a finger, Lucian blinked, finding himself seated on a couch while Cynthia made herself comfortable, sitting on his bed as if it were her own. He barely realized when they arrived into his bedroom.

"What did you want to ask?" Cynthia asked, the smile on her face had disappeared in the blind of an eye.

"Where did you learn to use a sword?" Lucian inquired, finally able to voice the question that had been bothering for a while yet he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t fear the answer to his question. After all, what the king told him could end up true even if he didn’t want things to turn out this way.

"She might kill you just like her knights did to your mother."

The king’s voice echoed in his mind, causing him to grit his teeth, anger bagan rising inside him.

"That?..." Cynthia was expecting Lucian to ask; however, since he didn’t, she believed for a moment he might let it slide.

Then again, it was Grand Duke Lucian they were talking about. He wouldn’t let anything slide.

Looking around the bedroom, as if searching for an answer, Cynthia curled her lips.

"Well, my brothers taught me."

It wasn’t a lie. Although she had learned the basics on her own, it was indeed her brothers who taught her more about swordsmanship when she first went to the battlefield. She wouldn’t have stood a chance against even one of the weakest knights, but by the end of the war, before returning to the castle, she had ranked as the second-strongest knight in the army.

"Your brothers?"

Lucian repeated, his eyes clearly filled with doubts.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om