Elian trailed behind Lucien all morning—from the archery to the stables and back into the manor.
He hadn’t seen his mother again, and he didn’t realize he would be more anxious for her now than he was when she was in the dungeon. At least, in there he knew she was left alone, but out here, she could easily get bullied or punished, which he wouldn’t want her to experience.
He was currently walking behind Lucien, heading toward an unfamiliar wing of the manor. He’d never been to the east wing before, and walking through the cream-colored hallway felt like he was in an entirely different place.
He was used to the dark decor of the manor; seeing something bright and royal unconsciously made him relax. And relaxing in the Stonewall Manor was something he never wanted to do.
As they approached the double white doors at the end of the hallway, the guards standing there bowed to Lucien before opening the door for him.
Elian hesitated, standing in front of the door and staring into the sun-lavished, spacious room. White chairs and sofas were mindfully arranged in the room, the plush, cream rug covering the marble floor, and a small rectangular table sat perfectly in the center of the room.
However, what caught Elian’s eyes was the long black table by the window side. It had bottles of different kinds of wine arranged on it, with clear wine glasses waiting to be used.
He couldn’t place a name to the room; it was kind of official, but it also looked like a place where two or more men would gather to simply chat and drink.
He stared at Lucien, who hadn’t looked at him since after the archery, as he went over to stand by the window, the sun highlighting his aristocratic figure, making him look almost god-like.
"Do I need to pay a fine before entry?" a voice asked behind Elian.
Elian quickly stepped out of the way, looking at the man in grey noble attire.
"I’m sorry," Elian apologized, stepping further away from the door.
"Come here, Elian," Lucien called.
Elian gave the man a small smile before walking into the room and toward Lucien by the side of the window.
"I did not think you would accept my visitation," the man said, stepping through the door.
"Take your seat, Chester," Lucien stated, walking over to the long table.
"Thank you, Your Grace," Chester smiled before lowering himself onto the white sofa.
Lucien returned to Elian, holding a bottle of red wine in hand. "Serve," he ordered, passing the bottle to Elian.
Elian nodded, carefully taking the bottle from Lucien’s hand.
"Gloves off. Don’t break it," Lucien said, taking his stand right next to the table.
Elian nodded, placing the bottle on the table and pulling off his gloves. He stared at the bottle cork, wondering how he was supposed to pull it off with his bare hands. It was sealed tight, the wax rim jagged and stubborn. He gripped the neck of the bottle, his knuckles turning white as he twisted, but it wouldn’t budge.
"Need help?" Lucien’s voice was low, laced with a warning that he expected competence, not struggle.
Flustered, Elian tried to brace the bottle against the table. His hand slipped, and his thumb caught hard on the sharp, decorative metal edge of the wine rack’s frame. A stinging pain shot through him. He gasped, instinctively pulling his hand back, but not before a bead of dark red blood welled up from the deep scratch.
He quickly tried to wipe it on his trousers, hoping Lucien didn’t notice. He wiped his hand one more time on his pants and picked up the bottle, tilting it over the first glass, and then the second glass.
But as he made to retract his hand from the second glass, a sharp drop escaped his thumb, falling—dark and sudden—directly into the swirling red liquid of Chester’s wine.
He froze, the balcony scenery flashing in his eyes as panic set in.
He quickly withdrew his hand, but it was too late; Lucien already saw him.
"Pour another one," Lucien ordered dismissively, unaware of Elian’s mental panic.
Elian nodded, immediately moving over to the side to pour another glass of wine.
"You know I can’t resist a good wine," Chester suddenly walked over and picked up that particular wine.
Elian froze, watching Chester with horror.
"Sir—"
"Do not speak," Lucien silenced Elian, frowning.
It was just a drop of blood; it won’t harm Chester, but telling him that he had blood dropped into his wine would ruin Lucien’s image, and he didn’t want that.
"To life," Chester raised his glass and Lucien picked up his own, clinking it with Chester’s.
"Your Grace—" Elian murmured as he watched Chester taking the drink to his mouth.
Lucien paused, suddenly realizing the panic in Elian’s eyes and the way his face paled. He immediately realized that something was about to go wrong.
He snapped his eyes to Chester, eyes narrowing in inspection.
"Mm, always special... your wines," Chester said, nodding as he licked his lips.
Lucien relaxed, gesturing for them to go sit.
Behind them, Elian was still like a statue, for he knew it was a matter of a few seconds before Lucien discovered the secret he swore never to reveal to him.
"What brings you here, Chester?" Lucien asked as they sat on the sofa, his glass held elegantly in his hand.
Chester sipped his wine again, placing it down on the small table in front of them.
"You know what brought me here," Chester crossed his legs, pinning Lucien with a meaningful look.
Lucien chuckled, "And you know exactly what I’m asking," he said coldly.
Chester sighed, "Your father needs—" he paused, looking down on his lap.
Lucien stiffened; the mention of his father had him instantly glancing toward Elian.
"Leave," he ordered.
Elian took a shaky breath, his eyes never leaving Chester.
It has happened, but the Duke was yet to know.
"Your Grace—"
"Get out!" Lucien barked, fists clenching.
He can’t have Elian listen to that discussion; a lot will be revealed to him.
Elian sighed, walking over to stand in front of Lucien. "I need to tell you something—"
"Do not push me," Lucien sprang up, grabbing Elian’s arm and staring darkly right into his eyes.
Elian gulped, lifting his head to stare at the taller man, his blue eyes soft and resigned. "I’m not trying to push you, Lucien. I’m only trying to show you," he whispered, biting his lip.
"Show me what?" Lucien asked, his hand loosening around Elian’s arm.
"Kneel, Chester," Elian murmured, eyes never leaving Lucien’s.
Lucien frowned, completely confused. Suddenly, he sensed the man behind him moving, and when he turned, he saw Chester on his knees, face lowered like he was scared to look up.
Lucien felt a chill down to his bones, his hand completely falling away from Elian.
"See?" Elian moved closer, tipping his toes to whisper into Lucien’s ears. "It’s my blood. Gets people under my control for a while..." he smirked. "And now," he reached out, his bare hand palming Lucien’s face until their eyes met, "Your whole life is keeling right in front of me. One word, and I’ll know just how much evil you’ve been hiding," he murmured, smiling coldly.
Lucien’s hand shot out to Elian’s neck, squeezing gently. "That’s where you’re wrong... to think you’d live to find out. What’s stopping me from killing you?" he gritted out, chest heaving in utter panic and frustration.
At that moment, Lucien realized Elian was even more dangerous than he thought. He believed his gloves would protect him, but right now, they were useless when Elian could simply use his blood on him or anyone close to him to get what he wanted.
"You’re stopping yourself from killing me..." Elian said calmly, smiling even as Lucien’s hand tightened around his neck.
"I always knew you were not innocent. Hiding such a secret from me; tell me, when were you planning to use it on me?" he asked, visibly shaking from the betrayal.
Elian chuckled, "I did hide it from you, but I never planned to use it on you—"
"Don’t fucking lie to me!" Lucien pushed him away, raking his fingers through his hair.
Elian fell onto the side, his leg kicking the small table over and pouring the wines onto the cream rug on the floor. The crimson liquid was slowly absorbed into the rug, staining it like a faint blood.
"Can you just calm down?" Elian stood, his own anger rising. "You have no right to feel betrayed when you literally want me dead!" he screamed, balling his fists.
Lucien snapped his head toward Elian before he marched angrily toward him. But as he was just about to reach for Elian, Chester sprang up and blocked Elian, shoving Lucien hard on the chest.
"Stay away from my master," Chester warned lowly.
Lucien went still, his breath hitching as he stared into the pitch-dark eyes of the hypnotized man in front of him.
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